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Stars
Chapter 1: The Swan
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Summary: What if Harry wasn't taken in by Petunia? What if, instead, he was taken in by another wizard who moved into number four after Petunia forced her family to move to avoid taking in the freak? Neutral!Harry
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own character.
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When Cygnus Rowan first moved into number four, Privet Drive, he did not expect to see a baby on the doorstep.
Cygnus looked at the basket and took it into the house. He ran a hand through his white hair, humming lightly. Moving from Taiwan had its inconveniences, but he had decided several months ago that it would be best to avoid the Asian Magical Community. After all, his silvery white hair stood out like a beacon in crowds and always gathered unwanted attention. He was a bit sick of hiding himself under potions and glamour. He had briefly considered dying his hair black the non-magical way, but had ultimately decided against it.
Now, all he wanted to do was live in peace. Working as a warding specialist allowed him to get a rather solid job in Gringotts bank. And the goblins seemed to like the fact that he treated them like actual beings. It probably helped that in most Asian countries, magical creatures were treated the same as everyone else.
Cygnus looked at the sleeping baby and then looked around for anything that would help identify the boy. Nothing. Well, that didn't help matters any.
He was a small little thing—only a year old, Cygnus would guess. He had scruffy black hair and a lightening bolt scar on his forehead. Cygnus could only guess where he got something like that.
Gently scooping up the baby from his basket, Cygnus carried the child to his new master bedroom and placed him on the bed, tucking him in. He would need to buy baby supplies from the non-magical community. For their lack of magic, Cygnus thought they have done very well in adapting to the environment and inventing new things. Electricity was well known to malfunction in magical households, but the Asian community had found a way to adapt to that so the magical community wouldn't be too far behind in the non-magical world.
For that reason, Cygnus found the magical community in Britain to be utter idiots.
Cygnus didn't think he would ever understand why the community in Britain decided it was a good thing to remain in robes and still throw owls at each other. Telephones did their jobs just as well as any owl. And robes were tacky. All in all, it attracted far too much attention from the non-magical community.
Cygnus glanced at the child and placed a nonverbal, wandless charm on the blanket to inform him when the baby was awake. Then he went to the front door to set up his wards. Protection wards were always number one in his mind when he set up wards. After all, non-magicals and magicals were just as likely to try to break into his house.
He had just finished setting up the wards when the charm alerted him that the baby had shifted. Cygnus headed back up the stairs and poked his head in the room, looking at the baby. The child stared back at him, his bright emerald green eyes wide.
"Right, okay," Cygnus said, talking more to himself than to the baby. "Let's get you something to eat first. I'll go to the market. I might as well bring you along so someone can help me figure out what you need."
The baby gave a gurgle and grinned up at him. Cygnus smiled lightly in return.
Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad?
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After collecting the items he needed to care for a young baby boy, Cygnus now stewed on a new problem. He had made up some story about his cousin dropping off his nephew for him to babysit while they ran off to their tenth anniversary. Thankfully, the woman at the store seemed to accept the story, giving him a pitying look and offering to help him select all the things he would need to care for a small child.
So his shopping trip had ended in success. He had even made a new friend along the way.
The child grinned at Cygnus as Cygnus prepared a bottle. Honestly, Cygnus was surprised the baby wasn't screaming to be fed—being in that basket for god knows how long and then being hauled to the market for shopping—but then again, he was pretty sure the baby was magical.
Cygnus found this to be extremely odd. Magicals, especially in the Asian community, always cared for their young. Family was a very powerful dynamic in the Asian community, magical or not, and children were always treasured. Of course, there were exceptions to the rule, but typically, if someone found out that that the child had been abandoned by a family that was able to care for them; they would be shunned by the community. In addition, this was a boy, who traditionally carried the family name.
He reached for the baby as he twirled his magic on a finger and let it mix with the milk formula. Normally, babies who were breastfed got antibodies from the mother's body through breast milk but if the mother was not present or if the baby was adopted by a single dad, then the magic of the father would carry the antibodies. It was a bonus that the child would gain magic from him.
Well, it wasn't like Cygnus was going to complain. He wasn't very old, but he had pretty much known that he was going to adopt a child. Considering that this was a boy, it was advantageous to keep him rather than throw him into the nearest orphanage. He needed someone who would carry on the family name.
Cygnus hummed lightly as he lowered the nipple towards the child's mouth. The child latched on without any trouble and began to drink.
