Disclaimer: Harry potter is still the property of JK Rowling not me. Consider yourselves disclaimed
A/N – in case it's unclear from the story, this chapter takes place two years from the events in chapter one. Enjoy...
Meanwhile back in England...
Albus Dumbledore was not having a pleasant day.
It started upon waking up this morning to find that one of the castle's cleaning elves had accidentally managed to bleach all his favourite multicoloured socks a bland white.
Then while reading the paper at breakfast he learned that Honeydukes were discontinuing production on his favourite brand of jalapeno cough drops.
Then to top it off, while seeing to the pile of paper work that had collected on his desk, he discovered an urgent missive from Arabella Figg regarding her newest charge, Harry Potter. Albus had decided to use the elderly squib to watch over young Harry whilst he was under the care of his maternal aunt.
Arabella had written that in the two weeks since she had moved into the neighbourhood, she had yet to see the Potter boy once. What's more, by the way the Dursleys were acting; it was as if the boy was not even living there.
This was of course quite impossible, as the blood ward protection he himself had implemented had activated over two years ago; and was growing stronger by the day.
Still, better safe than sorry; he decided to send his most trusted man, Severus Snape, to assess the defences on the house. He should not be able to enter the premises; the wards would see that any magical person who knew the location of the house could not enter without permission of a blood relation.
As if summoned, Severus Snape entered the office; his black cloak billowing behind him as he moved.
Albus looked up from his paperwork and smiled at the man; his eyes twinkling at the dour and, in his opinion rather melodramatic, image his potion master had crafted for himself over the years.
"Severus my boy, please have a seat."
Albus stated, gesturing to the overstuffed chair and holding out a dish full of bright red sweets.
"Might I interest you in a 'Scolding Soother' before they're taken off the market?"
Snape eyed the proffered bowl with disdain; his lip curling into its customary sneer as he settled into the chair.
"Really headmaster must we go through this asinine ritual every time I enter your office. I have important potions that I could be brewing."
"I'm terribly sorry Severus; you are of course quite right"
The contrite tone was belied by the persistent twinkle in the old man's eyes.
"Now how did your evaluation of the wards on Privet Drive go?"
"It didn't"
The response delivered in the potion master's customary curtness.
"I beg your pardon? What do you mean it didn't?"
The barest hint of confusion laced the man's otherwise jovial tone.
"I mean it didn't. There was no evaluation performed as there were no wards present on which to perform them."
A small amount of snarkiness finding its way into the man's normally stoic voice.
The change in Dumbledore's face was immediate, all traces of humour vanished and his mouth was set in a stern frown.
"I suggest you explain."
The steel in his voice indicating that the comment was far from a suggestion.
Snape quickly banished the slight trepidation he felt at the headmasters tone, and began explaining.
"I apperated a short distance from the target as instructed. I then proceeded on foot towards the residence in question. I managed to walk all the way to the front door without triggering any type of ward at all. I then proceeded to knock on the door to ensure that I had the correct house. The door was answered by a rather repellent looking muggle woman, I vaguely remember as being Petunia Evans. I enquired after the Potter boy and was rudely told that there was no one living there by that name, and us freaks should just leave them alone. It was at this point that I entered her mind and was able to find out that the woman's husband had left the boy at an orphanage in Guilford the day he was left there."
The headmaster, who had been growing steadily paler throughout the course of the report, was as white as a sheet when he heard of the boy's abandonment.
What he was hearing should not be possible; all of the monitoring devices he had in place indicated that the wards had started functioning several weeks after the boys placement, and were only growing stronger.
He quickly grabbed a quill and piece of parchment and began to pen a letter.
"FAWKES" he cried out as his familiar appeared in a burst of flames and settled into an empty spot on his desk. He tuned to the phoenix and thrust the now sealed note towards the bird.
"I need you to get this note to Alastor Moody with all due haste"
As the phoenix disappeared in the same manner it arrived, Albus slumped back into his chair, looking every bit his age at the moment.
Snape, who was more than a little unnerved at the headmaster's behaviour, hesitantly tried to console the man.
"Sir, I know that this must be difficult for you given your close relationship with the Potters." The word Potters said as though some vile curse. "But surely the boy can be recovered quickly; this is hardly the end of the world"
"One can only hope you are correct my boy, but I fear you may have been closer to the mark than you realise."
The defeated air with which the old man spoke was such a contrast to his usual jolly persona. Severus realised that he was perhaps the only person alive, with the possible exception of Moody, who ever gets to see this vulnerable side of the man. In the years since the war, Snape had assumed the role of advisor and confessor to the venerable leader of the light; being one of the few people who could truly understand the gravity of the decisions the man made on a daily basis.
