Chapter 174: No Way Back
24th January 1995, Hogwarts Earth 2
(Jasmine Sayre POV)
Harry’s face looked pale before turning around and slowly leaving the classroom.
I sigh in exasperation, stupid altruistic teenagers with delusions of grandeur.
Suddenly a phoenix Patronus flew in and spoke in Dumbledore’s voice, “Professor Sayre, could you please come to my office. I believe there are things we must discuss.”
I sigh again. Does he really want to do this now? At least, things were going according to plan. If things continue the way I want them to, I should have a way home soon.
I walk out of the classroom, up to the Headmaster’s office. As usual, I ignore the scrying runes outside the office that allow Dumbledore to identify his visitors. I open the door and enter the office.
The first thing that met me was Dumbledore’s grave face. The man was obviously unhappy with me and looked very frustrated. I inwardly grinned; this was the last step in the plan, the final push. My ritual was already fully powered around a week ago, ready to summon Fate. The only thing left was to spark the flames that would obliterate the prophecy.
“You wanted to see me, Headmaster?”
Dumbledore nodded, “Ah, yes, Professor Sayre. It has been a while since we last had a nice conversation, the two of us.”
“Yes, they do tend to spiral out of control, don’t they?”
The elder man chuckled, “That they do. But I didn’t just call you here to have a little tête-à-tête, I invited you here, because I believe it’s time for us to put our cards on the table, so to speak.”
I suppress a grin, “I don’t mind. What do you want to know?”
“You have spent months in the castle, you have touched so many lives and impacted the future of this entire nation. I wish to understand you, understand what you wish to accomplish in being here.”
I chuckle, “Oh, Dumbledore, you’re dealing with something so much beyond your comprehension, it’s not even funny. My goals, my ambitions are beyond this little piece of rock you call a country, and the corrupt administration that governs it. I don’t care about Riddle, nor do I care about you.”
The man was obviously getting annoyed, “Then perhaps, even if I cannot understand your motives, I can offer you, my assistance. After all, I do not need to know everything to help and in return you could help me, join the Order, in dealing with Voldemort.”
I nearly burst into laughter, “You silly prideful man, I have already achieved my ambitions. I have already gotten what I wanted, there’s nothing for you to help me with.”
The headmaster looked surprised at this, “What… What did you accomplish?”
“Just because I haven’t reaped the benefits, doesn’t mean that I haven’t already won. It’ll just take time for it to bear fruit. I could leave the castle right now, go live in a hut, and I still would end up with what I want.”
“How, I would have noticed if something significant happened.”
I give him a cheeky smirk, “I told you; my ambitions are beyond your understanding. You’re so worried about Voldemort, just because of the raw power he holds that you forgot how powerful words can be. A simple conversation, an idea, can have a lot more far reaching consequences than just a show of magical strength. I didn’t need to do anything too powerful. A small nudge here and there, and I received everything I could ever need from Hogwarts.”
Dumbledore then tried to change the angle, “What about Harry? Are you truly going to abandon your heir to die at the hands of the monster who killed his parents?”
I’m unimpressed with his attempt at emotionally manipulating me, “Who said anything about Harry fighting Voldemort?”
The answer seems to stun him, “The prophecy…”
“The prophecy states that there will be a confrontation between Harry and Voldemort the end result of which, is one of them killing the other. That’s true, but who said that the prophecy was still valid. You gambled your entire country’s future on a prophecy that you hoped was true and you’re right, the prophecy Trelawney gave you was a true one.”
“Then you agree that you must help Harry…”
I interrupt him, “Yes, the prophecy was true, but it simply isn’t anymore.”
The answer seemed to stun him into silence, and I could feel his magical presence starting to bubble to the surface. It was probably something that’s meant to intimidate me with his magical strength. I just thought it was cute.
The man’s face looked like it was made of stone, “Explain!”
I smile and answer him, “Do you know how prophecies work, Albus Dumbledore?”
“No, I don’t. No one does.”