There was a knock at the door and Cygnus looked up. He debated leaving the door shut and pretending he wasn't home, as he was busy at the moment, but then thought better of it. With a little magic, he unlocked the door and stood up, holding the child with one hand and feeding him with the other as he walked over to the door. If it was a non-magical, he would shoo them away and tell them to come back later.
When he opened the door, however, he came face-to-face with an old man with a long beard wearing the ugliest set of robes Cygnus has ever seen. Cygnus raised an eyebrow at the old man and sighed.
"Come back in twenty minutes. I need to finish feeding him," Cygnus said calmly, looking at the old man.
"Ah, but, you see, I need to speak to you about the young child," the old man replied politely.
Cygnus hesitated but then sighed, opening the door further with his magic.
"Fine, but make it quick," he said calmly. "I will need to put him to bed after he finishes and I don't think he'll appreciate the noise."
The old man entered the house and Cygnus waved his hand to close the door. He made his way into the living room and sat down on the couch, watching the child drink and making sure he didn't choke.
"If you have magic, might I ask you why you don't simply spell the bottle to stay up?" the old man asked, sinking into an armchair.
"Because physical contact builds bonding with children. Magic sharing is common among children and it helps the child control their magic better," Cygnus stated plainly. "So, what about the kid? Who is he and why was he on my doorstep?"
The old man seemed to sit up a little straighter at the question and cleared his throat. "The child's name is Harry Potter. His mother and father was unfortunately killed yesterday by the Dark Lord."
"Forgive me, but I just moved in this morning. From Taiwan. I have not heard of news in the UK," Cygnus said, watching the child finish the bottle and lifting him to his shoulder and patting him lightly. "Who is this Dark Lord, what does he want, and why did he decide to orphan young Harry?"
"This Dark Lord's name is Tom Riddle. He came to power over ten years ago with the mindset that muggles were inferior to the magical community, particularly purebloods, and went around terrorizing the muggle community," the old man stated. "I am Albus Dumbledore. I led an organization against Tom to fight against his reign."
"What are muggles?" Cygnus asked, still patting a sleepy Harry on the back and feeling Harry's chubby fingers in his hair.
"Non-magic folk," Albus answered. "I couldn't help but notice the wards you put up as I walked in. They're quite impressive."
"I made them," Cygnus said, shrugging. "My name is Cygnus Rowan. It's impressive that you were able to see them. They're intended to keep out non-welcome intruders."
"Wonderful," Albus said, "simply wonderful." He dug in his pockets and pulled out a little box. "Lemon drop?" He held out the box to Cygnus, but Cygnus shook his head. "Ah, pity." He took one and popped it in his mouth.
"I doubt you came here to tell me about these wards though," Cygnus said calmly, hearing Harry burp but keeping him over his shoulder so Harry could continue to play with his hair. "Tell me why Harry was dumped on my doorstep."
"The thing is, Harry Potter is hailed as a savior in our world. Because of this, he is targeted by Tom's old supporters. I originally put him on the doorstep for his mother's sister, Petunia Evans, to take in. However, as you can see, she refused and decided to abandon young Harry instead," Albus said calmly. "He needs to grow up in a place where he is protected and I'm afraid I had counted on Petunia to take him in. As a blood relative of Harry, her protection would have been ideal."
Cygnus studied the old man thoughtfully, but then nodded slowly. "I see. I figured it was a bit suspicious that this house was sold so cheaply, but I never thought all the fuss would have been because of a child. So, what is your plan of action now?"
"I do not believe Tom is really gone," Albus said calmly. "I believe he's simply biding his time, waiting to get stronger. He originally attacked the Potters due to a prophecy that he had heard about that involved young Harry here."
"British Magicals still believe in prophecies?" Cygnus' voice was filled with disbelief. "How stupid. Any prophet knows that prophecies are self-fulfilling. If it is fate, it will happen regardless of prompting or action."
"Unfortunately, young Harry here had to pay for the price," Albus said nodding a little. "Originally I was going to take young Harry away to be adopted by a muggle family, but it seems he has attached himself to you quite quickly."
"In more ways than one," Cygnus commented, trying to tug his hair away from the grabby child's fingers. He sighed a little in relief as Harry let go of the silky white strands and looked at Albus. "So you're saying I should raise him?"
"Quite," Albus said pleased, looking at the playful Harry in contentment. "I will file the adoption papers and bring them for you to finalize."
"Right," Cygnus said calmly, eyeing Albus. "And what, exactly, do you get from this exchange?"
"I'm afraid I don't quite understand," Albus said, honestly, looking slightly confused.
