I do not own Harry Potter
Harry's Pov (mostly)
As his eyes fluttered slightly, a groan slipped past his lips as he clenched his eyes shut against the bright light that sent shooting pains through his head, though he did notice that the pain in his arm and leg have thankfully disappeared. As he looked around, he was once again grateful for the spell that Lani had used to heal his poor eyesight, he never had to wear those hideous glasses again. He then shifted slightly trying to get more comfortable before looking around for his wand, when he heard the curtain moving. As he picked up his wand from the bedside table, he sat up slightly expecting to see the healer but what he didn't expect was for Dumbles to walk towards his bedside staring down at him with nauseatingly familiar twinkling eyes, though they weren't as pronounced as they would be in the future. He shifted to get up despite his aching head, he refused to be in such a weak position when facing the manipulative fool. ''Know thy enemy' as Lani (I introduced her in the last chapter, I made a few slight changes so you might want to check out the paragraph where Harry is talking about changing his last name, sorry for the inconvenience) always used to drill into him and despite how much he hated the man standing before him, he knew that he was dangerous and not one to be messed with so he needed to be perfectly collected and composed so as to not give anything away. He could never let Dumbledore find out the truth, it would be disastrous, he wouldn't put it past the old coot to try and obliviate him after getting as much information as he wanted and then using them in the massive chess game Dumbledore has made of the wizarding world.
"Hadrian Peverell was it? How are you, my boy?" Dumbledore asked in a false grandfatherly tone. He had placed spells around the bed whilst the others weren't looking to alert him of when the boy would awaken and he had sneakily removed the standard ones that would notify the healer of their patient waking up. He needed to talk with the boy and get the information he needed. He needed to know if the boy was a spy for Gellert because he couldn't possibly be a Peverell.
"OK one, I am not your boy, you're a stranger so I find that utterly disturbing as you're an old man and I'm a 15-year-old boy so do refrain from saying that again and two, yes I am Hadrian Peverell as I'm sure you already know since I distinctly remember telling the entire hall so, which if I'm not mistaken, included yourself. Weren't you the one saying that I could be a spy for this Grindelwald guy, before saying, that despite the fact that it's clear I had nowhere else to go, that the kind old man, who I had forgotten to ask the name of, should rethink his decision in getting some arrangements made for me. As well as the fact that you also think I'm a potential danger to the students when I told you that I'm only 15 and obviously injured. And let's not forget that after I told you I was tortured, locked in a cage and then nearly killed that you thought it prudent to demand answers to questions that made me relive every single moment. So, yes, to answer your last question, I'm feeling great, thanks for asking." Harry said completely calm and collected with an expressionless face that gave absolutely nothing away though his last sentence held a hint of sarcasm.
He saw that the old fool seemed taken aback by his comment clearly not having expected it and he internally smirked, now that he thought about it, going back in time didn't seem like such a bad idea, after all, he didn't have to dumb himself down anymore so that Mione doesn't get upset or Ron jealous. However he knew that he couldn't stay here, the thought of never seeing Lani, Ana, Padfoot or his friends again was not something he could live with. He really missed Leilani and Liliana, Lani's 4 year old adopted daughter, they both always had a way about them that made him forget everything going on in his life and be 'just Harry.' So despite how freeing it was to not treat the old coot as if he were the next coming of Merlin he had to find a way back.
Though whilst he was here he could treat the damned old man however he wanted, Lani had warned him that If the boy-who-lived started hating the supposedly esteemed headmaster, it would cause extreme uproar in the wizarding world so he had to keep a low profile by playing the act of the saviour and making sure the old fool thinks that he's under his thumb, but here he didn't have to worry about that.
He couldn't wait to tell Lani about this year's adventure, he always told her everything, her insight and understanding always helped him, she could see things others wouldn't, like when she told him about the different protections in first year to get to the stone, how every protection was catered to his and his friend's skills as if it was some form of test. His being flying, Ron's being chess and Hermione's being her intelligence. That was when his doubt in Dumbledore had started and he was glad she had pointed it out otherwise he didn't think he would have seen it, so every year after that, he told her everything and she told him what she thought or just let him rant and get his frustrations out by exchanging blows with her. He didn't want to at first but she had goaded him until he had given up and they both started fighting, the embarrassing thing was that she won, though he had to admit that she was really good. After cooling down from the fight, he had realised that he felt lighter than ever before so he had wanted to learn how to get better and she had taught him a lot over the years, so whilst he's not on par with her, he was good in Lani's point of view. The last time they had fought, he had lasted a few minutes longer than normal and she thought it an improvement. He had to glamour his actual physique so that Dumbledore still thought he was being abused, which whilst he was, food wasn't a problem because Lani had hid a small box in his cupboard, where she transported food with a spell she had learned on one of her many travels. He did however find it really irritating that he had to hide the fact that he wasn't a thin and malnourished boy anymore, but Lani had told him that the old man could never find out because he would realise that he won't be as malleable anymore and he could potentially resort to other methods to get what he wants, and he conceded to her point, he'd rather not have his memory tampered with. However, he realised, he didn't have to hide here but because they already saw him looking like this, he was going to have to take the glamour down gradually so it seems as if he was just hitting a growth spurt.