“And yet, I do. Imagine this line being the current timeline,” I wave my wand and conjure an illusion of a golden line, “And now, imagine every branch is a choice,“ the line then starts to branch out, resembling an upside down golden tree, “Now, a prophecy occurs when for some reason, all of the branches of the future converges towards an area,” I make the branches twist and turn towards a point, “the area around it, consists of every interpretation of the prophecy. A true prophecy is always true, no matter what happens, because it simply cannot exist without it.”
Dumbledore looked enraptured at my impromptu lecture, and I continue, “Now, imagine what would happen if someone intimately understood the workings of fate, if someone could exist outside of it, outside of the world’s timeline. Then, that means that they could affect the original timeline, and thus the branches could now change, they wouldn’t have to conform to the prophecy. Which means that the prophecy doesn’t have to be true.”
Dumbledore’s eyes widened, “You…”
I grin, “Me. It didn’t even have to be malicious. Fate is such a fragile structure. I only needed a small push. A small nugget of information there, like lessons in magical theory, a small act of kindness like healing the Longbottoms and Arthur Weasley, although, I did heal Weasley out of guilt; had I not interfered, his condition wouldn’t have been as severe. I removed Umbridge’s presence from Hogwarts, messed with Fudge’s hold on the Ministry. They all started as small actions, that slowly changed everything.”
The man looked stupefied by this, so I interrupt him, “And before you try to stop me, do you really think that I’m the kind of person that makes speeches revealing their plans for no reason. I’m telling you this, because there’s nothing you can do about it. I have already done what I wanted and achieved what I desire. There’s no way back.”
“But the Horcruxes…”
“I destroyed a few Horcruxes, just because of how vile the things are, not because I give a damn about Voldemort.”
The aged headmaster looked defeated, “It was always about the Prophecy, wasn’t it?”
I nod, “Do you think I care about this small little useless conflict in a corrupt administration, a small dark lord with delusions of immortality whose reign would probably cause an economic collapse? The prophecy is the only reason I’m here, because I needed to break it. And with every second, the chances of it being realized get smaller and smaller. If it makes you feel any better, Harry would have won if I hadn’t changed anything. Voldemort would have revealed himself in a few months, with Sirius dying in the process, you would have died a year later, and Harry, after some subtle clues and a uselessly long Horcrux hunt, Harry Potter would have destroyed all of them, and after an impromptu battle here, in Hogwarts, Harry would defeat Voldemort with a fluke, ending a conflict where more children than adults perished. This was your future, Albus Dumbledore, this was the culmination of your ambitions, the prophecy that you aimed to fulfill.”
Dumbledore shook his head, with unshed tears in his eyes, “I only wanted for there to be peace, to be love, of light. This wasn’t the plan; this was not how things were supposed to go.”
“This is life, Albus Dumbledore. Nothing ever goes according to plan. You wanted to create an ideal world, a world of only love, a world of only light, a world of only peace. But such a world is impossible to exist. Everywhere you look in this world, wherever there is light, there will always be shadows to be found as well. As long as there is a concept of victors, the vanquished will also exist. The selfish intent of wanting to preserve peace, initiates war and hatred is born in order to protect love. There are nexuses causal relationships that cannot be separated. Is it any wonder then, that when you tried to force something like this, the world fought back?”
The elder headmaster didn’t look convinced, “No, it still can be salvaged. Harry will still seek out Voldemort, he will fight him even if it kills him.”
I snort, “Did you forget what I said? A conversation can be far more powerful than you could possibly imagine. You gave me access to your little weapon, the altruistic hero you were betting on, and I, slowly, made him human. You tried to make him fight to protect people that he never connected with, a culture that he never experienced, delights that he never even knew of, because you locked him away, safe and miserable from the world. The only reason that would get him to fight would be his revenge for his parents’ death, and even now, he’s realized that this was all there was to it. As far as he’s concerned, Harry Potter will not seek to fight Lord Voldemort.”
Dumbledore slammed his hand on his desk, “Do you realize what you’ve done, woman?”
“I do, far more than you realize. I told you; I’m not taking any chances here. The Prophecy must never be fulfilled, that was my goal, and I have achieved it. What you should be asking yourself is what that means for you.”
