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The Clock From the Mantel


“You don’t think Voldemort would make the connection -- the leap between… what makes a time thief’s store… and what makes a…” Dumbledore paused in his words, his eyes meeting Newt Scamander’s. “A horcrux?”

“A man like - like Voldemort wouldn’t keep quiet about - that, would he?” Newt asked.

Tina looked between the two of them, the hush to their voices made her skin prickle, “What’s a horcrux?” she whispered the word.

“A vessel,” Newt replied, “Like the clock, but, uh, uh the wizard tears his soul and puts a bit of it inside. Instead of time stolen, it’s the soul that’s inside.”

Tina looked confused, “But… but why?”

“Immortality,” murmured Dumbledore. “A man is only dead when their soul departs the earth, until that soul is departed, the man lives on. A body is nothing but a vessel, too, and can be easily recreated by science and magic. A collection of atoms and matter is all our bodies are, but the soul - to put a soul inside a vessel requires very dark, very deep veined magic that hasn’t been touched in… absolute centuries.” He looked at Newt.

“These are… are not horcruxes, these clocks,” Newt said, “It is Lyall Lupin’s presence I feel in this clock, not Mopsus. Mopsus’s spirit is simply bound to Lyall Lupin’s, it has not - not joined as one. It has not been replaced by soul.”

“What’s the difference?” Tina asked.

“Between spirit and - and soul?” Newt questioned and she nodded. “Well - spirit is your auror, the - the memory of a person...it’s what makes ghosts, what makes memories. It’s the interaction of your person with the world. The -the soul, that’s… that’s altogether different. The soul is what makes you Tina. It’s what makes me Newt. Any - anybody could encase my soul and I’d still be Newt Scamander.” He stared at her like he’d only done a fair few times before, their eyes meeting, “And your soul would - would still be Tina, no matter the - the body you were in. No matter the vessel.”

“The soul is the essence,” Dumbledore agreed.

Tina looked at the clock. “And what’s in there is spirit.”

“Yes,” Newt said, nodding. “Absolutely.”

Tina looked between them, “But how could one possibly tear their soul, if it’s as… essence-y… as you say?”

Newt said, “It’s… horrible. Really. Very, very truly horrible.”

Dumbledore steepled his hands and looked at the clock.

“They have to kill,” murmured Newt. “That’s what splits the soul.”

Tina looked at the clock, “But you said Mopsus did kill Lyall Lupin.”

“Yes, and his soul was split,” Newt nodded. “It didn’t - uh - adhere, though.”

Dumbledore was still staring at the clock.

“Adhere?” Tina asked, breathless.

“Yes,” Newt said. All three of them were looking at the clock now. “In order to make a horcrux, the broken bit of soul must adhere to the departing soul and become one, they must be placed into the new vessel immediately, bound… It takes… it takes more than a killing curse to do…” Newt stared at the clock’s swinging pendulum. “Souls don’t naturally adhere, it’s… it’s very un- unnatural for it to -- that’s why it doesn’t -- happen… no accidental horcruxes, you can’t… it’s very nasty, what must be done.” Newt looked at Dumbledore, “Even Voldemort is not as twisted as that.”

“Surely not,” Dumbledore whispered and he drew his eyes away from the clock. “Mopsus hasn’t done it, either. If the time thief knew the procedure, surely he would have done it himself, rather than simply stealing time. And Mopsus did not, so I am assured that Voldemort does not know how closely related the actions of stealing time and of creating a horcrux are. Kostos Mopsus can’t have told him if he did not know. And I doubt that… that anyone else would tell, either.”

Tina was still staring at the clock, “But what must be done?” she asked, looking between them, fear in her eyes.

Newt looked at Dumbledore, then turned to his wife and his voice was very, very low. “There’s a very complicated process, even I don’t, don’t know it entirely, very - very few do… In - in fact, there’s only three people I know of alive that… that may know the whole of it and it’s only because two of them were there when the third… well, they’ve seen it attempted…” Newt shook his head. “Seen it fail.” His eyes flicked to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked away, toward Fawkes’ bowl, where the baby bird had been born of the ashes, and who gave out a cry...

Tina whispered, “But -- how do you know it wasn’t attempted here?”

“Because we… we found a body, there was a body for Lyall Lupin. There was a whole, unbroken body. Tina, at least one of the things it involves is… is a sort of -- cannibalism.” Newt’s voice shook. “I don’t know the rest of the, uh, the ritual. There’s quite a lot but I’ve never - I would never --” he shook his head. “No desire to know.”

She stared at him, horror-struck.

“One of the two souls consumes the other,” Dumbledore murmured, “That is how they become irrevocably linked. If the souls are not one… if a soul simply implants itself in a vessel without having been consumed, the two are separate entities, though the vessel carries them both, and the souls then could still be split from within the vessel, breaking the horcrux. It would be very hard to do, very dangerous, and it would take an extremely strong wizard to split the souls apart… very extreme circumstances… but it could be done.”

“At… at least in magical theory,” Newt ceeded. “It’s never… never actually been, uh, done before. Splitting the souls apart once they’ve been linked together, it’s never been done before.”

Tina shivered.

