Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin

Chapter 4: A Busy First Week

Thursday, September 4, 1994
(Albus and Ted)

Early on Thursday morning, Healer Tonks had an unexpected visitor: the Headmaster.

"Good afternoon, Ted," said Dumbledore. "I hope I am not intruding?"

"Albus!" the Healer exclaimed. He paused to look around the room before grinning at his former teacher. "Luckily, you caught me at a time when I have no patients. Which, sadly, has been most of my first week here."

"Ah, that is a pity. I'd hoped more students would avail themselves of the benefits you offer. Have you not had any takers?"

"I'll start seeing Miss Granger next week for a half-hour every Wednesday. Her parents insisted. Other than that, no."

Albus looked thoughtful as he took a seat in front of Ted's desk. "Hmm. Well, hopefully that will change. But, in the meantime, I was wondering if I might be able to make use of your expertise."

"You want counseling, Albus?" Ted asked in surprise.

"Not ... exactly. But I must nevertheless ask you for your Healer's Oath and that you activate the secrecy wards on this room."

Intrigued, Ted did so, and Albus finally felt it was safe to speak.

"Tell me, Ted. Do you have any experience with ... psychic surgery?"

The Healer's eyes widened in surprise. "I wouldn't say I have experience with it. My specialty was not in Mind Healing, although I did have enough Legilimency training to understand the principles. That said, there are probably fewer than ten wizards in the world who are capable of performing true psychic surgery, and only two in this country. When just speaking of theory, I suppose I'm as knowledgeable as nearly any other British Healer."

He leaned forward with interest. "Why do you ask?"

Dumbledore hesitated. "I am limited in what I can say now, in part because of the operations of a Fidelius Charm that prevents me from speaking plainly. But I can say this much. It has to do with Voldemort."

Ted flinched at the name and then blushed at his own fear. "Go on."

"Without going into details overmuch, Voldemort was ... the way he was because of an accidental misuse of natural Occlumency which burned out his capacity to feel love in any form and left him a complete sociopath. I wished to know whether there were any viable strategies for curing such damage."

"You ... want to heal Voldemort?" Then, Ted caught himself. "And more importantly, are you saying that Voldemort is still alive?"

Of course, Ted Tonks was well-aware of the fact of Voldemort's continued existence. But Dumbledore was not supposed to know anything about the activities of the Azkabal. Granted, Ted had argued in favor of bringing Dumbledore into the fold, but the various Slytherins in the conspiracy (one of whom was his wife) were opposed for reasons that still eluded him. But Ted was acutely aware of the fact that, as one of the two Hufflepuff members of the Azkabal, most of the others worried that he was a security risk, so he fortified his Occlumency shields and then played dumb.

Few members of the other Hogwarts Houses ever realized the extent to which Hufflepuffs cultivated that skill.

"He is, I believe," Dumbledore said. "More importantly, I believe that he is still alive because of the damage he inflicted on his own mind. It is the very fact that he is incapable of experiencing or understanding the emotion of love that sustains the dark magic responsible for his longevity."

Ted's brow furrowed. "And you think that if he can be healed of that damage, it would end that longevity? That, paradoxically, healing him might be the only way of killing him?"