Chapter 1: I'll Take Anyone
Godric's Hollow
It had been a horrendous Halloween night, and they wind was howling throughout the small village of Godric's Hollow, as many gathered around the ruined remains of the Potter home after the Dark Lord had completely was completely obliterated by a backfired curse. Cheers started to surround the house, as many had started dropping to their knees and thanking whatever spiritual being had allowed this blessed moment to finally come upon them. All the while, nobody thought that a small child could still be alive underneath all of the rubble that was the Potter house. They had chosen not to live in a Manor, like most pureblood families did, because before he died, James Potter said that he did always like to break tradition. Many of the spectators that were in front of the house started to apparate one by one in order to spread the good news to the entire Wizarding world of Britain.
Meanwhile, nobody noticed the ravishing, alluring man that was slowly walking into the small village. Mesmerizing sky blue eyes with flecks of navy blue scattered about, giving him an air of grace as he walked throught he unkempt village. His chestnut brown hair was long and wavy, catching the eyes of many of the women throughout the village as he continued on his way. Wearing a black, acromantula silk cloak, and a pair of the finest dragonhide shoes, he had the air of a pureblood. Well kept, and very pampered from the looks of his clothes. Very lean figure, and not bothering to look at anyone else but the road in front of him.
The village was busy talking of parties, and celebrations, and of finding people that had been lost for years. The man was not interested in this, for he had more meaningful things to do rather than plan parties for the end of the Dark Lord. After all, he had been under the servitude of the man for most of his life, since he became 17, so he, more than anyone, was extremely joyous that the man was finally put to rest. Hopefully, he added as an afterthought. News had spread extremely quick throughout the Wizarding World, and it had only taken a few minutes from the lapse of Voldemort's death, to his loyal servants finally finding out. To be honest, he was glad that the man's reign over the Wizarding world had been brought to an end, for he had only joined the ranks of his servants because he was forced by blackmail. It was one of the rare moments when he was actually glad he had the dark mark, because their master became linked to them in a way. If he was gone, they would know.
'Which house is the Potter's? I need to find them.' the man thought urgently.
He walked up slowly to a woman, his bright smile flashing brightly, even though he had come from such a dirty place a few moments ago. The woman smiled back, momentarily smitten with the charming young man in front of her. He began to speak in a very cordial tone, trying to win her over with his suave attitude.
"Hello miss, I was wondering if you could do me a tiny favor. I would truly apppreicate your help." the man said, making her blush a little before she repsonded the man with earnest, hoping something could come from this.
"I was wondering if you could tell me where the Potter home would be." he asked with a sincere smile, and the woman merely gave him a small frown, before pointing to a pile of rubble that was created by the late Dark Lord. The man nodded kindly, before going on his way, making the woman a bit disappointed, for it was rare that a really handsome man came around these parts. Most of them resided in the cities, but she sighed, and went along her merry business.
The man had finally found the home, and was sensing a magical signature from underneath all of the rubble. Being a magical forger for Voldemort, he had to be able to copy magical signatures of objects that Voldemort wanted forged. He was one of the best in his trade, and that's why the Dark Lord found him useful, besides him being a pure blooded wizard from a powerful family. However, besides being able to sense the signature of magical objects, he could also sense them in people, meaning witches or wizards. And judging from the reading that he was getting from inside the rubble, the signature belonged to a child, for it had an air of innocence around it. He took out his wand, and started magically banishing the rocks until he found a child underneath. He had come to offer his gratitude to the family that defeated Voldemort, but maybe there was a better way to show thanks?
The young child had no parents, and nobody here seemed to be interested in taking care of him, rather than finding their loved ones or getting smashed for the next year or two. He walked up to the child, and he saw that he had managed to erect a small shield that had blocked the rubble from crushing his small, and tiny figure. The man had to admit, it was impressive for a child of his age, even if it was accidental magic, to put a shield up that could block real objects, and not spells. The man picked him up, and saw that there were two things on him. A note, and a blanket. The child held on to the blanket for dear life, not even giving a thought about the letter, and the man smiled. He opened it up, and he saw that the writer was none other than Harry's mother, apparently, Lily Potter.
To Harry's New Guardian,
I am Harry's mother Lily Potter, and I just need to make a few things clear. Harry's full name is Harry James Orion Potter. He tends to be very quiet, and loves when things are read to him. Harry is the heir to the Ancient House of Potter, as well as two other houses that will become apparent throughout his maturing into a young wizard. I am writing this as a 'just in case' measure , assuming that my husband and I are killing by Voldemort. Enclosed in this letter are the keys to the main Potter vault, which only Harry can enter at the age of 16, and to his trust fund for his Hogwarts tuition. I know that taking in Harry will be a hard burden, but we hope that you will treat him with love, and raise him right.
