The author of this story owns no part of the Harry Potter franchise.
Chapter One
Remus Lupin sprinted toward the castle that had once been his home. At 34, he felt he was in decent shape but the last hundred meters were almost too much for him. He asked the caretaker, Argus Filch, where he could locate the Headmaster. The old curmudgeon muttered about the Great Hall before he stomped off in the direction of the dungeons.
The Great Hall was empty save for most of the professors of the school. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster, was sitting in the center of the long table that ran parallel to the four student tables. He was leaning toward the Deputy Headmistress, Miverva McGonagall, whispering something.
Lupin strode across the hall and up to the head table. Dumbledore smiled at him as he approached, but the smile faded when he saw Lupin's face.
"Is everything alright?" asked the Headmaster.
Shaking his head, Lupin stopped at the table and nodded to McGonagall. "Dementors boarded the train, Headmaster."
"The students?" The Headmaster had opposed the placement of Dementors on the school grounds, for fear they would harm the students. The Dementors, unable and unwilling to differentiate between innocent and guilty, were a threat to the hundreds of defenseless children entrusted into the care of the castle.
Lupin's brow furrowed and his head tilted to the right. "Harry. . ." he trailed off. McGonagall's shoulders drew up even more than normal at hearing the name of a student in her house. "Harry and his friends were in the same car as myself. When the Dementors entered, Harry and Ron, well, they used the Patronus Charm and sent them away. Then they started arguing. It was all gibberish, though. It made no sense."
Dumbledore leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows against the table. "How so, Remus?"
"They were talking about a spell or something going wrong. Said they shouldn't be there. Albus, they didn't go to the carriages with the rest of the students. They went to the Three Broomsticks and said they wouldn't go to the castle until you go down there and tell them, I quote, 'what the fuck is going on.' End quote."
Dumbledore looked to McGonagall. He usually looked quite calm, but the news had brought a look of concern to his blue eyes. His Deputy's eyes were steel as always. "If you are asking me, Albus, I will say that there are rule-following students on their way here right now that you need to explain some things to, including the Dementors they just experienced. I need to speak to Miss Granger before the feast. Potter and Weasley can wait in the pub until we take care of the other students first. And they better not be thinking they can partake in the feast after this stunt. After last year, you might think they would go for a low-key entrance. Perhaps he is more like his father than we first thought."
With that, she gave Lupin a long look. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again, not willing to irk his former head of house on his first day as a professor. With a final nod, he took his seat and used a moment of quiet to calm himself. He had learned the technique as a student at Hogwarts, when he started to feel primal emotions rearing up and pounding in his veins.
Seeing Harry in person for the first time since he was a toddler had been a strange experience for the man that had hidden from wizarding society for 13 years. The boy was not much like the boy Dumbledore told him of that summer. Dumbledore had told him Harry had grown to be much like Lily, kind hearted and a little shy.
Instead, Harry seemed very much like James. He was loud and vulgar, and very stubborn. His friend, Ron Weasley, was much the same.
Before Lupin could think much on the matter, students began pouring into the hall and dividing themselves into the four tables. On Lupin's right sat the Slytherins, proud and reserved as they were. Next to them, in front of Lupin, sat the Ravenclaws. A few of them had books out, and a lot of the older students were comparing test scores from the previous year. More to the left were the Hufflepuffs. Their cheer and good nature radiated from the table like waves of warmth. On the far left of the hall sat the Gryffindors. They were loud and boisterous, shouting to friends up and down the table or across the hall.
Dumbledore rose and said a few words of caution about the year ahead, and introduced Lupin. Standing, Lupin gave a small bow and smiled to the students. He would meet many of them in the weeks following, and he was more nervous than he had anticipated when Dumbledore had first made the offer.
As food appeared on the tables, Dumbledore excused himself. As he slipped out a side door, Lupin noticed one of Harry's friends, Miss Granger, watch him leave with a curious expression. Lupin suspected that she was going to be a very astute student. That thought left him with a cold feeling in his gut.
Albus Dumbledore made short work of the walk down to the pub in Hogsmeade. He had made the walk many times in his decades as a professor and student at Hogwarts, but the walk that night felt different, rushed somehow. He wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery before him, but he found himself almost afraid of the answer. Harry had not made the previous two years at Hogwarts stress free in any way.
Madam Rosemerta gave him an exasperated look as he entered. Without a word, she pointed to the back of the pub, to a shadowy corner, and then went back to helping other patrons. Albus strode over to the far table and looked down at the two third years seated there. Ron Weasley, whom a large family tended to overlook, sat in front of a tray of food and brandished a chicken leg as he declared a point.
Harry Potter sat in silence, sipping something out of a mug. Both boys looked up when Albus approached. He gave them a look of disapproval that did not seem to affect them the way it had the year before, when they had arrived by flying car.
"Please, sit down, Headmaster," Harry said. The dark haired boy gestured to an available seat at the table. Albus did not want to give the boys the impression that they could order him around. He was the Headmaster, and they were they misbehaving students.
Instead of sitting, Albus gave them a long look before he said, "It is time to return to the castle, boys. I have been more than kind to come down here instead of remaining at the feast. You are seriously out of bounds and crossing the line here."
