Southern Soldier Returning Home

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the ideas below. Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer and Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.
Chapter 10

Flashback

In the basement of 12 Grimuald Place, the Order of the Phoenix had gathered to summon their savior. He had been missing for 13 years, and Voldemort's attacks were bold in his absence, but their leader, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, still believed he was alive. They had come together on this day to try a ritual that would supposedly pull the 17 year old savior to London so that he could defeat Voldemort. Almost the entire Order was there, ready to greet the Savior, despite the misgivings a few of them had about the person they would be pulling into their Headquarters. They knew nothing about him, after all. Would he be willing to help them? Would he be capable of helping them? Regardless of their concerns though, Dumbledore was determined to proceed.

Five of the Order members, the five strongest magically, were standing around the ritual circle, having just finished their call. Albus stood at the northern point, Minerva McGonagall to his right, then Sirius Black and Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, with a reluctant Severus Snape to Dumbledore's left. Suddenly, in a flash of white light, a body appeared in the circle, standing tall and proud, but looking a little confused.

As soon as Jack landed, he drew his pistol, which he had gotten into the habit of carrying when he joined the army. "Where am I? Who are you? What just happened? What is going on?" Jack was very confused and slightly in shock. One moment he was wandering London, and the next moment he was inexplicably in a room surrounded by a bunch of people dressed in strange robes.

"Harry, my boy! I am Albus Dumbledore, and this is the Order of the Phoenix. You are in our Headquarters. I am sorry for pulling you away so suddenly, but we really need your help." His eyes were twinkling the entire time. He had known Harry Potter was still alive. If he had been any younger, he would have been jumping for joy, as it was, he conceded to his old bones and simply bounced slightly on his toes.

"Harry?" Now Jack was even more confused. "Who is Harry? My name is Jack. How did I get here? Why do you think you need my help?"

One of the Order members in the back of the room spoke up incredulously. "Harry Potter! You're Harry Potter. The Savior of the Wizarding World?"

"Wizarding World? Like magic? Magic doesn't exist. And my name is Jack Morgan, not Harry Potter."

Albus spoke up again. This was not going the way he had wanted. "Magic does exist. Everyone in this room is a witch or wizard, including you. Have you ever done anything you couldn't explain?" Dumbledore paused here, trying to see if Jack had any positive reaction. Jack for his part, was a little shaken, remembering when his horse had thrown him, and the impossible way he hadn't died. He hid behind his mask and started considering the old man's words more carefully. "I you did, it was likely a manifestation of your magic. And even if you weren't raised with the name Harry Potter, it is the name your parents gave you when you when you were born."

"That still doesn't explain why you need Harry Potter's help." Jack pointed out. He was angry at the mention of his parents, who he thought had abused him, but kept his anger hidden to get more information. Hiding his emotions was one of the techniques he had had to learn to be a successful spy, and he had been one of the best in the Confederacy. He put his pistol away, thinking that if they thought he trusted them, he would get more information.

"Let us move this to a more private location with a smaller gathering. You look tired and confused and there is a lot to explain." Jack could tell that Albus Dumbledore had had his kind grandfather persona perfected for years, and it made him wary, but he cautiously agreed. Albus dismissed the Order, and he and Jack moved up the stairs to a small drawing room on the first floor. They were joined by the four who had stood in the ritual circle with Albus.

Jack carefully analyzed them. The woman standing to Dumbledore's right looked stern and unyielding at first glance, but was looking at him (and the black-haired, blue-eyed man also in the room) with a deep, well hidden fondness that confused him even more, as he didn't know why it was present. The man to Dumbledore's left was well scarred with a blue eye that didn't fit the rest of his face and appeared to be spinning. He was staring Jack down with clearly visible suspicion, and a touch of approval; as though he could tell Jack was analyzing them and approved of his caution but was exercising his own healthy paranoia. He could tell this was a man he would get along with, once they both got over their suspicious natures. The third man was tall, with lank black hair, and dark eyes. He was staring at Jack with such a look of hatred in his eyes that Jack wondered what possibly could have caused it, considering he had only been in the house for 10 minutes. He glared back, making sure to keep the smallest hint of confusion in his expression, to show that he did not know why the man hated him. The final man had long dark hair and bright blue eyes. His face was thin, and showed signs of previous near starvation, although he seemed to be recovering. His expression was exactly the opposite of the other dark-haired man, showing such longing that Jack flinched back a little. Dumbledore took this as a cue to start his explanations, and he started introducing his companions.

