Dumbledore was…well it was hard to describe the man exactly. Almost as if he was more of a wistful idea than a man. His long white beard hung to his waist, decorated with some bobbles. His half-moon spectacles sat on a slightly crooked nose, hiding blue eyes that twinkled with something like a knowing wisdom. By Harry's poor estimate he was about…1000 years old. He wore these peculiar robes of blue and purple that cascaded to the floor. On his head, he wore a pointed hat with stars embroidered in gold. Overall, Harry thought he was the most brilliant person he'd ever seen.
"Ah young Mr. Potter, and the youngest of the Weasley children. It is such a pleasure to see Arthur and Molly's children grown. I remember when you mother and father attended this very school back when I was still only a professor. You have all grown into such lovely young men and women." He turned his back to them then, allowing Harry's eyes to finally move around to take in his surroundings. The office was large, and circular, with a mahogany desk in the center. There were two staircases that led up into a loft – that from Harry's point of view – looked like it held a library. The walls were decorated with portraits of former headmasters, and on a perch near the window sat the largest bird Harry had ever seen. Its brilliant red feathers seemed to glow in the light, as if they were made of silk.
"I've never seen a bird like this one, Professor. What breed is it?" He could hear himself asking, approaching the bird with caution, holding out his hand. For a moment the bird eyed him as if he was likely to try and nip at him if he got to close, but to Harry's surprise, the bird instead nuzzled into his touch.
"Fawkes is a…well he's a very rare breed from Africa. Not many like him in the world. He is my life's longest companion. Now Mr. Potter, I do invite you to come sit with your friends as tea is being served." A short woman with wiry looking silver hair tied into a neat bun placed down a tray on the desk, bowing to the headmaster once before quietly exiting.
Ginny and Ron seemed to already be digging in to the small sandwiches served with tea, and Harry sat in the empty chair to their left. There was a slightly uncomfortable silence that persisted until everyone's tea had been poured. Dumbledore's gaze, while being warm, was strong. "Ms. Weasley, I do believe congratulations are in order. Molly mentioned in my most recent correspondence about your engagement. Mr. Thomas is a kind and intelligent young man. He briefly trained here before he was sent off in the navy."
Ginny smiled kindly at the old man, glad to hear that he had a positive opinion of Dean. He was the most important man in the country, next to the King, and getting his approval was high praise.
"I do have to apologize." The older man spoke again, and Harry tensed when his powerful eyes found his. "I did not attend the funeral for your father. James was…" He paused, and Harry wondered if he saw a hint of tears forming in the man's striking blue eyes. "I was lucky to have known him, watched him grow. You have so much of your father in you, but of course, you have your mother's eyes."
Harry drew his eyes away, forcing himself to look anywhere but up at the Headmaster. He wondered if the man also didn't know that his mother was dead…that he was orphaned in the one place he used to feel at home…that his aunt and uncle were so needlessly cruel. But then again, how could he know…yet Harry got an eerie feeling that the man knew more than anyone believed.
"Thank you, sir. I don't remember my father much but being in this place…his old school especially…well it feels like I'm with him again. Please, if you have any stories, I would love to hear them." The discomfort in the air seemed to dissipate with his request, and before any of them realized, hours had passed. Laughs were shared during stories of James and his friends causing mischief, and his face hurt from smiling as he learned more and more about his parents.
"Lily was so sweet, and so hungry for knowledge. She grew up poor, you know, earning a scholarship to be able to attend our fine institution. Of course, your father was taken with her the moment that he laid eyes on her. Just 11 and yet following her like a puppy dog." Harry's laughter bubbled up to his lips, and he found himself laughing longingly. Dumbledore smiled warmly at the boy, the twinkle in his eyes sparkling with delight.
"So it was love at first sight?" Ginny asked, sighing at the romantic notion. She straightened her spine as the older man laughed at her words. The trio looked at the odd man, surprised at his response to Ginny's question.