"Back to the castle?" Harry asked, looking down into his mug. "With the Death Eater and the werewolf? No, not yet. I think you will sit down and listen to us." Albus raised an eyebrow, but said no more as he took a seat. Harry swirled his mug a bit before he took another seat. "First, I need you to prove that you are Albus Dumbledore." Harry looked at him for the first time. His expression was guarded and cold.
"Mr. Potter, I do not know what you're-"
"I've got a wand pointed at your nuts. Prove you're Albus Dumbledore." Albus blinked. It had been a very long time since he had been threatened so, and never by a 13 year old. He looked the boy over and realized that he could not quite make out the thoughts in the child's head. Albus himself became suspicious of the identity of the two boys before him.
"At the end of last year, you expressed to me concern that you were quite like a young Tom Riddle. I told you that it is our choices that make us who we are." Harry looked to Ron for a moment.
"Anything else?" Harry asked. He set the mug on the table, empty, and then leaned back.
"Your turn, Mr. Potter," said Albus. He crossed his arms as he settled fully into his seat, ready to engage fully with the two.
Harry gave a slow nod and then said, "Hagrid delivered me to the Dursley's the night my parents were killed, riding a motorcycle that belonged to Sirius Black. Sirius Black was taken to Azkaban that day, escaped this summer, and is currently hiding until he can kill the person he is looking for."
Albus gave the boy a suspicious look. A summer at the Dursley's home should not have made Harry so aware of his history. Harry flagged down Madam Rosemerta for a refill. She poured a steaming liquid the consistency of syrup into his mug. "Rich blood, boy, it's six galleons a mug," Rosemerta said.
"A gross mark up. This is later than a 1970. Nothing later than 1945 should be six galleons a mug. You're lucky I have an addiction."
Rosemerta rolled her eyes as she walked away. Harry raised the mug and saluted Ron with it before he sipped it and put it back on the table. "Alright, Professor, it seems that we have quite the situation on our hands. Before we go any further into the conversation, I need to know if we can trust you."
"Have I not proven I am Albus Dumbledore?" the Headmaster asked.
The boys shared a look. Ron cleared his throat, "As much as that may mean to some, it holds very little weight with us. So, can we trust you?"
"I have only your best interest and the best intentions in mind."
"Cut the bullfuckery," Harry said. He took another sip. He met the Headmaster's eyes without hesitation. "Your intention is to come out victorious at whatever cost. Whatever cost, Headmaster. Arianna found that out, did she not?"
Albus felt a stab in his chest as he strained to show no emotion on his face. His blood pounded through his veins, making his ears, wrists, and knees throb. Harry sipped his drink as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Albus could not fathom how Harry knew about his sister, who had died 94 years previously.
"I do wish for victory," Albus said after he took a moment to compose his thoughts. "This is because I believe in my cause, and my way of life. What happened to my sister was tragic, perhaps my biggest failure as a man, and it haunts me every day. However, I do not see how you find that to mean I do not care about your best interest."
"I am a lamb raised for slaughter," Harry said with a vague shrug. "You care about my wellbeing only so long as I can advance your cause. You may like me, but I am more or less an abstract idea to you, a means to an end."
"Nonsense," said Albus.
"Honestly, this is not about your liking me or not. It's about our ability to trust you. Can we trust you?" he asked. The Headmaster looked from Harry to Ron, wondering what information could warrant such actions.
"You can trust me to act in the best interest of you and the rest of the school."
Harry shook his head. "I need to be able to trust you to not tell anyone anything we reveal to you here tonight."
"If I feel that the information warrants, I will reveal it to the appropriate people. I can not promise to keep something a secret if it may harm one of my students."
"Well then," Ron said, wiping his hands on a napkin he then dropped on his plate, "it seems we can not do business with you tonight. We would be happy to return to the castle." He waved Rosemerta down for their total and began fishing through his robe pockets for galleons.
"We thank you for your time," Harry said, drawing a jacket around his shoulders as he stood. "We'd be happy to continue this discussion when you feel you could maintain a secret told to you in confidence."
Albus stood with him and said, "You harbor illusions of your role. I am the Headmaster, and you are the student. You are dismissed from a conversation when I dismiss you."
Without pausing, Harry slid his wand into his left sleeve and said, "The conversation is over when neither party has anything left to say. Do you have anything you would like to say, Headmaster?"
The Headmaster rested a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Is there anything you need to tell me, Harry? Are you well?" He tried to look into Harry's mind, but the only memories he saw were of moments of pain Harry had experienced at Hogwarts. The boy's lip curled.
"Typically, Headmaster, it is polite to allow someone to answer a question before you start looking for yourself. Gellert should have taught you that."
Albus' grip on Harry's shoulder tightened. "Mr. Potter, I do not know how you know the things you know, but I need to know that you are not a danger to the students at my school. You as well, Mr. Weasley. You two will follow me." Albus took both of them by the shoulder and took them up the stairway to the rooms above the pub.
Harry sat on the dresser and Ron sat on the windowsill. Albus conjured himself a chair and sat down, making himself comfortable. "Is there anything you would like to say to me?"
