Different plans
Chapter 7 - 10 years
"Why, Albus?" Sirius asked irritated.
"Do you want him to be against us when Voldemort is raising again?" Dumbledore challenged his former student.
"He would never- " James began, but got cut off by his wife.
"How do you know?" Lily asked him horrified. "We shouldn't have given him away! Sirius, why did you talk us into it?" Tears began to stream down her face once again.
"You know just as well as I do that Max needs all your attention!" Black said fiercely.
"He's right, Lily," James said firmly, hugging his wife. "He's right..."
"Severus!" Remus exclaimed, literally jumping out of the fireplace into the Snapes living room
"What, Lupin?" Severus asked, putting the book he'd been reading down.
"Obliviate me!"
"What do you mean? Obliviate you? Why?"
"I shouldn't know about this place anymore, otherwise Dumbledore might torture me to get the information he needs!" Remus yelled anxiously.
"Is your name Remus Lupin?" Albus Dumbledore asked, looking hard at the man who sat on a chair in front of him.
"Yes."
"Are you a werewolf?"
"Yes."
"Did you quit your friendship to James Potter?"
"Yes."
"Good, the veritaserum should work," Dumbledore said happily, rubbing his hands. He sat down at his desk. "Do you know the whereabouts of Harry Potter?"
"No."
"What?" The headmaster had been so sure that he'd find out this way. Lupin had to know where young Harry was.
"I do not know the whereabouts of Harry Potter," the werewolf repeated, speaking in a monotone voice like before.
"But you must!" Albus insisted, standing up again. "Do you have an idea why you don't know it?"
"No. I don't."
A week later...
The twin of the Boy-Who-Lived is not dead!
S. Snape, former Death Eater and professor at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, has NOT kiled Harry Potter.
"Last week he came to my house", James Potter said in the interview. "He stunned me, then made my wife and son cry. Before he left he said that Harry's still alive. Please, we need help finding him! We need to get Harry back before any serious damage is done to him!"
So, what will happen to the boy now? Will he be found? How long will he still be alive? Or has Snape already killed him by now?
Rita Skeeter, Journalist for the Daily Prophet
5 years later...
A small boy sat in a big garden, reading a book. He didn't notice the door being opened and a man coming out.
"Hello, Harry," the man said, sitting down next to the boy.
"Dad!" Harry exclaimed, putting the book down. He turned around to hug Severus. Suddenly he began to cough though. Severus watched in concern.
"Harry," he asked in a serious tone of voice. "Did you notice that you coughed a lot in the last few weeks?"
The boy nodded, slowly stopping to cough.
"Maybe you should go to Poppy," Eileen said as she stepped out, watching them.
"You're right, Mum."
"What can I do for you?" the matron asked as Severus, who'd checked moments before that no one was there to watch, and Harry stepped out of the fireplace.
"Could you check up on Harry?" Snape asked.
"Of course I can, but why?"
"He's been coughing a lot," Severus explained. "It worries me."
"Do you remember what I told you five years ago?" Poppy asked after the checkup.
"You don't mean he's got asthma?" Severus asked concerned, looking at the now sleeping boy.
"I'm afraid the answer is yes."
"There's nothing we can do, is there?" Snape asked in frustration. There'd been enough pain in the boy's life already; it didn't need anything else on top.
"No, there isn't. But he needs this inhaler," Pomfrey said, giving him two of them."And the second one is for you, in case he forgets or loses his."
"He always has to carry it around, then?"
"Yes, Severus, he has to in case he gets an asthma attack."
Another 5 years later...
The twin of the Boy-Who-Lived still missing
This year Harry Potter, brother of Maximilian Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, should be starting Hogwarts like our hero. Will we see him there? What do the Potters have to say about all this? How do they react to this whole situation?
"I hope my son is fine," Lily Potter said in the interview.
"Hopefully we can get him back," James Potter added.