"Don't play daft with me, Albus Dumbledore," Cygnus said calmly. "Harry Potter, regardless of being a savior, has no further part in your war. Why do you go out of your way to help him or us? Be clear now."
Understanding dawned on Albus' face. He nodded slowly and added, "It has been prophesized that young Harry here will be the one to finish Tom when he rises again."
Cygnus inhaled deeply, glancing at the child who was grabbing his hair again. "I see. And you want to train a child to kill this Dark Lord when you have your own organization to fight against him?"
A blush crossed Albus' face. But he didn't stand down.
"Please understand. Prophecies have power. Tom will rise again, and I fear that the damage he could do will be far greater than what he has already accomplished," Albus said, looking at Cygnus pleadingly.
"Children are not weapons, Albus Dumbledore," Cygnus said softly. "They are not pawns for a game in war. Do not make the assumption I will raise this child to be a weapon in your war. The child does not deserve that, nor should any child be coerced into becoming a murderer in war. I have seen children forced into war. It's not pretty. And the child never comes out right in the end."
Albus fell silent, looking at Cygnus. "It's for the greater good."
Cygnus shook his head. "No, Albus. It's not in the good for Harry that you did this, nor is it in the good for the public to let a child fight for their freedom. I'm afraid I can't, in good conscious, allow you to do this to any child. If it is Harry's fate to kill Tom Riddle, then the time will come when Tom Riddle will come. In the meantime, all I can do is prepare him for the worst."
There was a silence and Albus suddenly broke into a wide smile. "Excellent! I'll have those papers ready as soon as possible."
Cygnus staggered a little, a little unnerved by the eccentricity of the old man before giving a hesitant nod. "Uh… huh…"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rowan! I hope we can be good friends!" Albus said. "You're quite an accomplished wizard, you know. Wandless magic isn't something that everyone knows how to do."
Cygnus frowned a little and then watched as Albus Dumbledore stood up and extended a hand.
"I hope you'll enjoy your stay in Britain. If you need anything, please send me an owl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Albus said. "Please raise young Harry well."
And with that, he apparated out of the room. Cygnus gave the space he was occupating a wary look and looked at Harry.
"I need to ward the house from that too," he murmured. Harry giggled and grabbed his nose, making Cygnus wince. He pulled Harry's fingers from his nose and sighed. "Ai-yah, I totally forgot to ask him where to get an owl."
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As it turned out, the goblins were more than happy to have Cygnus work from home. Cygnus smiled and showed his appreciation by working hard at his new job. Warding was relatively simple as it was usually objects that were warded rather than areas.
Harry grew up slowly. Cygnus allowed Harry to go to public school, with the condition that he not show his classmates his magical power, as he doubted the non-magicals would take that well. Harry was more than happy to practice his magic in Cygnus' home rather than outside.
It occurred to Cygnus, based on the owl sent from the Ministry of Magic, that children were prone to Accidental Magic and that magic was not to be freely practiced by children and parents were supposed to enforce this law. Cygnus thought this was complete and utter bull, as if one didn't practice with their magic, how would they ever improve on control? He disregarded the letter and threw up wards to prevent the non-magicals from seeing anything suspicious.
He had spotted several visitors—magical visitors, for that matter—that he could only assume Dumbledore had sent to keep an eye out on Harry. Harry didn't seem to notice, but every time they passed the wards on number four, Cygnus would grunt in irritation.
As Harry's eleventh birthday approached, Cygnus put down Gringotts paperwork and looked at Harry. Harry was sitting across from him, doing his summer homework from school, his eyes narrowed in concentration, his pencil scribbling out formulas. Cygnus smiled a little.
"So, Harry," Cygnus said, leaning forward. "Your birthday is coming up in about a month. What would you like to do?"
Harry looked up, his bright green eyes shining under his almost invisible glasses. Cygnus was a little put out at first at the need to get glasses, preferring to fix the problem using Harry's own magic, but Harry had not developed enough control for that yet. So Harry had chosen the glasses frame and Cygnus has bought the pair for him.
"Hm… I was thinking about going to the zoo," Harry said, smiling. "Will you take me for my birthday? I really want to go!"
Cygnus thought about it and nodded slowly. "Alright. A zoo, hm? I'll have to go see which zoo is closest to our house. In the meantime, I want you to finish your homework. We'll practice control of your magic at six."
Harry nodded eagerly and went back to his homework. Cygnus gave a small smile.