"What do you mean Albus?"
A faint smile crossed on wizened man's face. Severus only used his first name when they were discussing the less pleasant ramifications of some of his decisions. Severus would go into what Albus liked to call 'priest mode'; where the acerbic demeanour he was famous for dropped, and his less known compassionate side came forth. Albus steeled himself to confess his latest and perhaps gravest sin to the man before him.
"I am afraid that the loss of Harry Potter is a far more dire matter than you, or anyone else realise. This perhaps is the greatest mistake I have ever made; and if you have ever seen the list of mistakes I have made in my long life you would know that this is some achievement."
"I don't understand."
Severus wore a confused expression that was somewhat foreign on the man.
"And rightly so, for this is a most confusing tale, and I would hardly expect you to grasp the situation with so little information. Perhaps understanding would come more easily to you after I have told you the story of 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' and what happened that fateful night with the fall of Voldemort."
Severus tried and failed to contain the flinch at the name of the former dark lord.
"I don't see how Michael Potter's life story has any relevance to today's events."
"Of course you don't my dear boy, as I have yet to tell the story. Perhaps if you could leave your queries until then, I shall endeavour to enlighten you."
Seeing the chastened look on the potion master face for the interruption Albus continued.
"You see on the night in question I had been deceived by faulty information passed on to us about an attack on Hogsmeade. I went along with Hagrid to defend the town while the other Professors stayed to guard the students. While at the time I thought the information was genuine; I realise now
that it was a rouse to ensure I would be unavailable to act in time to prevent the attack on the Potter home."
Albus sighed heavily as he thought on that particular mistake, but pressed on with the tale.
"When I finally arrived at the scene of the attack I found the place nearly in ruins; fire had spread and threatened to engulf the house entirely. Fortunately James and Lily had arrived before I did, and had both children in hand. Sirius Black was also there; though Peter Pettigrew, who had been charged with watching the boys that night, was conspicuously absent. I believe you can deduce the reason for this."
Severus sneered but remained silent at the memory of the wretched little coward who was now languishing in Azkaban prison. While he vehemently loathed all the members of the marauders group; he particularly despised that snivelling like worm that use to always hide behind Black and Potter during their school yard days.
Seeing that he was not going to comment, Albus continued.
"After hearing the accounts of the night's events from both James and Lily, I was able to ascertain that Voldemort had indeed arrived that night with the intention of killing both Michael and Harry. However something occurred that resulted in the dark lords killing curse being reflected back towards its caster. What exactly occurred, I do not know; however I was able to deduce from the lack of a dead body that the dark lord was not truly gone."
The lack of a corpse was not the only reason Albus suspected as he did; but since it was not particularly relevant to the present situation he saw no need to divulge his other information.
"I knew that news of the dark lords demise would rally his more ardent followers into seeking vengeance; so time was short to prepare a suitable safe haven for the 'vanquisher of Voldemort'. I decided on employing a variation of my own creation on the ancient cruorem vinculum ward, to protect both boys.
Basically the ward would exploit the natural bond between magical twins as a conduit to power the protection. So long as both boys lived in the same home with someone of the same blood, the familial emotions that power the wards would transfer through the twin bond to fuel the alternate wards. In that way Michael would power Harry's protection, and conversely Harry would power Michaels.
My modifications to the original, ensured that the wards would be impervious to any form of magical detection we currently possess, with the exception of the Hogwarts register, which works off a type of magic lost to time. This meant that all forms of correspondence would be unavailable; believe me getting the Potters to acquiesce to such a measure was a trial in its own right."
'That explained why Albus is so worried about the potter brat' Severus thought. 'Harry Potter is the lynch pin of the entire protection system, without it Michael Potter would be near defenceless'.
"Do you believe additional security measures should be placed around Michael Potter until this matter is resolved?" Severus questioned, thinking this the centre of the headmasters current thoughts.
"I see what you're thinking Severus, however Harry's role in the powering of the wards in only a small part of my current worries. You see, while I knew that Voldemort had been defeated that night by the Potter twins; I was unsure exactly which twin was ultimately responsible. All I could do was make a reasonably educated guess based on the nature of the wounds on the boys, all my subsequent decisions are centred around that estimation; I believe with roughly eighty percent certainty that I chose correctly."
Severus stared at the headmaster incredulously.
" Are you telling me that after all the hoopla and fuss surrounding Michael Potter as the boy who lived, your only eighty percent sure that he's the right bloody child?"
A sad smile ghosted across the old man's face before he spoke
"On the contrary my boy, I am only eighty percent sure that Michael Potter is in fact not the boy-who-lived."
