Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures - H.P.S.T Chapter 1593: Dumbledore's Past

Although a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Evan had never actually seen Elphias Doge in person at the Order’s headquarters before.

He was too old. As Dumbledore’s close friend and former classmate, his physical strength and energy were nowhere near Dumbledore’s.

At his age, Doge could barely stand, making him unable to participate in Order activities. However, his obituary of Dumbledore in the newspaper left a deep impression, demonstrating his understanding and loyalty to Dumbledore far above all others.

Doge had also contributed many times to Hogwarts Magic, publishing articles in support of Dumbledore.

Because he had previously served as a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic and as a special advisor to the Wizengamot, Doge’s writings carried considerable influence.

There were many occasions when it was inconvenient for Dumbledore to appear personally, and the Order needed a respected wizard like Elphias Doge to voice his opinions, to express ideas that supported Dumbledore or benefited the Order. In a sense, his role was no less significant than those who fought the Death Eaters on the front lines.

Doge had last gained public recognition thanks to the obituary he wrote about Dumbledore.

Evan had seen Doge’s photo in that article, and Harry must have recognized him because of it.

“Let’s go over and say hello. Elaine, you come with us,” said Evan. “Don’t wander off on your own. We’d better also look for Ron.”

“You two seem worried,” said Elaine, squinting at Evan and Hermione. “Could the Death Eaters break in?”

“Believe me, it’s very possible.”

“If they’ve taken the Ministry, then breaking the protections around the Burrow would be just a matter of minutes. If that’s the case, we’ll have to be ready to run.”

“You don’t think the Ministry will fall today, do you?” Elaine asked in surprise.

“Do you think Voldemort would tolerate us getting married right under his nose and do nothing?” Evan asked. “If that were the case, he wouldn’t be Voldemort. Scrimgeour wanted to attack the Death Eaters’ stronghold, but he didn’t anticipate that Voldemort might also want to attack the Ministry, and he may very well already have acted. That would be much easier for him than Scrimgeour attacking Malfoy Manor. By the way, Elaine, I asked you to carry your wand with you last night. Did you bring it?”

“Yes, I just used it to chase off that jerk who calls himself an international Quidditch star. He’ll probably have a nosebleed for quite a while.”

“Well done. But when facing Death Eaters, I permit you to use stronger spells,” said Evan.

He observed a moment of silence for Krum — next time, before trying to chat up a pretty girl, he’d better make sure she’s the right target.

But then again, Evan knew Elaine had been very restrained, otherwise it would have been more than just a nosebleed.

In a sense, vampire magic was almost entirely Dark magic, and its destructive power was terrifying.

“I hope my worries turn out to be unnecessary. Perhaps Scrimgeour is sturdier than I give him credit for,” Evan continued.

But no matter how hard Scrimgeour struggled, the Ministry’s fall was only a matter of time.

If not today, then tomorrow; Evan and the others had to be prepared to leave the Burrow at any moment.

In the corner of the marquee, Harry seemed to be discussing Dumbledore’s past with Doge.   

“You’re right, my dear boy,” said Doge, his voice rather high-pitched and wheezy. “Certainly I knew Dumbledore longest, if you don’t count Aberforth — and somehow, people never do seem to count Aberforth…”

He paused, breathing heavily, his cloudy eyes warily looking at Evan, Hermione and Elaine who were approaching.

“Don’t worry, this is Evan. He’s disguised too. You know Evan Mason, don’t you?” said Harry.

“Of course, of course!” Doge exclaimed, both nervous and delighted. “I’ve been corresponding with Evan before. Of course you’d be here. Arthur told me everything. I’m getting senile, should have realized it sooner. Sit down, children. I was just telling my dear Harry about how I first met Dumbledore, a very long time ago.”

“Were you classmates then?” Hermione asked curiously.

“Just like you three, Albus and I entered Hogwarts in the same year and were assigned to the same dormitory. For a while, we were inseparable,” said Doge melancholy, his tiny eyes filled with sudden tears. “This is really a very distant memory. Dumbledore showed amazing talent when he was still a student. Just like I mentioned in the obituary, he was extremely talented. Before he graduated, he attracted the attention of many magic masters at the time, and his research on certain magic was even more profound than that of the professors’.”

“Speaking of the obituary … I don’t know whether you saw, Mr. Doge — ?” Harry began.

“Oh, please call me Elphias, dear boy; you can all call me that.”

“Elphias, I don’t know whether you saw the interview Rita Skeeter gave about Dumbledore in the Daily Prophet?”

Doge’s face flooded with angry color.

“Oh yes, Harry, I saw it. That woman, or vulture might be a more accurate term, positively pestered me to talk to her. I am ashamed to say that I became rather rude, called her an interfering trout, which resulted, as you may have seen, in aspersions cast upon my sanity. Children, don’t believe a word of what she wrote, not a single word. It’s all lies she made up.”

“But in that interview, Rita Skeeter hinted that Professor Dumbledore was involved in the Dark Arts when he was young.”

“No, it’s a lie. Don’t believe a word of it, Harry! Let nothing tarnish your memories of Albus Dumbledore!”

A look of pain crossed Doge’s face. His urgency made him breathless, and in the end he could only repeat, over and over, “Don’t believe a word of it.”

A moment of silence fell.

Harry looked into Doge’s earnest, pained face and felt, not reassured, but frustrated.

Did Doge really think it was that easy, that Harry could simply choose not to believe? Didn’t Doge understand how he felt?

What truly troubled Harry was not whether Dumbledore had studied the Dark Arts, but the meaning behind it.

Dumbledore’s involvement in the Dark Arts wasn’t all that surprising.

Evan had long known that the Headmaster was simply too noble to practice such magic, but that didn’t mean he didn’t understand it. Take Horcruxes, for instance: among all the living wizards, aside from the vile Herpo the Foul and Voldemort, Dumbledore probably understood that extremely wicked branch of magic better than anyone.

The Dark Arts required evil intent to drive them — but that did not mean every wizard who practiced them was evil.

Translating_Wizard

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