Against my better knowledge I will answer some reviews:
1. What does old Albus know?...Hmm, I will that in one of the next chapters – I have already written up to fourteen.
2. Harry will use his wand soon – and it will be noticed!
3. Well, the summary is hinting on what I plan to do with dear Bella, but I will not spoil the fun and tell you now!
4. Right you are: Uncle Nicki is someone well known
5. You will see some of Harrys abilities though only one at the time – some of them will be only hinted at in conversations.
And finally 6. Bellatrix is 13 but as her birthday will be in December – to be exact on Boxin' Day he just jumps ahead those few weeks and says she is 14
Back to the future: part ten
Left alone in the headmasters bedroom Harry rolled the vial in his hands, berating himself for his idiocy: how could he have been so stupid? Not enough that he had to fall in love with a student, a girl who would be married in his own time and more than twenty years older than him, no he had also go and get drunk and storm then to the headmasters office and as good as tell him who and what he really was!
With a sight Harry opened the small vial and smelled absentmindedly at the murky green potion as Professor Moody had thought him to prevent poisoning. There was no way out of this dilemma he had placed himself in, for once there was no Albus Dumbledore or Hermione or Ron who would help him, but different to the problem with Voldemort he was responsible for this situation, he had caused it with his carelessness and he would have to find a solution for it - and fast!
Gulping the potion down Harry stood up and entered with resolve the office of the headmaster who was already waiting for him.
"Professor Andrews..."
The headmaster motioned with a hand to the same chair Harry had occupied a few hours earlier.
"Headmaster... I know that you have many questions concerning my behaviour but there is nothing I can tell you, nothing I can say in my defence..."
Harry trailed of and placed his chin into his hands, causing his long hair to fall over his shoulders and frame his face.
"Yet I have to ask you these questions and you will give me answers, otherwise I see myself forced to ask you to leave your position here at Hogwarts."
Wide eyed Harry stared at the headmaster, that couldn't happen! The Albus Dumbledore of his own time had told him that he had been teaching Defence for seven years, he couldn't be fired after just a month, he had to stay here!
Defeated Harry asked:
"What do you want to know?"
Before he answered the headmaster conjured two cups of tea and a plate of biscuits.
"Who are you really, I don not believe you that you are the son of Reginald Andrews, you are nothing like your father!"
Only the first question and already Harry could not give a complete answer without telling to much, revealing to much of the future.
"You are right, I am not the son of Reginald Andrews, he doesn't have a son but two daughters... and yet I am a blood relative of him. And my name is what I told you it were except that Andrews is not my last name - and before you ask me even under Verita-Serum I will not tell you my whole name!"
The headmaster frowned at this answer but continued with his second question:
"You mentioned yesterday that you had a connection to someone and that he can not know that you are here - of whom were you speaking and why is it so important that he does not know of your presence?"
Harry immediately answered:
"That is a question I can not answer, it would endanger you and everyone in this world and it would kill me if the answer was ever known to that person."
The frown on the headmasters face deepened and he picked up his cup to drink from his tea. Placing the cup only after a few minutes back down he looked at his professor, Harry reminded him of someone, no, more than one person and yet he was not able to put names to this phantoms.
Had Harry seemed the evening before relaxed he was now tense, even though he seemed strangely at ease with the headmaster; his black hair fell straight down, casting shadows over his face.
"You are an animagus, though I doubt that you are registered as I have never heard of a animagus of your age..."
The headmaster noted that the tenseness left his professor and was replaced by playfulness:
"Neither are you, a snowowl with twinkling blue eyes... very fitting I would say... But I might register in the next weeks, I just had had no time to do so before and I wanted to enjoy the freedom for a few months..."
Harry smirked at the shock that flickered through the headmasters eyes as he mentioned the others animagus form. Of course the headmaster was not registered and would never be, a fact that Harry learned in the summer after his fifth year when the headmaster had visited him instead of allowing Hedwig to return with a letter from Ron. When the headmaster had seen how hopelessly Harry was after the death of Sirius and how heavily the prophecy weighted on him he had changed back and had spoken with Harry, promising to come once in a while during the time he had to stay with the Dursleys.
It had been during that time that he had thought Harry how to become an animagus, they had spend hours training and by the time Harry had went to Grimmauldplace he had nearly been able to change. The most difficult part had been to hide his training form Ron, Hermione
and Ginny.
"I will keep your secret safe, headmaster! I would never endanger you knowing- or willingly!"
Harry added sombrely, trying to ease the mistrust of the headmaster.
