Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its subsequent universe. All recognisable characters, settings and plots belong to J. K. Rowling.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to my team of Betas and Editors: Tendrael Umbra, AJAVENGER01, Ares Alexander Peverell, Avidnarutofan.

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Harry Potter and the Trials of Twilight

By: ArtyWords

Book 1: The Premature Arrival

Chapter 3: Painted Black

June 26 1990

Hogwarts

The stars twinkled outside as Olivia made her way through the ever-changing corridors of the school. She had just returned from the clinic and was on a quest to tear the old goat a new one. She stopped in the middle of the hallway in front of the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the headmaster's office. She scowled, not amused by the headmaster's need to protect his office with muggle candies.

"Curly Wurly." She bit out.

As soon the gargoyle slid out of her way she climbed the stairs. Olivia's eyes scanned the room, she wasn't fooled by all the eccentric trinkets he had placed around the room to perpetuate his dotty old man image. Not when she could feel Harry's blood calling to her from several of them. She stared longingly at the shelf filled with rare books left behind by previous heads of the school.

The man himself appeared to have just sat down. Silently and without permission she slid into one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"Where's Hagrid?"

She effortlessly maintained a calm face even as she saw him bleeding out in her arms, his twinkling eyes not so bright anymore.

"I don't know." She answered curtly. "We split up shortly after morning tea."

"Why?"

By Morgana his voice grated on her nerves. she scoffed. There was no way his pet half-breed hadn't told him. Olivia took the envelope from her pocket and tossed it onto the desk between them. It was an exact copy of the one she had delivered earlier today.

"Extenuating circumstances. When Hagrid asked him to give you another chance," She couldn't help but scoff at the notion. " He stormed off and I chased after him."

"Why?"

Olivia's eyes flashed in annoyance when Albus spoke. She was getting tired of this charade; he was too nosy for the oblivious facade to be believable. She reached across the and flipped the envelope over and tapped her finger on the address.

"Cupboard Under the Stairs."

She watched him carefully, her face blank. She watched as several things flashed in his too fast for most people to notice: disbelief, regret and guilt.

"Does he hate me?" He looked a lot frailer now that his eyes weren't twinkling.

"Hate is a weak word. It barely describes what he feels about you."

She enjoyed the way he seemed to defeat each word.

"What happened?"

She laughed bitterly, "Do you expect me to believe you didn't know?"

"I didn't." he stressed.

"You honestly expect me to believe that. You didn't know." she sneered as her magic swirled within her. "You didn't know that you abandoned him. You didn't know you condemned him to nine years of abuse."

Olivia paused, releasing a shaky breath as she wiped away stray tears with her palm.

"It's all your fault. It wasn't by your hand but it's your fault. His suffering is all your fault: the beatings, the scars, the burns and every drop of spilt blood at the hands of those monsters. It's all your fault."

The crackling of the fireplace was the only sound in the room as its two occupants sat there in silence. Olivia stood up with tears streaming down her face and her way to the exit. She opened the door and paused, she didn't turn around, she didn't yell but Albus heard her whispers.

"The next time you want to give someone a second chance, make sure you don't rob someone else of their first."

Then she left, not bothering to close the door behind her.

(+)

Albus had been in a bit of a funk the days following the conversation between him and Olivia. He had been wrong — it was hard to come to terms with the fact he had yet again ruined another childhood. Looking back, he could see what he should have done differently, what he should have done better. Then again he didn't have the benefit of hindsight nine years ago.

Aberforth had been vicious when he sought his brother out for advice. His brother didn't so much as look at him after he finished explaining what he had done. Instead, he had stared at the portrait of their sister as he spoke to him. Despite their estrangement, Aberforth knew him well enough to ensure his words cut deep.

"You couldn't help yourself, could you? You had to stick your nose where it didn't belong and now you've ruined another child's life."

He had tried to justify it; he knew he was grasping at straws — they both knew — but Aberforth was never a merciful person.

"Europe, Harry, Ariana, how many lives are you going to ruin before you learn? How many till you learn to mind your own business? How many more mistakes until you finally realize it's everyone but you paying for them?"

Albus wilted further into his chair as he allowed his thoughts to run roar of rising flames drew his attention, he turned towards the fireplace to see Alice and Frank step out of the fool. He noted that the clock above the fireplace ticked closer to midnight.

"What's so urgent that this meeting can't wait until the morning?" Frank asked as he brushed a bit of ash off his housecoat.

"If you gave him the chance I'm sure he'd tell us." Alice retorted as she too brushed away some ash.

"Pleas-"

Albus was interrupted by a flash of fire appearing on the perch in the corner. He smiled fondly at Fawkes' antics as he watched the phoenix settle on his perch.

"Please have a seat. We have much to discuss." he gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk.

He gave them a moment to settle in as he gathered his thoughts.

"I've called you here tonight to discuss Harry Potter." He had barely finished when Frank jumped right in.

"What about him? Aren't we supposed to go and pick him up soon?"

Albus coughed awkwardly. "I'm afraid that will no longer be necessary, as it turns out that come September 1st, he will be boarding the express with the rest of the students."

"That's wonderful and all but it still doesn't explain why you sent Fawkes or why we are meeting minutes before midnight." Frank said.

"I made a mistake," Albus sighed heavily. "And I would like your help to fix it."

"Is this part where you finally tell us why we're here, or are you going to continue to skirt around that?" Alice cut in sleepily.

"You were right Alice. You have no idea how right you were about Petunia." he said sadly.

Took Alice a moment but it clicked when she saw the guilt in his eyes and she gasped in horror when she did.

"I would like for Harry to be invited to Neville's Gala and stay with you the rest of the summer."

Unbeknownst to the trio, as they hashed out Harry Potter's living situation, a pair of dark grey eyes watched them from the shadows. They continued to do so until the trio finally agreed on a set of terms. It was only after the trio had retired for the night that Phineas Black walked out of his portrait.

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Next Chapter - September 13, 2021

Author's Note

A short chapter compared to previous ones more of an interlude really. It does allow us a look at how Harry's arrival affects others.