A New Beginning

Chapter Six

Agreements

Hogwarts

Headmaster's Office

Hagrid arrived back a few days before Dumbledore was expecting and went directly to his office. He smiled down at the old headmaster, relieved to be home. Dumbledore invited him to sit and offered him some tea before he asked how the trip had gone. "It went well. I saw young Harry. He seems very healthy and happy." Hagrid said with a smile.

"Did you make contact with the others?" Dumbledore asked.

"Arabella said to let you know she's still watching over the boy carefully. He seems strong, like his parents. She gets to go in three times a week to clean and makes sure to talk to Harry as often as possible without raising alarms." Hagrid sighed. "Remus said that the school is going well, but its not very big yet. Barely any students and not many of them are in his classes. He plans to stay on at least another year, just in case they decide to enroll Harry there instead."

"Did you see anything to suspect that the boy may be in danger once his magic becomes known to him?" Dumbledore frowned slightly.

"Not at all. The man raising him seems very open minded. You remember those people; the boy's caregiver is very loving toward him. I even heard Harry call him Dad." Hagrid said.

"The truth will undoubtably hurt the boy when we tell him, but in the end it's for the best. He has a right to know about his real family, and how much they loved him." Dumbledore lowered his head sadly at the idea of causing the child pain, but it had to be done. For the greater good. Harry Potter had a larger role to play in what was to come. "Did you see Severus Snape during your trip?"

"No, I didn't but I wasn't around very long."

"Interesting…I had assumed he had hidden himself there…no matter." Dumbledore frowned, so Snape had not made contact with Hagrid then a surprising turn of events after Snape's outburst. "No matter, you can go, attend your pets. I am certain they have missed you."

"Thank you, sir." Hagrid said with a smile as he left. He felt a bit bad about the vow he had taken, but it allowed him to return and check on young Harry again in the future. He had heard now that Dumbledore himself was not allowed access to the country.

Albus Dumbledore was frustrated. Severus Snape had all but disappeared, Arabella Figg, for all the information she sent, was enamored with the Elrics and therefore compromised. Remus Lupin's obsession with Sirus Black was a distraction. Now Rubeus Hagrid had brought him nothing to work with, how was he going to get the boy back where he belonged?

He was fairly confident still that the boy would be easily swayed once Albus was able to speak to him; to explain that he had been taken from the people who needed him, that Elric though managed to block Albus so often he wondered if the man worked with the Death Eaters. Now that he thought about it, it wouldn't surprise him. After all, he had heard rumors that the man was capable of impossible acts. His Alchemy rivalled even Flamel's and Albus knew firsthand how strong Nick had been.

No, it wouldn't surprise him at all. It did explain why the man had snatched the child away. How he had managed to be there the night the Potters were killed when their location was so well hidden. Why he simply refused to listen to reason when Albus tried to explain the Boy was needed for the greater good. How he had managed to turn Severus away from Albus and the Order. Yes, now that it came to him, he wondered how it hadn't occurred to him sooner.

To be fair, he admitted he had been distracted by various other obligations over recent years. It was no real excuse though. He had allowed this to get out of hand, for ten years he had been bidding his time, and allowing this to continue. It was time to take a more direct approach. First though, he had to find a way to rid himself of his vow. Then, he could go get the boy himself, as well as the Hallow they had stolen out from under him.

Albus turned to the vast private library on the upper floor of his rooms in search of a counter spell. It would take some time, but he would find a way, the fate of the world depended on the boy.

Xerxes

Remus Cottage

Remus had just woken from an exhausting night as the Wolf. He was not in the mood for company, he never was during the week of the Turn, but he did not turn him away when Severus knocked on his door just after dawn.

"Hagrid returned to Hogwarts; he took the vow." Severus sat at the table and began pulling out breakfast items from the small pouch at his side, all still hot and well wrapped. "There's no doubt Dumbledore will send him back again, or someone else should he suspect Hagrid his anything from him."

"Isn't that why Edward gave him such a broad instruction on what he could report? To keep Albus from suspecting anything." Remus tiredly sighed as he gratefully pulled a platter of sausages to himself. "Albus spends much of his time these days avoiding my requests for a meeting, I haven't seen him in months, but he was still very clearly drinking last meeting."

"That doesn't surprise me; however, he is obsessed with that stone as well as getting the child. Even with the haze of alcohol he hadn't forgotten that goal." Severus frowned and began buttering a slice of toast before pushing a platter of eggs toward the other man. "Sirus Black has more answers than he supplied you last time, we both know it."