"A good friend and mentor thought me shortly before I turned sixteen, before Christmas that year I was able to transform... he saved my sanity with his lessons and visits..."
That summer Harry had thought of giving up, he had seen no chance of winning against Voldemort and after Sirius death he had felt as if every death was his fault, his parents, Sirius, Cedrics... It had been the long talks with the headmaster that convinced him that there was a chance for him to win the war, to survive, that they had just to find that way. He owed the headmaster so much, but all the headmaster wanted was his forgiveness for the mistakes he had made, he gave him more, much more: he gave him his forgiveness and all the love he would have given his parents, the Dursleys, his grandparents, Sirius. It had been then that he had started to call the headmaster Uncle Albus when they were alone.
"When I tried legimency on you I encountered the most unusual shields: instead of a normal shield I entered a void that was blindingly bright but at the same time like darkness itself, further it seemed to burn... what are you that you have a shield of this sort?"
Harry frowned in thought, since the last battle after which he had become a phoenix child no one had tried to enter his mind and when the headmaster tried to enter his mind after he had thought him Occlumency he had had a normal shield...
"I was thought Occlumency but I guess that I am a natural Occlumence since I am not anymore aware that I have raised any shields..."
He shrugged with his shoulders and waited for the next question, just why had he felt the need to get drunk he asked himself once again?!
"Who is the young woman you have fallen in love with - and why does it present a problem, you are able to choose someone who has than to write the proposition..."
What should he answer to that question? He didn't want to tell the truth but what else could he tell the headmaster who would be able to sense if he tried to tell him a lie.
"One of the students, she isn't even old enough to have a proposal written for her... It would be wrong to feel that way for one of my students even though she is only five, nearly four years younger than me...
I know who her family is, what is expected of her and also her future husband, you fear that I am a Dark wizard, you surely would think that if I married into her family..."
The headmaster had to smile at the distress of his young professor who tried his hardest not to answer that particular question:
"You still haven't told me her name, Harry!"
Startled by the use of his first name Harry looked up from the cup of tea he held in his hands and on which he had been starring since the headmaster had asked his last question.
"I have not answered because I fear the answer myself...I have only once before fallen in love and even then it was over before it had really begun, after our first date we had no intention to see each other again because she stilled loved someone else... I fear that this time I will be the one who can not forget who she is, if I were to advance her everything would change..."
The fear of changing the timeline he knew by acknowledging his love for Bellatrix was ever present but would he risk it? Would he follow his heart and risk to change everything or would he deny himself to explore his feelings and doom the girl he loved to the future he knew.
Absentmindedly he answered the question of the headmaster, searching unconsciously for the advice of his future mentor:
"It is Bellatrix Black, she is so intelligent, lively, kind, playful, trusting and beautiful... I have never met someone like her... even though she was raised to hate muggles she has nothing against them and is still firmly against the dark side. She is just so amazing..."
Bellatrix Black... that name had not been among those the headmaster had expected to hear, but she would match what he knew of his young professor: She was intelligent enough to understand the quirky sense of humour of Harry and be able to match his wit in a conversation, her happy optimistic nature would be a good balance for his thoughtful, sometimes fatalistic outlook on the world but he was by no means pessimistic - just realistic and experienced enough to know that not everything went as he wished. Both of them had a strong playful side, Harry even more so than young Miss Black and both seemed to be kind. The only real difference they showed was that Harry seemed to trust no-one completely and while Bellatrix was raised to mistrust everyone she was still very trusting.
Also both of them had black hair and while Harrys eyes were green Bellatrix were blue, from their appearance they would be perfect for each other - but he could not dismiss Harrys words as nothing, he would most likely distrust him even more if he married into one of the three Darkest families in Britain. Neither the Lestranges nor the Malfoys had daughters and therefor a marriage between one of the two unmarried Black-sisters and one of the Lestrange-brothers as well as a marriage between the other Black sister and Lucius Malfoy was certain... if not someone else asked for one of the Black-sisters hands, someone with as much money and ancestry as either the Lestranges or Malfoys.
"Bellatrix Black you say? Yes, you would marry into one of the darkest families - but not all of the Blacks are dark, Bellatrix older sister for example has married a muggle and young Sirius Black, Bellatrix cousin was sorted into Gryffindor - the first in the history of his family or this school...
It might be beneficial for both Miss Black and yourself to seal such a contract and stir her from the dark side, a new Dark Lord is rising and we know almost nothing of him."