A tear marked the next few parts of the letter, and the man continued reading , finding that he was feeling too compassionate for the young child in front of him. However, he wasn't among the ranks of the Death Eaters anymore, so maybe it was okay to show a little emotion. He put the letter back down into Harry's resting place, and he thought about what to do. If a remnant from Voldemort's ranks came to find Harry, the boy would be killed on the spot, and the man wasn't so sure about surviving a killing curse twice as a mere baby. With that thought, he finally made up his mind, and picked up the comfortable container that Harry found himself in, before apparating away with the child.
Just as soon as the man left, four peopel arrived on the scene. Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Rubeus Hagrid, and Sirius Black, alll stood staring at the pile of rubble that used to be the home of James and Lily Potter. Sirius dropped to his knees, tears flowing abundantly from his eyes, as well as the eyes of his companions. Dumbledore stared going through some complicated wand motions, and soon, all of the rubble that was the Potter home vanished from sight, leaving behind only a few artifacts that managed to remain in pristine condition, despite all of the rubble that had fallen on it. Dumbledore looked around and realized that something was not right.
"Did any of you happen to see young Harry by any chance?" Albus asked, making the rest of them widen their eyes.
"Do you think that someone could have taken him?" Minerva suggested, but Albus waved it off.
"The people around here wouldn't concern themselves with such things, and, debris was covering the entire house. So I doubt that anyone found Harry before we came." Albus said, making Sirius roar at him.
"So what the hell happened to my godson?" Sirius yelled, making Dumbledore place a hand on his shoulder and give him a mournful look.
"I have many theories Sirius, each more unlikely than the next. I shall ask others to enlist in the search for Harry, but I can't be certain that he can be found. There is a way to know if the boy is dead or alive though. If he is still on the list to come to Hogwarts, then at least we know he is alive." Dumbledore said calmly, easing Sirius' mind just a little.
"Professor Dumbledore sir, what ar' you gonna do now?" Hagrid asked, making Dumbledore smile.
"I shall return to Hogwarts. I implore the rest of you start the search for Harry. And Sirius, it is my strongest wish that you do not search after the one who has caused this. Young Harry shall need you in the future, and we can't have you in Azkaban, now can we?" Dumbledore said, making Sirius snarl, but he nodded in agreement, before transforming into a large black dog, and heading off in the direction he picked up Harry's scent. McGonagall apparated away from the house, and Dumbledore grabbed onto Hagrid, and took them back to Hogwarts, not knowing that if they were a little faster, they could have taken Harry.
Somewhere In London
In front of a giant three story mansion, the man brought Harry inside, and set him down on the couch in the living room. He looked at the boy, innocent, and not a care in the world. The man sighed again, before thinking about this. During his time with the Death Eaters, he had been a tactician of sorts, not doing anything before thinking it through thoroughly. It's not as if he wanted to be there, but if he was, then he would do a good job, lest Voldemort use the blackmail that he had on him. But with this kid, he just rushed in without so much as a single thought about how he would care for a child. Money wasn't an issue, for he had his fair share, and Harry had a hefty amount coming to him, so that was not a problem.
The problem was nurturing. The boy needed someone than just a father in his life. He could say from experience, that not having a mother hurt, especially when you saw other children with their mothers walking all about. This was a problem for expert wizard forger/con artist, Neal Caffrey. Now, that he thought about it, Neal had only been in two serious relationships in his entire life, both of them with Death Eaters, and both were forced into the service of Voldemort.
The first woman was Kate Mannequin, and she was very beautiful. Their relationship was going strong and it all was smooth sailing, until she became madly in love with Voldemort, and started getting into fights about who would pleasure him more, and better. Neal had always suspected foul play, but when he couldn't detect anything interfering with her magical signature, he just realized that something in her must have snapped, or she always had feeling for Voldemort and decided never to act on them. Either way, that shut him off of having a woman for a very long time, and he immersed himself in his forgeries, become well known in the underworld of Wizarding Society.
The second woman was Alex Morgana. She was a pure blooded vixen, if he ever did see one. Beautiful body, attractive eyes, and most of all, a similar past to his. They were both con artists because it was how they survived in their childhood. She became an expert thief and he became a forger. Together, Voldemort had a very powerful duo of criminals in his arsenal. They had become feared throughout Voldemort's ranks not because of their magical ability, but because of their having never failed a mission assigned to them. The Dark Lord held them in high prestige, and they didn't even want to see his face. It was only until Alex had stepped out of line once, and Neal was forced to deliver her punishment. He still regretted it to this day, but he had left a scar on her that would never heal. The one on her heart. They had split up after that, and he had never once seen her at headquarters. He figured she must have found a way to get out, but either way, it was a bad call on his part.
He sighed. Alex was his best option, but he doubted that she would ever want to see him. He knew that she was connected to the floo network, and he knew she would be severely pissed to see him again. But he needed help, and honestly, he wanted a reason to talk to her again. Nobody had ever clicked with him like this one had, and he had missed her... dearly. He walked over to his fireplace, threw some floo powder in, and shouted out Alex's name before she came into view, sitting on her couch, looking of an old picture of her and Neal.
