One Step Ahead part I | Sirius Black

Chapter 92

Gwen scowls at the palms of her hands before looking up and saying flatly,

"Nothing is happening."

Dumbledore smiles sympathetically and offers, "We can quit at any time, Miss. Whitlock."

She bristles and mutters irritably, "I'm not going to quit. Just...tell me what else I should be doing."

Dumbledore leans forward in his chair, wondering, "When you use your charm, do you call it? Or is it already there?"

Gwen blinks, surprised by his question. Perhaps that's where she'd been going wrong, not considering the mechanics of it all. Breaking it down, starting with how she can even use one part of her magic.

"Well," She says slowly, "It's more like it's already there, just waiting. And then it kind of just...happens I guess."

Dumbledore looks as perplexed as she does, and she wonders if there's ever been a Veela at Hogwarts before. Based on his reaction, it seems unlikely. He peers at her over her glasses and asks, "Do you feel anything? Magic aside, does anything feel out of the ordinary when you try?"

Gwen closes her eyes for a minute, sorting through the charm that lays patiently dormant. Maybe fire was the same. Maybe it's just waiting. Her palms prickle and her insides feel warm. It's close. So close she can nearly taste it. Her eyes fly open and she nods, but she doesn't answer him fully. She doesn't tell him what she feels. She doesn't want to scare it away. He seems happy enough with her response.

Dumbledore smiles and nods, saying gently, "I think your magic is there, Miss. Whitlock. I think the fire is there, it's just a matter of you greeting it like an old friend."

She stares at him blankly, asking sarcastically, "And how do you suppose I do that?"

Dumbledore chuckles and shrugs, his voice sincere, "I'm not sure. Maybe wait until the moment is right and try on your own. Open yourself up to more possibility."

Gwen grunts irritably, but nods. She wasn't upset with him. She was upset with herself. She should've been further along, made more progress. All she had was one measly little burst of embers and smoke that caught her school pants on fire. Embarrassing. It was embarrassing.

Perhaps Dumbledore notices her internal battle, because he breaks through the waves of emotion cresting in her mind by asking, "I was hoping that perhaps you may be able to offer me advice now."

He gestures towards the seat in front of his desk. Gwen hesitates before plopping down ungracefully, scooting closer to see what it is he's doing. She watches in wonder as a scroll unrolls across his desk. He waves his hand over it and features begin to appear. Mountains grow, rivers run, trees flourish. She can't help but smile when gold scrawling letters labeling villages and countries hover just in their eyesight.

She glances up at the headmaster to find him looking slightly troubled. She bites her tongue, waits patiently for him to speak first. It takes a moment, but he does, sighing as he says, "I'm afraid that Lord Voldemort is both a combination of predictable and eccentric. Unfortunately, we could not anticipate his recent attack on a muggle village near Herefordshire."

Gwen watches as the wizard waves his hand and the region comes more into focus. Her brow furrowed at the sight of the villages around, her heart clenching at the terror these people must have felt. She reaches forward, gently touches the image of the destroyed village.

"Thoughts?"

She glances up and quirks a brow, asking, "What do I think?"

Dumbledore nods, face serene but attentive. The Veela sighs and he hides his smile at the irritation he can sense from her. Instead he waits patiently while her pale eyes take in the surrounding areas.

Her voice is slow, like she's thinking out loud, "This was an isolated incident. At least more isolated than the others."

She narrows her eyes, assessing West Country and the regions. Gwen chews on her cheek, wondering, "Why didn't he attack all of the villages? Why just the one?"

Dumbledore senses it's a rhetorical question, so he remains silent, thinking to himself. The Veela glances around and mutters, "He's still timid."

Dumbledore looks away from the map and at her. She shrugs and says finally, "Seems to me that he's testing the boundaries. Attacking the one village was obviously successful for him, so I just wonder if next time he'll go bigger. I reckon he's still gathering his army. But he has to know what is too big for him to take on in one go. Seems like he's taking baby steps. It's smart."

Dumbledore nods in agreement, murmuring, "He's very smart. Do you think he will attack the same area?"

Gwen looks at him in surprise. This isn't just asking for her broad thoughts. This is a deliberate question, a question that could impact people's lives. She hesitates, replying nervously for the first time that day, "Sir, I don't think—"

"Your opinion, Miss Whitlock. That's all I'm asking," He interjects kindly, smiling faintly and continuing, "As much as I believe in your intuition, this won't determine the Order's next steps. However, I will take it into consideration when conferring with Alastor."

Gwen pauses but nods, feeling better at his words. She was just an opinion, advice. A new set of eyes. She crinkles her nose and then offers, "Herefordshire doesn't have very many wizarding families nearby...but West Country is full of them. It seems deliberate to me that he would leave those villages alone."

"Even the ones with pureblood wizards?" Dumbledore questions, peering at her over his glasses. She nods quickly, "Especially the villages near pureblood Wizards. Even Voldemort has to have a place of refuge."

Dumbledore blinks, sitting up straighter at her implication. Gwen pities the professor in that moment. He seems tired, old. And even unnerved. But he seems intrigued too, like he had just considered something new.

"You think that pureblood families in West Country are housing Lord Voldemort?" He questions, looking down at the map. Gwen follows his gaze, gestures to Herefordshire is.

"If I was testing out my strength, how good my army is, then I know I would want a safe place that is close to where I'm going to be fighting. Plus, if wherever he's staying has already sworn allegiance to him, he may invite his followers there to plan. It's a rather safe bet for him, using someone else's home."

Dumbledore blinks, a tiny smile pulling at his lips. Gwen feels a tiny flare of pride. Her intuition was serving her again. But she cautions,

"Just a thought, Sir. I wouldn't send in your Order all willy nilly. Maybe just consider who it is that lives in those areas. And whether or not they'd be willing to serve Voldemort."

Dumbledore chuckles and nods, "Yes, Miss. Whitlock. I won't send anyone in 'willy nilly' though I do plan to add that phrase to my vocabulary."

Gwen finally grins and nods, feeling rather exhausted. She hesitates before asking, "Is it alright if—"

"Go get some rest," Dumbledore says warmly. "We'll talk soon."

Gwen smiles and turns to leave, stopping short when Dumbledore says,

"Oh, and Miss Whitlock?"

The Veela pauses, peers over her shoulder. The headmaster looks kind, proud even. Her heart warms. She wasn't sure of the last time an adult had been proud of her. At least that she knew of.

"Good work today," He says simply.

She hesitates before nodding once and scurrying from his office, leaving him to study his map.

{{okay—I do not always love Dumbledore. But I can't help but like these chapters. I think Gwen is underestimated and that she's getting a chance to shine in a way that she thinks she can't. She's definitely a Ravenclaw :) }}