Albus Dumbledore sighed. He sat behind his desk pinching the bridge of his nose, willing what he about to do to become a bit more bearable. In front of him sat a gruff-looking man. He had an electric blue eye that seemed to be swiveling at everything and anywhere in Albus' office, and yet seemed to always come back to focus on the man in front of it. His nose looked like it had had a bite taken out of it, and he had refused magical aid to get it fixed, claiming it was his own mistake for getting distracted in the middle of a battle.
Alastor Moody was an auror, one who had been at the very front lines in the first war against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and had single-handedly take out more Death Eaters than perhaps even Dumbledore himself. And yet, the conversation that was about to take place seemed to find the one place in his heart where he had long since locked away all things pertaining to the particular emotion of Fear. They were about to discuss the future of the only hope of the wizarding world, for neither of these men had any doubt that Voldemort had not died that fateful night when he had assaulted the Potter residence.
The two men seated in this room were also the only ones who knew that Peter Pettigrew, who had faked his death all those years ago, was actually the one who had informed his master of where the Potters resided due to the Fidelius Charm, and as such Sirius Black was now imprisoned in Azkaban unjustly. They knew, but there wasn't a thing they could do about it.
Potter Manor had been heavily fortified, and had even had extra guards that night, but none of it had counted for anything once the Fidelius had fallen. Dumbedore had lost many good men that night, and so had Voldemort, but the latter had not been concerned. He had went in with one thought and one thought only, to kill the child. Apparently, James and Lily had put up one hell of a fight, if the carnage right outside the Nursery was any inkling, but it was all for naught, they had eventually fallen, seemingly with little effort from Voldemort. He had then moved past them to enter the tiny room with the baby.
And that was when it all spiraled downward for him.
"It seems we were right, my friend," Dumbledore finally spoke, after almost 5 minutes of silence. "I trust you know why you're here?" he asked.
"Aye, the boy is due to get his letter tomorrow, is he not?" Moody replied.
"Yes, he is. I've spoken with Alice, and she says that his magical outbursts are getting more frequent, so i believe it is time to bring him here," Albus replied. "But that is not what i called you here to discuss. I was going to ask you if it would be too much trouble if you could try to keep an eye on him during the remainder of the holidays and possibly in the future."
"If that's all you wanted to discuss with me Albus, then you should already know my answer. People may consider me paranoid, but even i know how important the boy is to the future we all wish to have," Moody stated. "I'm curious though, why all this secrecy? I've noticed you've also added some new wards, both to Hogwarts and your office. Why not just send a letter?"
Ahh. My old friend, I am saddened to tell you that Fudge seems to think that I am after his job, since most of the community thinks i would be the best choice, also i have learned that he has ordered me to be.. aah 'monitored,' as it were," Albus said. "He does not trust me completely, i fear."
"What! That doddering fool! What is he thinking! I have half a mind to..."
"Calm yourself, Alastor. The minister is a concern, but not one that warrants our attention currently. No, we are here to discuss Harry."
The air in the room seemed to almost sigh at the name, as if it had stood at attention until the reason for this visit was stated.
"I see.. the boy. How has he been faring with the Longbottoms?" Moody questioned.
"He has been treated as one of their own, and has been welcomed fully into their family. I'm sure however that once he reaches 15, he'll wish to take up his official family name, and until then, Frank will act as his proxy," Albus replied. "I am glad that i had the right idea to have Minerva observe his only remaning family members however. The muggles living at Privet Drive can only be described as 'Magic Haters,' pure and simple. I shudder to think of the damage we may have avoided by not sending the boy there."
"I wonder then, if you've thought about the offer i made then," Moody asked, his magical eye spinning erratically once again.
"Yes i have, and my answer remains, Harry will come here first, learn what he has to, and after that, only then will i allow you to take him and teach the higher points of devastating battl magic, and how to control and enhance his magic as he sees fit," Albus replied.
"Sounds fair enough, now then, will that be all?"
"Yes, i believe so. If anything else occurs i will be sure to send Fawkes to retrieve you."
"Very well then, goodnight, Albus."
"Goodnight Alastor."
Moody then stood, and favoring his right leg, limped over to the fireplace behind Dumbledore and left. Dumbledore remained sitting there for a long while afterwards, his thoughts always returning to focus on a black haired, Green-eyed boy with a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. "Oh Harry, i do hope you're ready to take all this, I knew from the start that when the time came to introduce you fully to the rest of the wizarding world, that the fame might be too much, and that in the beginning you will be overwhelmed. However dear boy, if you're anything like your parents, you'll weather it all and make it to your destiny, of that i have no doubt.
All that i believe you will need is your mother's ingenuity, her strength, her resolve, and her love for life. From your father i have no doubt you'll have inherited his cunning, his trickster attitude, his magical prowess, and his drive to protect everything he loves. If you have these things, i am sure that you will not fail in any goal you choose to set, and i'll be there to assist you every step of the way.
"Good luck Harry, you'll need it if you hope to acheive even half of what the world will expect of you, know this however: Without something to fight for, you will surely fall. That much is atleast certain, even to an old bat such as myself."
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in a Manor house located in a remote location, miles from the nearest human settlements, a boy with a lighting-shaped scar slept, not knowing of how much his life was about to be altered.
A/N: Alright people. I decided to take a leaf out of Regulus' R-series books, and start a whole new series with Harry as the proverbial hero. If you haven't read that series, i highly reccomend you do, as i believe i will most likely be stealing many of his ideas for myself, altering them as i go. In my story, Dumbledore is NOT trying to manipulate Harry. I figured that would only happen if Harry was raised at the Dursley's, which did not happen. Instead, he is raised by the Longbottoms, since obviously Sirius is in Azkaban. I think i'll go about this series the same as Regulus, just rewriting each book as i see fit.
I have a feeling this series should be plenty of fun, seeing as i've got plenty of inspiration, and also more than a good idea which direction to take it in. I might wait on the second chapter however, depending on how many reviews i get ;) Also, jsut as a fair warning, my series will most likely differ substantially from the canon in places, but no worries, i'll do my best to make it flow as best i can, it is after all, my first series here on FFN.
Until next time! - Skylight