Harry Potter and the Legend of Camelot

Me…with the not owning a damn thing. Unless I do own it…

Author: Dimitri Aidan

Rating: R-ish

Pairings: SS/JP, HP, DM/RW, HG/PW, Forge/OMC/Gred, BW/FD, CW/NT, RL/SB, GW/DT

Warnings: Mpreg, AU, Vaguely Evil Dumbledore, and…well. Read and find out, ne?

Notes: As a guy I'm vehemently opposed to Male Pregnancy. I'd never want to carry a child; the idea makes me a little…queasy actually. But this idea refused to die, to which I have to thank the lovely Rochelle B for, and demanded life. I can't say where it'll go, as I kind of hope it'll kill itself at some point, but we'll see.

I got off to a few false starts story wise, but I'm hoping the beginning I choose to go with is up to par.

Summery: There is more to Harry's parentage (and heritage) than most would have dared suspect. When those thought dead aren't a way to defeat Voldemort and Dumbledore may just be found.

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Prelude

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January 28th, 1980

For the first time in all the years James had known him Albus Dumbledore had been moved to complete and total silence. James felt a certain, almost sadistic, sort of pride at having been the one to render the man that way.

Finally Dumbledore cleared his throat and sat back in his seat, blue eyes smoldering. "I wasn't aware that your parents had been one of the ones to spell their sons to be able to conceive. I was sure only the most extreme of Purebloods had taken that path, such as the Blacks."

"They didn't. The last one in my family to actually undergo the spell was my great-grandfather." James said with a shrug. "Lily thinks it was passed along through the years, like eye color or something."

The woman had gone on a long spiel about genetics and inherited traits, neither of which particularly interested James, after he'd told her. She'd been ridiculously excited for a woman who'd just been told that her husband was expecting some man's children. He suspected it was a Muggleborn thing; the oddest things amused her.

"I see. Well…I'll send for Poppy and have her bring a termination potion."

This time it was James who had no words. A termination potion? Dumbledore had struck him as many things over the years, the least of which was manipulative and self-serving, but stupid had never been one of them.

"What makes you think I want my children terminated?"

Dumbledore's fingers flexed, the only outwardly sign that James had dared to say something he didn't like. "You can't keep them."

James arched an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"It's entirely too risky." Dumbledore's tone indicated that he thought James was being stupid. "You can't have Severus' children, it would risk his position as a spy not to mention make you a target for the Death Eaters."

"I think we're both willing to risk that."

"I'm not." Dumbledore leaned forward, eyes narrowed into mere chips of burning ice. "I will not have you destroy everything I have worked to build and see Voldemort come to full power simply because you two have allowed this…affair to get out of control."

"It wouldn't be an affair if not for you." James snapped, annoyance rising. "It was you who 'suggested' I marry Lily to cover up our relationship. It's bad enough it's some…forbidden thing we have to do in the dead of night, I will not let you take my children from me!"

The teacup James had been given upon entering Dumbledore's office, but had yet to take a drink from, was vibrating frantically, caught in the wave of James' magic. Dumbledore seemed to pale slightly and blinked uneasily.

"James you need to calm down. If you have these children they themselves would be targets for Voldemort's revenge."

"Revenge for what? Because Severus' slept with me? He doesn't need to know that he's a spy if I have them." The cup was shaking, warm tea spilling over the edge.

"Don't be foolish. Consorting with someone publicly opposed to the Dark Lord will be enough of a reason to be punished. I told you this in the beginning but you insisted on pursuing this relationship anyway and now your mistakes-"

"They are not mistakes!"

The cup shattered in a shower of painted glass and liquid. James let out a shaky breath, feeling the energy being literally torn from his body and gripped the edge of his chair. He hadn't felt his magic go out of control like that since he was young, certainly not since graduating. He felt completely drained and it was all he could do to not slump over in the chair.

Dumbledore waved a hand and the shards and tea hovered their way to the garbage can. "Your children are powerful to disrupt your own magic so much. If you insist on this…course of action you'd be useless to me until they were born."

"How tragic." James wasn't sarcastic by nature, but had been taught by one of the best and now it flowed from his lips as easily as the most basic spells. Dumbledore frowned, looking almost sad, and James felt sometimes inside of him twist. He was upset, yes, but Dumbledore had been like family to him for most of his life. "Albus I-"

The man held up a hand, stopping him. "I understand James, and you're right. Asking you to do such a thing was too much, and you have sacrificed much for this cause already. I simply want what is best for you. I wish you had been able to find happiness with someone else, Lily perhaps, instead of this. Even when the war is over he'll always be known as a Death Eater and your children will carry that with them."

