Disclaimer:

I don't own anything related to the rights of Harry Potter or anything else you might recognize.

Author's Note:

I had a bunch of pieces and parts and stuff that I wanted to do something with, and I've recently been reading Mjimeyg's Potter's Protector and Rorschach's Blot's Make A Wish and their related stories, so I decided to try my own spin on making a 'Mr. Black'.

Leave a review with a name if you want to guess who the mystery person is!

(Feb. 9) - Fixed the date for after fifth year from 1995 to 1996, as was pointed out to me by serialkeller.

Publish Date: Feb. 1st, 2014

Update Date: Feb. 9th, 2014

Prologue

Oh, How Did It Ever Come To This?

(A.K.A. You Can't Take It With You)

September 15th, 2021

11:20 PM.

Two forms step out of the fireplace into Potter Manor. Both know that Harry plans to run away. Both have known for nearly as long as Harry himself has. One has figured out that it will be quite soon and they both wanted to at least say their goodbyes in person and not get left with just a letter and a mystery.

The two move through the packed manor carefully, making their way to the sound of Harry's voice. As they get closer, the one in front says, "That's chanting. Hurry! If he's already started, we might not have much time!"

"What's all this stuff here for, 'Mione?" the second figure asked, trying to pull Hermione to a stop.

"I don't know, storage maybe?" Hermione answered distractedly, dragging her partner by the hand as she hurried toward where Harry was.

"No, 'Mione!" The second figure hissed, yanking the bushy-haired witch to a sudden halt. "You aren't listening. Again." The person huffed and asked more pointedly, "What's all this stuff here for, 'Mione?" gesturing around to the stacks of books and boxes littering the entire Manor. "Why store it here instead of Gringott's? Honestly, if he's leaving as permanently as we think, then why store anything at all?"

The answer seemed to hit both Hermione and her friend at the same time. He stored everything here because... Because...

Hermione chuckled weakly and stated, "I guess the saying 'you can't take it with you' really does only apply to death."

"Not. Funny." Hermione's friend hissed quietly. "We're pretty close to the front door and he's not done chanting yet." There was a pause and then, "If we run, we can likely make it out of the radius of Harry's ritual, but we'd never get to say goodbye." There was a pause, then the person continued with an obvious grin in their voice, "Or we could stay. Get ourselves caught up in a genuine Harry Potter adventure. We're completely unprepared and we only have our wands, but do we really need anything else?"

Hermione froze, indecision filling her. This was a completely life-altering decision.

"'Mione, you need to hurry up and make a decision."

Stay or go. Yes or no.

On the one hand, she would be with her two best friends, no matter where they ended up. She had her wand, and the supply bag she had taken to carrying everywhere with her after the great horcrux hunt. Her parents were in Australia and didn't remember her. She decided it was likely for the best given how happy they were when she found them. She had no other family and no one would really miss her.

"Hermione, if you don't make a decision, your indecision will decide for you!"

On the other hand, there was still soooo much she wanted to see and do here before she ended up God-knows-where. And hadn't she sworn off the whole adventure thing? Didn't this go against that just a little bit? And her library! What would happen to that?

"Hermione!"

Hermione's eyes snapped to her friend's. "Are you staying or going? If you're going to have any chance at all of getting out of here, then you need to leave, now."

Hermione suddenly relaxed and smirked. "You're? You?" The bushy-haired witch questioned. "Already decided to stay, I take it?"

Hermione's partner in crime smirked in reply and shrugged. "What can I say? Those green eyes always do get me into trouble."

Hermione laughed and muttered, "Oh, how did it ever come to this?"

Chapter One

In The Beginning...

(A.K.A. That First Step Is A Doozy!)

May 21st, 1996

9:47 AM

Like all stories, this one has a beginning. It's not the mysterious beginning of a dark and stormy night, or the terrifying beginning of running from something through a forest, or even the confusing beginning of waking from a dream.

