I scowled at the papers in front of me. Harry was a talented brat but there was a limit to how much and how fast he could learn. Then there was the simple fact that his magical core- which wouldn't be fully stabilized for another few years- was constantly in flux. Some magicks would simply be too complex for him to attempt safely. And, as one more thing to juggle, Dumbledore decided to tell me now that Harry needed to return to the Dursleys for at least two weeks in order to renew the bond of blood Dumbledore had bestowed upon him. If I forbade that trip, there was a chance that Harry would lose that last line of protection. This knowledge sped up my timeline far faster than I wanted. Either I could allow Harry to maintain that blood protection a little longer or try to alter it and start executing the deal Dumbledore and I had worked out.

In either case, I'd have to do what I was trying very hard to avoid- actually talk to the boy about this new proposal.

Sighing angrily to myself, I flourished my wand at the papers and organized them into an organized pile. Taking the stack in hand, I left my study and went across the hall to where Harry would be working on his latest assignment- a new chapter in his parselmouth spellbook. After finally realizing the gift during his recovery from his Legacy, Harry had devoted a surprising amount of energy towards the mastery of his new tool. It enthralled him to know that parselmagic had its own branches of magic and he seemed determined to master some aspect of each branch.

His door was open, allowing me to see Harry working at the table with books opened and parchment scattered all around him. There was a smudge of ink on his cheek as if he'd rubbed at his face and I chuckled, causing him to look up.

"You've got ink on your face," I informed him. He grumbled, lowering his quill to the table as I approached and took a seat opposite him. "We've got to talk."

"Okay... About what? Is there something else on my face?" Harry asked quickly, paranoid. I rolled my eyes but quickly sobered up, sliding my Legacy-the top sheet of paper-to him.

"Is this-"

"Read it," I interrupted. Harry looked as if he were going to argue but thought better of it, lowering his eyes to the piece of paper. From my seat, I could easily read the text upside down.

Full Name: Thomas Evan Riddle the Third

Date of Birth: January 17th, 1965

Father: Thomas Riddle Junior, known alias: Lord Voldemort

Mother: Marie Dorea Selwyn

Titles: Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin

Gifts: Parselmouth (Realized)

Additional Notes: Bond of Adsumo performed by LJP (December 24th, 1979)

Legacy, performed on August 2nd, 1995

Performed by Head Garvis Hammerfall

Filed by Keeper Roucak

I could tell exactly when Harry reached the pertinent section by the way his brow furrowed with confusion.

"What is a bond of adsumo?" Harry asked, glancing up from the paper to look at me. I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable seeing Lily's eyes staring back at me for the first time in a long time.

"It's a very old ritual. Very few people even know about it. The only reason anyone knew to use it was because of Sirius. The adsumo bond was used by the Blacks when someone worked out some rather sketchy math regarding the birth of the heir the family, making it impossible for him to be the son of the mistress of the house."

"What does it do?" Harry seemed to know that I was stalling and I resisted the urge to shift again.

"This is not common knowledge, so I would prefer if you could keep this to yourself... There was a lot of debate on whether or not I should be allowed into the Order after your mother ended the... interrogations. The smart-aleck that she was, she discovered this bond and proposed to use it as both a way to ensure my dedication to their cause as well as a method of keeping me in line."

"What does it do?" Harry repeated more firmly.

"Adsumo is Latin for assume or, more accurately, adopt," I said carefully, not looking at Harry but looking at the narrow scar that ran down the center of my right hand. "The process is complicated and full of conditions and rules but, basically, Lily magically adopted me. We exchanged blood and, as a result of the procedure, I was welcomed by the Order. After your parents passed, I took on Evan as a middle name to honor your mother."

"So... we're..." Harry struggled to find words and I frowned, clenching my hand into a fist so I didn't have to look at my scar any longer.

"Depending on who you ask, you and I are half-brothers. It's a stretch at best and I wouldn't be able to fully explain unless I go into great detail about the bond itself but that's not important. The reason I tell you this is because you must make a choice."

Harry was silent for a long time and I allowed him his contemplation. The situation was a strange one and I could afford him some time to catch up.

"If my mother adopted you... how could you leave me with the Dursleys?"

I took a moment to calculate how much controlled anger was in Harry's shaking voice and I closed my eyes, not even close to understanding how I would handle this.