The man looked at me desperately, “What am I supposed to do, now? Everything is in ruins. All of my plans, everything. You’ve doomed this country to the rule of a monster.”
I chuckle, “Did I? All I did, was remove the net you had under your plans. The prophecy spoke of a confrontation between Harry and Riddle, but if that isn’t real anymore, then why don’t you directly go to confront him?”
“He’s too powerful, and I’m too old…”
I snort, “That is the biggest pile of crap I’ve heard in a while. Magical power is but a facet in a fight, a skilled opponent, or better yet, a cunning opponent, would obliterate a more powerful wizard in seconds. You need to stop seeing a duel with Voldemort as a contest of power, because even with the elder wand, you will lose. You need to be sneaky, to be manipulative. Prepare the battlefield, make traps, and there’s no reason for Riddle to defeat you.”
The man still looked unconvinced with the idea of fighting Riddle directly, “I cannot afford Voldemort getting the elder wand’s allegiance.”
“If you’re not prepared to take any risks, then you will definitely lose. You can’t count on Harry killing him anymore, you can’t count on a prophecy because with every second, the paths to the future diverge from it, until none of the paths actually cross any interpretation of the prophecy, meaning that it will officially die then.”
Dumbledore’s eyes widened imperceptibly, “Then not all is lost. There’s still a chance of the prophecy fulfilling itself. I will have to act quickly, to engineer a confrontation between Harry and Voldemort and hope that Lily’s blood protection would get Harry to emerge victorious. Everything can be salvaged.”
I shook my head, “Dumbledore, listen to me. This way will only lead to madness. You will lose everything if you continue in this path.”
Dumbledore didn’t seem to accept my response, “I’m sorry, Professor Sayre, you’ve given me a lot to think about. And we’ll speak about your continuing employment in this establishment when things calm down.”
Understanding that there was nothing that could change his mind, I nodded and left the office. He didn’t notice the small smile on my face. This was the last piece of the puzzle, my last move, and everything went exactly according to plan.
Chapter 174: No Way Back
24th January 1995, Hogwarts Earth 2
(Jasmine Sayre POV)
Harry’s face looked pale before turning around and slowly leaving the classroom.
I sigh in exasperation, stupid altruistic teenagers with delusions of grandeur.
Suddenly a phoenix Patronus flew in and spoke in Dumbledore’s voice, “Professor Sayre, could you please come to my office. I believe there are things we must discuss.”
I sigh again. Does he really want to do this now? At least, things were going according to plan. If things continue the way I want them to, I should have a way home soon.
I walk out of the classroom, up to the Headmaster’s office. As usual, I ignore the scrying runes outside the office that allow Dumbledore to identify his visitors. I open the door and enter the office.
The first thing that met me was Dumbledore’s grave face. The man was obviously unhappy with me and looked very frustrated. I inwardly grinned; this was the last step in the plan, the final push. My ritual was already fully powered around a week ago, ready to summon Fate. The only thing left was to spark the flames that would obliterate the prophecy.
“You wanted to see me, Headmaster?”
Dumbledore nodded, “Ah, yes, Professor Sayre. It has been a while since we last had a nice conversation, the two of us.”
“Yes, they do tend to spiral out of control, don’t they?”
The elder man chuckled, “That they do. But I didn’t just call you here to have a little tête-à-tête, I invited you here, because I believe it’s time for us to put our cards on the table, so to speak.”
I suppress a grin, “I don’t mind. What do you want to know?”
“You have spent months in the castle, you have touched so many lives and impacted the future of this entire nation. I wish to understand you, understand what you wish to accomplish in being here.”
I chuckle, “Oh, Dumbledore, you’re dealing with something so much beyond your comprehension, it’s not even funny. My goals, my ambitions are beyond this little piece of rock you call a country, and the corrupt administration that governs it. I don’t care about Riddle, nor do I care about you.”
The man was obviously getting annoyed, “Then perhaps, even if I cannot understand your motives, I can offer you, my assistance. After all, I do not need to know everything to help and in return you could help me, join the Order, in dealing with Voldemort.”