The look of shock on the normally hard-faced man would have been comical if not for the circumstances.
"What... How... Why..." Severus spluttered, unable to voice a coherent thought. Albus feigned obliviousness and proceeded to answer regardless.
"All valid questions; two relatively easy to answer, one not so much.
As to the what; that would be my purposeful deception of the wizarding world on the true identity of the boy-who-lived.
Explaining the how is also quite simple; it involves me lying repeatedly to anyone who asked regarding the events of that night. You see, the night of the attack, both boys had scars on their faces. Michael's scar, the now famous Knut shaped burn mark, displayed no evidence that it had been created by any magical method whatsoever. Harry on the other hand carried a rather nasty gash on his forehead that not only reeked of dark magic; but also refused to respond to any of the healing charms cast at it. As you know both signs are indicative of a dark curse. However as very few can sense the presence of dark magic, I simply stated that I felt its presence around Michael and not Harry; my rather sterling reputation helped ease that along nicely.
The why however is rather complicated. You see I knew that whoever defeated Voldemort would have a target around their necks for the rest of their days. I also knew that no protection I could muster would be entirely fool proof; as that night clearly demonstrated. I decided that the greatest protection I would be able to provide would be that of anonymity. With Michael acting as a decoy for his brother, Harry would be free to live in relative peace away from magic with his muggle relatives.
There was also the matter of the wards themselves. Given their nature it was taken for fact that the child left with their natural parents would be able to provide more positive emotions to power the wards then the child left with an unknown relative. I thought it the safer option to leave Harry under the more powerful wards."
The information just presented left Severus reeling. It was so farfetched, and yet the more he thought about it the more Dumbledore's reasoning made sense.
His plan was brilliant, in a rather twisted way. Severus had made it a point to keep in touch with the death eaters who had escaped prison; and all of them were under the impression that Michael Potter was the one to bring down their master. Few even knew Harry Potter existed; and those that did dismissed the child as unimportant.
Still, there was something niggling at the back of his mind that there was more to it than that; he decided to vocalise his thought.
"That's not the only reason you chose to place the child with the muggles, is it?"
The old headmaster looked at him with surprise and a hint of pride that he had managed to figure him out. Severus inwardly preened at the praise implied in the look; as a child would when told they had done something particularly noteworthy. Outwardly he kept his expressionless mask in place; it wouldn't do to ruin his image after all.
"Indeed you are right my boy, there is another reason I chose to place Harry with his aunt's family."
Albus then stopped for a moment, as if he was carefully choosing his words for what he was about to say next.
"James Potter, while I care for him deeply, has always had a bit of a rebellious streak. He was a spoiled child, who had a bit of an ego problem for much of his formative years. He was also a somewhat callous child growing up; as you yourself can attest to."
Severus inwardly agreed but stayed silent; Albus continued.
"Lily Potter was a delightful student, but could also be described at times as being obstinate and assertive to the point of being confrontational."
Severus inwardly disagreed but still remained silent.
"Such characteristics would be dangerous in someone who is to lead the side of light in the next confrontation with darkness, as I believe young Harry is destined to do.
I therefore took it upon myself to place him in an environment where he would learn the value of humility and modesty; away from the trappings of fame, and all of the common vices that typically accompany it."
Hear he let his head fall into his hands as he sighed wearily.
"I thought myself clever. I thought I had all bases covered, all contingencies realised, everything planned. Such a fool I am."
Severus looked on awkwardly as his mentor berated himself. He was spared the daunting task of comforting the man by the green flames that rose from the fireplace; the familiar scarred face of made-eye Moody floating within.
"Alastor, please tell me good news"
Albus pleaded, his face reflecting the hope and desperation he felt.
"Can't do it Albus"
Moody replied in his usual gruff tone, though Severus thought he could detect a note of regret as well.
"I searched over the records of the orphanage for that time period, and interviewed anyone who was there at the time. Both came up negative; whoever was here covered their tracks pretty well."
At that Albus visibly deflated; it seemed that with those words all the fight left the powerful wizard, leaving a broken old man in its wake.
Both Snape and Moody seemed equally unsettled by his attitude, and the silence that ensued. Severus, looking to fill the silence elected to speak.
"Headmaster isn't there some way to deconstruct the wards surrounding the boy so he can be found".
Albus smiled, but it was clear that it was false.
"I'm afraid not my boy. I was unprepared to place a back door into the ward scheme out of fear that Tom would have discovered and exploited it. So short of killing Michael Potter, which we can all agree is not an option; there is no possible way to find Harry magically until his eleventh birthday."