"Something Severus and I will deal with when the time comes." James said, anger draining away. "I want this, more than anything. I want them. I didn't come to you to hear about how stupid it is or what a mistake I'm making; I need your advice on how to keep my children and Severus safe."

"He can't claim them, you understand that. Voldemort hates you for being a Pureblood but daring to stand against him and his beliefs in the open. There are few who have the courage to do that."

James snorted. Courage. He'd been stupid and young, thinking he was doing something big by being one of the few to openly defy the Dark Lord. He hadn't even joined the war for the right reasons: love of Muggleborns or equal treatment or anything such as that. He'd simply wanted to be different, rebel against something and since he was out of school Voldemort had been the most available figure. Sirius, Peter, and Remus had followed him into it, all just as stupid as he had been. People were so quick to forget what little shits they'd been in school in light of them standing up against the 'evil' Dark Lord. They'd realized fairly quickly that there was no glory to be had and that they couldn't simply go to bed at night with no worries.

Life wasn't Hogwarts; there was no guarantee of safety. People died right in front of their eyes and for every Death Eater they caught two more were killed. They couldn't just back out now though, their faces and names were known and they were hunted. He and Sirius were at the top of Voldemort's list, two well known and well liked Purebloods who didn't support his ideals and encouraged others like them to think before they acted. They were Dumbledore's figureheads, flawless and defiant.

Except for one little thing. Severus Snape. He had been James' addiction since their sixth year at Hogwarts, something he couldn't stop himself from wanting more than anything. Things would have been okay if James hadn't, briefly, allowed Dumbledore to sway him against his relationship with the other man.

Severus had joined Voldemort in one moment of vengeance against himself and Dumbledore and by the time they'd been able to fix things it had been too late. Severus bore the Dark Mark they were officially on opposing sides. If they hadn't already been hiding their relationship from everyone that would have been enough cause to.

He'd become Dumbledore's spy against Voldemort but James knew he didn't believe in the 'cause' of either man. Severus didn't put much stock in Light and Dark or even the concept of Right and Wrong. To him there was simply power, those who had it, those who wanted it, and how it was used. Anything more than that was idealism and smoke put up to obscure the truth. Usually formed by those with power who didn't want to deal with having it challenged.

James was an optimist but Severus was pure cynical pessimism in its purest form and that was part of what he loved about him.

"We'll have to hide your pregnancy. We'll claim Lily is expecting and use glamours on both of you to hide it. When the children are born we can only hope they resemble you enough to pass them off as your children."

"And if they look like Severus?"

Dumbledore frowned thoughtfully. "Claim complications. Stillbirth. We'll put you in hiding until the war is over."

James worried his bottom lip, carefully shoving aside the pang of fear that something might truly go wrong, before nodding. It didn't seem like a perfect solution but he did trust the man to do what was right. To an extent anyway. He probably wouldn't be drinking anything in the man's presence for the next six months but beyond that he trusted him.

"You won't tell anyone. Not Sirius or Remus; no one."

"Severus." James muttered before raking his fingers through his hair. "I haven't told him yet. I wanted an idea of what to do first."

"I'll tell him. You aren't to see him anymore James. It was a risk before, but now you're putting your children's life on the line."

"I understand."

"Good. See Poppy before you go and inform her of your condition. She'll watch out for you during this. We can't afford to bring in too many people of course."

James nodded again and stood, brushing down the front of his robes. He could feel the sparks of energy, small but powerful, jump as his hand moved over his abdomen, which was starting to swell. Two of them, growing with each day. He'd never really considered having children, especially after realizing he preferred men to women.

The thought of carrying children, or having a lover do it, while possible had never really occurred to him. The idea was…well, a little disturbing to be honest. He was a man and now he was carrying children. It changed the very nature of things and he still wasn't sure how he felt about that.

But he knew he wanted these children and that would have to be enough for now.

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Dumbledore sat back in his chair again once James had left his office. This new development was truly unexpected and had the potential to be very difficult to deal with. These two were each very valuable to him; James was a leader by nature and had brought many to stand beside him and Severus was too dangerous to be left to anyone but him.

He'd known the moment he suggested it James would have no part in eliminating the children he was carrying and it had become very clear very fast that he couldn't be forced.

