Harry Potter the Clockwork Mage
Harold James Potter = Harry James Potter
James Charlus Potter = Vernon Dursley until Harry left for Hogwarts
Lily Marie Potter nee' Evans = Petunia Dursley until Harry left for Hogwarts
Steven Brand = Sirius Orion Black
Simon Tiberius Prince = Severus Tobias Snape
Narcissa Prince nee' Black = Narcissa Malfoy nee' Black
Drake Centauries Prince = Draco Scorpios Malfoy
Xenophilius Goodelove = Xenophilius Lovegood
Clair Goodelove = Celeste Lovegood nee' Olivander
Luna Goodelove = Luna Lovegood
Isabella Regina Brand= Bellatrix Black
Hermione Isabella Jane Brand = Hermione Jane Granger
Richard Lawrence = Remus John Lupin
Patricia Lawrence = Petunia Evans
Douglas Lawrence = Dudley Dursley
I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does and anyone she has sold the rights to. I am not any of those. I just write because I love the Potterverse. This is an AU story and many characters will be OC.
HPtCM
Chapter 1
Albus Dumbledore was happy, the Potters and the Longbottoms had encountered Tom better known as Lord Voldemort for three times and escaped mostly unharmed. He loved that the plan was working. He knew that sacrificing the Potters and Longbottom adults it would be worth it. Smiling at that; it was for the greater good, the greater good of him as always and to hell with the rest of the world.
HPtCM
The Potter's where a small happy magical family, the two adults had meet at Hogwarts and over the seven years had fallen in love and married not long after graduation. Happy was born on 31 July, 1980 in London. The families had finished celebrating Harry's and Neville's first birthday and were at Potter Place, the family's apartment in London. The Longbottoms had just left and they were cleaning up when Albus Dumbledore contacted them via the Floo. "James, Lily we need to talk. Can I come through?"
James wondered what was so important that Dumbledore would contact them." James walked to the Floo and looked at Dumbledore's face in the flames. "Let me set the Floo so you can." James stepped away from the fireplace and manipulated the family ward on the Floo, stepping back in front of the fireplace, "You can come through now, its safe."
Dumbledore was soon standing before the fireplace, "James, I have news, not news I'd ever want to have to pass on, but I must." Dumbledore was using the wise Grandfather look as he stood and waited for Lily to enter the room.
James looked at Dumbledore, "So what is this news? It had to be important for you to come and talk to Lily and me."
Lily walked into the living room and, "So Headmaster, you said that you had to tell us something important?" Lily did not trust Dumbledore as much as James or Sirius did. "Can you please tell us what it is, we just had Harry's birthday party and we were cleaning up."
Dumbledore was still using the kindly grandfather pose he used to make manipulation of others easier. "I heard that you two, Frank and Alice where able to avoid being hurt the other night when Voldemort and his Death eaters attacked."
James, Lily, and the Longbottoms were lucky, but luck was a great thing when it was in your favor. "We were lucky, but I will take it."
Dumbledore took a deep breath of effect then began, "Lily, James, I was informed of a Prophesy; "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..."(direct quote from book)
Lily didn't take much stock in the Prophesy, "When did you hear this?" Lily was angry but was going to listen, "Harry was born a year ago, so was Neville, both were born at the end of July." Lily did not like this, "If he had had the knowledge a year ago then why did you hold it back from them until now. Headmaster, waiting to tell us this might make it so it cannot be broken, not all Prophesy's are true; some only happen when people act to make them happen, then they become self filling. "
James looked at Lily, "Lily, does it matter if the Headmaster believes that this could mean Harry or Neville, shouldn't we listen?"
Lily looked at James, "Listen, yes we can do that, but we should also wonder as to why he waited until now to tell us." Lily always had a feeling of unease around Dumbledore, most of it came from the way he treated the Slytherin students. "James, yes we listen and then think it over and then we decide what to do."
