The Fall of Dumbledore: The White King

A Well Hidden Spy

Hades watched with a stony expression as his father and Lupin finally emerged from the Potions classroom, clutching a small glass vial. Swirling inside were wisps of silvery memory strands - Pettigrew's recollections that could finally prove Sirius Black's innocence once and for all.

"Well?" Hades demanded brusquely. "Did you obtain what we need?"

Snape's obsidian eyes flicked to his son, narrowing slightly at his tone. But he gave a curt nod.

"The rat's memories have been extracted. They should suffice."

Lupin looked utterly exhausted but there was a fierce light in his eyes. "We must take these directly to Dumbledore. No more delays."

They wasted no time making their way to the Headmaster's office. As they entered, Dumbledore regarded them shrewdly over his half-moon spectacles.

"I trust you were successful?" The aged wizard's gaze fell upon the vial in Snape's hand.

"See for yourself," Snape said flatly, placing the vial on the desk. "If these memories contain what we anticipated, they should fully exculpate Black."

A muscle ticked in Dumbledore's jaw as he stared at the swirling strands of memory. Then, with a deep inhale, he lifted his wand and transferred the memories to the Office Pensieve. One by one, they observed the haunting recollections play out.

They saw Pettigrew's craven disloyalty, his betrayal of the Potters to the Dark Lord. They witnessed Sirius's anguished pleas, his assertions of innocence after the fact. The sheer magnitude of the injustice dealt became starkly, irrefutably clear.

When they finally emerged from the Pensieve, a heavy silence cloaked the room. Lupin's hands were trembling, his eyes bright with long-suppressed grief and anger. Even Snape looked shaken, though he struggled to maintain his customary sneer.

"Well, Dumbledore?" Hades's voice sliced through the quiet. "You can clearly see now that Black was telling the truth this entire time. He is innocent of the crimes he was imprisoned for."

Dumbledore's piercing gaze swung to Hades, scrutinizing him closely. After an endless moment, the old wizard gave a weary nod.

"Indeed. This matter must be fully rectified immediately through official channels." Dumbledore rose, suddenly looking every one of his many years.

"I must contact the Ministry without delay and demand an emergency trial before the full Wizengamot. Sirius's case will be re-examined and these memories presented as exculpatory evidence of his innocence."

A harsh scoff came from Snape's direction but he remained silent, watching Dumbledore impassively.

The old wizard moved around his desk, resting a gnarled hand on Hades's shoulder. His bright blue eyes bored into Hades.

"You have done a great service here, purposefully or not," Dumbledore said heavily. "To free an innocent man from such grievous injustice..."

Hades held Dumbledore's gaze steadily, though he could feel his father's piercing eyes upon him as well. Struggling to maintain his sneer, he shrugged disinterestedly.

"It needed to be done. For the sake of the truth and... justice." He nearly spat out the last word, as if it tasted foul.

But Dumbledore continued appraising him as if seeing something in Hades that not even the boy himself could detect.

"Indeed," the old wizard said at last. He patted Hades's shoulder once more before withdrawing his hand. "Well done, my boy."

Hades scowled at the familiar address from Dumbledore's lips, but didn't protest. Lupin was watching him with a conflicted expression, clearly torn over his apparent role in vindicating Sirius Black.

As for Snape... his father's dark gaze was unreadable, revealing nothing of the war of emotions that must be raging beneath the surface. Hades tore his own eyes away, pulling his shoulders back stiffly.

"If we are concluded here, I'll return to my other duties," he said in a clipped voice.

Dumbledore waved a hand in acquiescence. "You are dismissed. I have matters to attend to with the Ministry."

With a curt nod, Hades turned on his heel and exited, his black robes billowing behind him just like his father's. He could feel the weight of their scrutinizing stares upon his back until the door closed, shutting Dumbledore's office away.

Out in the corridor, Hades finally released the breath he'd been holding, flexing his hands at his sides. Inside, a tempest still raged.

He had helped prove Sirius Black's innocence, yes - a man his father had reviled for over a decade. But more importantly, he was one step closer to truly ingratiating himself with Dumbledore. The old man's obvious approval and sense that Hades had done something morally upright would only strengthen the deception.

His role as a spy was secured more deeply than ever before. When the time came, he would feed crucial information directly to the Dark Lord himself that could cripple Dumbledore's forces. And he would do so from a position of unparalleled trust.

A cruel smile twisted Hades's lips as he contemplated just how devastated the old man would be when he learned the truth - that he had been harboring one of the Dark Lord's most ardent disciples all along, right beneath his crooked nose.

Justice had indeed been delivered this day - not for the wretched blood-traitor Sirius Black, but for the Dark Lord's cause. Hades was one step closer to tearing down Dumbledore's hollow dreams of peace and bringing in a new era where purebloods would reign supreme, unchallenged.

The Boy Who Lived may have robbed the Dark Lord of physical form years ago. But soon, very soon, his master would rise to regain his rightful place of dominance over the wizarding world.

And Hades would be the instrument that made it all possible from within Dumbledore's ranks. Justice, redemption – those were mere illusions compared to the shining destiny that awaited him in the Dark Lord's glorious new order.

With Purpose renewed, Hades strode forward, his path finally clear before him.