14 June 1992, Hogwarts
The headmaster returned her nod and the woman silently walked towards his personal floo and left. Albus sagged the moment he left. Dealing with that woman was exhausting.
"Still, as crafty as ever, aren't you, Albus?" a familiar voice spoke up behind him.
He had felt the man's presence the moment he snuck in during the conversation, but he did his best not to react, "Well, I have learnt from the best, Nicholas."
Albus didn't really like to admit it, even to himself, but he was always wary of the famed alchemist. Nicholas Flamel might not even come close to rivalling him in power or strength, but he had mastered his magic to a ridiculous degree. He had learnt during his apprenticeship with the man how ridiculous the man's skill in Alchemy on a conceptual level was. Albus would never dream to come close to his skill in the field, even with the light itself guiding him.
The headmaster turned to speak to his former mentor and saw the familiar figure of an elderly frail old man with silver hair. He looked like a soft breeze could topple him over. Oh, Albus knew that his appearance was deceiving. The man could move like a seasoned Auror, and had more energy than a teenager, thanks to the Elixir of life.
"Yes, you have. And what a disappointment you've become, Albus. You had so much potential," the famed alchemist muttered slightly.
"I embraced my destiny, Nicholas. You were only trying to delay the inevitable. What I have done was necessary, you have seen the results of my work. A magical peace on a global scale, the children are growing in the light without the dangers of the traitorous dark. I do not understand why you condemn my actions so much," Dumbledore returned with a slightly heated tone.
"Then what do you call your spat with the Riddle boy? Is that what your precious peace is? Most of the founding families of Britain have been either reduced to single members or just wiped out in his war, in your war. Defeating Grindelwald was not the end of all of your worries."
Albus gritted his teeth. He would admit that Tom Riddle took him by surprise with both his power and his determination. He wasn't a champion of the Dark; he had even checked on his old friend in Nurmengard in case he perished or somehow passed on his powers to another. You could never be sure with Gellert. But the British civil war came out of nowhere. He didn't expect it. Without anyone to rival him in power, the political scene was his to do as he pleased, and he did push things for the greater good of the magical world.
He had tried to eradicate the dark in a way that no champion before him had tried, by introducing a progressive faction that would slowly dismantle the rituals and traditions that were so commonly used by the followers of the dark. It had worked. Spells were banned, knowledge censored, and rituals destroyed. And it showed how effective it was. The years between the war with Grindelwald, and Voldemort's emergence, were the closest thing to a magical utopia ever since Camelot fell.
"Tom Riddle is an aberration, one that sacrificed everything he had for power. I never expected anyone to be prepared to lose so much of themselves and still be relatively functional. He's barely even human anymore." The headmaster retorted.
"For all your power, you still do not understand. These excuses show that I have failed you as a teacher. Your little display with the house points shows how little foresight you can have sometimes. It seems like wisdom is something that you still lack even after over a century of life," the old man answered with a soft and infuriatingly mysterious tone while shaking his head.
"I had very little choice in the matter. With Voldemort's inevitable return, it is imperative to prevent his future followers from getting any dangerous knowledge from the restricted section. You know that I wanted to stop the privileges of the cup for years," Dumbledore explained to his mentor.
"Then you could have removed the knowledge from the restricted section. It's not like you haven't done it before. So, what is it really?"
"Fine!" the headmaster said, "Some of the members of my faction didn't like the idea of a fourth Slytherin victory in a row. Many heirs have started Hogwarts, and their parents want a chance to see their children grow and surpass those of traditional families. I had to be heavy handed because I certainly didn't expect Gryffindor to end up in last place with such a difference. Minerva was particularly strict when it came to punishing her own house, and Neville Longbottom was very troublesome to handle."
"Ah, at least that makes sense. You and your politics. You're losing yourself in them, boy. You have been trying your best to create the world of your dreams that you bound yourself to the wills of others. What happened to your sister was a tragedy and an accident, but do you have to limit yourself so? People are starting to forget why they followed you in the first place. A few decades ago, not a single family would have dared give you such an ultimatum."
"Simply because I chose not to act like some sort of brute does not mean that my methods are inefficient," Dumbledore protested.
"And yet, you're slowly losing, aren't you?" the famed alchemist said with his usual infuriating tone.
.....
Want to read ahead by more than 60 chapters. Then join my p@treon Right Now.
Link: p*atreon.com/BookReaderBoy (Remove the *)
Also Free members get 2 advanced chapters for Free as well.