I nearly burst into laughter, “You silly prideful man, I have already achieved my ambitions. I have already gotten what I wanted, there’s nothing for you to help me with.”
The headmaster looked surprised at this, “What… What did you accomplish?”
“Just because I haven’t reaped the benefits, doesn’t mean that I haven’t already won. It’ll just take time for it to bear fruit. I could leave the castle right now, go live in a hut, and I still would end up with what I want.”
“How, I would have noticed if something significant happened.”
I give him a cheeky smirk, “I told you; my ambitions are beyond your understanding. You’re so worried about Voldemort, just because of the raw power he holds that you forgot how powerful words can be. A simple conversation, an idea, can have a lot more far reaching consequences than just a show of magical strength. I didn’t need to do anything too powerful. A small nudge here and there, and I received everything I could ever need from Hogwarts.”
Dumbledore then tried to change the angle, “What about Harry? Are you truly going to abandon your heir to die at the hands of the monster who killed his parents?”
I’m unimpressed with his attempt at emotionally manipulating me, “Who said anything about Harry fighting Voldemort?”
The answer seems to stun him, “The prophecy…”
“The prophecy states that there will be a confrontation between Harry and Voldemort the end result of which, is one of them killing the other. That’s true, but who said that the prophecy was still valid. You gambled your entire country’s future on a prophecy that you hoped was true and you’re right, the prophecy Trelawney gave you was a true one.”
“Then you agree that you must help Harry…”
I interrupt him, “Yes, the prophecy was true, but it simply isn’t anymore.”
The answer seemed to stun him into silence, and I could feel his magical presence starting to bubble to the surface. It was probably something that’s meant to intimidate me with his magical strength. I just thought it was cute.
The man’s face looked like it was made of stone, “Explain!”
I smile and answer him, “Do you know how prophecies work, Albus Dumbledore?”
“No, I don’t. No one does.”
“And yet, I do. Imagine this line being the current timeline,” I wave my wand and conjure an illusion of a golden line, “And now, imagine every branch is a choice,“ the line then starts to branch out, resembling an upside down golden tree, “Now, a prophecy occurs when for some reason, all of the branches of the future converges towards an area,” I make the branches twist and turn towards a point, “the area around it, consists of every interpretation of the prophecy. A true prophecy is always true, no matter what happens, because it simply cannot exist without it.”
Dumbledore looked enraptured at my impromptu lecture, and I continue, “Now, imagine what would happen if someone intimately understood the workings of fate, if someone could exist outside of it, outside of the world’s timeline. Then, that means that they could affect the original timeline, and thus the branches could now change, they wouldn’t have to conform to the prophecy. Which means that the prophecy doesn’t have to be true.”
Dumbledore’s eyes widened, “You…”
I grin, “Me. It didn’t even have to be malicious. Fate is such a fragile structure. I only needed a small push. A small nugget of information there, like lessons in magical theory, a small act of kindness like healing the Longbottoms and Arthur Weasley, although, I did heal Weasley out of guilt; had I not interfered, his condition wouldn’t have been as severe. I removed Umbridge’s presence from Hogwarts, messed with Fudge’s hold on the Ministry. They all started as small actions, that slowly changed everything.”
The man looked stupefied by this, so I interrupt him, “And before you try to stop me, do you really think that I’m the kind of person that makes speeches revealing their plans for no reason. I’m telling you this, because there’s nothing you can do about it. I have already done what I wanted and achieved what I desire. There’s no way back.”
“But the Horcruxes…”
“I destroyed a few Horcruxes, just because of how vile the things are, not because I give a damn about Voldemort.”
The aged headmaster looked defeated, “It was always about the Prophecy, wasn’t it?”