Dumbledore smiled and sat down, "James, Lily, I was not certain myself until you and the Longbottoms had confronted Voldemort the three times, that the Prophesy called for, until then," looking at the two and using the twinkle that was a subtle magic that allowed, him to influenced other to trust him. "I hoped that this was not going to come to pass which was why I did not tell you till then."
Lily looked at Dumbledore, "So Headmaster, you wait until we celebrate our son's first birthday and you tell us now," Lily was more angry than scared for themselves or her son. "Why did it have to be now? You could have waited until tomorrow and then you could have told Frank and Alice at the same time."
Dumbledore looked sadly at her, "Lily, I wanted to make sure that the three of you were safe and informed first, I feel that Harry is the one that Voldemort will attack," taking a breath and looking at James, "your son is a half-blood and to Voldemort he sees them in almost the same light as muggleborn."
Lily looked at James then Dumbledore, "I do wonder Headmaster, just who is Voldemort? I've looked into this and can find no family named Voldemort in any English speaking country." He had to have gone to a magical school." Lily had noticed that many of the spells he, Voldemort, had used were the exact same as the ones she had learned at Hogwarts.
James looked at Lily and nodded, "Headmaster, thank you for telling us this," James trusted Lily and if she didn't feel that this so-called Prophesy was not real he would let her make the call if they did as Dumbledore wanted them to do.
Dumbledore left after getting the Potters to think about what he had told them. "I hope you two decide to go into hiding." The twinkle in the eye and the grandfatherly demeanor was something he had used for so many years. "Contact me if you need to talk." Smiling as he reached for Floo powder, "I just want the three of you safe."
Dumbledore then tossed in the powder and called out clearly, "Headmasters Office Hogwarts!" He then stepped into the green flames and disappeared.
HPtCM
[Flashback starts]
Frank, Alice and the Potters meet the day after Dumbledore had told each of them of the Prophesy. Dumbledore had informed the Longbottoms very early the next morning of the Prophesy.
Frank was angry, "Why the bloody hell did he keep that to himself, if we'd known that stupid tripe we'd have been ready to stop Voldemort, not just fight so we could escape to fight another day." He was fighting his temper to keep himself from doing what he did when Dumbledore had when told, he's accidently blasted a very old family vase then. Yes he repaired it but it wasn't the same.
Alice placed her hand on her husband's arm, "Frank, I agree with you, but we know now and we have to decide do we hide or not?"
James was standing in the doorway watching Harry and Neville playing together, the two boys never fought; they were perfect angels when together. James turns and looks at the others, "I agree that knowing sooner would have helped, but we know and we have to make plans, hide or not."
Lily closed her eyes, "I can't see us not going into hiding, it is too dangerous not to, but I am not sure the plans of the Headmaster are for the best." Lily's mistrust of Dumbledore had been growing after he told them the Prophesy. "Hide yes, but we should on our terms not Dumbledore's."
Frank sighed, "I and Alice will take Neville and hide, and we won't be telling the Headmaster where we are going, that way we add another level of protection."
Alice looked at Lily and James, "Please don't listen to the Headmaster on his plan to hide," Alice agreed with Frank, "if we hide the fewer people know where we are the better, and having the Chief Warlock know isn't all that smart."
In the end the Longbottoms would hide and tell no one where they were, but they did set up a way for James and Lily to contact them, no one ever noticed house-elves.
"Lolly!" Frank called out. A pop and a small well dressed house-elf appeared; Lolly looked healthier and taller than most house-elves.
"Yes Master Frank!" The small person spoke; she spoke proper English and always seemed to know exactly what her family needed.
"Lolly, I want you to listen if James or Lily calls for you I want you to go to them." Frank knelt beside the small elf, "I don't want you to get hurt but I will want you to go to them and bring any message they need to send to us."
Lolly smiled, she had helped raise her young master, now he was the head of the house and would risk anything to do as she was asked. "I can do that Sir. I would be honored to do so." Lolly bowed and smiled, "I will take messages if called and I will bring messages if asked."