True, this story does begin with mystery; it was leaving day, the start of summer, and for most school children, they may plan, but who knows what they'll end up getting into until school begins again in September. There was even a bit of terror in the air, as some students were dreading the conversations they knew their parents were going to have with them as soon as they got off the train. And it was definitely confusing trying to organize the transfer of that many prisoners... Err... Students, from the castle to the train and still try to make sure that every student had a decent breakfast before their parole... Err... Break. No, this story has a much more humble beginning.

This story begins with a simple stone, just barely bigger than a marble.

This particular stone was much like the rest of it's kind coming from the shores of Black Lake. Smooth, slightly polished, and a bit rounded from the water rushing over it for so many years. This particular stone, however, had been picked up and carried away from its lake shore home many days ago, all because a young first year girl thought it was pretty and wanted to keep it.

Today, the stone sat patiently on the girl's nightstand, before being hastily shoved in a pocket on leaving day. Like all children, the stone in her pocket was promptly forgotten about in the rush to go home after a long nine months at school. The bouncing and shifting the young girl was doing caused the stone to tumble unnoticed from her pocket as she was leaving the castle.

The stone rolled about, being shuffled here and there along the ground by rushing children until it finally came to a stop, sitting rather precariously on the edge of the top step. The girl continued on towards the train, thoroughly unaware of the events that would unfold due to a simple stone being dropped from her pocket.

As the day continued, the stone was ignored and avoided. Not purposely, mind you, but it didn't change the fact that the stone was still innocently sitting there later, unaware of it's greater destiny as a catalyst, when our hero arrived.

Harry Potter, the hero of the wizarding world (for now at least), was walking with his two best friends, Ron and Hermione, to the Hogwarts Express to head back to London for the summer. After the Department of Mysteries fiasco, they were all lost in their own thoughts, and none of them were paying much attention to where they were walking.

As they reached the stairs leading out of the castle, Harry's foot suddenly slid out from under him, toppling him forward and sending him crashing to the bottom of stairs with a loud and sickening crack. Groaning in pain, Harry rolled onto his back and cradled his now obviously broken arm to his chest.

After checking to make sure Harry was okay, Hermione said, "Go ahead and get on the train and get a compartment, Ron. I'll take Harry to the hospital wing and make sure he's okay, then I'll meet you there."

The redhead hesitated for a moment and then nodded, asking, "Are you sure?"

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Yes Ron, I'm sure." While she knew he was just worried about her after her injury, his constant hovering and treating her like glass was starting to grate on her already frayed nerves. Yes, she had been injured, but he was starting to take things a bit too far. As soon as Ron turned away, Hermione rolled her eyes and carefully helped her best friend to his feet.

"Hermione, I can make it to the infirmary on my own just fine," he said with a slight grin that turned into a grimace as his arm shifted. "I don't want you to miss the train."

Hermione huffed and replied quickly, "Harry, I'm going with you. I need to get away from Ron for a bit and I need to talk to Madame Pomfrey anyway." With that, she shrunk down both of their trunks and slid them into her pocket.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, his own pain momentarily forgotten, replaced with worry over the girl that had been beside him for damn near everything since they became friends.

Hermione smiled at him and nodded, saying, "I just need to ask her some questions about the potions she has me taking."

They walked in a comfortable silence up to the Hospital Wing, where they were met by the Headmaster, who was just heading out of the infirmary. Upon seeing the two students, his smile turned into a slight frown as he asked, "Hello Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger. What happened?"

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but Hermione beat him to it. "We were leaving the castle and Harry slipped and broke his arm," she replied tersely. Harry was a bit surprised at her tone, but he just chalked it up to worry and not wanting to miss the train.

Dumbledore looked at the both of them intensely for a short moment before nodding and saying, "Then I will not hold you up any longer than necessary. As you've no doubt missed the train by now, Come to my office as soon as Madame Pomphrey is finished with the both of you. On a completely unrelated note, I feel like trying a Blood Pop. I hear they have a new formula and I'd like to see if it's any better than the last." With that, he walked away, leaving the two students to enter the infirmary.

