The Dark Lord's Heir

Chapter 1

It was a very dilapidated house in Dumbledore's opinion. The gate was taken over by vines and shrubbery, thick trees littered the front hall, allowing only little light to peak through their leaves to shine on the sad existent. The walls looked old, worn-down parts of it showing cracks or small holes. Thick tendrils of vines grew on these, looking as though the earth itself was trying to swallow the house back into the depths below where it belonged. Windows were, naturally, broken, and on the old rotten out door, Dumbledore could see a rusted knife buried in a long-dead snake.

This has been a house that has not been touched in years, laying hidden outside the town of Little Hangleton. And yet now, on a hot August night in Nineteen-Eighty, the house had found it to be home again of life, however brief and despair-ridden it was. There were voices just inside, Dumbledore immediately recognize one of them. It was high and cold, void of any emotion bar malice. Taking out his wand silently, he casted an Invisibility Spell and made his way slowly forward. An anonymous source had warned Dumbledore of this place, that something terrible would happen here, and he hoped that he was not too late.

The voices continued, the cold voice sneering while a woman's voice was pleading. Dumbledore stopped at the window and listened, for he thought to hear the sound of a child crying. However, the two voices were too loud, he tried to listen in, to focus on the crying, only for the cold voice to yell out, "Avada Kedavra!" Green light filled the house for a moment, the woman was silent, and thud of a body woke Dumbledore up as he rushed to the door, pushing it open and revealing himself to the scene.

It was a horror inside. Just as dirty and beaten-down as it was outside, however Dumbledore's attention was to the floor where a girl, not even pass twenty, laid lifeless. He could hear it clearly now in the deadly silence, the loud wailing of a child, now missing a mother. He saw the baby not even a few days old laying on a small gathering of blankets, naked and pale except for his face which was red with tears. Then he saw the killer, and his fears were realized.

Tall with pale white skin and serpentine features, looking more monster than man. His red eyes moved from the girl and the baby to Dumbledore. "Dumbledore," he chuckled with an icy air in his throat, "you have rather poor timing old man. I am in the middle of a family affair…"

"You will not hurt the child, Tom," Dumbledore said, his wand drawn and aimed immediately at Lord Voldemort.

The Dark Lord only laughed. He glanced at the baby before looking back at Dumbledore, "I will do whatever I please to my child… especially since his mother hid him from his own father."

"Step away from him," Dumbledore warned, taking a step closer to Voldemort. Voldemort gave Dumbledore an eerie look, his wand moving slowly from Dumbledore to the crying child, "And what if I don't?" he asked, "I could simply kill both you and my child here in one go…After all, look at him… he is rather disgusting looking." Lord Voldemort gave a dark chuckle, "Besides old man, I cannot have a sniveling brat weighing me down… I've no need of heirs, so it would be better to just kill him. Say goodbye, Dumbledore…"

Dumbledore reacted just as Lord Voldemort began to flick his wand. There was a huge flashing white light as his spell clashed with Voldemort's killing curse. A great force knocked both men off their feet and Dumbledore flew against the wall, coughing as the wind was knocked out of him. He did his best to squint through the bright light. He was terrified, all he could hear was silence. What happened to the child?

Then, a cold laughter filled the room for a moment before silence returned. When the light finally dimmed, and Dumbledore blinked away the blurriness, he saw that he was alone.

"The child!" he gasped. Dumbledore scrambled to his feet and ran over to the bundle of blankets, his fears and adrenaline high. He couldn't hear the child crying, only silence filled the dead house. Kneeling down, he quickly started throwing around the blankets in order to find the child. The baby was rolled up in an old washcloth on the bottom, and as soon as Dumbledore removed it from the child's mouth, he started to cry loudly. Dumbledore gave a sigh of relief and quickly picked the baby up, using his wand to run a diagnosis. "You will live," Dumbledore sighed as a soft blue light enveloped the crying child, "I'm sorry however… it seems your eyes won't be the same. It'll be glasses for you," he chuckled softly, "but here's a secret, all the impressive people in history have glasses, some just hide them."

Holding the baby gently, Dumbledore stood up and examined him closely. He was a handsome baby. A few days old, the child already had some black hair growing on the top of his head. His nose was soft and small, his mouth opened slightly, and his body tiny. However, the one thing that struck Dumbledore the most was the baby's eyes. They were two colors, only a few days old it seemed to Dumbledore, and the child's eyes were already starting to form their colors. The right was still a baby-gray, but Dumbledore could see hints of brown in them, while the left was a mixture of gray and green. "You have the looks of your father," Dumbledore said in a solemn tone, "however little one, I will make sure that that is the only similarity you have to him…"

Dumbledore turned and went to examine the woman, rocking the child softly to calm him down. He frowned, she looked like a pretty girl, young with black hair and pretty features. "A terrible lost," he sighed. He looked at the child and held him close, "Not to worry, we will find a loving family for you. But first, we need to take care of your mother now."

With his free hand, Dumbledore pulled out his wand and walked outside the decrepit home. He concentrated, and with a mutter of a spell, a bright silver phoenix, made of pure light and warmth shot out. It's warmth bathed Dumbledore and the child for only a moment before it flew off with a message. Dumbledore turned back into the house and used his wand to levitate the girl's body respectfully, guiding her out of the home and onto the overgrown lawn. In the brief sunlight that filtered through the trees, Dumbledore could see that the woman's body was dirty with dust and dirt. Thinking it was disrespectful, he waved his wand around and her skin and clothes cleared, the rags she was wearing looking semi-decent.

