CHAPTER 22
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 22 ~ Albus’ Discovery
Albus had seen some horrible things in his lifetime, but the plight of the Untouchables of India chilled him to his core. These were individuals believed born into the lowest strata of life because of the accumulation of sins from their previous lives. Hindu texts described these people as foul and loathsome, and any physical contact with them was thought to be pollutive, those of higher caste believing even the very presence of these poor people near the vicinity of their residence would pollute them to the point they could be denied their reserved place in heaven. As a result, the Untouchables were beaten and often killed freely and without any inquiry. No one cared what happened to an Untouchable.
Which made them perfect fodder for Dementors.
Untouchables were not allowed to wear shoes, ride bicycles, use umbrellas or hold their heads up while walking in the street in the presence of those of “higher caste” or position. Those in urban India lived crowded together in squalid slums, while in rural India, where the vast majority lived, they were exploited as landless agricultural laborers and ruled by terror and intimidation. There were over one hundred and sixty million of these unfortunates, most of which suffered from poverty, malnutrition and other diseases born from contaminated water and the filthy, unhygienic environments they were forced to live in.
The first day of his arrival, a somber faced Albus Dumbledore walked through a dumpsite that thousands of these poor people called home, located on the outskirts of the city, asking questions of the occupants via his Translation charm. The dump didn’t even have solid soil for setting up temporary housing, the ground just a pile of accumulated waste from the city, predominantly plastic and other non-biodegradable refuse which emitted fumes whenever there was a slight rain.
Some of the Untouchables did manage to make houses out of discarded materials with plastic sheets for roofing and fine steel filings mixed with carbide waste collected from nearby steel foundries for the ground. This flooring caused blisters and cuts on their bodies since they had nothing else to lie on. Albus wandlessly healed hundreds of them, but soon had to disillusion himself and flee to the rural areas because a crowd began to follow him, calling him “Father” and begging him to save them from their evil lives. He left with a heavy heart.
It was in the rural areas that the attacks were occurring. The authorities ignored the situation completely. So many Untouchables disappeared or were stricken with illnesses under normal conditions that no one cared to investigate when they turned up alive and unmoving, their dark eyes empty and staring. As far as those in power were concerned it was just another disease, and another way to be rid of them.
Albus moved from mud hut to mud hut, questioning the occupants. His heart ached when he saw all the beautiful, malnourished children scavenging and begging. He had nothing for them and shook his head sadly, showing his empty hands and pockets. Such misery was here. No wonder the Dementor chose such a place. But despite his searching, he could find no one who actually saw one of the fearsome creatures.
“One night, I lay beside my wife and child and the air grew cold. We heard screaming and fled. The next morning we found our neighbor, his wife and his little girl on the ground staring up. They were breathing but did not move or see. They have since died, having no one to care for them. It is very hard here for those who are not ill. The sick have short lives,” one man said, carrying a load of human feces on his head. He made his livelihood clearing “night soil” which was illegal.
Albus thanked the man. The description of coldness and the condition of the family told him what he needed to know. In the next village he was fortunate enough to find a young woman who had recently been attacked. The wizard took one look at her and knew immediately that yes, she was a victim. Her mother questioned him frantically as to how to bring her back, and when Albus told her he knew of no way, the woman collapsed to the ground wailing and throwing dirt into the air in grief.
He was about to leave the village when a little boy of about eight years old walked up behind him and tugged on his robes. Albus turned and looked down his crooked nose at the boy. He was so skinny, the wizard could count his ribs.
“I have seen them,” the boy whispered, looking around. “Others have seen them too, but are afraid to say so…afraid it will bring them back.”
Albus nodded and he and the boy walked away from the huts to the edge of a thick jungle.
“They come out of the bush at night. They are demons. Black demons without legs that float above the ground. They are covered, with long gray hands and black nails. They sound as if they have trouble breathing but are still quiet,” the boy breathed up at Albus, his brown eyes wide. He started to tremble and the wizard placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“What else?” the wizard asked him.
