False Accusations
Magus came out of his trance and blinked a couple of times, his vision slowly coming into focus. He was still in darkness, but he saw that this was because curtains had been drawn around his bed. He was about to sit up when the sound of voices stopped him.
�I don�t think we should trust him,� Madam Pomfrey�s voice said.
�Now, now, we have to be fair,� a man�s voice said.
�But sir, you haven�t seen him,� Madam Pomfrey said, a touch of fearfulness in her voice. �His skin is white as chalk and his teeth are pointed, just like a vampire. And he said he has a skin condition where he can�t be in the light. You should see how he sleeps, his arms folded over his chest like a bat, his eyes rolled back into his head. It�s enough to scare the scales off a dragon.�
�Poppy, you can�t judge a man by his appearance,� the man�s voice said.
�Then why not by his actions?� Madam Pomfrey asked. �I talked to Potter and his friends. They said that when they came by, he threw fire at them, without even using a wand. That�s a mark of a dark wizard, and a known trait of You-Know-Who. For all we know, they could be related.�
�I must talk to him before I pass any judgment,� the man said. �As for his relation to Voldemort, there is a spell that can determine that.�
The curtains parted as Madam Pomfrey stepped through, followed by an old man. The light burned Magus�s skin, making him cringe and turn onto his side, pulling his knees up to his chest. The curtains were immediately closed again and Magus relaxed.
�My name is Albus Dumbledore,� the man said, conjuring a chair and sitting down.
�I�m Magus,� Magus gasped, still trying to get over the shock of the light.
�If you don�t mind, I�m going to ask you a couple of questions,� Albus said. �First of all, where to did you come from?�
�Medina Village,� Magus said, pulling himself up into a sitting position.
�Hmmm, the name is not familiar,� Albus said thoughtfully. �Tell me, what is your last name.�
�My last name?� Magus repeated, searching his memory. He was able to come up with the name he�d had in his past life. �It�s Zeal.�
Albus� eyes widened slightly, but he managed to speak calmly. �If you don�t mind, I would like to do a spell on you. It won�t hurt or anything. It�s just to check something.�
�I don�t mind,� Magus said.
Albus reached into his pocket and pulled out a wooden rod, much like the one Madam Pomfrey had used to heal Magus. Magus decided that it must be a wand of some sort, though it was unlike any he�d ever seen. He pointed it at Magus and muttered a spell. It glowed for a moment then went back to normal.
�Tom Riddle?� Albus muttered to the rod in the tone of a question. The rod glowed bright green in response and dropped to the ground.
The effect was immediate. Madam Pomfrey screamed and clutched Albus� arm in fear. Albus� expression became stone cold and when he spoke again, it was without emotion.
�I�d hoped that I was wrong,� he said. �You are not welcome in this school. We have worked too hard to keep your kind away from Harry. Now, I will ask that you leave, before you don�t have that option anymore.�
�But I can�t go out there,� Magus said. �Sending me out into the light is a death sentence.�
�And, for Harry�s sake, I hope it�s a slow death,� Albus said. He placed a hand on the curtain. �I suggest you run.� He threw the curtain open.
Magus felt the light hit him like a ton of bricks and almost fell back. He forced himself to stand and ran from the room, covering his face with his hands. The light was everywhere, streaming in through the windows. He could feel blisters breaking out over his arms as he ran through the halls, trying desperately to find shelter, but there was none. He was now having trouble breathing, his throat closing a little more with every breath he took. Then he ran into someone and fell to the ground, curling up so that the least amount of skin possible was exposed. He felt too weak to get up again.
�Oh my god, Magus,� Hermione�s voice came to him faintly as she kneeled beside him, �are you okay?�
�Help me,� Magus said slowly, each word tearing through his throat like a knife. �The light��
�Oh!� Hermione gasped. She grabbed Magus� arms and helped him to his feet. �Can you walk? We need to get you out of the light!� She held onto his arm and helped him through the hallway, tightening her grip whenever he stumbled.
Magus felt his throat close all of the way and started choking. He felt Hermione tug at his arm, making him walk faster.
�In here,� she said, opening a door and pulling Magus in. She shut the door back up immediately and the light was gone.
Magus relaxed slightly, feeling his throat slowly open back up. His arms still burned slightly and the blisters wouldn�t go away for at least a couple days.
�Thank the founders for broom closets,� Hermione muttered. �You�ll be safe in here for a little while. I�ll get you a cloak so you can go back outside when you feel well enough.�
Magus reached out in the darkness and touched her arm to get her attention. �Why did you help me?� he asked.
�I can�t stand to see people in pain,� Hermione said. �I just don�t have the stomach for it. Why were you out there anyway?�
�They accused me of trying to hurt someone, I forgot their name,� Magus said, �and they mentioned a Tom Riddle. Do you know who that is?�
�You mean you don�t?� Hermione asked. �That�s You-Know-Who, well, Voldemort, the most feared wizard in the world.�
�They must think I�m working for him,� Magus said, �but I�m not. I don�t even know who he is.�
�Well, that isn�t important,� Hermione said. �What is important is getting you out of here. I�m going to get the cloak now. Brace yourself, I�m opening the door.�
The door opened briefly, letting the piercing light in for a moment. Hermione got out and shut the door immediately, cutting off the light.
Magus reached into his pocket and pulled out a small potion bottle. He always carried a healing potion around with him, just in case he ever needed it. He drained the tiny bottle and discarded it, throwing it to the back of the closet. He felt his blisters clear up and his skin stopped stinging.
A few minutes later, Hermione�s muffled voice could be heard on the other side of the door. �I have the cloak. If you put it on, it should shield you from the light. I�m gonna open the door.� The door creaked open and Hermione�s arm appeared, dropping the cloak and shutting the door again.
Magus grabbed the cloak off the floor and put it on. The sleeves were long enough that they covered his hands and when he put the hood up his face was completely shielded. Magus reached toward the door and threw it open to see if this would work. After all, he�d never tried it before, as he only left his castle at night back home.
And it did work. The light couldn�t reach any of his skin through the cloak, yet, he could still see. He had forgotten what it was like to truly be able to see.
�Is it working?� Hermione asked.
Magus turned to her, knowing that she couldn�t see his face under the cloak. �Yes, thank you,� he said.
Hermione blushed and smiled. �It�s nothing really. Come on, let�s get you out of here. We can just go out the front door. The teachers will think you�re Harry or Ron. Then you can escape into the forest.�
Magus nodded and followed Hermione through the hallways and out of the castle. She led him across the lawn, to the edge of a dark forest.
�This is where I leave you,� Hermione said. �Be careful. The forest is full of all sorts of unpleasant creatures.�
�Thank you,� Magus said. �If only there was a way to repay you.�
�Just make it out alive,� Hermione said. �That�ll be more than enough.�
Magus turned and entered the forest, calling back over his shoulder. �Goodbye, Hermione.� He hurried through the forest, weaving in between trees. He figured the faster he got out of this forest, the better.
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