❝ I'm sorry you were not truly loved and that made you cruel ❞ Unknown
Celeste Baker just wanted her home and family to be safe and if that meant travelling back in time to stop it all, she would.
However, she wasn't prepared to be thrown into a gam...
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"𝕬lright, so the Transfiguration essay, we can start that now and then move onto revising for that Charms test for next week." Celeste warned Walburga, who was nodding as they both packed up the rest of their books, ready for the next set of lessons after lunch.
"I'm thinking we should find an empty classroom to practise the spells." Walburga pointed out. "The practical element has the most weighting."
"Miss Baker." Both women paused, looking up as they saw Professor Dumbledore walking towards them. "Do you think you could stay behind for a minute or two? Do you have a lesson after this?"
"No sir." Celeste shook her head, before sharing a look with Walburga. "I'll see you later."
The woman nodded, walking out with Nedra and Amelie, who were also in that class. Celeste twisted back to look at the professor, who was waiting for everyone to leave.
"What seems to be that matter, sir?"
"Have a seat, Miss Baker." Celeste sank back down into her seat, as Dumbledore leant against the desk opposite, arms folded across her chest. "Now, I know you're not from Beauxbaton."
Panic rose in her chest, fear wreathing her heart, but Celeste forced a confused expression on her face.
"I'm sorry, sir, I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"This will be a lot easier, Miss Baker, if you don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying, sir. I went to Beauxbaton school-"
"I checked and no Celeste Baker ever went to the school, in fact, as far as they know, they've never even met your 'parents', who are currently in Australia to escape the war in Europe, so I ask again, Miss Baker, not to lie to me." Celeste was truly panicking now, her hand going to find her wand in her pocket. "Now that we understand each other, what is your real name?"
"Celeste Baker."
"I asked you not to lie to me."
"I am not lying. My name is Celeste Adelaide Elizabeth Baker."
"Your story is convincing."
"It is not a story. That is my name." Celeste shot back, shaking her head.
"We will go with that's your name then. Where are you from?"
"Surrey, England." Dumbledore hummed again.
"Where did you go to school?" Celeste doubled down on her lie.
"Beauxbaton."
"Miss Baker, you said you were not going to lie."
"I am not lying."
"Miss Baker!" Dumbledore stood up. "Now, I am trying to help you, to make sure that others do not find out the secret that you did not attend Beauxbaton and never had and that your so called parents are not dead, but in fact, in Australia. I have let you continue this charade for long enough over the past two months, but others have become suspicious. So, let me help you."
"I don't want your help." Celeste shook her head. "I do not need it."
"You clearly do if you have not covered your tracks with Beauxbaton. I have already managed to procure a fake transcript for you to give to Professor Dippet so the other teachers are not suspicious, but you will need my help to continue blending in as a pure blood witch in Slytherin. They will soon find out that you are not part of the Baker family and not of pure blood."
"I am both!" Celeste stood up, her pride wounded and a glare on her face. "I have already told you once, and I shall tell you again, my name is Celeste Baker, I was born and raised a pureblood witch and I know exactly how to fit into my own house! I was prepared to be in Slytherin, all my life!"
"Yet you have never been to Hogwarts?" Celeste had to make a decision. Did she tell him and stop him from ruining her plan, but with the knowledge that he would try and implement himself into her plan or did she not say a word and let him ruin her plan and put her on the run, ruining her one chance to stop Riddle? The choice seemed a bit plain when you put it like that.
"I went to Hogwarts for five years before this one!" Celeste snarled, starting to feel like a trapped animal in a cage, her wand coming into her hand as she twirled it. She did not like this, she did not like that Dumbledore knew.
"You did not come to Hogwarts. We would have remembered you, I would have remembered teaching you for five years."
"I started school in 1992." Celeste shook her head. "My name is Celeste Baker but I was born in 1981."
"You expect me to believe you are from the future?"
"I would show you the time turner that brought me here if it wasn't shattered into pieces." Celeste hissed back.
"Why are you here then? I presume your own time is far better than here, more advances in spells and skills." Dumbledore sat back down, watching her cautiously.
"Because my time was-is in war." Celeste huffed, sitting in the seat as she placed her wand on the desk. "A wizard named Voldemort came into power, dead set on, well, destruction, power, death. You tried to find someone to stop him, but obviously did not seem to train him well enough, Voldemort got the Elder Wand and killed him and then all else in the Order."
"I see..."
"The rebellion dismantled, they were killing children and muggle borns, they were killing muggles and they would have spread across the world until everyone was under Voldemort's dictatorship." Celeste shook her head, remembering all of it far too well. "He knew that my family had a time turner. The rest had been broken to stop the very possibility of what I did, so he killed my parents and then hunted me down but I managed to sneak back to Hogwarts and send myself back to here. I'm going to stop him, I have to and I won't let you get in the way of my plans."
"I am not going to get in the way of them." Celeste's eyes narrowed. "You do not trust me."
"You were never very good to Slytherins in my time. You had a prejudice against us, treated us like we were evil already. We didn't really like you." Celeste huffed.
"I see. Can I ask the name of the dark wizard? The one you came back to stop." Celeste hesitated. "The name will not leave my mouth to anyone other than you, Celeste."
"Tom Riddle." Celeste muttered, before looking up at him. "I have to prevent Tom Riddle from causing harm in the future, however I can."
"Then, how about this? I will help you with Tom Riddle, I will keep your secret, corroborate your story, provide the backing that you need and make sure that you are equipped to handle whatever it is that is thrown at you."
"There is a but coming. What is it?"
"That you owe me something. I do not need it now, I do not want it now, but in the future, I may ask you to do something."
"Do I know what that will be?"
"No, for I do not know what it will be." Dumbledore explained, "and we will swear on it, so that I do not spill your secret and the two of us are on equal grounds."
Celeste leant back, watching the man. She had a choice to make now.
∘☽༓☾∘
Hiya,
So, Dumbledore's found out that Celeste is lying and she's told him but what do we think about his proposition? Who knows what's going to happen here and how this is going to go? Is Dumbledore going to help?