"Harry, my companions are Minerva McGonagall, Alastor Moody, Severus Snape, and Sirius Black. They are my most trusted lieutenants, and Sirius also happens to be your Godfather." Well that explained the longing, sort of, but Jack still didn't understand why he was at Grimauld Place, and why he had been abused as a young child, especially when he had a godfather who obviously cared for him. It was this first issue that he brought up first.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all." Even in his anger, Jack kept his manners. He had been raised as a gentleman. However, in his next sentence his anger took over, and his voice lost its polite tone and shook a little. "I do have a question for Sirius though. If I am your godson, isn't it your responsibility to care for me? If so, why would you have left me in that house to be abused?" Here his tone turned bitter, and hateful. Sure he seemed to care about him now, but where had he been when Jack was a child? Snape scoffed at his question, but the rest of the group looked stricken, as though they had not known about what had happened.

"What? What do you mean abused?! Who abused you?" Sirius looked distraught, but Jack didn't trust him yet. He knew exactly how easy it was to fake emotions to get the reaction you want. He had done it to join the Union army. He leaned away from Sirius slightly, showing his reluctance towards Sirius to anyone trained to recognize it, although no one really did except Moody, who nodded to himself. Constant Vigilance after all.

"My so called family. Why do you think I didn't stay with them? They beat me. I was four years old, and they beat me for being a freak. Where were you as this happened, and why didn't you help? As my godfather, it was your job, wasn't it?" Jack allowed some of his anger and confusion to show in his eyes, and Sirius looked guilty, while everyone else in the room watched their interaction with remorse.

"I…..I was in prison for 10 years after your parents' deaths, and was unable to take you away like I wanted to. I swear to Merlin I wanted to Harry…" Sirius was nearly sobbing now, and Jack felt a bit of guilt, and a lot of confusion, but kept it hidden. Maybe now he would get some answers.

"My parents? What happened to my parents? I don't remember most of my childhood, just that last beating and what they called me. I don't know anything about Harry Potter, and I don't know why he is important, or why you suddenly need him. Please explain it to me?" Jack widened his eyes and put a hint of pleading into them as he looked at Dumbledore and then as Sirius, who was starting to calm down while Snape watched him in disgust.

Dumbledore sighed. "I never expected this. We might as well sit down while I explain this." The group sat, and together the members of the Order explained about Voldemort, and the Halloween attack. Sirius explained about the betrayal and why he ended up in prison and Dumbledore explained how he ended up at the Dursleys and why. McGonagall explained what had happened to his twin sister, which surprised Jack because he didn't know he had a blood sister let alone a twin.

At the end of the story, Jack sat in shock. He had not expected any of that, but was happy that it wasn't his parents who had abused him, and that his godfather hadn't intentionally left him in the bad situation. He sat back and nodded to himself. He understood more of what was going on now. "Alright. How exactly did you think pulling me back would help you? I have no magic training."

"I would suggest you attend Hogwarts for the year. It would give you access to the library, and some of the best academic and magically talented minds in Britain. I think we would focus your training with the professors on magics that can be applied to battle and war, but some of the students might be willing to tutor you." Albus smiled benignly, while Minerva nodded, Moody looked thoughtful, and Snape outright glared.

Jack thought about it for a minute, and then agreed. He was glad that he was used to teachers who would not coddle him. He knew, looking at the people who would be teaching him, that there would be very little coddling between them. They needed, and had expected, a hero already trained in battle magics, and would work as quickly as possible to get what they wanted out of him. He could expect long grueling months of hard work, and he was lucky that the army, Union and Confederate, had prepared him for hard work and long days.

"Alright." Jack paused, and then continued, unable to keep all of the excitement out of his voice. "When do I start, Sir?" He was extremely eager to learn magic. He had always had this undefinable, inexplicable power, and now that he knew what it was he couldn't wait to learn how to harness it.

Albus smiled at him fondly. Harry, or Jack as he seemed to prefer to be called, was like any other muggleborn student he had ever taught; bright-eyed and eager. It was a good change to his previous barely apparent emotions. Albus could tell Jack was trying to hide his excitement as well, which meant he was even more enthusiastic than he showed. He replied to the question, twinkle in his eyes brighter than ever. "Classes start on Tuesday September 2nd. Students travel to the school by rail every year on September 1st, and there is a feast where the new students are sorted into Houses. You will be sorted with the first year students, but will have the option of travelling by train with the other students or staying at the school until the first of September."

Jack was curious about the Houses. He had never heard of such a system, but didn't really know much about boarding schools, having had tutors when he was younger. He thought about his options. "I think I will ride the train. It will be a chance to meet my classmates and learn the student dynamics before classes start. What are the Houses you spoke of Sir? How are the students sorted?"

McGonagall answered his question this time. "The students are sorted into one of four Houses based on their strongest personality trait. The Houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Gryffindors are known for their courage and chivalry,"

Sirius interrupted. "Your parents were both Gryffindors. Head Boy and Girl of the class of 1978. It is the best House of the four." He grinned at Jack, clearly expecting him to agree, or at least be excited about the information about his parents. Jack was interested, but was currently more interested in the information about the Houses. He looked back at the others in the room. Snape and Moody were glaring at Sirius, either for the interruption or for another reason Jack wasn't sure yet, Albus looked indulgently amused, and McGonagall was practically shooting daggers at him. Jack motioned her to continue, and she did, with one last hard frown at Sirius.