"How is your day going?" Ron asked. "Been busy?"
"The first day of term is always an exciting one for the staff. There is much to do before the students arrive."
"Booby trapping the school?" Ron asked.
"Planning on exactly how to ignore the Defense teacher is not suitable to be around children?"
"Touching up on incompetent child care 101?"
"I see you two do, in fact, have a few things to say. Why beat about the bush?"
"Never understood that idiom. Here's the thing. You won't keep our secret, so you get nothing from us." Harry reminded Albus so much of James, with the way he spoke, and the way he leaned on the dresser.
"You needed me, Albus?" The Headmaster turned and saw Severus Snape in the doorway. He was eyeing the two boys with distaste.
"Ah, Severus, you brought the potions, I assume?" Severus produced several vials of various potions. Albus turned to look at the two boys. They did not look worried or frightened at all. Ron looked bored. Harry was cleaning his glasses on his shirt. "Boys, I have to determine that you are in fact Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. These potions will test you for various forms of disguise and fraud."
"You can shove that Veritaserum up your-"
"Quite enough, Mr. Potter, quite enough. The Veritaserum is for use only if your identities should prove false. Severus?" The Potions Master moved across the room and handed a vial each to the boys.
"Drink this, Potter, Weasley. I can only hope that you are whom you claim. You'll be in detention until the end of term."
"As much as I enjoy quality time with you, Professor, I would probably end up in Azkaban. And when I get too near Dementors, I hear Voldemort killing my mother."
"Be quiet, Potter, and drink," Severus said.
"I hear her beg Voldemort to kill her."
"Shut up, Potter."
"I hear Voldemort laugh at her begging, laughing at her. I hear Voldemort offering to let her step aside, offering to keep her alive in exchange for me-" Severus backhanded Harry, causing the boy to topple off the dresser. Albus stood and took a half step forward.
"No worries, Headmaster," Harry said, regaining his footing, "I was baiting the good professor." Harry wiped blood from his nose and then drank the potion he had been handed. His body took on a pure golden glow for a few seconds. Ronald drank his potion and got the same reaction. "We are, indeed, Ron and Harry. Can we go now? We have classes in the morning."
"Wait downstairs," Albus said, "I'll know if you wander." The students left the room like a herd of elephants. Severus would not meet his eye.
"Headmaster-" the 33-year-old man trailed off as he looked over the drops of blood on the floor. "I failed."
"You did," Albus said.
"I do not know what happened."
Albus stood next to the man and looked down at the floor with him. "Something is going on here. Something has happened with those two. I need a favor of you, Severus."
"I do not usually enjoy what follows those words from you, Headmaster," Severus said. He gave the older man a sideways look.
"I need to know what is going on with them. They won't tell me. And they are very resistant to legilimency. You will have to… befriend them."
Severus' eyes snapped to his own. "You can not be serious. I find Potter worthless and annoying, and he finds me evil and cruel. No. I refuse."
Amused, Albus nodded to the other man. "As you wish, Severus. I believe events will unfold in time without our meddling. It does make me wonder just how much they do know that they're not telling us."
"What do you mean, Headmaster?" the younger man asked.
"Harry has expressed an interesting knowledge of his own history, and mine. In fact, he seems to know a little of yours. He did manage to get under your skin with precision."
"Headmaster, what are you saying?" Severus asked. Albus' lip twitched.
"Nothing, dear boy, nothing. I daresay we should get our young charges back to the castle, hmm? We can decide tomorrow what we shall do with them."
"Torture the truth out of them?"
Albus stopped and looked at the man over his glasses. "Certainly not," he said. "Harry must trust us. The fate of our cause rests on him, Severus. If we push him away. . . Well, you know all too well how enticing the Dark can be."
"Oh yes, because Potter is what jumps to my mind when I think of those on the brink of evil," Severus said. Albus didn't have to see it to know that Severus rolled his eyes. "He's more likely on the brink of killing himself with his own stupidity."
Albus cleared his throat to cover an involuntary chuckle. He met the two students in the lobby, where they seemed to be haggling their tab with Madam Rosemerta. "I say that because of the poor service, we'll pay half."
"You'll pay the total and not a knut less! What is it with Potter men and their charming smiles?"
"Oh, alright, Madam. But you can bet I'll be taking my patronage to Mr. Dumbledore over at the Hog's Head. Except for goats drink free day. But only then will I enter this establishment!" Harry set some coins of the bar with exaggerated flourish and began to walk toward the door with a swagger that was a throwback to James Potter.
"Potter, you've over paid!" Rosemerta said.
Harry turned around and said, "Gratuity, Madam Rosemerta. I'm not a monster. Have a lovely evening!"
Rosemerta shook her head. "Just like his father, that one. Hasn't he got his mother's genes at all?"
As Severus walked by, he said, "We could only be so lucky."
Albus smiled to Rosemerta as he passed, which she returned. The trek back to the school was long, but felt much longer because Albus had to restrain Severus' wand arm from drawing several times. Harry and Ron, far from contrite or worried about punishment, were making loud remarks about Hufflepuff women.