The Glass Passenger
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Summary: Harry and Benjamin Potter were both named "The Boy Who Lived," as Dumbledore was unable to distinguish their abilities so early in their lives. However, as their paths diverge, Dumbledore names Benjamin as the "real" Boy Who Lived, determined to not let another Dark Lord take Voldemort's place. However, his plans backfire, and the repercussions might be more than what the Wizarding World is able to handle.
Features: Loving James & Lily Potter, Supportive Sirius & Remus, Manipulative Dumbledore, "Gray" Story, No Pairings & More.
Disclaimer: Nope. J.K. Rowling already sued like, ten people because of this. I do not intend to add to that list. It's all hers. And of course, "The Glass Passenger," is the name of Jack's Mannequin's album. Awesome band, I assure you.
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"I don't need a witness
To know that I've survived
I'm not looking for forgiveness
I just need a life
I'll be lying in the dark
As I search for the resolution"
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The Resolution; Jack's Mannequin
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"It is familiar, to the Wizarding Community that October 31st is a day of celebration for the fall of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. However, it was not an Auror, or a renowned wizard who brought down arguably the darkest wizard of this century. His vanquisher lay in the hands of two children: Harry and Benjamin Potter, twins from the Noble House of Potter. Even to this day, it is unknown which twin vanquished the Dark Lord. However, we are certain that both twins played an essential role to the peaceful times we enjoy today."
-Excerpt from Important and Notable Events of the Twentieth Century: Twelfth Edition.
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prologue
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The Noble House of Potter has always been renowned for its productivity of high quality wizards and witches, having a substantial amount of gold as well as other investments, and was even rumored to be the direct descendents of Godric Gryffindor himself. However, all previous accomplishments paled in the face of the two now-six-year-old twins.
The night of Halloween five years ago, left the Potter house in ruins, and two celebrated twins in its wake, as Dumbledore was unable to tell which twin had been blessed, or as others will say, cursed to be the one that defeated the Dark Lord. Thus, both twins were named "The Boy Who Lived," and as the Wizarding Community later called them, "The Twins Who Lived."
However, even at the age of six, the fraternal twins' personalities and characteristics were astonishingly different. Harry, had his father's wild ebony hair and his mother's emerald eyes; always somewhat quietly reading a book or other literary device way too complex for his age.
Benjamin on the other hand, inherited waves of fiery red hair, with brown eyes found dominantly found on his father's family tree. (Which, somehow passed James and gave him hazel eyes instead.) Benjamin was a bit loud for his age (although, it is not unwarranted, as his two godfathers tended to spoil Harry and Benjamin with every chance they got.) and caused more rackets within the manor than the amount of pranks pulled by the Marauders in their seventh year.
However, that all changed on the twins' seventh birthday.
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Albus Dumbledore holds a myriad of titles and honors, his favorite title these days being, "The Potters' Unofficial Advisor." Granted, he had been busy for the past six years with the reconstruction of the Magical Community, but he had managed to help the Potters and caught glimpses of the two saviors.
And it worried him.
Whereas Benjamin was behaving like a normal child, Harry was too ambitious, too curious. Always studying in his father's study, the Potters' vast library of books that can be found nowhere else to his disposal. Already, he had been able to show some sort of controlled accidental magic.
And it was frightening to the wizard.
Of course, he had tried to tell the Potters that giving Harry so much leeway with magic would be a major problem in the future. And of course, the Potters would hear none of it, arguing that such interest in magic was a good thing, studying would enhance his knowledge and allow him to become more aware of the world. Lily even started teaching her boys theory, and Harry, was soaking it in. And he feared, that such knowledge at such a young age would nudge the boy to the 'darker side'. For all they know, their savior might just one day turn on them and become the next Dark Lord.
And Dumbledore knew,knew the world was not prepared for another calamity. Especially since Tom, the brightest student he has ever taught at his venerable age of 107; was still alive somewhere, waiting for his time to come back to the world of the living, ready to throw the world into another war of chaos and death.
And the world needed a savior. And Dumbledore, at his old age, knew he needed someone to act through --his grip of power was already slipping: the Council calling for his retirement, to step down, because his age made him no longer eligible to lead. Senile, they called him. But Dumbledore knew what he had to do. He needed someone just as much of an icon as he was, but easy for him to manipulate, so he could lead the world to a new era of peace and prosperity that will lost long after he was gone.
And he needed to make a move soon; any older, and hatred may seed from his decision, causing far more trouble than they can afford. And so, the night of their seventh birthday, Albus Dumbledore made a decision.
Benjamin Potter was going to become The Boy Who Lived.
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Harry had woken up early the day after his birthday, his snow white owl gently pecking him due to the huge pile of letters next to his rather large bed, not unusual, as many wizards and witches of the Wizarding World had taken it upon themselves to shower the twins with their love and appreciation on their birthday.
However, something was different this year, seeing the number of clippings from the Daily Prophet. Skimming through some of the words marked on the side of the clippings, he was quite surprised. Many had words of loathing, while others held thoughts of denial.
Of course, that surprised paled to the content the article held.
BREAKING NEWS
Rita Skeeter
Yesterday, during the celebration for the disappearance of You-Know-Who, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump, Merlin First Class, and Chief Warlock of Wizengamot, announced shockingly that, in fact, the real 'Boy Who Lived' was in actuality Benjamin Potter, now age 7. While it was once believed that both twins were part of...
It will not be for another four years, before Albus Dumbledore realized his mistake.
//fin.
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Next Time: Reactions of the family and public, Harry's remaining four years were a whirlwind of the good and the bad, his arrival to Hogwarts only cutting him off from the Wizarding World even more.
A/N: I need, need, need a beta. I know the amount of words here were like, "holy shit this thing is all goddamn paragraphs!" I know. I'm sorry. Next chapter will be filled with dialogue, and yeah. I just needed to get some background information in. The next chapter will be...considerably longer. This one again, was just to set the base.
THE LOGICS OF THE GLASS PASSENGER; PROLOGUE EXPLAINED.
Because of the huge magical residue after the attack at Godric Hollow, and the ambiguity in general, Dumbledore did not want to create a mistake naming the wrong twin the Boy Who Lived, and saw no harm in naming both of them so. However, as they grew up, Dumbledore noticed that Harry was not "normal", and thus a threat to the Wizarding Community. (He is kind of paranoid, seeing his best student sort of just launched the last war on them.)
Furthermore, Dumbledore needed more power in the Wizarding World. He is losing power here already, his age being 104, they are calling for his retirement, and what better way to assert his power than to manipulate Benjamin Potter? Now you see, he announced BP as the BWL, because one, it gives BP more power. More power for him to manipulate. (The more knowledge you have, the harder it is for him to manipulate.) And who's better to play pawn than an icon of admiration? That's one point.
The second point to Dumbledore was a gamble, but he believed it would work. If he manages to direct the attention of the wizarding public to BP, he believes it will "push" Harry to become more like his brother. This is because he believes that all children love attention. Thus, it is his intention that giving BP more of this attention, Harry will stop acting beyond the scope of a normal child and in his eyes, "remove him from becoming a future threat by attaining too much knowledge at a young age."
I know, screwed logic. I hope it clears things up and makes the plot more realistic LOL.
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