"Blood Pops."

Hermione and Harry walked up the stairs leading to the Headmaster's office, both lost in their own thoughts. For Harry, the last time he had been here, he had thoroughly trashed the Headmaster's office. While he did feel a bit bad about it, he felt it was justified after everything that had been kept from him.

Hermione, on the other hand, was equal parts worried for Harry's safety, and worried about how this meeting would turn out. She was starting to have her doubts as to the Headmaster's motives. A lot of things weren't adding up for her, and given her... reluctance to see the worst in authority figures, that was saying quite a bit. She was just glad she had put a few back-up plans in place to ensure she could do her best to keep her best friend safe.

The two students reached the top of the stairs and Harry raised his hand to knock, only to be stopped at the Headmaster's call to enter. They both walked in cautiously and sat down in front of the Headmaster's desk. After a moment, Dumbledore looked up and said, "Well, I suppose you both have questions you would like the answers to?"

"Why did you put Harry in that horrendous place?" Hermione demanded immediately, causing Harry to start in surprise at the acid in her tone. While he had never come out and told her what growing up there was like, he knew she was quite intelligent, and likely would have figured it out eventually. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but apparently Hermione knew he would, as she held up a finger to stop him, her eyes never straying from a point just over Dumbledore's left shoulder, right next to his ear.

Dumbledore looked at Harry for a moment before saying, "I promised you no more secrets, and I will honor that, but are you sure you wish to have Ms. Granger here for this conversation?" At Harry's nod, Dumbledore wilted a bit and suddenly looked far older than he did a moment ago. He sighed and nodded once before turning back to Hermione and answering, "There were two reasons, one just as important than the other. Firstly, the blood protections his mother placed on him could only be maintained by a blood relative, and the only person I knew of with Evans blood that was still alive was Petunia. Considering she had once begged me to let her attend Hogwarts alongside her sister, I didn't think she would allow you to be treated the way she did."

Harry's eyes widened involuntarily at that and the Headmaster turned towards Harry and continued, "Did you know that there hasn't been a case of child abuse in the magical world for more than two hundred years?" Even Hermione looked shocked at that. "That is because in the magical world, children are infinitely precious, and treated with great care. Disciplined, yes, but never abused. To do so risks damaging your own line and no one wants that." He shook his head and added, "I became so used to living in the magical world that it simply didn't occur to me that such a thing could happen. It was inconceivable."

Dumbledore shook his head sadly and sighed again. "The second reason is a touch more complex. You weren't there for the first war, and you never saw just how bad things had gotten by that point. We were losing ground and had no idea who we could trust. While yes, I did set up the Fidelius charm for your parents, Lily was the one who bound the secret to the Secret Keeper. Lily and James had told me that they had decided to use Sirius, never telling me that they had switched and were using him as bait at his own insistence. Because of this, I truly believed that Sirius had betrayed your parents, and if he of all people could be a Death Eater, then who else was I mistaken about?" Dumbledore's shoulders slumped a bit and he shook his head sadly. "I was too terrified of what might happen if any of the more... Vocal pureblood families had gotten hold of you, and while I knew living with your aunt and uncle would be difficult for you, I believed that a difficult life was leagues better than no life at all."

Dumbledore snorted, adding, "Did you know Lucius Malfoy put forth a suit to try and gain custody of you less than a week after your parent's death? As did the Parkinson's, the Nott's, the Zabini's, and about half a dozen other families that I knew had ties to Voldemort." At Harry and Hermione's widening eyes, Dumbledore nodded sadly and continued, "Exactly. Do I regret the way you were raised? Yes. Would I make the same decisions knowing all I know now? Most likely." The Headmaster smiled slightly and said, "You've grown into a fine young man, Harry, despite the way you were treated."