Frank smiled, the Longbottoms and Potters were different in how they treated house-elves; all house-elves were bond not as servants but as family and friends, this made them a Bonded Free Elf.
Frank smiled as he nodded and Lolly popped away, "I have us a way to stay in touch Lolly would die before she told anyone where we were."
With that done the two families began the planning of how to hide and when they would do so.
[Flashback ends]
James and Lily talked about what they were told by Dumbledore. They spent time talking to Frank and Alice as well. It took most of the month of August for them to agree to go into hiding. It was the day before the two couples would go into hiding when Gringotts contacted the Potters that they had a very important message for them.
James and Lily taking Harry with them headed to Gringotts to see about the message. James had not wanted to do this but you didn't ignore a message from the Goblins when they contacted you about something important. James and Lily used special Potter magic that would mask their appearance.
Soon the Potters were in the office of the Potter account manager; Brightaxe. "Welcome Lord Potter." The goblin was being polite, well as polite as a goblin could be they didn't really have a voice that really could sound polite. "May you gold grow and your enemies run in fear from your power."
James remembered what his father had told him once, be polite but firm when dealing with a goblin, "Manager Brightaxe, may your gold grow and those know you, fear you." James hoped that was a good response, he wasn't all that comfortable talking to Goblins, which was strange, his father had spent time explaining to him on how to act around goblins.
Brightaxe laughed, "Lord Potter that was only something a Potter would say." Brightaxe was looking forward with working on this Wizard's accounts.
James relaxed and helped Lily sit in the chair before the ornate desk the goblin sat behind, "So this important reason we were called to come here, can you tell me what that was." James sat and waited for the older goblin to answer.
"First thing is that we have a message from Gringotts Boston, our embassy there, as American's deal with us in a very different manner." Brightaxe loved saying that to Wizard's or Witches here in Britain, "We do have banks in America but they are just banks, only our embassy in Boston is recognized as sovereign goblin territory."
Taking a large envelope out from the desk Brightaxe hands it to James, "Before you open that we need to do a full inheritance test for both you and your wife." Brightaxe was not going to waste the chance to reactivate all the Potter accounts, "We need to know that you are actually entitled to open the letter and read it."
Lily had paid attention in History of Magic, plus she had reread the rules on goblins. "James we need to do this, if the goblins say we need to do the test they must know it should be done." Lily knew that goblins had reason to hate magical's and she was not going to give them any reason to endanger themselves or Harry.
The goblin took out a bronze knife and two specially created parchments that had special potions used on them and special spells that would process the blood and tell them the identities as well as the family heritage. Brightaxe took the blade and making a small cut on each of their palms and allowing a small amount of blood to fall on the parchments as the needed amount was on them the small wounds closed and healed.
As they waited and watched they were surprised that beyond the Potter family, other magical families began to show on not only James parchment but on Lily's. Brightaxe knew what he would see on James's parchment but was surprised on what was shown on Lily's.
Brightaxe looked at them both, "Lord Potter I knew what I would see on yours as I was the goblin that did this for you when you were added to the Potter vaults when your father brought you to us just after you were born as well as when you presented your son as required by both the ministry and the bank."
James waited and nodded at what Brightaxe said, "So can you tell me just what this means?"
Brightaxe looked surprised at Lord Potter, "Lord Potter your father would have taught you this before you went to Hogwarts."
James looked confused he knew that Brightaxe was telling him. He knew it was truth but James couldn't remember at all. "I agree I should know this, I am getting a headache!" The anger restrained but in his voice, "My father always told me that family comes first and we Potters … Why can't I remember the rest of that?"
Brightaxe said, "The Potters have a motto; Family always comes first and a Potter does what is Right, not what is Easy." Brightaxe knew now for certain that something was very wrong, as James should have come to Gringotts just after his parents had been killed, but had not, even when he had been contacted that he was needed to come in."
