The Wizard's Guide to Timelords and Other Demons Book 1: The Forgotten War

Promises Kept

Pale and weakened, Albus Dumbledore slumped against the wall of the Astronomy Tower, still suffering greatly from his experience in the cave. Draco Malfoy stood across the room; his wand pointed directly at the headmaster. But his hand was shaking so badly that he could barely aim.

"Kill him now, Draco, quickly!" shouted a Death Eater from the spiral staircase just below.

At that moment, the door to the tower burst open and Professor Snape stepped into the room.

At last, thought Dumbledore, relieved that it would soon be over.

This would be the culmination of a plan that had taken months to orchestrate. Ever since he had learned that the cursed Horcrux ring on his finger would inevitably take his life, Dumbledore and Snape had been preparing for this moment, lining up players into place like pieces on a chess board.

Once Severus Snape had killed Dumbledore in the presence of all these Death Eaters, his position of trust at Voldemort's side would be secure. Snape would be exactly where he needed to be to help bring an end to the Dark Lord's reign of terror. If that also meant the end of Dumbledore's life, then so be it; he was going to die soon enough just the same. At least this final sacrifice would give his death meaning.

For a moment, Snape just stood there in the doorway, his wand clutched in his hand and a glare of revulsion and hatred on his face. Yet he seemed hesitant to do what he knew had to be done.

"Severus, please," Dumbledore pled.

At that moment, a strange tingling sensation arose in the back of Dumbledore's mind. A memory from his past seemed determined to surface, struggling to push through layers of magical charms that had apparently been placed some time ago to prevent it from breaking through. Suddenly, the blocking charms seemed to cast themselves aside, allowing the fullness of the encroaching memory to wash into his mind...and he remembered.

Dumbledore recalled with great clarity the war against the Beast. He remembered the Doctor, and Elise. He remembered the vow he had made with Voldemort that helped insure the Beast's defeat.

"Avada Kedavra," shouted Snape, and a green filament of light shot out of his wand.

During that instant before the end, Dumbledore was filled with a feeling of peace and warmth. The effects of his death had already done much more than help bring about the downfall of an earthly despot. Albus Dumbledore had helped bring down the Devil himself; and that was something to be content about.

It was a cold New Year's Eve Day, and a gentle snow was falling on the shores of the Dark Lake near the Hogwarts Castle. Elise and the Doctor stood in silence beside a white tomb which guarded the remains of a dear friend. From their point of view, it had been less than an hour since they had said goodbye to Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin and a host of others who had lost their lives during the nine-year period which they themselves had traversed with the TARDIS in only seconds.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," the Doctor read aloud from the inscription on the tomb. "Born August, 1881. Died June 30th, 1997."

The Doctor's thoughts reflected on that night in the Forbidden Forest, where Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort had made a pact that would ultimately change the course of the war against the Beast. Voldemort had dismissed his followers so that only the Doctor had remained to witness what they referred to as an Unbreakable Vow

That night, Voldemort had committed himself and his followers to fight on the side of Dumbledore at the battle's most critical moment; and he had certainly been true to that pledge. In return, Dumbledore promised to willingly give up his life in the coming year before the climax of the great war Voldemort was so determined to wage against the rest of the magical—and non-magical—world. It was an offer Voldemort could never dismiss.