"Why didn't you at least check on me?" Harry asked, still angry at having to stay at the Dursley's, but less so than he was at the start of the conversation.

"Like I said, I didn't know who I could trust." Dumbledore shook his head sadly, saying, "It took me more than a year to be able to trust Mrs. Figg enough to place her where I did, and a lot of that was because I knew, as a squib, Voldemort would never allow her to have any place in his organization." Dumbledore sighed tiredly and continued, "Voldemort and his followers see squibs as useless, so she could move with far more freedom than I could. I couldn't risk being followed or tracked and leading them straight to you. The blood ward was the only protection I could put up, as any more would have drawn unnecessary attention to that house and you in particular."

Dumbledore grabbed a lemon drop from the candy dish on his desk and popped it into his mouth, sucking on it for a second before speaking, "Either way, some members of the Order are on their way to the Dursley's to gather anything you might have left there and impress upon them the need to move from Number Four, and I intend to go this evening to ensure my own... Displeasure is known to them. I do not believe that it would be safe for you to stay there any longer." He shrugged and added, "Regardless of your answer to the offer I have for you at the end of this conversation, you won't be returning to that place unless you decide to go there yourself for some reason."

Harry snorted and muttered, "That'll never happen." He sighed and thought for a moment before asking, "What offer are you talking about?"

Dumbledore's eyes flicked to Hermione and back before he stated, "That, is between you and I. No offense meant to Ms. Granger, but the fewer who know, the better." He raised his hands to forestall Harry's objections and continued, "It's not that you can't tell Ms. Granger later if you do accept, but on the chance that you don't, the fewer who know, the better. In fact, if you do accept, it might be a good idea to tell her and one or two others anyway." He shook his head and added, "I wouldn't tell Mr. Weasley, however. While he is trustworthy, he has quite the habit of opening his mouth before engaging his brain, and that is not a good thing for secrets of this magnitude."

Harry sighed before reluctantly accepting that the Headmaster was right. Ron may be his best mate, but the events after his name came out of the goblet proved that he wasn't his best friend. That title went to Hermione. After a moment he asked, "So you didn't get Ron to be my friend to spy on me?"

Dumbledore looked shocked and then slightly angry for a moment before stating, "Certainly not!" He sighed tiredly and rubbed his temples before saying, "Have you never wondered why Molly always arrives from the King's Cross entrance, and always arrives with only a short time to spare? Have you ever seen her or her children arrive late for anything else? I promised her parents and brothers that I would always look after her wellbeing, and Hogwarts isn't inexpensive."

Harry and Hermione stayed silent and Dumbledore continued his explanation. "You both know that Molly and Arthur are very proud people, and don't accept charity, so I have been paying her for years to arrive at the time she does, the way she does, under a few modified muggle repulsion and notice-me-not charms, to attract the notice of any muggleborn children and their parents who might not know how to get onto the platform and help them make it to the train before it leaves."

He shrugged helplessly and continued, "Between that and a few other similar odd jobs for me, such as introducing muggleborn children to the world of magic and delivering their letters, the Weasley family could just barely afford to send their children here." He shook his head slightly and said, "It was the only way I could think of for me to be able to give them the money for them to send all of their children to Hogwarts. Was I happy that you found a friend in the Weasley family? Most definitely. They are good people. Did I orchestrate such a meeting to that end to spy on you? No. I may give people small nudges in the direction I hope they will go, but it is ultimately their choice."

"What about the stone in first year?" Hermione asked. She seemed more relaxed than she had been when they had first entered, but still looked a bit tense. "I just can't believe that protections that three first years were able to get by you would consider good enough to protect such an item."

Dumbledore nodded and replied, "I removed the stone from Gringott's because a successful theft would be grounds for a new goblin rebellion. I couldn't take the chance that such a thing would happen, as it would cripple magical England. And the professors, for all their intelligence, are teachers, not security experts." He shook his head and continued, "Either way, I believed that I could better mitigate and distract the thief here than I could anywhere else."

