Sorry for the big break! I hope to write more in the coming weeks!

Thanks for reading this story and sharing your thoughts about it. I have had some wonderful reviews, positive and negative alike. And I'm grateful for these reviews. In these reviews, there have been some concerns and criticisms that I have received that I'd like to talk about here.

Concerns about Harry being weak and pathetic :

In my eyes, Harry is definitely not weak or pathetic. But he is very different in comparison to the Harry we know from the original works. Harry at the same age, in the original works, was a quidditch superstar, had fought dementors, dragons, escaped a basilisk, the whole Philosopher's stone incident and many more. The Harry here may have trained under Grindelwald, and he may be wiser in other aspects, but he has nowhere near the practical real world scenario experience that original Harry has. So, there has to be a difference in the way they both react to a situation. But, regardless, I'd like to give the assurance that this Harry will have his moments too, and will definitely have a great character arc.

Concerns about Hermione :

Things in this world have happened very differently to what we know from the original works. The obvious one is Harry not being there, but Voldemort's rise has happened in a slightly quicker and different fashion. Hermione, as a person, is very different from the one we are accustomed to. There's a bigger picture in my head, and once that is replicated in my work, I believe that many of these concerns will be squashed.

Convenience of Harry and Hermione meeting :

Every event in every story is convenient from a certain perspective. How I'll defend this is by saying that, in the original works, Hermione vacationed in France one year. In other years, she was with Ron and Harry for parts of the summer holidays. Is it really a stretch that, if she had never befriended Ron, then she'd have probably vacationed more with her parents? Also, Harry had to forge connections with people in the magical world at some point of time. I can't have him just appear out of nowhere, defeat Voldemort and go back.

That's all for now. Do share your thoughts whenever you have them. They are very much appreciated. Criticisms of my writing style, well, all I can say for that is, I'm not a great writer. This is just my second fanfic, and the first one is not even 20% done. So hopefully, I'll grow as a writer with time.

"Sirius, do you know why Dumbledore is coming?" asked Remus.

"Loony, it's something to do with the Ministry," replied Sirius.

"Ministry? What have they done now?"

"We are about to find out, aren't we?" replied Sirius.

Sirius was finding life difficult ever since he had been released from Azkaban. He spent well over 12 years in that horrid place. Remus along with Dumbledore was the one who went to Azkaban immediately after Sirius' release. The moment he saw Sirius, tears poured out of his eyes like never before. He was feeling a lot of things at that moment. He had flashes of his childhood, all those moments with Sirius, James and Peter. And the thought of Peter reminded him that he failed to trust his friend. Like everyone else, Remus believed that it was Sirius who had betrayed James and Lily. Ever since he found out that Peter was the one who betrayed the Potter's and not Sirius, Remus had been feeling extremely guilty. He was dreading the state in which Sirius would be. Considering everything, he was actually relieved when he saw Sirius for the first time in well over a decade. Sirius seemed dull, pale and thin, but the smile he gave proved that the friend he had was still very much in there. Since Sirius' release, till now, Remus had been with him. Coming back to the world was tough on Sirius. The world had changed a lot in 12 years. People were still unconvinced by the truth. Most of the people still remembered the lie. The lie that Sirius was the one who betrayed his best friend. And even though the truth was out, people were skeptical.

Hours went by, and it was evening when Dumbledore came to 12 Grimmauld Place. Both Remus and Sirius were glad that Dumbledore wasn't accompanied by Severus Snape. And this was evident from their faces.

"Glad Severus isn't here?" asked Dumbledore, smiling at the pair of them.

"No, it's not that," said Remus, but at the same time Sirius said, "Yes!" Remus glared at Sirius.

"I understand! Some wounds are deeper than others, and the feud between you all is one that is perhaps beyond repair," said Dumbledore.

"Professor? What is it?" asked Remus trying to divert the conversation.

"I come bearing good news, bad news and… perhaps something that you ought to know," replied Dumbledore. Bad news was something they heard virtually everyday. So, when they heard that Dumbledore had good news, they became curious and slightly relieved.

"KREACHER! Bring us some tea and those cinnamon cookies," shouted Sirius at the top of his lungs.

"Yes, Master Black," replied Kreacher and went away muttering.