In the moment his power had slipped, magical energy disrupted by that of the children he was carrying, Dumbledore had gotten a glance at the auras of the children. A little over three months along and their combined power was not only enough to thoroughly disrupt James' but more than some wizards had their peak. Of course separately their power would diminish significantly, as was the case with all twins, but even then it was impressive.

To be expected though. The Potter family was old and powerful and, in spite of being a halfblood, Severus had a strange magical aura outside of the realm of all magical creatures Dumbledore was aware of; that was the reason he had to kept so close and under careful control. If letting him have James was what it took to keep Severus under his eye then he was willing to permit it.

While neither man was a match for Voldemort or Dumbledore at their best it was obvious that mixing their blood would be just that, especially if they were together. That was dangerous and something Dumbledore couldn't afford. One child as powerful as he would prove to be enough of a risk, but two was simply too large of one.

Perhaps these two, and not the future Longbottom child, were what the prophecy spoke of. Though it only mentioned one child and there were clearly two energy pulses.

Perhaps he would be able to work this to suit his needs, providing he could find a way to minimize the risk to himself.

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February 1st, 1980

Severus threw the paper to the ground, feeling a cold rage bubbling in his stomach. The headline read, in bold mocking letters 'Potters expecting addition to family'. Part of him was screaming in disbelief and betrayal but the more logical part demanded to know what he had expected, truly. James was…good. Naivety and purity and so many good things rolled into one person that Severus couldn't have expected him to carry on their sordid affair forever.

Not when he had a beautiful wife at home anyway.

For all of James' claims not to love her and of Evans being aware of the fact he was having an affair it had always seemed unlikely that anyone could be close to James as she had to be and just accept such an arrangement. Not that he thought James was a liar, because he wasn't. He was too…simple for lying. Everything that left those lips was true when he said it, to be sure, and his smiles were so open and his eyes so revealing that even if he tried to lie he would have failed.

The soft declarations of love and forever once things were better were undoubtedly true when he'd said them. Just not, perhaps, when he got home to his potentially perfect family.

It was sickening. Painful. Expected.

How could he have hoped to hold his attention forever? He was simply a late night distraction, something dirty for James to be involved with from time to time. Dumbledore had told him this years ago, right before he joined Voldemort hoping to strike a blow against the man who now pulled the strings of his life so expertly. He'd believed it then, believed it when James had found him and told him differently, and knew it was true now.

He'd just let himself forget for a while. Joined Dumbledore and pretended to believe his talk of things being better when Voldemort was gone, as if the Dark Lord's defeat would somehow bring the world together or really fix anything in the long term.

It was all about power and as long as there was power there would be a struggle between forces to obtain it, each with their own agenda. So now it was Voldemort and his talk of only Pureblood's being worthy against Dumbledore and his lies about light and dark against the Ministry and their desperate attempts to suppress anything that didn't go with their carefully constructed images.

Severus was no fool. Long after the men were dead and buried and the Ministry replaced with a new form of government the fight would continue. While he had no love for Voldemort and his extreme tactics he surely wasn't aligned with either other player in the war. If not for the fact that neither Dumbledore nor the Ministry was fond of killing people he wouldn't have seen much difference between the three.

For now, however, he'd let Dumbledore and Voldemort have his loyalty. They both thought he was a spy for their side and he was content with that. Playing both sides and assuring he'd come out on top no matter what…it was far from noble but what reason did he have to be model anymore?

Not that he'd ever been really good at pretending to be a good person anyway.

Besides, where had it gotten him?

Another glance at the paper, wrinkled but still laughing at him from the dirty floor, and he had his answer. He looked away and reached for his cloak. Voldemort would be calling soon and the less time he had to deal with the burn of the Dark Mark the better.

He easily pushed down what he was feeling, not even realizing he had done it until he was slipping on the cloak and the icy cool embrace of numbness wrapped its arms around him. He'd been doing it his whole life, swallowing rage and fury and sorrow, and this was just another time to do it.

This was nothing.

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October 31st, 1996

There was no loud clap of thunder or raging storm or flash of light to announce what was about to happen, though it defied all of the laws of life and death. No, there was nothing, for hours there was simply…nothing.

And then there was. A inhale of breath, a hacking cough, and the crack of bones long unused moving again, accompanied by a soft moan.

Nothing. A heartbeat, quite breathing, the rustle of hand through hair and the chill of wet fall air sweeping in. Nothing.

"James?" A sharp exhale, surprised and disbelieving.

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Next Chapter: Certain people thought dead aren't and Dumbledore's many lies start to unravel.