He had stood on a hill overlooking the grand school of Hogwarts, mere hours after the crumbling ruins had first hit the ground. He'd been inside the castle when the assault had began. Seen the two students come crashing through the hall doors in an explosion of wood and blood and bone. Had been shoved down onto his seat as Dumbledore had swept past, fury on his ancient face and horror in his fading eyes. Another hand had replaced the old one as Remus had stopped next to him, hand holding him in sitting position, wand out and face grim. The hand had clenched his shoulder in, what Harry supposed had meant to be a reassuring way.

Snape's ebony gaze had wormed over to him then away. The teachers had all formed a barrier around the door, separating students from the death and the mess.

It had been the first day back after the summer after Voldemort had lost his followers at the ministry.

He had been fuming

"…not ready" had been a murmuring phrase that he had picked up in their brief conference with each other. He had seconds to realise who they were talking about before a whispered apology was in his ear and a spell was shot at his temples.

He had come too just as they were picking up the bodies. He had stared at Remus, betrayed beyond reason. Utterly hurt that no-one had allowed him to defend the place that he had felt as his home, that he couldn't protect those he viewed as his family.

And as he wondered around the dead he had felt something else. A disruption within his own powers. And the one man that may have been able to explain it to him had died. Albus Dumbledore had died at the fall of Hogwarts. And Harry had been tucked up like a four year old asleep at the time.

He had stood on the hill after discovering this. His grief seemed to be nothing compared to what was going on all over the wizarding world. He had left the dying and the healing, hoping that no-one would realise and worry.

And the letter that broke his heart when he found it was clutched in his hand, stained with rain and wind and tears. Dumbledore's apology to him for giving him such awesome responsibility at so young an age. Urging him to continue the training that they had begun the year before and pleading that he accept the burden given to him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The boy was a mess, Sirius thought as he watched Elizabeth, Poppy and Dumbledore finish fixing him up. It actually made Sirius wince to look at. The most worrying thing according to the three of them was the magical exhaustion the boy was suffering. Seeing the look in his eye Elizabeth had assured him that the boy would regain his magic. Sirius had avoided Dumbledore's gaze for the next hour after that.

"He'll live" Dumbledore declared sitting down next to him, his age clearly showing.

Sirius nodded. "Do you think that the thing in London and the boy are connected?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath, "It seems unlikely that two worrying incidents would happen at the same time without being connected"

Sirius worked his jaw for a few seconds, "What are the chances that He's behind it?"

There was a long silence and Sirius dared to look at his old headmaster.

"I don't know"

Sirius felt his heart plummet at that phrase being uttered from Albus Dumbledore.

"The ministry may call you in to ask some questions"

Dumbledore visibly stiffened at that, though his face remained impassive. "Will they be coming here or_"

Sirius broke in "_They haven't officially said it yet, and I imagine that if they did want your advice they'd come here"

Dumbledore sat back and looked at the boy thoughtfully.

"It could all be nothing" Sirius said half hopefully.

"No" Dumbledore replied, "Something has changed. The castle feels it and so do I"

Dumbledore had left for his rooms a while ago, claiming he needed sleep, although Sirius imagined it was more likely that Dumbledore was desperate to have some answers when the ministry undoubtedly came to call. Feeling too wired to go home, Sirius sat down in the infirmary and watched as Elizabeth did her work.

As much as they bickered with each other Elizabeth was the closest thing that he had ever had to a mother. Her small hands darted out, mending this, fixing that, deftly bandaging in a way that was second nature to her. He watched closely, remembering a time when it had been him on the other side of that treatment. Her smoothing down his hair as though he were much younger than he thought himself to be. And then later on, when he had joined the aurors it had been her that had tightened her lips at the damage caused on a raid, her sitting her men folk down and raining down torrents of abuse as her small clever hands never once shook, hesitated or moved in annoyance. To him, her no nonsense attitude was better than all the fussing in the world.

"Stop eyeing up my mother"

Sirius smiled but didn't turn around "Just cause you want her sicko"

"Padfoot, that's gross" the laughing reply protested.

Sirius laughed "Merlin you sound exactly like your son"

James Potter glared at his best friend as he shoved him over slightly so that he too could lean against the wall. "No, he sounds like me. I'm the original, the one and only"

"Thank God" Sirius muttered

James beamed "I'll ignore that prat"

Sirius smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes as he stared at the figure on the bed.

"He's barely older than Tristan" he muttered

James sighed and folded his arms. "You should have seen him when he first arrived Siri. He…how could someone do that to a kid?"

Sirius shook his head "Ministry will do a hell of a lot worse if they find out how he got here"

"I doubt it" James said gently then "You think they'll buy whatever Albus decides to tell them"

Sirius rubbed his eyes with his hand. He'd forgotten that Dumbledore's condition would mean that it was potentially more likely that the boy would be seen by the ministry.

"They usually do. Out of respect and Moody if nothing else" he joked weakly. James gave him a faint smile in return.

The pair stood in silence for a bit watching

"Curious myself I have to say though" said James and smiled at the amused look that Sirius shot him.

"Any idea's to who he is at all?"

"Nope, none whatsoever." James hesitated. "I think Albus knows something though" he said after a few seconds.

"Why would you think that?" Sirius asked turning to look at his friend sharply

James shrugged, "Just stuff you pick up from watching him, there was something in his eyes earlier when the boy was in the hall"

Sirius remained quiet, bowing to James' greater wisdom in this.

"But it's weird cause I could swear he's not clueless yet he seem…"James trailed off watching his mother and her patient

"Seems what?" Sirius prodded gently

"Flustered" James said after a while "Just very flustered and confused. You should see the looks he gives the kid. Almost as though he can't believe what he's seeing"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was nearing dawn when Albus Dumbledore re-entered the Infirmary. He stood to one corner watching the child sleeping on the bed. He had gotten Elizabeth Potter to leave when he had come downstairs, insisting that she sleep for a bit and he would watch over the patient.

Hogwarts had brought this child here, and for barely a second Albus had felt the school rising against him until it relaxed and the magic allowed the boy to slump to the floor. Why did this child, a boy that Albus knew did not attend Hogwarts and was pretty sure that he had never met, warrant the utter protection that Hogwarts had given him?

Albus moved forward watching the sleeping boy. The boy was seventeen; in the wizarding world he would be classed as an adult. It therefore had to follow that the only way that Hogwarts would give him quarter would be if he were a student. As far as he could see that left only a number of options and one rather likely one.

till he was pretty sure that if he mentioned it, half the ministry would jump on the statement as proof that Albus Dumbledore had finally gone nuts and they didn't need to continue to keep him at Hogwarts to repay the debt that the wizarding society owed him.

The bruising on the boys face was hiding his physical features from scrutiny and the lack of magic removed any chance of telling how powerful he usually was. He reached out and gently touched the boys forehead and the scar that resided there. Elizabeth had been stumped by the mark, at first bleeding as though it had been created a few hours ago, yet now looking as though it had marred the forehead for years. The unruly inky locks could rival James Potter in its messy style he thought fondly as he stroked the hair away to study the scar easier.

There was a slight flinch from the face underneath his hand and then a definite movement to pull away from his probing movements. The unbroken wrist raised to bat away Albus' hand and the lips twisted into slight pain as the head continued to shift away.

He watched the child swallow and wince from the pain of the movement. Eyes flickered open to reveal an emerald gleam that was cloudy from fever and pain. Before Dumbledore could move the eyelids collapsed and the body relaxed, showing how tightly coiled he had been from the second of waking up. Albus reached over to tuck the covers more securely around the boy, a thoughtful look upon his face.