"After the war... After your parents died..." I started, only for my voice to drift off. I started again, more determined to finish. "Your mother was my biggest support. Without her, I was floating in a very dangerous position. At best, people assumed I'd be too grieved to do anything. At worst, they thought that I'd wreck havoc without Lily to keep me in check. No matter how prepared I was or not to take in a toddler, I was never given a choice. At the same time, I was in no condition to take you in. I didn't turn seventeen for another three months. I didn't have OWLs or NEWTs so I couldn't get a reasonable job. I had no income, no home, no connections I could trust. Even if I did get you, what would I have done then? It's not like I had any sort of childhood to pass on to you. I don't know the first thing about kids. Any option was better than I was, even the Dursleys."

"So why are you telling me this now? You've got a purpose for everything," Harry said with the tiniest amount of grudging respect. I nodded, pulling my Legacy back. I felt strangely exposed having it sit on the table so I flipped the sheet of paper over.

"I won't lie. You need every bit of training you can afford so I want your input. Dumbledore talked to you about Lily's sacrificial protection but not the bond of blood. Basically, because Petunia took you in, Lily's protection will protect you so long as you call the Dursley's house home or until you turn 17. In order to keep that bond functional, you must return to the Dursleys at least once a year. To be safe, Dumbledore wants your visit to last at least two weeks to ensure the bond is strengthened."

"But?"

"But," I continued, "The bond of blood is determined by Lily's blood. Because of the adsumo bond between us, that bond of blood could theoretically pass to me. It is only a theory, however, so deciding to continue your training until September may sacrifice that protection forever."

"But Voldemort can touch me now. Isn't the protection broken now?"

"No. From what I figured out with Dumbledore, You will still have protection from other attackers. I doubt the protection could still deflect killing curses but you should have some protection from other dark magicks. Father will be able to attack you because he took in your blood but none of his followers should have that ability."

"Should," Harry emphasized. I nodded, smiling shrewdly.

"Yes, should. This is very old and unexplored magic. I doubt even the Unspeakables have much to say on the topic."

Harry fell silent for a moment and I allowed him to think. I knew I threw a lot of information at him in just a few minutes and I intended on letting him absorb it as slowly as he needed. I busied myself with looking at the other papers I'd brought with me-a bizarre mix of administrative work for the Auror Office and training and shift rotations for the Order- as Harry collected himself.

"What happens if I stay here to continue training and the protection moves to you?"

"Dumbledore believes that the best course of action would be for me to..." The words didn't want to come out and I scowled at myself. I was thirty years old and I was still nowhere near ready to take on a brat like Harry for more than one summer. Like I told Harry more than a month ago, I was no Gryffindor. "If the protection passes to me, it would be safest for you to live with me over the summer until you turn 17. That would align with your training but it would mean that you and I must recognize the other as family. Politically, that would be hard to explain without... Without exposing the adsumo bond."

"Would that be that bad?" Harry asked, surprising me. I ran a hand through my hair uneasily.

"Think of how you reacted. Now imagine how Rita Skeeter would take it. I am playing a very dangerous game and I really don't want to die anytime soon. The son of the Dark Lord being magically adopted by the Boy who Lived's mom sounds right out of a crappy novel."

"I think... I think I should go back to Little Whinging," Harry said slowly. "I have a lot to do, yeah, but I think that the protection is more important than two weeks of training. And it's not worth throwing you into the public eye."

Damn it. Now I felt guilty. I shook my head, laughing bitterly as my mind was made up.

"Lily is probably laughing at me right now," I muttered under my breath. "You'll go to Little Whinging but I'll set the groundwork. This will be easier to play off if it happens when you're still being discredited. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to pull some more people to our side?" I said hopefully. Harry frowned at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been out of sight, not publicly confirming or denying Father's return. I think it's time for that to change," I said with a smirk that I prayed hid what I was really feeling.

Merlin, I hope this works.


After dropping Harry off in Little Whinging, I used the next several days to return to my desk at the Auror Office. My disappearance was noted by my coworkers- and my boss, a lion of a man named Rufus Scrimgeour- but no one had openly complained just yet. I had nine years of service in at the office and I'd never needed any of my sick or vacation days before. With a large portion of my administrative work being covertly done by Kingsley, I was able to come in only once or twice a week without any serious issues cropping up.

"Ah, Thomas." Fuck.