Dumbledore took a minute to regain his composure. When he was ready he stood from behind his desk; all traces of the dejected old man forgotten.
"Alastor, Severus, I want you both to begin making discreet enquiries to your respective contacts. Discretion is the key word here gentlemen; if word gets out about Harry's disappearance, the danger will increase exponentially.
I must prepare myself to let Lily and James know that I lost their son."
Remus Lupin was not having a pleasant day.
He woke up still tired and in pain; it was a full moon the previous night.
He was then accosted by Dumbledore's infernal buzzard, which refused to let him return to sleep until he had read the letter he had sent concerning some grave news he had to give at James and Lily's place later that day.
The knowledge that grave news was coming stopped all thoughts of returning to slumber, instead leaving him with a sinking feeling in his stomach.
The last time Dumbledore had grave news, Remus discovered that Voldemort had attacked his friends, his other friend was a traitor and his god-son Harry had been carted off to live with muggles.
It was the last one that hurt the worst, and left the greatest hole in his heart. Peter's betrayal had shocked him to the core, but next to loosing Harry it seemed almost trivial in comparison.
Remus was used to having very little in his life; given his 'condition' it was to be expected that he would live friendless and destitute.
When James and Sirius had befriended him despite knowing of his 'problem', he always thought in the back of his mind that the day would come when they realised how dangerous he was and left him alone.
Harry changed all that.
Unlike his brother, who was as loud and boisterous as his father and god-father; little harry was quiet and enjoyed nothing more than sitting in his god-fathers lap and listening as he read him stories from a picture book.
His first word was Mooey, a fact that irritated both James and Sirius, who had been coaching both the boys at every opportunity to say their names first.
His favourite toy was the stuffed wolf that comprised part of the marauder set given to the boys on their first Christmas.
Harry was even recognised as a cub by Remus' inner wolf.
When he was told about what had happened that night he lashed out at everyone; at Dumbledore for taking his Harry away; and at James and Lily for letting him. The results of that fight left everyone in tears, and left Sirius with a broken jaw. Even to this day a strain still exists in their once perfect friendship.
When Remus arrived at the Potters house he braced himself for the worst. He was the last to arrive, and sat down in the chair opposite Dumbledore and listened as the old man explained how he lost his god-son.
When he finished speaking Remus was seeing red; he was holding the arm rests on his chair so hard that impressions must have been left. When Dumbledore looked up and told everyone how sorry he was Remus snapped. He lunged over the table towards Dumbledore intent on killing the man who took his cub for the second time.
By the time James and Sirius had pulled him away, the elderly headmaster was sporting two black eyes and a broken nose.
When he finally gained control of himself he ran out of the house, lest he lose control again and actually ended up killing the old man. He apperated home and broke out his stash of Ogden's finest; intent of drinking away his misery.
Petrus Aurelius was having a very a pleasant day.
He was woken up in a most agreeable manner by his beautiful wife; who at three months pregnant was quite insatiable.
He then got up and prepared for the funeral of his late father; a thoroughly loathsome man who made more friends in death then he ever did in life.
And to top it all off he received a letter from his baby brother, who had till this point been thought dead; having been missing for the past two years.
It seems that little Silvanus, or 'Silas' as he insisted on being called, had gotten a child of his own and left the country. No doubt to escape both the questioning authorities, and our own overbearing parents.
Silas was always his favourite in the Aurelius clan. Being a decade older meant that he missed most of his brothers growing up due to his being at Hogwarts. That meant that every holiday Petrus got to play the doting bigger brother who spoiled the kid rotten. It was also something of an ego boost that Silas liked him better than his own parents; going so far as to emulate him as a child.
It hurt that Silas had let him think that he was dead, even though a large part of him could understand the reasoning. Father would never have allowed his son to bring 'some bastard child' into the family; and mother would have been little help, wailing about 'tainting the line'. Silas would have been promptly disowned if our parents ever found out, and the child would never have been recognised.
But as fate would have it father's untimely death made Petrus the head of the family. He would have to remember to make an appointment at Gringotts to have little Justin formally recognised as an Aurellius, and have a trust vault set up.
He snickered at the thought of telling his mother this little piece of information today at the funeral. Yes today would be a good day indeed.
TBC
A/N- Here it is chapter three of this little story. Next chapter moves forward to Harry/Justin at 11. My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who has read and reviewed, you guys make writing this stuff a little easier.
A little note on possible future ships. I haven't thought far enough ahead in this story to determine what ships if any will occur. I'm not even sure if this story will end up being slash or het. To that end I have set up a poll on my profile page asking what readers would prefer. Please note that I will not write H/G, H/Hr, H/R or any ship with someone old enough to be a parent.