"Oh Merlin no. Lily could not stand your father. He was quite the troublesome boy you know. He and your Godfather and two of their other friends earned rather an…unsavory reputation. Luckily for him, and for you, James had matured into a dashing, intelligent, mature young man by the end of their schooling. Once he got all of the tomfoolery out of his system, they were inseparable. I've never seen two people more in love." He winked at Harry, earning a smirk from the boy. "Sirius, however, seemed to never get to the growing up part. No one was surprised when he took off to be an adventurer instead of settling down."
Ron laughed at this, which caused Harry to roll his eyes. The one time Ron had met Sirius, he had insisted that he was the coolest man alive and that he wanted to be just like him. This, of course, had earned a smack upside the head from Ron's mum. Molly Weasley made it very clear that, 'No son of hers was going to become some gallivanting womanizer.' And how she had, 'Raised him to be a part of more respectable society than that.'
Ginny smacked Ron's arm, to the delight of the headmaster. His soft chuckle was warm and inviting, and with every moment they spent in his presence, Harry found himself more and more taken in by the charms of the older man.
"Professor…" Harry wondered aloud, thinking back on the story he had been told about his father and his trouble-maker friends. "Who were my father's other friends. You said there were two others, besides Sirius." Frowning slightly to himself, Dumbledore took one last sip from his teacup before placing it gently back down on the desk.
"Yes…there were four. The Marauders they called themselves. Fancied themselves a band of misfits. James was their leader, Sirius his second in command. The other two were a painfully shy boy named Peter Pettigrew and a sickly boy named Remus Lupin. He had a rare blood condition, Remus did, and he always tried to push the other three away. He insisted that he was going to die imminently and that it would hurt them less if he kept his distance." A loud sigh escaped the older man's lips, and Harry couldn't determine if they were due to sadness or regret.
"What happened to him?" Ron asked, placing his cup back on its saucer much less gracefully than the headmaster had done.
"I think…" Dumbledore cleared his throat, avoiding looking directly at the young people sitting in front of him. "When one has prepared their entire life to die, watching a friend die before you can be…challenging. He taught here at Hogwarts for a time, but when your father died…it broke something in him. Last I heard he was living in Bulgaria somewhere. He writes every once in a while, but he's worked it into his head that he should've died and not James. He and your Godfather had quite the falling out when he left."
Harry frowned, but nodded solemnly. He had felt the same way when his mother had died. Bargaining was a stage of grief, and it seemed that Remus had never come out of it. Ron, seemingly having noticed his friend's discomfort, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Only his best friend could've understood his reaction; he was so desperate for family, a sense of belonging.
"And the other boy…Peter?" Harry asked, trying to contain the hopefulness in his voice. He knew from the sad way Dumbledore's eyes fell on him that he wasn't going to get a good answer.
"Peter…well he made a few choices that your father strongly advised against. They hadn't spoken in many years when he had died. I don't think he would be a good person to contact…fell in with some wrong sorts." He had a million more questions, but something in Dumbledore's voice told him that those would go best unsaid.
"Thank you for sharing this information with us headmaster. You must be rather busy, particularly with so many nobles coming in for the Princess's ball. I must say though, I have been curious as to why our princess has chosen a masquerade theme. Surely she has nothing to hide, rumours say she is quite lovely." Ginny had her pinky out as she sipped her tea, remembering all the etiquette training her mother had drilled her in. Harry nearly laughed at the sight of his friend playing the part of a lady, but he held himself back. Ron, naturally, didn't hold it in, and he received a swift kick to his shin. He just glared at her, yelping slightly as her boot made contact.
"It is busy, but I thoroughly enjoy the work. As for your curiosity…if I may let you all in on a secret." He leaned in close to them, and all three followed his invitation to join him. Now that they were all closer together, he whispered to them. "She is going to be in disguise to properly determine her pick of suitor. After the stunt that Lord Malfoy pulled last year with trying to get his son to smooth talk his way into her hand in marriage, she has been nervous about finding a husband who is saying all the right things to a princess. She wants to have a connection with someone on a deeper basis than a lust for a crown."