Frowning slightly Harry added to the headmasters words:
"And it would also be beneficial to you... So you think I should follow my interests? I know that it wouldn't be against the school-rules or the law but still wouldn't it be against the morals? She is not even fourteen!
She might not even like me and I wouldn't be able to force her into an unwanted relationship with her parents consent just because I was the highest bidder!
I know that Voldemort would break her but that does not give me the right to do the same just under a different intent!"
Harry had balled his hands to fists as he spoke, as he had felt that his feelings had stirred his magic and threatened to leave him, breaking everything around him. Drawing deep breaths to calm down Harry closed his eyes and therefor missed the concerned gaze the headmaster send his way.
"I did not ask you to do anything that might force Miss Black but you would be surprised how many of your female students are more than passingly interested in you - and I believe that Miss Black is one of them.
Harry, this was already the second time that you could barely control your power, has it something to with your exploded wand, the scars on your hand and the fact that a Shadow-phoenix has joined you at such a young age?"
Harry cursed under his breath, why, why had the headmaster have to have such a quick mind? Of course he had not known that his powers shoved so clearly:
"They show? Are you the only one who has noticed something or have others said something?"
"No, as far as I know I am the only one who has noticed something - but you haven't answered my question!"
Harry was not able to look at the headmaster as he decided what to tell him, could he trust him with his secret, with his scar? Having come to a conclusion Harry looked at the headmaster:
"Partly it has something to do with the explosion of my wand, but even before that I had become to powerful for it and needed a new one... my hand was healed by a phoenix and when I woke up, more then a week after the explosion I had scars on my hand, scars that identify my in a way I do not want. I have been judged before by a scar - a scar that is now thankfully gone - that I fear to reveal this new scar to anyone. The same day my wand exploded Nyx joined me, a Shadow phoenix for a silver wizard...
My mentor guesses that I am at least a High Sorcerer if not a Mage but we have yet to test his theory..."
For the first time since Harry had become a phoenix child and Uncle Albus had told him that he might be even more powerful than he or Uncle Nicki did Harry realise what that meant: he would be one of if not the most powerful wizard alive, the last mages had been the four founders of Hogwarts! Frustrated Harry cursed:
"Damn it, I am only eighteen! And if my life hasn't been bad enough I can't even be a normal wizard, not even my wand is normal!"
Albus Dumbledore had watched the young man before him with fascination, as he seemed to realise for the first time what his mentor had told him.
"You might be only eighteen, but you should see it as a gift to have such immense powers, of course with such great powers comes also a great responsibility but you have chosen a good way to find your destiny.
You were speaking of your wand, I have noticed, that you use it very rarely - is there a reason for that?"
Instead of answering Harry withdrew his wand from his wand-holster on his right forearm and twirled it between his fingers, in the light of the morning sun it gleamed red like fresh blood.
"Magic knows no boundaries apart from those we believe in...Gawain - Mr Ollivander - made this wand especially for me, it is Mithril melted first in dragon fire and than burned together with a phoenix. It has a dual core: powdered horn of a unicorn and the first tears of a Daylight-Vampire.
An unusual wand, don't you think, but beautiful, so very beautiful and so powerful..."
Harry trailed off and looked intently at his wand, before he pointed it suddenly and softly whispered:
"Obliviate!"
Almost tangible pain filled his voice as he continued:
"You will remember nothing that happened since I entered your office yesterday evening, instead you will thing that you did some paperwork before you called it an early night. You will forget everything I told or showed you, everything we talked about. As soon as I have left this office you will believe that you just came from your rooms and had sat down behind your desk."
With a flick of his wrist Harry completed the spell and stood up. He did not notice the tears that were leaking form his eyes nor did he realise that he was stumbling. At the door Harry turned around:
"I'm sorry, Uncle Albus, so sorry - I hope that you will someday be able to forgive me... you can't know what I have revealed, if it were possible I would leave but I have to stay here.
Forgive me, Uncle Albus, please forgive me!"
Without a further glance Harry turned around and closed the door behind him. Would he have looked only once at the eyes of the headmaster he would have seen a clear calculating blue that followed his moves and was watching him.
As the door had closed behind Harry the headmaster turned to Fawkes:
"Who is this young man that you allow him to act this way?"
Stroking his beard Albus Dumbledore remained in his chair before he opened a cupboard and withdrew a roll of blank parchment. For minutes the only sound in his office was the sound of a quill scratching over the parchment.
"Fawkes, my friend, please deliver this letter to Nicholas... you don't have to wait for an answer."