CHAPTER 1

Sitting in a corner of a basement was a small boy with auburn hair and deep blue eyes. He was wearing the ragged remains of the clothes he had been wearing when he very first arrived at is relatives house a year ago. His body bloody and beaten was curled into a protective ball. 'If only..' was the only thought in his mind before he desperately began to try and erase all thoughts.

It was all his fault. He knew that as did his relatives. That was why they treated him so. If he hadn't disobeyed they would have left the party on time instead of early. If they had not left early they wouldn't have been on the road at the same time as that drunk. And if they hadn't been on the road with him coming from the other direction they never would have wrecked leaving himself, Darrian, an orphan. His mothers family had taken him in, but they clearly blamed him for her and his fathers deaths. He only had his mother's brother and his wife left as living relatives as far as he knew. His father had mentioned relatives once but he had said he hadn't spoken to them since a big fight when he was 17 and he wasn't sure he would ever speak to them again. His mother had never even met them!

'If only they could find me now! If they are alive! They can't be worse than these people!' He knew his uncle never really cared for him and his aunt didn't really like him or his parents. You see they were Muggles and were totally against his mother marrying his father and for that reason they only saw each other on holidays. He would constantly hear his Uncle Jack swearing and cursing the day his sister, Michelle Lancaster, told him she had eloped with Brian Dumbledore.

Many miles away an old man sat in his office with his head in his hands. A friend of his, a Squib, had just sent him an owl telling him of his sons death. Apparently it had happened over a year ago. He and his wife both were dead. The boy hadn't even written that he had married. He looked at the letter on his desk and picked it up to read it again.

Dear Albus,

As you know I recently moved to America. Everything is finally set up and the house is simply lovely in a small little Muggle town. Anyway the reason I am writing is to tell you that I asked about the previous owners of the property and about fell over in shock when I was told that they were a family by the name of Dumbledore and had been killed in a automobile accident. Well I naturally did some checking and they were killed by a drunk driver a little over a year ago. The old papers said their names were Michelle and Brian Dumbledore. And old friend I am not just writing to tell you this horrible news about your son but to also tell you that I found that they had a son named Darrian who survived the accident and is currently living with Michelle's family. I thought you would like to know that you had a grandson and while your son may be gone Darrian is alive and well. I found out that Michelle's relatives live not far from here in a city called Richmond. I hope you are well and my deepest condolences on your son.

Sincerely,

Danni Smith

He had read over the letter countless times but still couldn't believe it. In one fell swoop he had lost his son, a daughter-in-law he didn't know he had, and discovered he was a grandfather.

"Albus are you going….What's wrong?" Minerva McGonagall asked as she stepped into the room.

"I have just found out that my son was killed in an accident last year."

"Brian! But you haven't heard from him in nearly 20 years! What happened?"

"All Danni found out was that he and his wife were killed by a drunk driver last year and that their only son is currently living with his wife's relatives."

"Are you going to go and see if you can find the boy?"

"I believe I shall, if only to meet him this once." Albus stood up from his chair. "If you would excuse me Minerva." With that he stood up and walked out of the office.

It took three months and a busy three months they were what with the tri-wizard tournament and everything else going on at the school. Once the school had finally let out for the summer Albus Dumbledore packed a bag and walked to the outer wards of the school before Apparating to the international Floo building. It wasn't long before he was wandering around the city named in his friend's letter asking about his grandson. He had just about given up hope when a young woman turned around to face him after he had asked the person behind her if he knew a young boy named Darrian Dumbledore.

"What do you want to know about him for?" She asked quite rudely.

"I have just recently found out about the passing of his parents and would like to meet him. His father and I haven't spoken in nearly 20 years and I never knew he had married nor sired a son."

"And just what was he to you?" The woman asked still rudely but she seemed to have gotten a hopeful look in her eyes.

"I am most sorry I never did introduce myself properly. I am Albus Dumbledore and Brian was my son." The woman then grinned up at him.

"The boy was sent to live with me and my husband but we never much liked the child nor his father. We had to take him in after his parents died because we were told there were no other relatives. He's yours if you want him." Albus looked at the woman closely. She wore rather nice clothes and had her hair done perfectly in a bun. However her face made him immediately think of her as someone he would rather not know, especially if she could just offer her nephew up to a stranger like that.

"I would most assuredly like to take him with me if he is agreeable."

"That won't matter much, if he really is related to you, you can have him. The house is this way." She led Albus through the streets to a modest house sitting a little ways from the rode. She explained on the way there that she walked 4 miles everyday to keep in shape and was returning from her walk when she heard him asking about her nephew. As soon as they entered the house she directed him to the living room to wait while she gathered the boy and his belongings. Albus took the time to carefully observe the room there wasn't a single picture in the room showing that a boy just 10 years old lived there. In fact there wasn't any sign that anyone but the woman and her husband lived there. Albus began to have an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. Not 10 minutes after she had left a small boy was brought into the room dragging a trunk behind him.

"I put all of his things and what he kept of his parents in these three trunks." She told Albus as he studied the child.

"Hello Darrian. My name is Albus, I am your father's father. Would you like to come and live with me?" Immediately the auburn head shot up to study him and blue eyes met blue eyes.

"Yes I would!" He said hesitantly at first looking back at this aunt as if to see if it was all a joke or not.

"Very well then come with me child." Albus held out his hand and the small boy reached out and grasped it with is own. "If you would be so kind as to call us a cab, madam, I doubt the young one and I can carry those trunks ourselves." But it appeared as if the woman was already on the phone with the taxi services. Within an hour they had arrived at a small inn.

"Are we staying here for now or do you live near here?" Darrian asked curiously.

"We are staying here for the night and then tomorrow we will be leaving for my home in Britain."

"Britain?" Darrian asked incredulously.

"That's right." Albus said smiling down at the boy.

"So how come I never met you before now?" The boy asked nervously some hours later when they were about to go to bed.

"Because your father and I got into a fight and he left. Neither of us wanted to be the first to give in so we had not spoken since. I always thought there was more time." Albus said sadly

"He missed you I think." Darrian said after a moments silence. "He told me one time that he wanted to go back to Europe and Scotland and visit some people he left behind when he left but he wasn't sure he would be welcome after the way he acted when he left. He never told me about you though. I guess he didn't want to if I might not be meeting you for a long time yet."

"I guess so. It is late you should be getting to bed we have a long day tomorrow."

Waking with a start Albus looked at the clock on the night stand it was nearly 3 in the morning. Looking over at where his grandson was supposed to be sleeping he saw what had awakened him. Darrian was sitting up on the bed breathing heavily and there were tear tracks going down his face as he tried to calm himself. Albus immediately got up and went over to him. The child flinched when he wrapped his arms around him but he kept them there holding the boy close and whispering in his ear that everything was going to be ok and there was nothing to be afraid of. When he had calmed considerably the old man looked down at his grandson worriedly.

"Would you like to tell me what it was about?" He asked softly. All he got in return was a head shake. When he started to get up however the boy grabbed his arm.

"Would you stay over here? I mean if you don't mind…I just…"

"It is most alright my child." Albus said as he got into bed next to the boy who cuddled up against him.

The next day they took a Portkey to the International Floo Building in the States and took the next available back to Albus' cottage that was hidden in the hills of Scotland. Minerva had been waiting to hear from him when he returned, so he sent the house elf, Star, to let her know he was back and had his grandson with him.