Harry had decided that he wanted to take on Cygnus' last name, which was why he was now known as Harry Potter-Rowan. He preferred to be known as Harry Rowan though, for which Cygnus seemed to be pleased with. Cygnus has not had any further contact with Albus Dumbledore in almost ten years, which was a good thing in Cygnus' book.
At six PM sharp, Harry stood up, pulling Cygnus towards the "training room" Cygnus had devised. The training room used to be the garage, but Cygnus felt it better to be used for training. The walls and floor was magically enlarged and warded completely. It was actually the safest place in the house—apart from the bedrooms. No magic could leave the room from inside and no magic could enter from the outside. That way, there were no accidental explosions that occurred.
Harry loved training. Cygnus was actually quite pleased that he enjoyed training so much, as usually, children hated to work. But for Harry, it seemed to be thrilling and a way to express himself. Cygnus had told him of his fame, and had warned him, quite readily, that fame was not a gift. It drew attention to him and that was, almost always a bad thing when he was being targeted by Dark Lords or his ex-army.
Cygnus withdrew an egg from his pocket and offered it to Harry. "I want you to bounce this egg without touching it a hundred times. Don't drop it and don't break it. Can you do that for me?"
Harry grinned a little, picking up the egg and feeling the weight and texture of the shell. He tossed it into the air and extended his magic, trying to keep it in the air so he could bounce it.
Cygnus knew immediately that Harry had fired off too much magic. But he remained silent as the egg's thin shell shattered and Harry got a face full of egg. He grinned a little and waved his hand, cleaning Harry of egg and sighing.
"There's a carton of eggs over there," Cygnus said, pointing to the small table next to the door. "Good luck. Try not to make too much of a mess."
Harry laughed a little and wiped his face with a towel, trying to get the slimy feeling of the egg off. He picked up one of the eggs in the carton and threw it up.
Cygnus headed to the kitchen so he could prepare dinner. He was fairly sure that Harry would run out of eggs before he had completed the set task, but that was alright. Bouncing an egg was actually an upgrade from the empty pop can that Cygnus had asked Harry to bounce two days prior. Harry was quite eager to please, so Cygnus was sure he'd get it within a few months.
Basic training with Harry's magic was quite fun. Harry loved to play with his magic, loved to see what he could do and what his limits were. Once or twice, Harry had woken up early to practice, which Cygnus actually had to put a stop to since he had been overexerting himself.
Magic control was the basics of basics. As a child, a wand helped control the magic, but as an adult, Cygnus did not own a wand. He had no need for a way to control his magic, as he had sufficiently managed to control his magic without a wand. At the rate Harry was going, he would probably do better without a wand. Cygnus had no idea why the British Magical community wielded wands, as that was a dead giveaway that one was magical, but he supposed it was the Ministry's way of keeping track of people.
Cygnus let the rice cook in his rice cooker and started to chop up some vegetables so he could make a stir-fry. Magic was something that he lived with and breathed. Asian communities never required wands, but then again, they didn't need to control their population from doing stupid things in front of non-magicals. Also, Asian non-magicals were far more perceptive than the rather oblivious British counterparts. Obliviating someone was a very heavy crime, even if it was against non-magicals. This was because, in 1745, an Asian Ministry worker obliviated a non-magical. As a result, the non-magical completely forgot who he was and his job. His mind had been completely blown to pieces by the Ministry, his family starved to death without him, and the community he was running fell to pieces.
As a result, memory modification had been outlawed in Asia. Prevention was the best key, so warding specialists were the next logical step. Integration of the magical community in Asia had occurred shortly after that and now, in Taiwan at least, it was impossible for a non-magical to tell who was magical and who wasn't.
Traditions were still practiced, in the privacy of one's own homes, which is why warding had become the number one desirable job with positions constantly open. Magicals hardly needed to access their own magical core for anything, as the non-magicals had pretty much found a solution to everything. Miracles were synonymous with magic in Asia.
Cygnus glanced up as he heard another SPLAT coming from the training room and gave a smile. Harry had broken another egg, it seemed.
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Cygnus glanced at Harry in surprise as he was hissing to the snake at the zoo. He glanced around and threw up a muffling charm, leaning down to Harry.
"Harry, do you understand what he's saying?" Cygnus whispered, looking slightly alarmed.
"What? Of course I do, don't you?" Harry asked back, looking confused.
"Harry, I don't speak snake language. I have heard of stories of people in India and Egypt who spoke it, but I do not speak it myself. Have you always been able to speak to snakes?" Cygnus asked, looking at him, his tone serious.
"Erm… I think so? I have always understood what snakes were saying, but I've never tried speaking to a snake before," Harry answered, nodding a little. Cygnus gave a small sigh.