“They bring cold with them…a hard cold that goes into your bones. And sadness. I can feel the sadness long before they come and throw wood on the fire and huddle on the other side of it,” the boy continued. “They do not come near fire. My back gets burned sometimes.”
Albus took this in. The boy could sense Dementors before they appeared. He surreptiously tested him for magic, flicking two fingers in his direction. There was a slight signature. He wasn’t as dark as many of the Untouchables. Maybe he was a half-caste whose family were Untouchables because of how they lived rather than birth. The signature, however slight…meant he was an heir to the wizarding world.
The black-haired youngster was only dressed in a ragged pair of dingy red shorts and barefoot. He turned and showed Albus his back, which had a number of shiny welts from heat blisters. The wizard grimaced at the thinness of that back.
“Where are your parents?” Albus asked the boy.
“I have no parents. They were killed when they tried to go to the police to complain about my younger brother being murdered for picking flowers near a Brahmin’s home. It is only me. My name is Bharadwaj. It means “lucky bird”. But everyone calls me Bara.”
“Lucky bird,” Albus repeated, studying the young boy. “How long have you been alone? Will no one take you in?”
The boy shook his head.
“I am but another mouth. No one will help me. I must help myself. My parents have been dead seven months now. I scavenge and kill snakes to eat, even though they are sacred. Nothing is sacred when your belly is empty, except maybe the cows. But there are not many snakes left now.”
Albus’ face contorted as he looked at the boy. He swallowed not knowing what to say to this statement and instead asked, “You say these demons come out of the bush?”
Bara nodded.
“Out of the jungle late in the night. They float to the sleeping and kiss them,” he said, his trembling becoming more pronounced.
Albus nodded and looked into the bush. The boy continued.
“There is a place there where the monkeys used to live. An old temple. They have always lived there…the temple is as old as the stars. Now, they are gone,” Bara said meaningfully.
“How far is this temple?” Albus asked.
“Maybe five kilometers. It is not very far,” the boy replied.
Albus studied the boy, wondering if he were strong enough to accept what was unacceptable to most.
“Bara, do you know what magic is?” Albus asked him.
The boy nodded.
“There are many magicians in the city. They climb ropes and disappear, stick pins through their bodies and leave no holes,” he said knowledgably. “They are very powerful.”
Albus smiled.
“I am also a magician…a wizard to be exact, and I can do magic,” Albus said to the boy, his blue eyes looking on him kindly. “I am here to find out where these demons are, and to bring others to destroy them.”
“With your magic?” Bara asked excitedly.
Albus nodded.
“Yes. With very powerful magic like you have never seen,” he replied, “but I need a guide to the temple so I will be able to locate it. Will you guide me?”
Bara looked up at the white bearded, kind-eyed old wizard. He was very brave.
Bara was brave too.
“Yes, I will show you,” the boy said staunchly, “And I will help you. I hate them. They are evil things.”
Yes they are,” Albus agreed.
The old wizard and young boy looked at each other for a moment.
“We can go now. The jungle is cool, but we must hurry and come back. If night comes…they may come,” Bara said.
The boy was a bit frightened by this possibility, but he wouldn’t show Albus any fear. If the old man could face them, so could he.
“I am a wizard, Bara. We will not have to walk the whole distance. Take my hand,” Albus said, holding out his hand and looking toward the village to see if anyone was watching. Many were.
“I think we need to go into the jungle a bit more. I don’t want everyone to see my magic,” Albus said to the youngster, who had gripped his hand firmly.
“No. If they see your magic, they will crowd around you and not let you leave,” Bara said, leading Albus into the jungle by his hand. They stopped when the village could no longer been seen.
“Five kilometers in that direction?” Albus said, pointing into the bush.
“Yes. That way,” Bara confirmed.
“All right, Bara…hold on to my hand firmly. There will be a loud noise like thunder, but that is just the power of the magic. Don’t be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid,” the boy declared, although his grip on Albus’ hand tightened.
The wizard smiled and disapparated.
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All of the Dementors resting in the dark interior of the temple ruins started and began milling about, hissing.
