A Phoenix Beyond the Veil - The Philospher's Stone

by gerandakis

53 - Dark Magic

The familiar humming of the journal on her shelf drew Celestia's attention away from Twilight's studies. Seeing how it was nearly time anyway, she sent the filly on the way to her room with her usual warning of what would happen if she continued reading for too long.

Once Twilight was safely on her way, she lifted the journal up in her magic and opened it up to read Sunset's latest message. As she read, her eyes first widened in shock, then narrowed in concern. The moment she finished, she lifted the fountain pen Sunset had gifted her and began writing her answer.

Sunset quickly read through the answer the princess had sent her and immediately got up. She raced up to the privacy of her dorm room and pulled out a piece of parchment and her own fountain pen – crafted from dark walnut and engraved with the equestrian word for fire – and wrote a short message.

Once she was done, she quickly cut off the parchment from the roll with a charm and folded it up. She held it up over her shoulder in between two fingers. A moment later, a feather, alight with golden fire, touched the note which vanished in a flash of golden flame.

Despite her worry at the news the Princess had sent her, Sunset found comfort in her ever reliable companion. She let a hand run gently along Philomena's feathers as she waited for answer.

Albus sat down in his chair, deep in thought. He had just finished his covert scans of Quirinus and his worst fears had been confirmed. He would have to inform Ms. Shimmer, Princess Celestia as well, if possible. Knowing the situation brought him no closer to a solution and the two had already proven apt at solving problems.

Before he could think any further, a flash of golden flame heralded the arrival of a note above his desk. The moment it touched down, he unfolded the message and began to read.

It wasn't a long message, but its implications were severe. Had something happened in Equestria? Had she learned something in her own investigations? Had she, perhaps, come to the same conclusion he had reached?

No matter. He would have been willing to wait and speak to her the next morning, but if she was willing to come now, it would make things easier for him. As such he pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment and began to write.

Without a verbal prompt, Fawkes flew over and touched a feather to the message. In a flash of gold it was gone.

It only took a minute before Ms. Shimmer faded into existence near the door. When he was about to welcome her, she held up a hand.

Seconds later, there was another flash of flame and Philomena joined them, bringing Princess Celestia with her. While the Phoenix settled down next to Fawkes and began exchanging quiet trills with him, his other two guests quickly approached and took seats opposite him.

The princess was the first to speak. "Given the matter at hoof, I suggest we skip the pleasantries. We've been able to identify the dark magic surrounding your professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Albus nodded. "Indeed. I actually managed to do the same only a few minutes ago. I agree that this is a matter of utmost importance."

Ms. Shimmer looked between the two, confusion clear on her face. "Uhh, mind cluing me in on exactly what we found out?"

The princess looked a bit embarrassed all of a sudden. "Oh my, I didn't explain, did I?" Her expression became serious once more. "Souls, Sunset. Some of the darkest magicians in Equestrian history focused their research on that subject."

"And in human history as well," Albus added. "And as it happens, the dark magic you detected around Professor Quirrell is a fragment of a soul."

"A dominant fragment, to be exact."

Albus looked to the princess. "Pardon?"

"The spell I sent Sunset was meant not only to identify a soul fragment, but also to discern if it was a dominant one. A soul can, theoretically, be split into several parts, but only one of them can ever be fully sentient. That part is called the dominant fragment. And such a thing is what we have at hoof here."

Albus' mind was running wild with the implications of what he was hearing. Of course he knew that only one part of a split soul could be truly conscious, but the Equestrian spell was, apparently, capable of identifying that. Something his spell couldn't. So Tom had found a host in Quirinus. That was problematic. He didn't have an agent in Hogwarts. He himself was here. Still, he had to focus on the here and now. Perhaps, the princess would have a suggestion. "Do you have an option in mind on how to solve this issue."

She nodded. "I do. This isn't the first time I've had to deal with a parasitic soul fragment. In the past that may have been an issue, but, after the first few times, we found a solution that should work here. I'll commission the archmage to construct a soul trap."

"Pardon?"

"A device, highly complex in nature, involving incredibly complex magic, that can trap and capture a soul, or fragment thereof, that isn't in its natural body. The process of creating one is time consuming so the most complicated part of the process will likely be ensuring that we do not tip our hoof until the trap is finished."

Albus was intrigued now. "How long exactly would you expect the process to take?"

"At least two months, maybe three. The process involves acquiring several rare minerals and combining them using complex spells and rituals. Some of the latter can only be completed in certain time frames and under specific conditions. Still, we are fortunate. Normally, just sourcing those materials, or the work towards creating the trap itself could tip off the host of the fragment, but since all of that will take place in Equestria, there is no risk of that. If there was, I would calculate at least half a year."

"That does indeed sound promising. Once it is completed, what will be required to use it?"

"We will need a place to set it up. Once it is, we need some way of ensuring the host remains within range for a sufficient time so it can activate. At that point, the main issue is assuring that nopony else interferes with the process. That could be catastrophic."

"So we need an out of the way place to set it up and something to bait the trap as it were. I'm sure we can figure something out."

