Disclaimer: This story is based on the world of J.K. Rowling, anything you recognize belongs to that wonderful woman.
Beta: Lounge256
A.N.: Hello my readers! I am updating the corrected version of each chapter. I thank my beta, Lounge256, for being understanding with my peculiar preferences on writing. Hope you enjoy it!
1st of November 1981, Number 4 Privet Drive, Surrey
Albus Dumbledore was a wise man who understood the acute pain of betrayal, the harrowing weight of regret, but above all, he understood the abominable price of peace. With this mindset, he planned the demise of Voldemort, sacrificing families with a heavy heart. With this mindset, he ordered Hagrid to pick up an innocent toddler from a destroyed cottage in Godric's Hollow in order to place him under his callous relatives' care, knowing the child would be ignored at best. However, even when he intellectually understood this situation was necessary, this knowledge was unable to grant him respite from the pain that constricted his chest. It was necessary to betray the Potter family in the name of peace. It was necessary to sacrifice their beloved offspring in order to end the lethal Dark Lord. It was necessary to leave one of the most powerful children that had ever existed out of their world in order to avoid the possibility of turning him into another monster. It was necessary for the child to be raised humble, or at least he wanted to believe it was... He never understood how terrible this mistake had been or how much it would cost him in the future.
24th of June 1991, Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts
Albus Dumbledore was exhausted; sleep had eluded him for yet another night. Soon, Harry Potter would arrive to Hogwarts and he was debating on which would be the best way of introducing the child to the magical world. After many long hours, he gave up, knowing that the most appropriate way would be delivering the letter in person, especially if you considered the character of Petunia and her husband. With a sigh, he decided to write the letter in order to give himself time to calm his nerves and appease his guilt.
A strange sound resonated in a park near Privet Drive. An old man dressed in an eccentric suit walked towards the houses with a genial smile on his face. It took him more time than expected to find the house numbered 4; considering how similar the houses were to one another he felt quite proud of himself. He paid no mind to the stares his presence caused, ignoring the hostility that seemed to emanate from the many curious eyes. He knocked at the door, smile in place, trying to ignore the dread that oppressed his chest to the point that every breath caused him a sharp pain. A tall, somewhat horse-faced woman opened the door with a polite smile that vanished once she saw him, replaced by a horrified expression.
"It has been a long time, Petunia," Albus greeted the pale woman.
"Get out of here!" she hissed, trying to close the door in his face but being stopped by a hand.
"We need to talk. I was hoping we could chat inside, to avoid curious eyes..." he commented, making the woman pale further and allow him entrance. While following the woman he examined the house, especially the pictures, noticing with a heavy heart that a black-haired boy was in none.
"What do you want?" Petunia asked, looking at him with apprehension.
"I am here to give Harry his Hogwarts letter, and if possible talk to him," he answered, trying to convince himself that the horror, fear and undiluted hatred in the woman's expression were tricks of the light.
"We don't have the freak," she whispered, her chest heaving as fear gave room to hysteria. "Why should we have raised that abomination?! We dropped him near a police station years ago! He was a monster!" the woman yelled and started sobbing, ignoring the horrified man in front of her.
"Look at me," Albus Dumbledore ordered, dropping his grandfather persona.
Petunia looked at him in fear and he invaded her mind. Bile rose in his throat at the sight of the treatment a young child had received, the pain in his chest intensifying as well as the guilt. He saw a young child being ignored, being beaten, being treated as less than a slave. He felt her satisfaction when Vernon locked the child in the cupboard after a sound beating for doing 'freaky stuff'... Then, he felt her fear when her body began to ache and her child began screaming in pain in his room. He saw how utterly horrified Petunia was when she ran to her child's room and found the exact same wounds that Vernon had given 'the freak' on his body. He felt her hatred increasing and saw how they had decided to get rid of the innocent child. He retreated from the woman's putrid mind feeling disgusted... The guilt he had been trying to suppress overtook him, filling him with shame. Taking a deep breath, he controlled his emotions.
"You disgust me Petunia, but don't worry. I will make sure you and your husband pay for all your crimes," he promised the crying woman, apparating out of the house directly to his office.
