Cloak in one hand and sandwich in the other, Harry headed to Komui's office. Today was the day he'd be visiting Godric's Hollow. He'd been so nervous that morning that the only reason he had a sandwich at all was because Lenalee had made him promise to eat it.

He would be early to the briefing but he couldn't stand just waiting around anymore. Soon, he'd be able to see where his parents were buried; where he'd lived as a baby; the life he didn't remember.

His footsteps echoed, but it began to be eclipsed by a strange rolling sound that grew progressively louder. He'd grown used to strange sounds in the Order, but it was oddly rhythmic and showed no signs of stopped or slowing down. He peeked around a corner and immediately collided with someone else.

It was just a young boy with rollerblades – who wore a familiar red and black uniform.

There was what appeared to be a glass ball sticking out of the kid's forehead as if grafted on, and he had bright, unnatural hair. As he stared as this weird kid, a tomato slipped from his sandwich and landed on the kid's face.

There was silence, then the kid threw himself backwards against the wall, tomato slapping against the ground.

"You!" they cried, pointing at Harry. "You're that one guy!"

"… Yep," Harry said, taking another bite. "Probably."

"You! You're – is it true you're a – a –"

"I'm a wizard. Is that what you were getting at?"

"But!" The kid waved his arms around wildly. "Magic isn't real!"

"Then I have a lot of questions about my life," Harry said with a chuckle. "But I would've said the same thing about Innocence a few months ago. Is that why you've been following me?"

"I – I wasn't –"

"Harry!" Allen appeared at the end of the hall, flanked by Link, before coming over. "Oh! You must be Timothy, right? I'm Allen Walker."

"I know who you are!" Timothy glared, shrinking away from Allen's outstretched hand.

"You mean to say this is the first time you've met?" Link said. "You've been back for weeks, Walker."

"You follow me around everywhere, Link. You know I haven't."

"Yeah, well, that's fine with me!" Timothy stuck out his tongue and pushed from the wall. His skates carried him away as he pulled the skin under one eye and glared. "Mind your own business!"

He disappeared around the corner, leaving them to stare after. Allen frowned. "Was it something I said?"

"I hear that one hasn't much manners," Link said. "He's been giving the Matron and his superiors a bit of trouble."

"…. He's not really an Exorcist, right?" Harry said slowly. "I know he was wearing the uniform, but…"

"Unfortunately, it is the Innocence who picks its accommodator, not the other way around." Link threw back his shoulders. "He is not on active duty yet, if that's your concern. But the time will come."

Harry imagined Timothy the way he had seen Allen, Lavi, and Kanda – the wounds they had shrugged off from long practice, the otherworldliness, and the sacrifice they were expected to make.

He didn't like it. How could they heap that kind of life on a kid? Even if he'd wanted to join, he was just a kid. They made stupid decisions.

"Let's go," Allen said, but he was the one who lingered in the hallway, looking off where the boy had gone.

#

Lavi and Kanda hadn't arrived yet. Komui beckoned them in with a grin too wide.

"That never bodes well," Allen said flatly. "What have you done, Komui?"

"The scientists and I have come up with a little something for Harry," Komui said. "It was Johnny's idea."

"For me?" Harry took a step back, hands up. "I don't need anything, really."

"Oh, don't be modest! They worked very hard on this."

Komui circled his desk and lifted a large box. He shoved it into Harry's arms, and he was forced to either take it or drop it. Cradling the box to his chest, he frowned.

"I can't give you a uniform, obviously," Komui said breezily. "But this is made out of similar materials. Much less likely to catch than robes. Easier to move in, and weather resistant. It's simple, but I think it will be helpful."

Harry went to peek inside but his hand was slapped away.

"Go put it on first! Make sure it fits, see if you like it; I'm pretty sure you will."

He was directed to an attached bathroom. Unlike the office, it was completely clean. He set the box on the sink and opened it.

On top were a set of boots. Shiny and new, they creaked when he lifted them. He'd never worn boots like them before. Next was what amounted to a training outfit – tight turtleneck and fitted pants. There was a thick belt with a large pouch, and a separate leather device that looked like a wand holster.

The bottom held a coat. Its style was reminiscent of the Exorcist uniforms, but instead of red, the accents were thinner and silver. Where the Black Order cross should be, there was a golden phoenix. No military patches or pins, no rank stripes – but there was still a string of beads like the normal Exorcist version.