"Sounds perfect for me then! I'll just have to charm every girl I see and hope for the best." Ron responded. There was a rogueish smile that graced his face that Harry could only assume Ron had learned from Sirius. He was debating smacking the boy for his over-confidence, but found that he didn't have to, as Ginny was already doing so. Swiftly knocking the palm of her hand into the back of Ron's head, he groaned at the violence.
"You best consider yourself lucky that mum wasn't here to see that. She'd have boxed your ears and sent you home." Straightening her skirt and smiling brightly at the headmaster, Ginny continued. "I do apologize for my behavior. I am normally much more ladylike, but I can't allow my brother to make such…inappropriate comments towards our Princess."
Dumbledore just chuckled, clearly amused at the youngest Weasley. Growing up a girl in a house of all boys must have made it hard for her to maintain her decorum, although she could do so when needed.
"What about you Harry? Do you hold no interest in the crown?" When the man's blue eyes met his green ones, he found himself swallowing down a blush.
"More interested in the ladies-in-waiting I'd say." He blurted out, unsure why he had said it at all.
"Oh, you've taken a shine to one of Princess Hermione's ladies? Which one might I ask? I am very fond of all of those girls."
"Her name is Susan…I just met her in the library. I…well I got lost after our meeting with McGonagall and she was kind enough to guide me back here. She's the smartest person I've ever met, and I'm hoping to be able to ask for a dance at the ball." Harry felt small under the older man's searching gaze, but never broke his smile. Meeting Susan had felt…right in some way, like it was supposed to happen. Ron nudged him with his elbow, giving him a playful smile. Harry knew he was in for some teasing for how besotted he was, but it was worth it.
"Lady Susan, did she have a rather large mane of curly hair?" Harry seemed confused by the question, but nodded, nonetheless. Certainly, Dumbledore knew what the ladies looked like. "A lovely girl…Susan. She's much more than meets the eye. I'm sure that the opportunity will arise for you to…get to know each other better." There was something cryptic in the man's smile, and Harry couldn't help but feel like Dumbledore knew something more that he wasn't saying. But who was he to ask an old man for all his secrets.
"Well I have kept you all from your visit long enough. I do believe that you and I will be seeing each other much more, should you begin to court our young miss…Susan." Once again, Dumbledore paused before saying her name, and Harry could feel his eyes narrow with suspicion. There was definitely something more going on that he wasn't aware of, however, they had clearly been dismissed and he knew that he wasn't going to learn anything more. "Oh and Mr. Potter." The crisp voice called, causing Harry to turn back just as he reached the door. "Do not forget who you are. Keep your head up, for you are a lion. Don't forget that and neither will the sheep." He didn't know what the old man meant by that, but he nodded anyway. How could he be a lion?
By the time they made their way back to the entrance of the castle from the Headmaster's office, Harry had lost all hope that he would run into the beautiful girl again. Sighing, he followed his friends to the massive wooden doors in the front of the school. Rain pattered against the cobblestone path ahead of them, and Harry found himself smiling. He normally hated the rain, but there was something beautiful about it in this place.
Despite the seasonal chill, there was a warmth permeating the air, and Harry found himself launching forward into the downpour. Ron called after him, but Ginny just joined him, her soft feminine laugh echoing behind him. When she reached him, he offered his hand to her, which she readily took. The two danced in the rain like lunatics, but Harry didn't mind. This was the most care-free he had felt in nearly 10 years. Ron joined them shortly after, dancing along with them. They continued to laugh and dance and run in the rain until the storm let up, all three wearing huge smiles and drenched through.
"Harry we really should get you some new glasses." Ginny commented as they walked back to gate that lead back to the main part of the city. Ron nodded his head in agreement, snatching the boy's glasses from where they had been sitting on the bridge of his nose. Putting them on, Ron squinted a few times before loudly exclaiming, "Blimey Harry, you are blind!"
