𝔸 𝕊𝕡𝕪 𝕀𝕟 ℙ𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕥 𝔻𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕖

Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

.

.

.

"Alright Tom. I've changed your diapers, I've fed you, and I've helped put you to sleep. Time to spill everything you know."

Tom Forger blinked up at her.

"And why should I do that?" His thoughts, usually so tightly controlled behind Occlumency, were as clear as day to her today.

"What is Dumbledore's endgame?" Anya asked.

"An interesting question." Tom said. "I wish I knew all of the details. But I will tell you everything I know."

He paused.

"It is a difficult story to tell." He admitted. "Where should I begin?"

"Let's start with the beginning." Anya said. "Why did you kill Harry's parents?"

"That is very far from the beginning." Tom said, a little bit gruffly. "The parents themselves are inconsequential. It was Harry himself that I was interested in."

"Harry?" Anya asked, a little surprised. "Why?"

"A prophecy." Tom explained. "A prophecy that was delivered to Dumbledore by the Great Seer, Sybill Trelawney. In it, she describes a boy that will destroy me, completely and utterly."

Anya's eyes fell on Bond and wondered whether or not this Sybill Trelawney was as great of an oracle as her dog.

But that was neither here nor there.

"So you went to their home to kill a baby." Anya said. "And you think you're the good guy in this situation?"

"You have seen Dumbledore." Voldemort said, his voice firm. "You know what he is capable of. Everything I have done, I have done to stop him."

"To stop him from doing... what exactly?"

"From destroying our world."

Anya gave a small start and stared down at him.

"I thought you said you didn't know what his plans were."

"I do not." Voldemort said. "Nothing specific. But that is indeed his dream. To destroy the barriers between the muggle and magical worlds."

Anya pursed her lips.

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"He would have you think so." Tom answered. "When muggles were aware that magic existed, they actively hunted us and sought to destroy us. Any hint of magical talent led to our kind being hunted down and destroyed. It is why we developed our parallel society. But those like Dumbledore believe that should be all left in the past. We should expose ourselves and our secrets to the world, and use our talents for the good of all."

Again, Anya had to grudgingly admit there was nothing that sounded wrong about any of that.

"The problem." Tom went on. "Is that this idealistic naivete. Nothing has changed. If were ever exposed to the muggle public we would be destroyed. Most wizards do not grasp the scope of the muggle population... they outnumber us a hundred million to one. Our only true weapon against them is secrecy."

"But Dumbledore thinks it can work?"

"Whether it works or not is inconsequential to him. He has spent an entire lifetime weakening the barriers between our worlds. He will see it done, no matter the consequences."

It was no different than the conflict between Westalis and Ostania, Anya thought unhappily.

There were no true good guys or bad guys.