"Of course, though I must ask, do you have any idea as to the identity of the soul fragment in question?"

Albus sighed. He had known this was coming. "I do actually. And I must ask you, both of you, to not share this information with others." The two shared a glance, but nodded. "Very well. I take it Miss Shimmer informed you of the recent history of Wizarding Britain?"

"Ah, I see. A dark wizard claiming to be immortal, supposedly killed by his own curse being reflected back at him. Yes that makes sense."

"Indeed, I suspect the one we are dealing with here is none other that Tom Riddle or, as he likes to call himself, Lord Voldemort. I had my suspicions before, but now I have proof. The soul clinging onto Professor Quirrell is clearly not whole. He has created a horcrux. Potentially several."

"Just to be sure I understand you correctly, what you call a horcrux is a fragment of a soul bound to a physical object by powerful dark magic, correct?" He nodded. "I see, we call them soul anchors. I will have to see what we can do about locating and destroying those in time. But for now we should focus on the issue at hoof. Do you have any idea what this wizard could want here?"

"I do. Undoubtedly he is here for the Philosopher's Stone."

"Oh is that what that cerberus on the third floor is guarding?"

Albus sighed. "Among other things, yes. How do you know about him?"

"Went to the third floor, found the door and used a scrying spell to look behind it. Hmm. He's only been here since this summer so..." She gasped. "That's what Hagrid was picking up from Gringotts, isn't it?"

"Again, yes."

"And Professor Quirrell was in the Leaky Cauldron that day. And later the same day someone broke into the vault where the stone had been kept. Only Hagrid had it by then. That was probably him too."

"I ... hadn't considered that, but that does indeed sound likely. Well, if anything, that just confirms my suspicions. It would seem we've found our bait. The stone is already hidden in a place where no one would accidentally stumble across it, so we needn't worry about anyone interrupting. I think I also have an idea to occupy him for long enough. I'll have to investigate that."

The princess nodded. "Very well, you'll have time to do that while I get the trap ready. Just make sure he doesn't reach the stone until then."

"Hmm, yes. I may need to acquire Severus' help in making sure he doesn't. He has seemed suspicious of Quirinus for a while now."

"If you think it worth the risk of involving him. It would be advisable to keep the number of ponies that now of our plans limited."

Albus nodded. "I agree. And I don't intend to tell Severus about the trap until after it is at least set up."

The princess nodded. "Very well. If that is all, I need to set up a meeting with the archmage."

"One more thing."

"Yes?"

"When the trap is sprung, what effect will it have on Quirinus?"

"Well, forcibly removing a parasitic soul fragment will cause some damage to his soul, there is no way around that. As a result, his magic will be weakened for a while, severely so at the start. Beyond that, he shouldn't suffer any long term consequences. Of course, the lack of side effects from the possession indicates that he is hosting the fragment willingly. That doesn't bode well for his loyalties."

"Naturally, but I will rest easier knowing that we don't have a death trap in the castle, just waiting to be sprung."

"Understandable. Good night, Headmaster Dumbledore. Philomena, if you would?"

With a gentle trill, Philomena flew over from beside Fawkes and landed on the princess' outstretched arm. In a flash of fire, the both of them vanished.

Albus turned back to the girl still remaining in the room. "I take it it goes without saying that everything discussed in this meeting should remain strictly confidential?"

Ms. Shimmer nodded. "Obviously. Don't worry, I won't risk tipping him off." She scratched the back of her head, clearly a bit sheepish. "That being said, I did already warn my classmates about him and word kinda got out. So now, pretty much all of Gryffindor is a bit suspicious of him. I don't know how well they'll be able to hide it."

Albus sighed. "Ah well, nothing that can be done about that. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I'll write you a pass so you can get back to Gryffindor Tower-"

"Or I could just teleport."

"Or you could do that. Hmm, the new wards are supposed to prevent that."

"Well they're better, certainly. No comparison to what there was before, but they can't stop me. Mind you, I myself couldn't create a phasic ward I couldn't bypass. I could make one that would take me minutes to get past, but not one that could stop me for good."

"I see. Would you be averse to helping with the wards at some point?"

"Sure. These wards are, what? A thousand years old? And how long since they were last upgraded? There's bound to be some improvements we can make. From either world."

"Hmm, I do believe the last time the wards were upgraded was when modified muggle repelling charms were added in accordance with the Statute of Secrecy in 1689. I suppose the wards are a bit overdue for a full upgrade. Anyways, I do believe it is time for you to head to bed. Wouldn't you agree?"

Ms. Shimmer yawned quietly. "You have a point there. Good night, Professor."

"Good night, Miss Shimmer."

With a soft wavering of the air, his second guest of the evening disappeared.

Albus leaned back in his chair, considering what he had learned tonight and what he would do next. First thing tomorrow he would have to have a talk with Severus. Keeping an eye on Quirinus had become a vital priority.

After that, he would have to ensure that the stone was safe. First, he would have to remove Quirinus' own protection. The man had no doubt made sure he could easily defeat or bypass it. Then he would need to find a way to replace it. Maybe Aurora or Septima could provide one.

There was work to do.