"Bad news first," said Sirius looking at Dumbledore.

"Very well! The Ministry has decided that they want to oversee certain aspects of Hogwarts. And they have decided to send 2 professors of their own for this year."

"Fudge has gone mad. What does this mean Professor?" asked Remus.

"This means that we have to be even more careful. We can't have Death Eaters and The Ministry, both against us. I have told multiple times to Cornelius that I'm not after his position, but he thinks otherwise," replied Dumbledore.

"What about the teaching? What subjects will they be teaching?" asked Remus.

"We have 3 positions open this year, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration and Charms. They will be sending Professors for Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts," replied Dumbledore. Remus gave a worried look, while Sirius looked a bit disinterested. So, Dumbledore continued. "There is a silver lining to this," he said.

"Silver lining?" asked Remus.

"I made sure that the Transfiguration Professor will be my choice, and that is the good news," replied Dumbledore and gave a pause to look at Sirius. "Sirius, I would like you to be the next Transfiguration Professor in Hogwarts. I would also like you to be the Head of Gryffindor," said Dumbledore gleaming. Right at that moment, Kreacher, Black family's house elf, arrived carrying a tray with a pot of tea and cookies. Kreacher placed the tray on the table and went out of the room. While this was happening, Sirius was looking shocked. He had not expected even in his wildest dreams that Dumbledore would ask him to be a Professor at Hogwarts.

"Professor! I am not much of a teacher," said Sirius after a minute.

"Sirius! Are you serious right now? How long are you going to sit in this house alone? You will never get a better opportunity to go out in the world," said Remus.

"I'll give you some time to think this over, but you should know that, I'd really appreciate it if you could come to Hogwarts," said Dumbledore. Sirius was speechless. He had never considered teaching. But the fact that he'd also be the head of Gryffindor was overwhelming. The 3 of them drank their tea in silence. Remus glanced at Sirius a couple of times, but he couldn't read what was going through his mind. After about 5 minutes, Remus spoke.

"Does Severus know?" he asked.

"No one knows yet, I couldn't tell anyone else without Sirius accepting my offer," replied Dumbledore.

"Professor! Is it a good idea for me to come to Hogwarts?"

"Sirius! Of course it's a good idea. You shouldn't worry about what people will say. You have been cleared of any and all charges."

"You say that, but I have had people give me dirty looks on the street all the time. They still think I murdered those people and that I was a follower of Vold..." but before he could finish his statement, Dumbledore interrupted him.

"Don't say his name," he said and continued. "We'll hereafter refer to him as Tom or Riddle, or You-Know-Who." Remus and Sirius looked at Dumbledore puzzled. In all their time with Dumbledore, 15 years ago, or now, they had never heard Dumbledore say this. Sure, other wizards who were terrified of Voldemort, chose to not say his name. But Dumbledore never stopped anyone from saying his name.

"Why Professor?" asked Remus. Dumbledore looked at the pair of them, his expression was hard to read. There seemed to be something lingering on his mind. Dumbledore got up from his chair and started to slowly pace the dimly lit room. After a minute or so, Dumbledore spoke up.

"We're not sure, but we believe Tom has made his own name Taboo," said Dumbledore.

"Taboo?" asked Remus.

"You say his name, and his people will be alerted of the speaker's location," replied Dumbledore.

"How did you find out?" asked Remus, still processing this new piece of information. Dumbledore went silent again, but after a few moments, he spoke up.

"I came here to tell you both, not just about the Ministry or to offer Sirius the Transfiguration post, but also to tell you both something that you deserve to know," said Dumbledore. His usual commanding voice had gone a bit soft. Remus and Sirius were looking at Dumbledore curiously. Dumbledore continued, "15 years ago, on the day Tom Riddle killed James and Lily, their son Harry survived. Harry Potter survived, but I decided that it was best to keep this a secret." Remus and Sirius collectively gasped.

"What are you saying, Professor?" asked Sirius.

"I'm sorry I never told you this before," replied Dumbledore.

"Harry is alive? Where is he?" asked Remus.

"He's living far away from here. Far away from the chaos created by Tom and his death eaters."

"Why did you not tell us? Why keep it a secret?" asked Sirius.

"And who is he living with? We need to see him," added Remus.