The walk back to the castle was filled with a new hopeful energy in Harry that brought up the morale of the whole group. By the time they arrived back at their inn, the sun was in its last throws, casting dim yellow light over the dusk. The sky itself looked like a painting, with a vivid blend of red, orange, yellow, and purple. It was the most beautiful sky Harry had ever seen, but then everything was more beautiful in this city.
Dinner was quick, as they arrived near the end of the meal. Ginny bid her goodnights and headed up before the boys. When Ron had eaten seemingly all the food that Tom, the innkeeper, had left, they too retired to their room. As they stripped off their still damp clothes and changed into their sleeping clothes, Harry broke their companionable silence.
"I'm glad I came Ron. For so long I really thought that there was nothing for me outside of the Dursleys and taking care of my family home. This city…its like a new world I never knew existed. If they ground me forever when we return, it will have been worth it. And who knows, maybe I can start saving now and in a few years time I'll have enough to ask Lady Susan to marry me."
Ron laughed at this statement, and Harry shot him a glare with no edge to it and threw a pillow at his messy red hair.
"I'm just saying mate, maybe see the woman again before you go off planning your wedding. Of course, once I marry Princess Hermione, I'll be sure to afford you every opportunity to hit on her ladies." Ron seemed so confident, Harry just chuckled at the boy, crossing the room. On the desk there was a handful of parchment strips and a few quills and an ink pot. Dipping the quill in the ink, Harry began to write two letters.
Sirius Orion, Lord of House Black,
Godfather, it has been some time since my last letter, and I must apologize for the delay. However, I am writing to you now because I have something exciting looming on the horizon. Today, by the great wings of chance and luck, I have met the most wonderful girl. Her name is Susan and she is a lady-in-waiting for the Princess. Although there is some degree of mystery to her, she is beautiful and intelligent. Mum would've loved her. When next you come home, I will ensure to give you a full report.
How is your work? Being an ambassador must be very interesting. Lord Weasley tells me that William is rather taken with a girl you met while stationed in France. I think Lady Weasley is more concerned that you will turn Bill into a rake than return him with a respectable wife.
I miss you. Please write as soon as you get this. I want to hear everything.
Yours sincerely,
Harry
When he finished his first letter, he placed the quill back into the ink pot, rolling up the piece of parchment tightly and wrapping a thin linen strip around it. He hadn't written Sirius in nearly six months, and had he not run out of space on the parchment, he likely would've sent him a tome.
The next letter that he was going to write was much more difficult to articulate, and Harry found himself struggling over how to begin it, but once his quill hit the parchment, everything came flowing out.
Remus Lupin,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. I have only an idea of your whereabouts and have to rely on an owl's intelligence and ingenuity for the rest. My name is Harry Potter, and I have recently learned that you were a friend of my late father. Growing up has been difficult, with only fleeting memories of the man I'm told I so strongly resemble.
I invite you to visit at my home, Godric's Hollow. My goal for some time has been gathering stories about my parents to feel closer to them, and who better to tell me those stories than his best friends. Whatever happened between you and Sirius, whatever drove you away, know that I would love nothing more than to get to know you. I am the age my father was when I was born and yet I find it nearly impossible to remember his smile, his voice, the way that he and my mother used to dance in the kitchen while she prepared breakfast.
Please sir, if you loved my father, do not hide from his death. It will not change that he is gone.
Yours Sincerely,
Harry Potter
Rolling up the second parchment as well, Harry quietly made his way to the door, noticing Ron was already softly snoring on the bed. It only took a few moments for him to reach the owlery connected to the inn, and a few more moments to secure his letters to two of the owls available. Watching them fly off into the night, the words that Dumbledore parted him with stuck in his head… "Keep your head up, for you are a lion. Don't forget that and neither will the sheep."
It reminded him of what McGonagall had told him about the houses, how his parents had both been in Gryffindor; the house for the brave and bold. If that was the legacy left to him by his parents, then how disappointed they would be to see him now. That moment of reflection changed something in him. He was a lion, and its time the sheep found out about it.