"I want my brother," young Maximilian had whined, nearly starting to cry.
So, like J. Potter said, we hope that we will see Harry Potter again. But what if he's already dead? Will the parents of H. Potter get S. Snape in front of the Wizengamot if the boy does not return this year to go to Hogwarts? We will keep you up with the latest news.
Rita Skeeter, Journalist for the Daily Prophet
"Grandpa?" Harry asked after he'd read the article for the third time.
"Yes, Harry?"
"Why, again, do I live not with my real parents?"
"Because," Tobias said, sighing, "they didn't treat you like real parents should treat their own flesh and blood."
"So, Dad took me away from them?"
"Yes, that's why, sweetie," Eileen said as she entered the kitchen and started to make breakfast.
"Morning, Mum, Dad, Harry," Severus yawned as he, too, entered the kitchen. "What does the Prophet say today?"
"Another article about me," Harry answered, wrinkling his nose in distaste. There'd been a few articles speculating if he'd attend Hogwarts - which he of course would do - this year.
"What did she write?" Severus asked, referring to Rita Skeeter. All the articles over the years about Harry had been written by her.
"That they hope to see me again. And the Potters said the same."
"Oh, before I forget it, Harry."
"What, Dad?" the boy asked.
"If the people see me with you in Diagon Alley, they will take you away."
"W-what does that mean?" Harry bit his lip fearfully. Would that mean he'd not be allowed to go to Hogwarts?
"That you'll meet your parents in three days, so that they can take you," Tobias answered sadly.
"C-can I still come here though?"
"Of course, sweetheart," Eileen said reassuringly, putting a plate with a pile of pancakes in front of him. "Whenever you want to, Harry. You'll always be welcome."
Three days later...
"Are you ready?"
"Yes... well, I think so, at least," Harry told Severus, looking at his feet.
"Harry," Sev said, crouching down in front of the boy. "I know that you can do this. You surprised me a lot in the last ten years. For example when you answered all my questions on year one stuff all right. Or when Poppy made you do the IQ-test. That day I was both proud and surprised."
Harry could clearly remember that day. He had been surprised how easy most of the questions were. In the end he had an IQ of 143, and that had been last year.
"Thanks, Dad," the boy said, managing a small smile.
"OK, you know how to get to the Leaky Cauldron, don't you?"
"Of course I do!" Harry didn't know how his "father" could ever have doubted that. Aunt Minerva had taken him there a few times in the last years (of course he'd been disguised as her nephew).
"And don't forget, you can always come to me at Hogwarts," Severus reminded him.
"Even if I'm in Gryffindor?"
"Even if you're in Gryffindor," Severus confirmed, speaking softly, hugging the boy a last time. "But I doubt that you will get anywhere except Ravenclaw or Slytherin."
"Harry!" Lily exclaimed as the boy stepped out of the fireplace, hugging him. The whole pup stared at him with eyes as bid as saucers.
"Uh - hi Mum, Dad," he said, feeling uncomfortable with this whole situation.
James nodded at him. Max looked at him. They had hardly anything in common; Harry had James' hair, face, also wore glasses and was skinny. Maximilian had red hair, brown eyes, Lily's face and weight at least fifteen pounds more than his twin.
"Come on," James said, not wanting to waste anymore time standing around doing nothing.
Throughout the whole trip everybody shopping in Diagon Alley stared at Harry and whispered. As the Potters walked passed the Malfoys they glared at each other, only to Harry they nodded.
"I don't want you to hang around these people, Harry," James said angrily as he noticed what had happened.
The next family they saw where the Weasleys. Harry didn't like them, only the girl which looked as if she was ten years old.
In the bookstore Harry saw a girl with bushy brown hair. He liked her immediately, but his parents pushed him away before he could start a conversation. Harry thought he heard James mutter 'Mudblood' under his breath. He knew quite well what it meant, and he didn't like it a bit.