James listened to what was said, "What is right, not what is Easy."
Lily was watching her husband's face as he said that, it had reminded her of how a person looked after being confronted and they found memories had been altered. "James, I think you and I have had our memories altered, what else was altered?"
Brightaxe took a small box from the desk drawer, "Lord Potter, I have the Head of House Potter ring here, if your memories and mind have been subjected to mind altering spells this will correct that." Handing the box to James, "Lord Potter, if the ring recognizes you as head of house it will make sure your allegiance is to family and no one else."
James took the box and opening it he sees a ring his father wore everyday he could remember, the only way the ring would not be on his fathers hand, or any head of the House of Potter was death. James took the ring and slowly, and reluctantly he placed it on the right ring finger. The ring glowed and resized itself, as well as a similar ring appeared on Lily's hand.
The glow of the rings began to grow as it began to surround them both, as the glow faded the two suddenly found many lost memories, many lost feelings return. James was angry, Dumbledore had manipulated him since the day he entered Hogwarts. "That Manipulating Old Man, I'll … I'll … ruin him."
Lily began to cry she remembered her old friend Severus and how she had been manipulated to turn her back on him, so many times they would be free of the Headmasters control, fleeting as those times where. "James, Severus is our friend, to the both of us."
James remembered that almost from the start of the time at Hogwarts James, Sirius, Remus, Lily and Severus had been friends, eventually that had grown to include Peter Pettigrew, Frank Longbottom and Alice Compton. "Lily, do you remember the day after the sorting? Severus came to us looking all scared and uncomfortable?"
Lily looked at James, "Yes he had begged the Sorting Hat to place him with us, and he didn't want to be a Slytherin."
James looked at her, "I remember, that and we all sat together on the train." James took Lily's hand, "you two were so scared, Sev knew of the magical world and you knew almost nothing."
Lily looked at James, "You and Sirius, you two started explaining things to us; by the time we got to school we were looking forward to the next seven years."
James looked at Lily, "We will be going into hiding, not like Dumbledore wants, but as we want."
Lily looked at Brightaxe, "Was this the reason you needed us here?"
Brightaxe looked at Lady Potter, "Not really Lady Potter, we have a message to Lord Potter that I have here." Handing the large envelope to James; "As I said we were sent this via Gringotts Boston, the message is for the eyes of Lord Potter only."
James opened the envelope and allowed Lily to read over his shoulder. The information was surprising; it seemed that a seer in the US had a true Prophesy that was easy to figure out.
"The Bumblebee lies to the workers of clay and those that farm the bottom fields…The lie endangers the workers of clay and the farmers…The lie shall kill the elders and leave the children alone…The younger shall be made the Bumblebee's tool, the one to live…but a lie it will be…The younger shall be the one to free the isle's people from darkness…The older shall stand and be the wall to protect the younger…The Bumblebee can be stopped when the workers of clay and the farmers of bottom fields deify the Bumblebee …The Bumblebee shall be stopped when those fated to die prank the Bumblebee…"
Lily takes it, from James, she then begins to go over it as James pulls out another page, "Lily this explains that prophesy."
The short note was about the person that had given the Prophesy, Amanda Grayson. She was a well know Seer who always gave Prophesy's that were fairly easy to interpret. The writer of the note added information on what they believed the Prophesy meant.
Lily looks at it and smiles, "The workers of clay - The Potters; those that farmers of the bottom fields - The Longbottoms. The Bumblebee is Dumbledore; many people call him that as he is always appearing to be bumbling alone."
James looks at her, "The Lie is the Prophesy he told us; it is the lie and he is planning on it to kill us, Frank and Alice."
Lily is angry that she had been used by Dumbledore for most of her life, "It does tell us if we disappear even from him we stop him, as well as trick him."
James looks into the envelope and notices deeds and another letter. James reads it and smiles and hands it to Lily. "I do believe we can do that and still let him think he's won."
re post of story
2055 edt
2016/6/21