Suddenly there was a CRACK! - Tina screamed in surprise and tiny newborn Fawkes flapped his still unfeathered wings in annoyance as the tension of the room broke apart - and Pappi the house elf appeared with Remus Lupin and Sirius Black.

Dumbledore’s eyes crinkled at the edges as he shook his head, “Of course, you’ve both come. I should have known.”

Newt looked over at them, Tina was still clutching her heart from the scare, and Remus hurried forward to give Newt a hug, which he awkwardly received with a sort of confused-pained look on his face. Remus turned next to Tina, who patted his back, “Hello again,” she said, voice still shaky.

“Is Professor Veigler here as well?” Remus asked with excitement.

“Yes, in my case,” Newt replied, “He’s not feeling well, as I imagine you aren’t.” Newt reached into his pocket and fished about a moment, then produced a few aconite leaves, which Remus took thankfully and put in his mouth to chew.

Sirius nodded greeting to Tina and Newt.

“Well, we have some serious business to attend to here today,” Dumbledore said, looking the boys over. He motioned for the two chairs that Gideon and Fabian had vacated, “Have a seat, boys.” They sat, but Sirius kept his hand on Remus’s arm, his fingers knotted tight around the fabric of his robe sleeve.

Newt Scamander stumbled his way through telling Remus about the funny feeling he’d had when they went to the Lupin house over the summer, and his return there that morning. He detailed what a Horalandrao was and how they stole time… he described how the spirit can be trapped inside the time vessel and Remus’s eyes went to the clock he recognized too well from the mantel at home and he choked back a sob as he covered his eyes, understanding instantly what was about to happen.

“If we break this clock,” Dumbledore said, confirming Remus’s thoughts, “It will release your father’s spirit and before he goes… you may have a chance to… say goodbye.”

Sirius’s hand tightened ‘round Remus’s arm. “So… so wait, Mr. Lupin’s like… stuck inside that clock?”

“His spirit, yes. The same way that - that Professor Binns is… is stuck inside his classroom or - or the Grey Lady is stuck in the Ravenclaw Tower,” Newt stammered, nodding. “They’re bound there by… by something. This… happens to be that Lyall Lupin is bound… by… by time. His time. Stolen time.” Newt stared at his toes.

“Now I understand if you do not wish to stay,” Dumbledore said, “But I did not wish you to be denied the opportunity. It is, of course, entirely up to you.”

Remus had tears pouring down his cheeks. His lip quivered as he kept his eyes very nearly closed, only barely seeing through the blur of tears and eyelashes. Tina got up and knelt down before him, her hands on his shoulders. “You’re a very brave boy, Remus, I know you are, I’ve seen how brave you can be. Saying no to this won’t change that even an ounce, alright? You can say no if you don’t want to go through it.”

Newt nodded.

“But if you do it, you’ll get to see him one last time, you’ll get a chance to… to mend your heart,” she whispered the words, and she put her palm against Remus’s chest, right over his heart. “You’ll get a chance to have some closure.”

Remus nodded.

Sirius petted his arm as Tina returned to her seat and reached over to take Newt’s hand in her own, which he let her do, however awkward it made him feel.

“Couldn’t I just… just keep the clock, just keep his spirit with me?” Remus asked.

“I’m so sorry but… no. No, you can’t. He’d - he’d have no rest,” Newt said quietly. “And the - the time thief would live on as well… and that’s a dangerous power to hold onto. Very, uh, dangerous indeed.”

Remus nodded. That was the answer he’d expected, but it had been worth the try.

Sirius felt a bit of relief at that, too, for he’d suddenly imagined being grown up and living in a house with Remus Lupin with that bloody clock on the mantel and trying to snog on a couch and having Lyall Lupin suddenly appear before them telling him to get off his son… No, that wouldn’t do. So thank Merlin for Newt saying no.

Remus stared at the clock, as he asked, “How does one destroy it?”

“The same as any other object,” Dumbledore said, “Flick of the wand, a quick incendio or a reducto and it’s done. Your friend Miss. Evans destroyed the majority of Mopsus’s clock collection last term, if you recall.”

Remus nodded.

Sirius looked at Remus, then back to Dumbledore, “Can we take it and destroy it alone together?”

Remus looked up, hopeful.

Dumbledore looked at Newt.

Newt had been hoping to get to say goodbye, too, that was plain on his face, his jaw shook just a little bit as he let the hope go and he said, “I don’t… don’t see why not.”

Sirius stood up and took the clock from the desk.

“I do ask one favor,” Dumbledore said.

Sirius looked up.

“Bring us back the cogs so we can see that it is done.”

“Yes, sir.” Sirius turned and grabbed Remus’s hand. “C’mon, Rey. Let’s go.”

Remus nodded. He paused to look at Newt’s case for a moment, then up to Newt Scamander’s face, “Say hullo to Professor Veigler for me, please.”

“I will,” Newt promised.

Sirius pulled Remus’s palm, hugging the clock to his chest, and he led him from the room.

“Oh to have that strength,” Dumbledore murmured.

Newt looked to Dumbledore.

“To be there for one another so completely,” he murmured.

Newt said, “They are very good boys, the two of them.”

“Hardly boys, anymore, Mr. Scamander,” Dumbledore took a deep breath. “Though I do wonder when it was that they stopped being boys and became men... I blinked and I believe that I’ve missed it.”