He changed quickly. The boots took him the longest to lace. He put his old clothes and shoes back into the box and looked at himself in the mirror.

All the black made his eyes stand out more, and he almost didn't recognize his reflection. It made him stand with his shoulders back and his head up.

Komui whistled when he emerged. "How does it feel? Is it too tight, too loose anywhere?"

"No. It's bloody perfect." Harry said, feeling taller. "How did they know my measurements?"

"The training outfit they gave you. Johnny observed where it was a little loose on you and adjusted them – he's got a very good eye for these things."

"I'll have to be sure to thank him." He should try to do something for Johnny, but he wasn't sure how to show his gratitude. "But, can you help me with this? The buckles kind of confused me."

He withdrew the holster and Komui helped him situate it on his right forearm. With certain movements, he could lessen the tension and let his wand slip right into his hand, and with the jacket sleeves, no one would know until he was already firing spells.

He folded his cloak and put it into the pouch on his belt. It was a tight fit, but easy to reach back and grab if he needed it. He felt empowered – ready to go.

As excited as ever, Lavi and Kanda arrived to his inability to sit still. Lavi laughed and clapped him on the back, but Kanda didn't appear to care. Komui gathered them around the desk and pulled out large map.

"This was hard to get my hands on, so admire it gently," he said. "It's quite old."

"How're you getting yours hands on any of this stuff?" Lavi said, cocking his head. "Don't tell me the Order has been making ties in the magical world already?"

"There were some that already had a few. You just have to know where to look. Now see here." Komui circled a group of houses on the map with his finger. "This is strictly a Muggle area, but they are a minority in Godric's Hollow."

He circled a larger area. "This is the magical population. And this here –" he jabbed a finger at a square filled with smaller squares. "-Is the graveyard. There are three exits to this graveyard, but the best one is…"

Their briefing wasn't long. They went over the map and all the entrances and exits. They talked about where it was most likely they might find something and even the general terrain. They found Harry's old house, and they came up with a couple of plans for various situations, including one in which they were separated.

There was nothing special about the briefing, but Harry was still impressed. When he had been the leader of Dumbledore's Army, they had never had a meeting as well organized or informative. Even Hermione hadn't gone into as much coverage as this.

He was pretty sure it was so extensive because he didn't have the experience the Exorcists did, but the only one who seemed grumpy about it was Kanda. Harry only hoped it was a simple in-and-out trip.

#

Knowing part of the area already, they were able to completely bypass the long train ride by apparating. Harry found himself in an unfamiliar town, feeling like he was trespassing. They split up almost immediately upon arriving; the Exorcists and Link took predetermined points from which they could overlook the graveyard and the exits. They didn't need to be there for him to see his parents.

The map had made the place seem small, but there were more grave stones than he'd expected. No one had given him a time limit, but he tried to hurry and find the ones he was looking for.

Snow crunched under his feet. Names passed. The stones took on different shapes, held different words. Some he had to brush the snow aside. None looked recently visited.

Then he found two whose names he recognized. Kendra Dumbledore 'and her daughter Arianna'.

His breath caught. He'd read the biography. He knew, logically, that Dumbledore had a family.

But seeing it here made it real. Tangible. He slid his fingers across the inscription: 'Where your treasure is, there will your heart also'. Why hadn't Dumbledore ever mentioned their families had been laid to rest in the same place?

He'd never talked about his family at all. What did Harry know about Dumbledore that he hadn't learned from someone else? For all that he'd made Harry feel as if they shared a special bond, what did Harry have with him that no one else did? And if Dumbledore had truly cared about Harry, why hadn't he tried to reach out as more than just a teacher?

He wasn't even sure what he thought of Dumbledore as. He was more than a headmaster; more than a teacher. But he wasn't like family.

They could have been. They could have stood above those graves together. They could have shared the pain of losing their loved ones. Dumbledore had tried, but now, standing here and looking back on it, it felt trite.

Had Harry only ever been the Chosen One to even Dumbledore? Only good for the prophesy?

He had trouble shaking the resentment that clouded his mind. He tried to tell himself it didn't matter; doubting Dumbledore now would do him no good. So what if he hadn't been left any clues or direction? So what if the old wizard had been hiding things?