They could feel Albus. The Great Power from the final battle. His phoenix patronus had destroyed hundreds of Dementors, as did powerful blasts of white light that issued from his palms. They remembered Dumbledore collectively and were frightened.
“Go!” a Dementor hissed, and one by one they floated through a crack in the temple wall and into the jungle’s interior. That the Great One was near boded no good. They were discovered.
Minerva could feel Albus too, through the fear of her captor which pulsed around her.
“Ah, you’re running now, aren’t you?” she taunted. “On borrowed time…all of you.”
The Dementor hissed in irritation as it glided through the dark, leafy green of the bush, putting distance between itself and the approaching wizard. Damn this soul. It talked far too much.
“He knows you’re all here. He will destroy you,” the witch goaded, her eyes glinting maliciously as she stared into the darkness all around her. “I may have to go with you, but it will be worth it. You are all abominations and the world will be much better off without your like in it.”
The Dementor hissed angrily.
Shut up you old bird.
Minerva smiled victoriously.
“Ah, talking now are we? You must be scared to death as you well should be. Albus Dumbledore will hunt you to the ends of the earth. All of you to the very ends of the earth.”
The angry Dementor disappeared into the jungle, cursing the day it kissed this witch.
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Albus and Bara stood about two hundred yards from the ruined temple. It was overrun with creepers and vines, only small parts of the stonework showing through the winding stalks. Large stones were scattered about, as were broken statues of lesser gods. There was a kind of clearing in the front temple where the sun blazed down. No Dementor would dare exit that way.
“What is behind the temple?” Albus asked Bara.
“Jungle. Right up to the walls. Very thick. Only the front is cleared,” the boy said. “But I cannot feel them. I do not think the demons are here.”
Albus nodded. They probably felt him and fled. But it didn’t matter. He only wanted to locate the temple, not confront them alone. He didn’t know how many there were, and although he was powerful, there was a chance he could be overcome if he entered their domain.
Bara watched as the wizard walked up to a vine covered statue that hadn’t toppled yet. The old wizard placed his hand against it, and it glowed bright blue for a moment. Bara’s mouth dropped open as the statue returned to normal. Albus walked back over to him.
“What did you do to the god?” Bara asked in a low voice.
“I turned it into a port key destination. When I send others to destroy the Dementors, they will arrive here,” Albus said to him. “Now I must return to England to plan the attack.”
“England?” Bara repeated, looking up at the wizard rather sadly. The boy had been alone so long. Albus had been the first human being to speak kindly to him in months. Others only shouted at him to move along.
“Yes, England,” Albus said, “Wizarding England. A very special place.”
Bara nodded. It made sense a wizard would come from a special place. A place with magic.
“Can I go with you? To England?” the little boy asked, startling the old wizard.
“To England?” the Headmaster asked in astonishment.
Bara nodded.
“Yes to England. I will be your servant. Every great man needs a servant, even a wizard,” the boy said, looking up at Albus.
The old wizard looked down at the boy. He had no family. The Headmaster wasn’t sure how long he could last alone. Bara seemed a bright boy…and he did have a slight magical signature. Technically, he wasn’t a muggle.
But if he took Bara, then he would be responsible for him. The wizard was used to being responsible for a number of children, it was his job after all. But one boy?
Bara looked up at him with his big brown eyes.
“I don’t need a servant, Bara,” Albus said gently. The boy’s face fell.
“But I can always use another friend,” the wizard said kindly, placing a hand on the boy’s head and ruffling his thick black hair. The boy’s brown face split with a broad, bright smile.
“Let us go,” Albus said, taking the boy’s hand firmly and disapparating.
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A/N: Ah, a new child OC. Bara. He seems a brave little thing, bless his heart. Well Albus has located the Dementor stronghold. Whether or not they will remain there now is a mystery. They fear Albus and might hide. Lol to Minerva taunting her captor psychologically. She is still a tough old bird. Well, Albus is on his way back to England. He’s a bit old to be a father, but somehow I think he can handle it. Now let’s see what Severus and Hermione are up to. Please review.