Dumbledore picked up a silver artefact that lay on his desk and activated it. While he waited for the coordinates, he asked a house elf to bring Severus Snape as soon as possible. That done, he buried his face in his hands and allowed himself to wallow in agony before composing himself. Albus tended to be benevolent to the extreme, but he had once been cruel. With a hard expression, he channelled the man he had been in his youth, ready to punish the beasts that had harmed the child, ignoring the fact that he was the one who had left the child with said beasts. He walked towards his pensieve, depositing his memories with Petunia, waiting for his most trusted friend to arrive.
29th of June 1991, St. Thomas Orphanage
Albus paled when he noticed they had apparated to an orphanage, reminiscing about one of his greatest mistakes. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the man that landed beside him. Tired would be a mild word for his companion... Bleary was a more appropriate adjective, though he guessed he looked no better, considering he had slept for a few hours at most during the past few days. Handing the evidence to the muggle aurors had been simple; casting a few spells on them to make sure he got the wanted results had needed barely a thought... Involving Severus to create the muggle evidence had been the hard part. Even though he trusted the man with his life, he was no fool; he knew Snape was bitter and held many grudges against the innocent Potter. Yet, he hoped his blind friend could see the light. At the moment Severus was in denial, however he still hoped that those memories had opened his eyes once he had been able to process the situation. With weary steps, he walked toward the entrance of the old yet clean building, paying particular attention to any detail that differentiated the place from the other orphanage he once knew.
"Good morning, we were hoping to speak with the Matron." Albus greeted the woman behind the desk with a cordial smile.
"Is there any reason in particular?" the woman inquired with a bored expression.
"Indeed. We are representing a prestigious school and were hoping to offer a scholarship to a child in particular."
"I will call the matron. You can sit over there," the woman said in her monotonous tone, leaving without a second look. Albus sighed, dropping onto the closest couch, allowing his fatigue to show for a brief moment. After a couple of minutes, the woman arrived along with an older woman who walked towards them.
"Good morning, my name is Anna Frigg, the matron of this orphanage. I was told you were looking for me," the woman introduced herself, taking seat on the opposite couch.
"Indeed, Miss Frigg. I am Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, and my companion is Severus Snape, a teacher at the school. We are here to offer a scholarship to one of your charges," Albus introduced himself but was cut by a soft laugh coming from the woman. To say he was bewildered at her odd reaction was an understatement.
"I apologize, but I know exactly who you are referring to. As a matter of fact, this is the time of the year when different schools and universities come over in order to offer our young Harry Potter a place. That's who you want in your school, right?" she asked with a smile, taking the men's lack of response and surprised expressions as confirmation. "You see, young Harry is truly an angel. He is so studious and intelligent; he is the jewel of this orphanage," the woman confided with a bright smile, unknowingly giving Albus a semblance of peace and a sliver of hope. He had been terrified at the idea of history repeating; it seemed old age was making him paranoid.
"I am glad to hear that. Would we be able to talk with him?" he asked.
"Of course. I will bring Harry here. You are lucky you caught him on his free weekend."
"I was hoping for a private place...we could go with you to his room," Albus suggested, wincing on the inside when the woman scowled at them and knowing any progress he had made towards the woman's trust was lost.
"Of course you can't! His quarters are private; it would be irresponsible of me to allow strangers in. Sandra! Take these gentlemen to the room next to my office," the matron barked at a middle-aged woman who was walking by and left with a huff.
"Excuse me, ma'am, I was hoping you could tell me about Harry Potter," Albus asked the woman approaching them. However, the trepidation he had felt before came crashing back when he saw the woman pale and look around in panic. "No matter what you tell us, we will take Mister Potter," Albus assured the woman, failing to reassure himself.
"I know you will," the woman whispered, staring at the floor, "but that doesn't mean you'll believe me." She looked around in anxiety.
"We will hear what you have to tell us." Albus appeased the woman with a gentle smile, placing a hand on Severus' shoulder in order to prevent any biting comment he might have made.