I nod, “Do you think I care about this small little useless conflict in a corrupt administration, a small dark lord with delusions of immortality whose reign would probably cause an economic collapse? The prophecy is the only reason I’m here, because I needed to break it. And with every second, the chances of it being realized get smaller and smaller. If it makes you feel any better, Harry would have won if I hadn’t changed anything. Voldemort would have revealed himself in a few months, with Sirius dying in the process, you would have died a year later, and Harry, after some subtle clues and a uselessly long Horcrux hunt, Harry Potter would have destroyed all of them, and after an impromptu battle here, in Hogwarts, Harry would defeat Voldemort with a fluke, ending a conflict where more children than adults perished. This was your future, Albus Dumbledore, this was the culmination of your ambitions, the prophecy that you aimed to fulfill.”
Dumbledore shook his head, with unshed tears in his eyes, “I only wanted for there to be peace, to be love, of light. This wasn’t the plan; this was not how things were supposed to go.”
“This is life, Albus Dumbledore. Nothing ever goes according to plan. You wanted to create an ideal world, a world of only love, a world of only light, a world of only peace. But such a world is impossible to exist. Everywhere you look in this world, wherever there is light, there will always be shadows to be found as well. As long as there is a concept of victors, the vanquished will also exist. The selfish intent of wanting to preserve peace, initiates war and hatred is born in order to protect love. There are nexuses causal relationships that cannot be separated. Is it any wonder then, that when you tried to force something like this, the world fought back?”
The elder headmaster didn’t look convinced, “No, it still can be salvaged. Harry will still seek out Voldemort, he will fight him even if it kills him.”
I snort, “Did you forget what I said? A conversation can be far more powerful than you could possibly imagine. You gave me access to your little weapon, the altruistic hero you were betting on, and I, slowly, made him human. You tried to make him fight to protect people that he never connected with, a culture that he never experienced, delights that he never even knew of, because you locked him away, safe and miserable from the world. The only reason that would get him to fight would be his revenge for his parents’ death, and even now, he’s realized that this was all there was to it. As far as he’s concerned, Harry Potter will not seek to fight Lord Voldemort.”
Dumbledore slammed his hand on his desk, “Do you realize what you’ve done, woman?”
“I do, far more than you realize. I told you; I’m not taking any chances here. The Prophecy must never be fulfilled, that was my goal, and I have achieved it. What you should be asking yourself is what that means for you.”
The man looked at me desperately, “What am I supposed to do, now? Everything is in ruins. All of my plans, everything. You’ve doomed this country to the rule of a monster.”
I chuckle, “Did I? All I did, was remove the net you had under your plans. The prophecy spoke of a confrontation between Harry and Riddle, but if that isn’t real anymore, then why don’t you directly go to confront him?”
“He’s too powerful, and I’m too old…”
I snort, “That is the biggest pile of crap I’ve heard in a while. Magical power is but a facet in a fight, a skilled opponent, or better yet, a cunning opponent, would obliterate a more powerful wizard in seconds. You need to stop seeing a duel with Voldemort as a contest of power, because even with the elder wand, you will lose. You need to be sneaky, to be manipulative. Prepare the battlefield, make traps, and there’s no reason for Riddle to defeat you.”
The man still looked unconvinced with the idea of fighting Riddle directly, “I cannot afford Voldemort getting the elder wand’s allegiance.”
“If you’re not prepared to take any risks, then you will definitely lose. You can’t count on Harry killing him anymore, you can’t count on a prophecy because with every second, the paths to the future diverge from it, until none of the paths actually cross any interpretation of the prophecy, meaning that it will officially die then.”
Dumbledore’s eyes widened imperceptibly, “Then not all is lost. There’s still a chance of the prophecy fulfilling itself. I will have to act quickly, to engineer a confrontation between Harry and Voldemort and hope that Lily’s blood protection would get Harry to emerge victorious. Everything can be salvaged.”
I shook my head, “Dumbledore, listen to me. This way will only lead to madness. You will lose everything if you continue in this path.”
Dumbledore didn’t seem to accept my response, “I’m sorry, Professor Sayre, you’ve given me a lot to think about. And we’ll speak about your continuing employment in this establishment when things calm down.”
Understanding that there was nothing that could change his mind, I nodded and left the office. He didn’t notice the small smile on my face. This was the last piece of the puzzle, my last move, and everything went exactly according to plan.