"15 years ago, when Voldemort attacked Harry, his spell backfired. Lily protected Harry with an ancient charm, a sacrificial magic called Opfermagie, and Harry survived. Upon hearing of the attack, I went to Godric's Hollow. And in the few moments I had alone with Harry, I decided that it was best to keep him being alive a secret, at least for the time being. The place was soon swamped with Ministry officials and Aurors. In a few hours' time, I had decided that Harry will remain a secret not just for a few days, but for as long as required. He's currently in his home in Iceland. The one James and Lily had planned on moving into."

"Iceland?" Remus asked, shocked.

"Yes, didn't you know that they bought a house there mere weeks before the attack?"

"No, James never told me," replied Remus.

"I knew, he told me soon after they decided on the house. Actually, James and I, we went to that house a week before the attack. Lily had some work, so we went to Iceland to finalise some things," said Sirius. Remus went silent after that. Sirius thought it might have something to do with the fact that he wasn't told about the house.

"Professor! Who has been with Harry all this time?" asked Sirius.

"I took help from an old friend to be his guardian," replied Dumbledore, conveniently avoiding telling them who the guardian was.

"We need to see Harry immediately. Does he even know that he has a Godfather?" asked Sirius.

"He doesn't know about you," replied Dumbledore. "And it is not the best idea to visit him right now," he added.

"Why not? I have lived 15 years not knowing that my Godson was alive. I'm not going to wait any longer. It's about time he came back to England," said Sirius.

"Sirius, now is not the right time. Wait for a few weeks," replied Dumbledore. Remus, who had been silent for a while now, spoke up.

"Professor? What does all of this have to do with Vold… Tom Riddle putting a taboo on his name?" asked Remus.

"I was hoping you'd have let it go," sighed Dumbledore. "Harry was attacked yesterday by the Death Eaters," said Dumbledore.

"WHAT?" gasped Sirius and Remus at the same time. Sirius had gotten up impulsively but he calmed down slightly, seeing the smiling face of Dumbledore.

"No need to worry, Harry is safe and the death eaters are dead. We don't know how they even found Harry. We don't even know if the death eaters knew it was Harry Potter. It is an extremely unlikely possibility, but one that we cannot ignore," said Dumbledore calmly.

"It's all the more important that Harry comes here then. What if the death eaters attack Harry again?" asked Sirius.

"If he's attacked again, his guardian will protect him. That is why he's there with Harry."

"How did a 15 year old Harry manage to kill death eaters?" asked Remus. But he continued before Dumbledore could reply, "Professor, who is with Harry? And why do you keep calling him guardian?" asked Remus.

"I, unfortunately, cannot answer that question. As to whether Harry killed the death eaters, the answer is no. Though, I'm sure he's capable of taking them on," replied Dumbledore. Remus realized from Dumbledore's tone that there was no point in prodding anymore. There was silence between the 3 again, and after a moment, Dumbledore decided to leave Grimmauld Place.

"Sirius, don't worry about Harry. I'm sure you'll get to meet him soon. And please do consider my request," said Dumbledore. He then nodded looking at Remus and left.

The next day, early in the morning, Dumbledore was talking to Snape,

"Professor, do you know who they are sending?" asked Severus.

"We don't know yet. Whoever it may be, will definitely be a hindrance to our plans," replied Dumbledore.

"And what about our Zenith students?"

"They'll have to be trained in secrecy," replied Dumbledore.

"The Dark Lord seeks the prophecy," said Severus.

"Prophecies are a dangerous thing, Severus. Leading our life, making our choices based on what we think the prophecy may mean is not the way. We can only try and understand it's..." Dumbledore got interrupted by an owl. An owl flew by the pair of them and dropped a black cube, slightly bigger than a tennis ball along with a note. Dumbledore picked up the cube while Severus picked up the note.

"H.I.J.N.E.O.G.G.R.N.R.E.M.E.A.R" said the note.

"Professor! This note is from Miss Granger," said Snape.

"Hermione Jean Granger," whispered Dumbledore keeping the cube close to his mouth. As he uttered the name, the cube opened up from the top and inside it was another note.

"Professor Dumbledore, I know the location of the dark wizard, Gellert Grindelwald. He's in Iceland," said the note.