"Follow me then," she whispered; anxiety and fear emanating from her body in waves. "The child was brought here when he was six. I was in charge of talking to his previous minders in his old orphanage and school to find out about the boy. The school's headmaster told me he was easily the brightest child he has ever met. All his teachers noticed he wasn't treated well in the orphanage so they requested his transfer. At the time, I was impressed by how well-liked the child was in his school, so I ignored all the signs and the advice his previous caretakers had given me. I believed they were being ridiculous and incompetent, trying to blame a child for all the problems the place had... I'll never forget the terror in the matron's eyes when she told me the child was evil," the woman narrated with quick breaths, taking a look at them to decide whether or not to continue while she led them through a hall.
"Do you have any idea how long he was in the previous orphanage?" Albus asked the frightened woman, trying to ignore the fear gripping his chest.
"If I'm not wrong, he arrived there when he was four," she answered. Noticing her reluctance to continue talking, Albus decided to encourage the woman.
"The information you gave us is very enlightening. Perhaps you have any other details on what happened while Mister Potter was there. I promise to keep it for myself," he assured the woman. Noticing the panic rising in her laboured breaths, he decided to apply a little charm on her to make her more compliant and perhaps calm her a bit, pointedly ignoring Severus judging eyes and disapproving sneer.
"Everyone avoided him, which is the first thing I noticed. From the children to the adults, everyone shared the same fear of him. I was unable to understand what seemed like irrational fear until I experienced it myself. The matron told me how the older children bullied him when he arrived; they were jealous and it was natural, she said. She told me how the older children picked on him, but they stopped when one of them broke his leg...shattered might be a better word; he was unable to walk without a limp ever again. She implied that young Harry had done it, but why should I have believed her? He was barely four and the other well over ten. How blind I was..." She muttered the last words with haunted eyes, stopping her tale in order to open a plain door that led to a small room with a long table and chairs.
Taking a seat, she continued, looking even paler than before. "He's a beautiful child, you know? An angelic beauty is what he possesses. I was unable to believe a woman that seemed a paranoid, bitter witch when she told me that her older children committed suicide because of him. She said they'd killed his pet to get revenge on him for attracting all the attention to himself when couples went to adopt. She said the children entered a coma for a couple of weeks and when they woke up, they were terrified of the boy; it was only natural that I dismissed her. She had no evidence, why should I have believed her? She told me how he bewitched people, how he possessed minds, how evil he was..." the woman muttered, looking at nothing in particular with a sombre expression. "I didn't believe it, so I never said anything... Once I realized what he was, it was too late to warn them. They were already ensnared by him.
"It began once he arrived. He shared a room with other boys who were naturally jealous of his intellect, as well as his looks attracting more attention than theirs did. He had skipped a couple of years, you see. That was the trigger. He stayed in school until dinner each day. Many of his teachers volunteered to give him extracurricular lessons and the librarian drove him here, stating that she had more than enough time. His roommates tore his clothes and books. At that time he did nothing and the matron was furious. She punished the other children for trying to harm her jewel, but that was barely the beginning. He was given his own room, but his old roommates began having accidents. Eric fell down the stairs, Steve tripped and hit his head, and Aaron slipped and broke his wrist... One by one each suffered accidents and one by one they stopped harassing him," she continued in a soft voice.
"So you are saying that he is a bully," Severus sneered, breaking the trance the woman was in and earning a glare from the old man beside him.
"No, he never bothered anyone. By any means he's the perfect child: brilliant to an extreme, polite, soft spoken, excelling in everything he does..." she muttered, her breathing becoming fast once more. "Many schools came to recruit him after a couple of months and this caused jealousy in the older boys. They began bullying him, but suddenly it stopped. I have no idea why, but they never approached him again. He's attending Eton, you know? He is indeed a brilliant child," she whispered to herself, bringing chills to the men in the room with her expression. It was pure awe, despite the fear, the same expression You-Know-Who's followers had once worn.
"Anything you can tell us about his friends?" Albus asked, trying to keep the image of a young Tom Riddle off his mind and find differences between them.