"As I was saying. Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty and hard work Ravenclaws are renowned for their intelligence and wit, and Slytherins are notorious for their cunning.

Sirius huffed, still upset about not getting his godson's agreement about Gryffindor. "They're evil slimy gits." But he muttered it so McGonagall couldn't hear him. She always made him feel like a student again, and it made him miss Prongs even more.

"Students are sorted using an enchanted hat. It is able to read a person's surface thoughts and personality, as well as hold a simple mental conversation. It announces its decision to the school and the student then joins their House for the feast and announcements. They will also sleep in the House dorms, and the younger students take classes with their Housemates. As an upperclassman, you will take classes with all seventh year students eligible for the class."

Dumbledore took up the explanation from there. "I think we shall have you sorted after all of the first years this year. I will make an announcement, as we rarely have transfer students, and the feast will continue as normal."

Jack nodded. That made sense. Considering the Houses and their known traits, he supposed he would be a Slytherin, or maybe a Gryffindor, for his skills as a spy or his daredevil attitude and agreement to become a spy in the first place. "Alright, do you know who you would have tutor me? If possible, I would like to meet with them on the train."

Dumbedore looked thoughtful. "I suppose one student from each house would be best. That would give you a broad range of perspectives and I couldn't be accused of pushing you towards one house over another. I think incoming seventh years, and maybe some sixth years, would be best. I think I will leave it to the Heads of Houses to determine who would be the best choice?" He looked expectantly at McGonagall and Snape, so Jack followed his gaze.

McGonagall barely hesitated. "I think Ms. Granger would be best from Gryffindor. She has the highest grades in the House, and is always eager to help."

Snape snorted. "She is a know-it-all brat. Of course she is eager to impart all of her book-learned 'wisdom'. I think Tracey Davis would be the best choice from Slytherin. She has the highest grades of the seventh year Slytherins and is a halfblood, so would be unlikely to have the ingrained prejudices of most of the rest of the house while still knowing the political climate."

Sirius mumbled again, "Unlikely. It's not possible for Slytherins not to be bigoted arseholes." Snape and Moody glared at him again. Jack supposed that answered his question as to why they had before. They were offended on behalf of their House. The Houses seemed to inspire a lot of loyalty in their students. Jack raised his eyebrow at the man, wondering what his godfather's reactions to Slytherin House. He was curious about what would happen if he were sorted there, as was very possible, but didn't really care beyond that, as he didn't really know the man anyway and had no real emotional connection to him.

"I'm sure Pomona and Filius will have good suggestions for tutors from their Houses. I suppose that leaves us with where you will stay for the next month, since you opted not to live in the castle."

"He could stay here! He could learn more about the war, meet Order members, and learn some magic before school starts." Sirius looked painfully eager for Jack to stay as Dumbledore considered his suggestion.

Moody spoke up for the first time since the meeting had started. "It would keep his arrival quiet until we are ready for people to know. The idea has some more merit." Jack had not thought it possible for Sirius to perk up any more, but he did.

"It is decided then Ha-Jack. You will stay at Headquarters with Sirius until September 1st. Learn more about the wizarding world. Learn about your family. Get to know your Godfather. I will see you at Hogwarts." With that, Dumbledore stood and swept out of the room, followed by his professors and Moody, leaving Jack with Sirius, who looked like an excited puppy. He wondered again just how he had gotten into this situation.

AN: Hey everyone. This one was a long one. I even surprised myself when I realized it was 8 pages on Word. I'm sorry it took so long to post. I got writer's block and I started school again, and my beta has been busy. I'm actually posting this without my beta's final approval, so there might be a few changes soon. The next chapter Jack goes to Hogwarts and meets some of the students. I have it about halfway written, but I have gotten a little stuck. I know what will happen, I just can't seem to get it into words.

Anyway, please review. I know most people don't really believe it, but questions and comments help me write and give me the motivation to keep going with the story. Feel free to write anything, although more than "It's good update soon" would be nice. I appreciate questions, comments, and criticisms.

AN2: Hey everyone. This is an updated version of chapter 10. My beta finally got it back to me, and I made a few corrections to it. The next chapter should be up soon, I have finished the initial draft and it is on its way to my beta now. It will have the trip to Hogwarts, the initial meeting of a few of the students, and Jack's sorting. Anyway, please review. Feel free to mark the review with a "2" if you actually read the second author's note, just so I know how many people read the new version. I will leave a note about the update in the beginning of the next chapter as well.

~bookworm1016~