The days passed, Harry got to know his family better and was introduced to Sirius, who didn't even look at the boy but talked with Max.
Most of the time at his new home Harry spend in his room reading. And that led to problems because Sirius, James and Max thought it was funny to take the books and replace them with ones you can't open until you would let it eat your hand. Harry was furious and ran to Lily. After she'd heard what had happened she scolded the three males and said that they behaved like three year olds. Sirius only said that the boy shouldn't spend the whole day inside reading boring books. And then Lily lost it...
"Well, maybe, smart-ass, some people think it is stupid to play pranks on other people the whole bloody time!"
"But it is fun!" Max defended his godfather.
"Don't you start, Maximilian!" his mum went on. "Harry is only three days back and if you don't stop this then he will go back to wherever he came from for sure!"
Finally it was the 1st September. After Harry boarded the train he went to find Draco, who he had been friends with since he had been three.
"I will tell Dad!" Max hissed as he saw where his twin went.
"Does it looks like I care?" Harry challenged him bored.
"Harry!" someone yelled behind them.
"Dragon," the boy greeted, smiling, giving his a high-five. "I just went to look for you." Together they went to look around the train. In one of the compartments Harry saw the girl from the bookstore again.
"Could you wait for a minute, Dragon?" he asked
"Of course, Harry," Draco said. The boy opened the door so that his friend could enter. He saw a girl sitting in the compartment. He didn't know her, so he assumed that she was a half-blood or a muggle-born. Draco knew his father didn't want him to be around muggleborns, but something about this girl was different.
"Hi," Harry said. "I'm Harry Potter, and you?"
"Hermione Granger," the girl answeredwithout looking up from the book.
"Would you mind me sitting here?"
"Of course not..."
"Draco," Harry said, turning to his friend. "I stay here, OK?"
"If you want to..."
"Longbottom, Neville," Minerva McGonnagal said. In front of her was the group of first years, waiting nervously to be sorted.
"Gryffindor!"
"Weasley, Ronald."
"Gryffindor!"
"Granger, Hermione."
"Gryffindor!"
"Malfoy, Draco."
"Slytherin!"
"Potter, Maximilian."
"Gryffindor!"
"Potter, Harry!"
So, what do we have here?
An eleven year old boy who waits to get sorted.
Quite right.
I'm waiting.
Are you?
You know it and you are playing dumb.
Am I?
Yes, you are. And now, could we continue?
Ah, yes, where were we?
Sorting me.
Hufflepuff?
Not my thing.
Gryffindor?
Never!
Ravenlaw?
Better, but not quite right.
Who is sorting you, me or you?
Hmmm, let me think...
I let you.
You sort me, but you ask for my opinion, am I right?
Could be.
Slytherin?
Are you asking the questions or I?
We both do, as a matter of fact.
Do you have to be right?
I don't have to, but I usually am.
Then I think Ravencl-
NO! PLEASE NOT!
Gryf-
NOOOOOOOOO! I DON'T WANT TO GO THEREEEEEEEEEEE!
Slytherin might be the best...
YEEEES!
Fine, you sort yourself and I call what house you want to be in.
You already know.
Yes, but you acted like a three year old. And don't forget to be polite.
Please, lovely hat, let me sort myself into Slytherin. Please!
Meanwhile at the Headtable...
"Where do you think he's going?" Filius Flitwick asked. "The sorting hat does take quite long to decide."
"300 galleons on Slytherin," Severus answered without thinking.
"500 on Gryffindor," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.
"150 on Ravenclaw," Pomona Sprout joined in.
"200 on Hufflepuff," Trelawney said. "My Inner eye is telling me."
"Your Inner eye is- "
"Severus, stop it," Albus cut him of.
"Slytherin!" the hat exclaimed.
Cursing the professors gave Severus his money.
"I swear my Inner eye- "
"We don't want to know it, Sybille," Severus cut her off, happy that Harry was in his house.