"Looks like I wasn't the only one thinking of the past today." Neal said through the fire, making her whip out her wand, only to see Neal Caffrey looking directly at her. She picked up a glass of water from the table, and walked over to the fireplace. Neal looked at her pleadingly, but she merely smiled sweetly.
"Burn in hell Caffrey." Alex said, before she poured all of the water on the fireplace, effectively cancelling his connection with her fireplace. She reached for her back and traced the scar, where Neal had burned her so many years ago. It was a sore memory, and it hurt, being dragged up to the forefront of her mind once again.
Neal, on the other hand, was not going to give up. He knew she would be mad, and he knew this was going to be hard. However, he had made a promise for Harry, to take care of him, and make sure he grows up right. He took some more powder, and then appeared in her fireplace once more. She scowled, before grabbing another cup of water she had prepared for this occasion, before Neal's words stopped her.
"Alex wait! Please, I need your help!" Neal said, making her stop in her tracks from throwing the water on the fireplace. She scowled even deeper, and then began to speak, her voice sounding more hurt than angry.
"You've got some nerve Caffrey! After what you did to me, you want my help? What gives you the right to fucking ask for my help?" Alex yelled at him, and Neal had nowhere to turn to, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try and convince her to help him.
"I'm an idiot. I shouldn't have followed his order, and to this day, that is the only decision that I regret. However, it's not like I'm asking you to help me with a forgery, or a heist this time. This time, I'm doing it for someone else. Someone who needs the kind of care that you and me were denied growing up. Would you really abandon the one that destroyed the Dark Lord for us?" Neal asked, making Alex's eyes widen.
"How the hell did you get a hold of Harry Potter?" Alex asked, before she poured the glass of water on Neal, and then grabbed some floo powder. She stepped into the fireplace, and then shouted "Caffrey Manor" before arriving in front of Neal, and a small child on his couch. She walked over to the child, ignoring Caffrey extending his arms in hopes for a hug from her.
She started playing with the small child, who giggled happily at the sight of a female. Apparently, he had mistook her for his mother, because that's the word that he started trying to say when he saw her. She looked at him with dangerous eyes, and Neal could tell almost immediately that she had awakened some form of motherly instinct, because she leveled her wand at him, as if to say that she didn't trust him with the kid at all.
"How did you get him?" she asked, leveling her wand at his head for emphasized effect.
"I went to pay respects to him for defeating the Dark Lord, because I told you what he was blackmailing me with. So, while there, I found him under the debris from his ruined home, so I brought him here without thinking how I would take care of him. That's where you came in. The only other woman I thought of was Kate, and she would probably kill him on the spot for her 'Master'." Neal said, making Alex grimace, for he was probably right.
"So, I called on you, and now that you're here, I'll continue hoping that you'll stay here and help me raise him. As in, a permanent kind of thing." Neal said, making Alex look at him with her usual callous gaze.
"You've got to be out of your damn mind Caffrey. I came to see the child, but I in no way, shape, or form alluded that I would help you care for him. After what you did to me, I'm surprised that I haven't cursed you yet." Alex said, although her eyes shone with hurt that she was feeling from being near him.
Neal said nothing, but rather, picked up Harry, and started walking toward a bedroom, where he conjured a crib, and put him down. He transfigured a pillow into a blanket, and he took his cloak, and transfigured it into a teddy bear. After he knew that Harry was taken care of, he went back outside to talk to Alex.
"I don't deserve your forgiveness. Hell, I don't even deserve to see your face right now. But you see the kid in that room; he's done nothing to you! I don't give a damn if you hate me, but can't you at feel a bit of compassion for the child that saved us from servitude from that bastard Voldemort! You won't even have to stay in the same room as me. I'm not asking you to play house. He just needs a mother in his life, and unfortunately, I can't fill that role." Neal said, making sure that he got his point across very clearly, and honestly, Alex hadn't seen this kind of emotion from him since their relationship when they were in their teenage years. She smiled, and then glared at Neal.
"Don't yell at me! And next, you'll be feeding me, clothing me, sheltering me, and everything else that I want! Is that understood? Next, if he gets up at night, I am not losing sleep, so it's your job to make sure that he goes back to bed. You have a long road to redemption Neal Caffrey, but if you're lucky, we might just be able to get back on that level." Alex said, before casting the Jelly Legs jinx on Neal, causing him to fall forward painfully, while she went to go check up on Harry.
Neal wasn't sure if keeping her around was good for his health, but at least he got her to stay. Everyday from now on would be interesting. He just had a feeling.
A.N: This one has been brewing around in my head for ages. I love White Collar, and since Harry practically fits in with mostly every other world, I thought why not. I'm not sure if it'll be just H/Hr or H/Multi. I mean, Neal Caffrey is raising him. We'll see later on.
Sayonara.