"Rufus," I greeted as calmly as I could. Rufus stood in the doorway to my office, a warm smile on his lips but a sharp and dangerous curiosity glinting in his eyes. "Good morning, sir."

"I have been trying to get ahold of you for some time but it seems I never am able to catch you at your desk."

"I'm sorry. A situation cropped up recently that has required quite a bit of my time. I can assure you that it's not affecting the work if that's your concern."

"No, never. You've always had a good head when it comes to our duty here." Rufus paused to narrow his eyes. "So. Will you tell me the truth now?"

"The truth, sir?" I asked cautiously. Rufus tutted quietly, stepping into the room for the first time and shutting the door behind him.

"You've been ordering more training and drills for the force. Do not lie to me, or I shall know. Why?" Rufus asked seriously. I frowned, lowering my quill to the table. I hesitated for a brief moment before seizing my left sleeve and pulling it up roughly. The Dark Mark swirled against my skin, hissing and writhing in anger.

"You saw the Dark Mark when my father was inactive. Whether through the means Dumbledore and Potter have been declaring or through another way, he has returned. I believe that we will soon be faced with open war once more and it is the duty of Aurors to protect the civilians from Dark wizards."

"So you're militarizing the Aurors without authorization?" Rufus asked pointedly. "You are acting against the will of your minister."

"With all due respect, Cornelius Fudge never personally fought against the Dark Lord or the Death Eaters, sir. He was not in power during the war. He is not able to recognize the subtle symbols that you and I both see. I'm not moving to militarize the Aurors, just ensuring that they're able to work to their full capacity."

A tense silence fell over the office for a long moment as Rufus and I studied each other carefully. I covered the Dark Mark once more, feeling horribly exposed and vulnerable with it visible.

"I will allow this project of yours to continue, but only if you honestly tell me what has been taking you away from the office as of late. If you believe that we will be at war soon, what has been distracting you away from your post here?" Understanding flickered in Rufus's eyes as he spoke. "Is it Dumbledore?"

"A life debt is calling for me to pay up," I dodged. "I'm also scouting a pair for research and development. If this comes to war, these two will be invaluable."

"Is it worth it?" Rufus asked. He was a shrewd man, even if the job had left him tough and hard, With a little more polish, he'd be the sort of man that might just win this war. The bad news was that it'd be a delicate dance until the war's over. Even so, I nodded firmly.

"Yes."

"Very well. I will let you continue. If you have any new ideas or adjustments to the normal-duty rotations, though, I expect you to go through me before you put them into action from now on."

"Understood." I picked up a small stack of papers and held them out towards the man. Rufus raised an eyebrow at them questioningly and I smiled wryly. "Training rotations for the next two weeks and a potential revisement of the training program."

Rufus sighed but accepted the packet of papers.

"You're going to drown me in paperwork until this war's over, won't you?"

"Not if I die before then," I said, laughing under my breath.

When Rufus left my office, I returned my attention to what I was currently working on: the review of an incident report from one of the newer Aurors who had someone slipped up and used an expulso in front of a group of tourists visiting some ancient ruin. It was a good thing the old castle was already in crumbles, either we'd have to dispatch people to repair the damage as well as obliviators to handle the tourists.

"Letter for you, sir." I looked up to see Tonks- with shoulder length orange hair today- at the door, a sealed envelope in her hand. I nodded briskly and she stepped forward, tripping on the threshold as the floor changed from tile to wood.

"Thank you, Tonks. Any progress on the Black hunt?" I asked conversationally. She scowled gently.

"We had a lead to a small town in Wales but it came up dead. Back to square one, as usual," she said with more than a little frustration. I was sure she was frustrated. To go through three years of hell, only to be put on a goosechase. She knew full well where her favorite cousin was hiding. This probably felt like a demotion to her. I was sure Kingsley wasn't too happy with me for doing the same to him.

"Oh well. As you were," I dismissed, nodding towards the door. She bobbed her head and danced out of the office, accidentally slamming my door very loudly on her way out. Once she was gone, I tore the envelope open and unfolded the letter. It was very concisely put, only three lines in all but it got the point across.

Tom,

2, 3, and 5. Changed things up a bit. Come by and see sometime.

FG

I had given the twins a few recommendations. Two, three, and five... Oh yes, those were sure to be fun. Hiding a smirk, I tapped the envelope with my wand, vanishing it and the letter. No sense in letting that lay around, even if the casual snoop wouldn't be able to understand the letter's meaning.