It didn't change what he needed to do, but he still felt a little betrayed.

He moved on. He spotted a few graves with names he did recognized; one was an Abbot. One held a peculiar and almost familiar symbol and read 'Ignotus'. The sun lowered, glinting on the snow, and he almost missed them.

Near the back of the graveyard, made of white marble, was Lily and James Potter.

He knelt before them. He knew it might be a sign he'd been there, but he cleaned the headstones of snow, heart aching. His eyes landed on the inscription: 'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death'.

He froze.

Wasn't that a Death Eater philosophy?

What was it doing here?

It couldn't have been chosen by his parents. They weren't Death Eaters and they didn't follow Voldemort. Who would have let these words be engraved here, when the originator of the philosophy was the very wizard who had killed them?

This was foreign, wrong. This was his parent's graves, but he still felt lost. There was so much he didn't understand; so much they could have taught him.

Throat tight, he clenched his fists. A gaping homesickness filled him but he didn't even know which home he missed. Hogwarts was the closest thing he'd had, but it was still just school. If his parents had still been alive, he'd have a house to return to; a family.

He almost wished he was slumbering beneath the earth with them.

"But wouldn't it be so much better if they joined you up here instead?"

He jumped to his feet. Eyes wide, he found a rotund creature staring down at him. It was dressed like a caricature of an Englishman with an unnaturally wide smile.

"Who are you?" Harry snapped.

"Does that really matter?" The stranger ran its hand atop his parent's graves, but that only made Harry tense and glare. "Would you like me to bring them back for you?"

"Bring them…?" He shook his head. Recognition dawned. Was this….?

"I assure you, it's very easy! I could do it for you. Would you like that?"

When the Exorcists had told their story, they hadn't described what the Millennium Earl looked like, but Harry was positive this was it.

"I want them back very much…" Harry said, jaw clenched. "But you can't help me."

"You're a wizard. You believe in magic," the Earl said. "Is it so strange to think there's a way?"

Harry stepped away. He knew better than to turn his back.

"Imagine all that you could have!" the Earl continued. "If only you would take the chance."

"Death," said Harry. "That's all I'd have. I know they'd kill me."

"That is what you were just wishing for." the Earl held up his umbrella, popping it open. The last of the sun's rays were disappearing behind the trees. "You wanted to be reunited. I can do that for you."

But Harry wasn't stupid. He took another step away, trying to subtly reach for his golem, tucked away. Figures rose in front of the skyline like large balloons. There were so many Level Ones that he couldn't make a good guess at the count.

His next step back almost made him trip over a girl. She giggled as she watched him stumble into another headstone, hands clasped behind her back.

"You – You're from the train station!" he exclaimed, suddenly understanding why her name had seemed familiar. "Did you just make up a story to talk to me?"

"I never lied, Harry," she said with a smile. "I was there to see my uncle. You were just convenient."

"You're – one of the Noah?" he demanded. He disguised the way he was reaching for his cloak by appearing to twist away from her in fear.

"Bingo!" She held a finger in the air. "I'm excited to get to know you better. Tom says he wants you alive, but I might accidentally… slip…"

"Now, now," the Earl said, chuckling. "You know you're not supposed to call him that."

Harry didn't give himself time to think about it. His fingers only brushed the edge of his cloak but with a pull at the edge of his mind, it activated. He disappeared from view and made no tracks in the snow as he ran.

He already knew the exits. He ran for the closest one, blood pounding in his ears.

He couldn't hear anyone following. Allen came into view, sitting on one of the gate posts. His head suddenly snapped up as his eye activated, cogs whirring as Harry barely held in a shout.

Road stepped out from one of the headstones. She giggled, finger to her chin. "It's not very nice to run away when someone's talking to you, you know."

It was as if Harry's legs became frozen. Just like back at the Dursley's, he couldn't move a muscle. They gaze met as Road's pale skin became dark and her eyes golden. She tilted her head with a soft smile even as Allen activated his Innocence and came charging towards them.

"Sweet dreams," she said.

Then Harry was surrounded by darkness and falling ever deeper.

A/N: I redrew the uniform introduced here if you're curious to see what it looks like. Link below:

fav. me/ dbgx8yh

(Take out the spaces)