"I see. Let me tell you though, snake language isn't a language looked highly upon in British culture. In India, you'd be hailed as a son of god and in Egypt, you'd be worshiped, but in Britain, it is a mark of the Dark Lord. Apparently, he could speak to snakes as well."
"Oh…" Harry looked nervous now, glancing around at the other people in the zoo. "I'm… sorry. I didn't realize. He was just telling me he had never been to Brazil…"
"Harry, it's not something you should apologize for. But please, do keep in mind that you should not show this ability lightly," Cygnus warned. "Only in the privacy of our home, should you practice this new found ability."
Harry nodded eagerly. Cygnus gave a sigh of relief.
"Good. Now then, should we go visit the penguins? I think they might be lonely." Cygnus took Harry's hand, leading him away from the massive boa.
By the time Harry and Cygnus arrived home, it was already late afternoon. Harry was grinning again, ear to ear, as he jumped up and down in excitement. Cygnus chuckled and went to his bedroom to retrieve his present to Harry while Harry waited downstairs in the dining room.
"Dad?" Harry's voice called up the stairs. "Dad? There's an envelope with my name on the kitchen table with all the other mail from this morning. What is it?"
Cygnus paused, blinking. He had not noticed it this morning when he had ruffled through the post. Could it have been delivered late? Or did he honestly miss it?
He came back down the stairs; Harry's present in his hands and walked over to the kitchen table to check out the mail. He smiled at Harry and said, "I don't know. You can open it after I scan it for anything dangerous."
Harry nodded eagerly, tearing at the wrapping paper of the gift as Cygnus looked at the envelope. It was thick and yellowish. Was it made of parchment? Cygnus wondered why anyone would bother sending Harry something made of parchment and he picked it up, turning it over in his hands. There was no return address, just a wax seal of an H. Cygnus let his magic flow into the parchment, searching for any foreign curses or hexes. He then offered it to Harry, placing it by Harry's newly unwrapped book of potions.
Considering it was addressed to Mr. H Potter-Rowan, Second bedroom on the right, Cygnus figured that it was probably made from something magical.
"It seems safe, but just in case, I've sealed any magic from escaping," Cygnus said. Harry was ogling over the potions book and Cygnus smiled.
"Oh, dad! Thank you, thank you!" Harry squealed, throwing his arms around Cygnus in excitement. "You remembered!"
Cygnus laughed, petting Harry on the head. Harry had been staring at this particular book in Flourish and Blotts for a while and Cygnus had originally refused to buy it, as they had been in Diagon Alley to look for a proper owl.
"So, what's the letter about?" Harry asked, looking at the parchment. Cygnus offered it to him and Harry broke the seal to open the letter. "Dear Mr. Potter-Rowan. We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A school for magic?"
Cygnus glanced at the list of items required and then at the parchment. He frowned a little contemplating on what Albus really wanted from Harry.
"Dad? Are you okay?"
Harry's voice snapped Cygnus out of his daze and Cygnus looked at him surprised.
"Ah… yes. I am fine," Cygnus said, his frown vanishing. "What do you think? Did you want to go to this school for magic?"
"Hm…" Harry murmured, thinking about his options. "If I go though, I won't be able to see you often."
"That is true. This is a boarding school," Cygnus said. "And I somehow doubt that the magical community will teach you the skills you need to integrate into the non-magical community. Britain seems quite segregated from their non-magical counterparts."
Harry looked back at the letter. "I want to go."
"Then we must prepare for your departure. We will send Helios with your reply and get your school supplies over the weekend," Cygnus said, glancing at their owl, Helios. Helios was a gorgeous golden owl with white specks and a sharp, dangerous beak. Harry had originally chosen Helios because Helios had offered a golden feather to him in the pet shop when Harry had commented how beautiful his feathers were. Now Helios was part of their little family.
"Is it really okay?" Harry asked, looking at Cygnus. Cygnus smiled and nodded.
"Don't worry about it, Harry. You don't need to think about the complicated stuff. That's my job, remember. Do well in school and practice your magic on the weekends, but don't forget that I will be here to support you," Cygnus said, smiling. "I'm sure that your professors will help you do your best. I'll get you your own owl so you can use them to send messages back to me if anything happens."
Helios gave a screech and Cygnus laughed. "I'll be using you, Helios. Don't feel insulted."
Harry laughed and nodded, looking back at the letter. Cygnus smiled.
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A/N: Read and Review! I love getting reviews!