"It was a trap," Hermione stated suddenly. "Why did you risk such a dangerous item in such a way?" She demanded.

Dumbledore hesitated a moment before looking at them both with an intensity that startled the two students. "The second reason is something that I truly don't wish to tell either of you. Something I kept secret and only one other at the moment knows." Dumbledore took a deep breath and continued. "Even if Quirrell got his hands on the stone and managed to escape, it wouldn't have mattered. All Voldemort would have had was a pretty, yet ultimately useless, red rock."

Harry was stunned into silence. Hermione gathered her wits quicker and stuttered out, "The- The stone was a fake the entire time? It was a trap? Why didn't you tell us?"

Dumbledore nodded sadly and replied, "Yes, the stone was a fake, and I didn't say anything because you three were so proud of your accomplishment and how hard you worked to keep the stone from Voldemort. I couldn't bring myself to tell three proud first years that everything they did, all the risks they took, were ultimately meaningless. Not only that, but simply possessing that knowledge puts the stone, Nicholas Flamel, myself, and you three at much greater risk."

Harry snorted and said, "That must have made you mad, that three well-meaning first years ruined your trap so spectacularly."

Dumbledore smiled and replied, "I will admit I was quite agitated when I found out. The only reason you three weren't severely reprimanded for your actions was because you all truly believed the stone was real and did everything you could to keep it safe. Doing what was right instead of what was easy is behavior I wanted to encourage."

"What about second year?" Hermione asked cautiously. "I just can't believe that you couldn't figure out the monster was a basilisk after nearly fifty years when a student figured it out in a single school year."

Dumbledore shook his head sadly and replied, "Ms. Granger, I am not omniscient. There was one attack that killed a student fifty years ago, and there are many creatures that can kill." He sighed and continued, "Fifty years ago, I was looking for something far smaller than a sixty-foot snake. It simply didn't occur to me that the plumbing was a viable means of travel throughout the castle."

Hermione sighed at that. She honestly wouldn't have thought of it if Harry hadn't mentioned hearing the voice coming from inside the walls, and even then, it was a random thought that only really presented itself when she was out of other options and driving herself insane trying to figure it out.

"And the dementors in third year?" Harry asked curiously.

"I think the forced hiring of Umbridge proved that when the Ministry truly wants something, they will make it happen, despite my vehement protests," Dumbledore answered. "Do you honestly think that I would allow that toad of a woman to teach at this school otherwise?" Dumbledore snorted and muttered, "That fool Lockhart was more useful as a teacher than she was, even if he was only an example of what not to do."

"The Tri-Wizard Tournament and fake Mad-Eye?" Hermione questioned.

"Barty Crouch Jr. knew all of the correct pass phrases and codes to prove identity, and was a very good actor." Dumbledore said, shaking his head sadly and continuing, "With everything else happening that year, I admit it was a mistake to trust him with so much without keeping an eye on him, but I honestly believed it was Alastor Moody and not an impostor. As for the tournament, once entered it is impossible to get out of, the magics of the goblet see to that. If I had a way of getting Harry out of it without killing him, I would have."

"Why did it take you all so long to get to the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked quietly. "I told Snape when Umbridge was trying to interrogate us, but it took you nearly three hours to catch up?" Harry shook his head, saying, "I just can't buy that."

Dumbledore sighed and replied, "Do you have any idea how long it takes to organize a rescue attempt when your forces are scattered across a city? And sometimes a proper rescue attempt, attempt mind you, could take up to two days." At the look on the faces of the two teens, Dumbledore drooped and added, "I know it seems horrible, but that's the reality of how long it actually takes to plan an incursion into a fortified location and extract an individual, and that's if you rush." He looked sternly at the two teens and said, "You can't run headlong into things without a plan. You have to end up being lucky every time with that method and only one enemy needs to be lucky once to end you."