"So does Dumbledore, I suspect." Remus frowned as he looked up from the platter that was nearly empty already. "Why else would he refuse to help me speak to Sirius."

"What was his official excuse again? That Black was simply a distraction from your other duties? Yes, I agree he is hiding something. I spoke to Moody this morning. After you eat, you will be going out to see Black again. Make sure to get as much out of him as possible, I don't know that another meeting will be possible."

"Ah, the real reason you arrived first thing then?"

"No. I came to be certain you ate something, and to inform you of the Hagrid situation, as well."

"I would have eaten either way." Remus frowned and ignored the judgmental look Severus gave him in return. It was true that he often avoided the rest of the campus during the Moon, therefore skipping meals occasionally, but he always ate eventually. Usually when Chen brought around a basket of food and insisted.

"I brought you today's dose as well. Do finish your eggs first." Severus smiled not continuing a now frequent argument between the two. "I am coming with you this time. I haven't been in Europe in months, if I am to continue to be of use to the Order I must be noticed occasionally. I also am bringing along the means to get things out of Sirus."

"You're going to drug him then."

"How else would I manage to get him to speak to me? We both know what he thinks of me Remus, but we are nearly out of time. Only a few months remain before both sides will actively begin to try to recruit or kill the Boy… and we have failed to locate the last of the Horcruxes."

"You think Sirus may know where one is?"

"I think it is possible. I think it is even more likely that he knows who else in the Order is a threat to the child." Severus watched as Remus swallowed down the potion quickly. "We will wait though; I do not wish to visit with a wolf."

"Exactly why I wondered why you would arrive this early in the day. Surely you were aware we would have to do this later in the day."

"As I said, I had to be certain you ate, and were strong enough for the trip. I also dropped in with Draco, his history teacher asked for a meeting in an hour. After I will return, and we can decide how to approach Sirus for answers."

"Sirus said that Peter was the Secret Keeper, not him. If that is true, then the other betrayer is already out of the way. Unless there was a third." Remus sighed. "Which, we must know if we wish to protect Yuery. Dumbledore is going to step up the attempts to contact him now."

"Undoubtably. I will return shortly. Clean yourself up, it wouldn't do to go in looking ill."

"Sirus is well aware of my condition."

"No reason to show weakness."

Amestris

Fuhrer's Office

Roy had originally intended to remain with Alphonse and his new grandson for a week at least, after being contacted with the news that the wizards had found a loophole in the protection spell however, he had decided it was necessary to return to Central. Edward had joined him of course, with the same concerns as Roy.

Edward had insisted that Winry and the younger children remain in Reseembool not only because she was close to the delivery of their own child, but because the spells around their house would keep them hidden far better than anywhere else in the country. He had brought the boys back to the city with him, however. Yuery and William both had school to attend, and he felt more comfortable with Yuery near him at this point.

Now both men sat in the office, dividing their attentions between matters of the state and the wizards. Edward seemed content to sit in here instead of his own office, so Roy passed him half of the files to go over while his son brooded. "You know, nearly everything in here has already passed over my desk on the way to yours, so I have already seen this, Dad."

"Then it should be easy enough to sort through, shouldn't it? I am not going to sit here working through this mountain while you do nothing a brood. You aren't a child anymore Edward." Roy said calmly while he signed another file.

"Any excuse to get out of doing your own work." Edward snorted, comforted in a way to return to the banter they had shared since he was a child. Almost as if no time had passed since he was an angry but desperate twelve-year-old trying to convince the world he was grown. "If I already read it once and passed it on to you, why would I want to read it again?"

"My apologies, I will have Breda bring in your own paperwork then, I am sure it has been building up." Roy said as he lifted the phone to call.

"Severus said he will be out of country today investigating the wizard situation. That means I have no reliably quick way to get to my children if something goes wrong. I'm nervous." Edward confessed and Roy placed the phone back down without dialing. "I'm able to apparate myself. He taught me and I have done it a few times, but it still makes me nervous to be away from them when I can't get to them easily."

" I can call now and have them send them home if it would make you more comfortable." Roy offered. "Have them stay home for a few more days with their work packets. He's doing well enough it wouldn't hurt his education. They both are."

"I don't know what to do Dad. I need to keep him safe, but I don't want him to live in fear." Edward groaned loudly. "I'll call myself. Thanks Dad."