"Friends" she whispered looking amused. "No, he has no friends. He has a loyal follower, though," the woman commented with a hint of hysteria in her voice. "She arrived here four years ago. She's only one year younger than him. For some reason I am unable to fathom, he took her under his wing. All the children knew you did not mess with Harry Potter. Therefore, you did not mess with anyone related to him. She looks like a little angel, with curly blonde hair and all the paraphernalia. She adores him and dare I say he seems to care about her. He takes his weekends away from his boarding school in order to see her, though I have no idea how he managed that... Once they tried to bully her when he was at school. The next week no one would get close. I still wonder what he did..." she chuckled with tremulous hands, eyes lost in the past.
"May I know the name of this young lady?" Albus asked, barely able to control his tone, which conveyed obvious curiosity.
"Even her name sounds innocent-" The woman was interrupted by the door opening. She looked at the door and excused herself when she saw the newcomers, leaving after she directed a pleading look towards the professors.
The matron was smiling at the child behind her without hiding her disdain towards the men. She whispered something to him and left without acknowledging their presence. The men's eyes widened at the sight of the child. They were expecting a replica of James Potter with Lily's eyes. They finally understood what the woman meant by angelic beauty... His hair was carbon black with red highlights and unlike his father's untameable mess; his was perfectly combed with a few strands left out for aesthetic purposes. It seemed that his Black and Evans genes had predominated over the ones of the Potters. His hair framed his aristocratic visage, on which his mother's beauteous features dominated. Lily Evans had been once considered the most beautiful woman in Hogwarts to the extent that most of the purebloods were unable to stop themselves and admired her alluring beauty. James Potter was not far behind because the man had been handsome in the extreme - one of the reasons Severus resented him. It should not have been a surprise for their offspring to have inherited their looks, giving result to a beauty with no precedents. However, the feature that took away their breath was his eyes. They were green, but unlike his mother's warm emerald eyes his were the exact same shade of the Avada Kedavra curse.
"Good morning. My name is Harry Potter," he introduced himself with a gentle smile that eased the fears the woman had ignited.
"Good morning, Harry. I am Albus Dumbledore Headmaster and my companion is Professor Severus Snape."
"Pleasure to meet you. I was told you come from a school," he replied with a voice that almost had a musical quality to it.
"Indeed. Professor Snape and I came here to invite you to a school for special children," Albus explained with an amused smile when Harry tilted his head in curiosity.
"May I inquire as to what type of institution is this?" he asked with obvious curiosity. "I need to inform you that at the moment I attend one of the most prestigious schools in the country, where they understand my needs and comply where possible," the child explained not noticing the man dressed in black scowling at him.
"I understand that, Harry, but I think you will like this one better. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Albus was ready to explain their world to the child sitting in front of him but was deterred by his deadpan expression. With a weary sigh, he began explaining the existence of magic. "I know it is hard to believe-"
"I know I am able to do special things; I always could. It is not hard to believe magic exists. It is merely another characteristic that differentiates me from them. The question is why I would want to learn how to make magic when I already can?" Harry asked with no expression, hiding the excitement bubbling in his core. He knew you had to be cunning in order to achieve as many benefits as possible and he would wring all the possible advantages from these people.
"That is certainly a surprise," Albus stated before Severus talked and drove the child away. He licked his lips trying to decide where to start explaining; he needed to know what the child was able to do, but at the same time, weariness kept him from asking. "You see, Harry, a trained wizard is able to perform the most astounding feats, from controlling the weather to transporting themselves over great distances in a matter of seconds."
"And how will this be useful to me? I have already decided my profession, what can you offer me that I don't have already?"
"There are many professions in the magical world that I believe are more interesting," the man answered without addressing his questions and Harry had to control himself in order not to glare at the old man.
"What would I learn in your school?"
"Many things, my boy. Let's see... Your subjects will be transfiguration, charms, and potions among others. Later on, you will be able to choose electives from divination, ancient runes, arithmancy and a few others," the old man explained without really answering. Harry was annoyed at the old man's attitude, but he knew the naive facade was the most effective. However, he gave up on the idea of obtaining extra benefits or information, for he could tell this man would give none.