Harry slumped and Dumbledore relaxed, saying gently, "I'm not trying to reprimand you, but these are things you need to be more mindful of in the future, especially if you accept my offer."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other for a moment, having a silent conversation. Eventually, Hermione nodded and stood up, squeezing Harry's shoulder as she passed and left the office with a soft click.

After several moments of the headmaster casting what Harry guessed were privacy spells, Dumbledore set his wand down and looked at Harry appraisingly.

Harry, for his part, did his absolute best not to fidget, he really did, but after another several minutes, Harry couldn't take it anymore and shifted in his seat, saying, "Umm... Sir?"

Dumbledore seemed to start slightly before smiling and replying, "Do you have any idea as to just how lucky you are, Harry?" at Harry's confusion, Dumbledore continued. "You father had a bit of a potions accident late in his fifth year involving some Felix Felicis and a few other potions that the Potions Professor at the time was brewing. It caused him to have a great deal of good luck, and he seems to have passed that ability on to you," Dumbledore explained with a chuckle.

After a second he sobered and continued with a wince, "Unfortunately, on the very rare occasions that his luck was bad, it was very bad. I hope you are mindful of that and try not to leave too much to chance in the future?"

At Harry's nod, Dumbledore sighed and opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out what looked to be an obviously old shrunken chest. Even shrunken, it was still quite large, about the size of a thick textbook, and even someone as inexperienced as Harry could feel the magic surrounding the item in question.

"Inside this chest, is a legacy," Dumbledore began quietly. "One that dates back to before Merlin himself. In fact, Merlin was once a bearer of this, before passing it along to his best apprentice."

Harry was initially surprised, but looking at the chest again and literally feeling the magic on it, he was rather inclined to believe such a thing. Harry looked back at the headmaster, not saying a word.

"This chest also contains a responsibility, a lifetime commitment," Dumbledore continued sadly. "One that I find it's time to pass on." Dumbledore straightened and looked at Harry, saying, "There are certain conditions that must be met before someone is even able to open this chest, both physical and mental." With a shrug, Dumbledore shrugged and smirked, saying, "There is a chance that you may never be able to open it, in which case certain contingencies will kick in and it will be returned to a place where it can be watched over."

At Harry's indignant look, Dumbledore continued, "I honestly don't believe that will happen, Harry. I doubt you'll have any trouble opening it one day, but that isn't today." Dumbledore took a deep breath and pushed the trunk across his desk, adding, "Today, you take this with you and put it somewhere safe."

Time passed, and Harry forgot about the chest at the bottom of his school trunk. His sixth year was a disaster, seeing the death of Albus Dumbledore at the hands of Severus Snape. What was supposed to be his seventh year and the search for Voldemort's anchors was just as bad, if not worse in some ways.

They narrowly avoided being captured, but only because Harry was in possession of information there was no logical way for him to have obtained. He tried to pass it off as something from his scar, but Hermione became suspicious quickly.

It was something she had never let go of, even if she didn't bring it up with Harry. She had no idea how he knew what he had, just that he did. And to lie to her face about where he got the information? Suspicious and a bit hurt didn't even begin to cover it. But she decided to just wait and watch. She trusted that Harry wouldn't put her into danger on purpose.

It would be another several months before Hermione would have her answers.

Harry went back with Hermione to retake their seventh and last year at Hogwarts. He expected the stares. He expected the applause. He expected the congratulations. It was basically an amplified version of the way they had treated him before, much to his displeasure.

What He didn't expect was to get bloody well mobbed the second he showed his face in the Great Hall the first morning for breakfast.

That fiasco became the first day that Harry Potter went into hiding. He was present in classes and at exams, but other than that, it was as if he had simply vanished the moment he crossed a classroom's threshold. Even Hermione was unable to locate him, sending her into an absolute tizzy.

And the first person to find him was the last person anyone else would have expected.