By the time he was done, there was a loud snapping sound, and he turned to see Alastor Moody walking bristly towards him.

"Got your message Dumbledore," he said, "What happened here?"

"Voldemort was here," Dumbledore said, "Killed this girl and almost killed the boy. He mentioned that it was a family affair, that the boy is his son."

Moody grunted and looked at the baby. "What do you want to do then, Professor Dumbledore?" he asked.

"Find the girl's parents," Dumbledore said. "And a loving home for this little one. … I will ask Lily and James first."

"Right," Moody grunted, "Do you have any ideas on who the girl is?"

"Sadly no," Dumbledore sighed. "I do know recognize her, she must not have went to Hogwarts, however she is magical. Young too, twenty at the oldest I would guess."

"I'll see that it's done," Moody said.

"Thank you Alastor," Dumbledore said. Moody just grunted and went towards the woman, bending down to begin his work. Dumbledore left the Auror to his work as he started to make his way out of the house's yard. "Oh, yes… did you happen to bring a broom with you, Alastor?" he asked.

Moody turned and gave Dumbledore a look as he grunted. Getting up, he ruffled in his robes before pulling out a broomstick from what seemed to be an endless pocket. Dumbledore thanked him and got on the broom, making sure the child was secure in his arm before he sped off into the sky.

The Potters lived in a pleasant cottage on Godric's Hollow. It was becoming night by the time Dumbledore arrived, unphased by the charms that protected the home. He rung the door bell and waited. Lily Potter answered, "Professor Dumbledore, we didn't expect you, it's a surprise," she said, "Has something happened?" she looked worried.

"May I come in, Lily?" Professor Dumbledore asked. "This would take a while to explain."

"Of course, come in, I just need to check on little Evan," Lily said.

"How is your son?" Dumbledore asked as he followed Lily.

"Healthy as ever, James is with him now," Lily chuckled. "Help yourself to some tea in the kitchen, we both will be there in a moment."

"Thank you, however, may I also partake in some of your formula?" Dumbledore asked. Lily looked at him a little confused until finally she saw the baby. "Yes of course! Oh dear, what happened Professor?" she asked.

"That is the reason of why I wanted to speak to you," Dumbledore said. Lily nodded and said, "We'll be back quick, use anything you need to, Professor."

Dumbledore went into the kitchen and made a cup of tea for himself, and a bottle for the child. He went into the cottage's small living room and settled in an armchair, placing his tea on an end table while he fed the baby. Lily and James Potter came in a few minutes after, both silently watching Dumbledore and the baby. "This is the first time I've saw him at peace," Dumbledore commented, looking up at the Potters.

"What happened, Professor?" James Potter asked.

"Sit down, please, and I will tell you," Professor Dumbledore said, "As well as ask you for a task…" The Potters nodded and sat down across of Dumbledore. The Headmaster of Hogwarts told the couple of what happened in the old house, of an argument he could only hear but make no details, of finding the young girl dead and baby in rags, and Voldemort's attempt at killing him.

"That's horrible," Lily gasped. When he was done, the child had finished eating and was now resting peacefully in Dumbledore's arms. "Does he have a name? He looks like such a sweet baby."

"No, as far as I know, he does not," Dumbledore said. "He is only a couple weeks old, like your son Evan…"

"And he has no family to go to?" James asked. Dumbledore have him a somber look.

"No… which brings me to my favor," Dumbledore said. "I know that it is a lot of pressure for both of you, already adjusting your lives to this cottage and Evan, however… I would hope that both of you would find it in your hearts to open your love and arms to this boy as well. Raise him as your own, give him the comfort and love that his father has never known… You may think about it, however your decision must be tonight. I want a safe place for the boy where his father would never find him."

"Professor…" James said, "would you mind if we talk about it in private?"

"Take your time," Dumbledore nodded.

"Thank you."

Lily and James got up and left the living room. Dumbledore used his free hand to open his robe pocket and pulled out a magazine about knitting. The magazine floated in front of him, leaving him free to hold onto the sleeping child and drink his tea as he read. Hours passed by like this, Dumbledore was long done with his tea and the child, thankfully, was still sleeping peacefully. This must be his first peaceful rest since his birth, Dumbledore mused sadly.

James and Lily returned, with a determined look on their faces. James walked up to Dumbledore and looked at the sleeping child. "May I?" he asked. Dumbledore nodded and James gently lifted the child. "Hello you," he cooed softly as the child started to whine fussily. "My… look Lily, his eyes."

His wife took a step closer and smiled, "Hello there… your eyes are so pretty."

"So you've decided?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes… we'll take him," James said.

Dumbledore smiled and stood up. "Thank you both," he said. "This is best for the child, I believe, than any orphanage that he might have otherwise ended up in." Lily and James nodded, the two cooing at their new son. "Have you thought of a name?" Dumbledore asked.

"We have," Lily nodded.

"Harry," James said.

Dumbledore chuckled. He went up to them and held his finger out for the child, placing his pinky in the child's little hand, who gripped it instinctually. "Welcome to the world then, Harry Potter."

The baby now named Harry closed his eyes, exhausted and wanting to sleep in his parents' embrace. Dumbledore felt relieved and hopeful for the child, thankful that he had found a peaceful home for young Harry.

A peaceful home that would be invaded only a year later by his father… leaving Harry's adoptive parents and brother dead, and giving Dumbledore more grief as he made the ultimate decision to let Harry live as a muggle with the Dursleys until ten years later when a certain letter came…