"I understand that, sir, but you have yet to tell me why I should attend your school. I am graduating next year and have more than a few offers to attend university. There is no reason for me to leave all my work behind," the child stated with a calmness that frightened Albus to the core. This was not meant to happen.
"You see, Harry, both of your parents attended Hogwarts." For a brief moment, he considered hiding the boy's heritage but discarded the idea, knowing that a simple question would get him all the information and destroy any semblance of trust he would be able to build. Deciding to use the connection to his parents to lure the child into the school, he continued. "Your paternal family, the Potters, have attended the school for generations." Although he decided to tell him a little about his parents, Albus refused to tell him about the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter and his title as scion of said family. Harry was too young and there was always the possibility of turning him into an arrogant bigot. That was without even mentioning his fame.
"I see... I am curious about the school and I have always wanted to know about my parents, but I tell you that I have no means of paying," he commented, too lost in his ideas to notice the relief in the old man and the tense posture of the other one. "You knew them? My parents."
"Ah, you don't need to worry about your tuition; your parents paid in advance the moment you were born and left enough money for you to buy the necessary materials. And I indeed knew them; Lily was a genius and James, although not as intelligent, was quite clever. The stories I could tell you..." Albus trailed off, deeming Harry too young to understand.
"Is that so? Would you mind telling me how they died? I only remember Aunt Petunia saying they were drunks who died in a car crash," Harry stated, almost smiling at the men's anger, testing them to see whether or not they deserved any trust, and pondering about his deceased family.
"That was certainly a lie," Albus blurted, unsure whether or not to tell the child, with a defeated sigh, he continued. "Your parents were murdered by an evil wizard. I regret to be the one to tell you that you are the only survivor of the killing curse, the same that killed your parents. The fact that you survived is the reason you are famous in our world," Albus told the child, withholding as much information as possible, knowing it was not the right moment to reveal the delicate details to the child.
"I see. I must ask why my parents were murdered," Harry asked, noticing the silent man pale and the old man take a sharp breath.
"There was a war going on. Your parents opposed the evil wizard and fought for the light. That is the reason he murdered them. The details are complex, something a child your age shouldn't worry about." Albus finished talking; knowing that it had somehow been the wrong thing to say and yet there was no other option. Young Harry would be unable to understand the price of peace. Severus, who until the moment had been quiet, knew they had lost the boy; the curious expression became cold and the frail rapport his mentor had tried to establish was broken.
"I understand," murmured the child with a tone that was eerily similar to the one the Dark Lord used when he was disappointed, which was normally followed by a crucio. "Would you be so kind as to tell me how to access the money my parents left me? Mmm, also what I need from school and where to buy it," he stated. Any flicker of doubt he'd had about the woman's tale disappeared at seeing those eyes and for the first time Severus wished this Potter was just like the previous one.
"Of course, my boy! Here is the letter with the equipment list, the train ticket and all the necessary information," Albus answered in a cheery tone, ignoring the tense atmosphere. "Professor Snape will accompany you to buy all the things you need."
"I will have to decline," Harry stated, taking the letter and opening it. "I have to arrange my affairs and have no idea when I will be able to go. Besides, I am used to doing things by myself, so I would feel uncomfortable with the unwanted company." His tone left no room for discussion, but that only made Albus feel even more concerned.
"If you insist," he answered. Doing his best to contain a sigh, he took out a bronze and gold key and told the boy all the instructions on how to arrive at Diagon Alley.
"If that is all, I must take my leave. Have a good day," Harry said as farewell and left.
Both men left the building feeling exhausted for different reasons. Severus was scared in a way he had not felt for over a decade. He was unable to forget the woman's fear, he was unable to forget the cold eyes, but above all, he was unable to forget the similarities between the Dark Lord and the child. Albus was worried about Harry knowing too much; knowledge in his hands was dangerous. He had made many mistakes with Tom. He knew one of the reasons he had become Lord Voldemort was because of all the information he had obtained while so young. 'Not this time,' he vowed to himself; he would make sure Harry did not fall into the same dark path. Albus conveniently forgot he was the one who had pushed Tom Riddle into that path, meddling in his life and making decisions for him. A mistake he was making once again...