He knew that after telling her about his time heist, she would be so jealous, she's always dreamt of travelling to the past, changing things that she didn't like, causing all sorts of mayhem, which she was ridiculously good at, and also the joy of talking to Dumbledore without thinking of potential consequences would be a plus point for her since whenever she talked about him, she always looked like she was resisting the urge to strangle the old fool with his own damned beard, not that he would blame her after everything he's found out, all thanks to her. Though he did have to think about how Dumbledore would react if he went too far, but what could he really do, he wasn't the headmaster, not in this time, however, he wasn't stupid enough to underestimate him, no, Lani had taught him better than that so he would be cautious but he wouldn't hold back like he used to.
"I'm terribly sorry Hadrian..." Dumbledore started speaking, breaking him out of his thoughts before he cut him off.
"I don't think I gave you permission to call me by my first name. To you, it is Mr Peverell or Heir Peverell." Harry interjected slightly coldly as he clenched his wand in his hand, he would need to make a story about why he knew about his heirship and magic when he didn't know about Grindelwald. He could say he had lived in a different country, somewhere Grindelwald wasn't known, or he could say that his muggle relatives had kept him sheltered and barely let him out so he didn't know much of what was going on. Then how would he know about magic? Leilani. He could say that he had a best friend that was a witch and that she noticed how weird things used to happen around him so she told him about magic. He'll say that she was in a different country as she travels a lot, which Lani did, but she always comes back to Privet Drive during the summer with Ana, who he'd met after 2nd year, to spend time with him, it was the only reason he looked forward to the end of school. He'd been 8 when he had met Lani and she was 9 but she had always seemed older than her years, that's probably why they had gotten along so well, they understood each other, they both had been given the short end of the stick, though sometimes his life sounded like a walk in the park compared to hers and he had said as much, she had told him that everyone suffers differently in life but that was the whole point, everyone suffers, everyone will go through something they don't want to but it's how they come out of that that shows how strong they are, so he shouldn't look down at what he's suffered, all because he thinks that someone else has suffered more because there will always be someone out there who's had worse and someone who's had better but we're all survivors in our own way. He had kept her words to heart, she always knew just what to say when he didn't even realise he needed to hear it and he would always be grateful for that.
"Right, of course, my apologies. I wanted to ask, how is it that you are a Peverell, It is said that the line was extinct a long time ago. Are you sure that you're not mistaken by any chance, my boy?" Dumbledore asked trying to get the boy to look into his eyes so he can get his answers. The boy was being difficult and he clearly wasn't going to get anything from him with a few kind words, so desperate times call for desperate measures, he justified himself as he sent a mind probe to gleam his surface thoughts but what he didn't expect was to meet resistance or to be thrown out so abruptly that he had to take a few steps back.
"Using legilimency on a minor, the heir of a noble and ancient house no less, was very stupid," Harry said to the shocked man, his emerald green eyes glinting with fire and yet, at the same time, so icy cold. Despite how long and taxing the lessons always were, Lani had been an excellent teacher and had made him learn legilimency until he had mastered it and he was never more grateful than he was now. Just as he was about to continue, he saw Dippet walk into the hospital wing his eyes settling on him and Dumbledore, who quickly composed himself as he turned towards Dippet, looking as if nothing was amiss, though Harry could see that he was slightly nervous, clearly about whether or not he would tell Dippet about what he had just done. Whilst it was slightly tempting just to see how he'd react, he wasn't that stupid, he knew that even now Dumbledore held many supporters that hung on to his every word, so he would probably just get a slap on the wrist and be told not to do it again so there was no point in telling.
"Armando, I just came here to make sure Mr Peverell was alright after everything he had been through." he was about to carry on when Dippet cut him off.
"Albus, Madame Pomfrey was supposed to be notified when Mr Peverell would wake up. Where is she?" Dippet asked looking around confused. He had come here to ask Camelia how the boy was doing but what he didn't expect was to come into the room to see Albus looking at the boy with a stumped look on his face and for the boy to be glaring at him. Had Albus said something to him? He hoped not. Albus's comments in the Great hall had him feeling more angry than he had ever been with him. He didn't want Albus to have said anything else to the boy who had already been through enough as it is. But why hadn't the healer been alerted, he knew about the wards that would notify the healers when their patient is awake so why hadn't Madame Pomfrey come rushing in as she always does. There was something wrong with this situation and he didn't know what, but something was telling him that had he not come, Albus wouldn't have notified the healer, despite the fact that he should have done so the moment he saw the boy awake, until he finished with whatever conversation they were having.
He was broke out of his thoughts when the boy started speaking, "Um sir I just got up a few minutes ago when he came in. I don't know where the healer is." Harry said politely and he saw the relief in the slight slump of the Dumbledore's shoulders and he was tempted to just blurt it out anyway but he didn't. He had better things to do than focus on the meddling old man, like trying to find a way back to his time.
"That's alright child. You just rest whilst I go find the healer." Dippet kindly spoke to the boy. He was glad he looked so much better and that he seemed more at ease than he was before. The sheer terror he heard in his voice is not something he'd rather hear again, especially from such a young and innocent boy. As he was about to walk away he turned to Albus and said, "Albus you may go and prepare for your next lesson. I've got everything sorted here." He looked like he was about to protest but he looked at him sternly, showing that he wasn't going to budge so with one last look at the boy Albus left. He noticed that the boy looked more relaxed now that he was gone, not that he could blame him considering what Albus had said in the Great hall, which he still was confused about, that wasn't normally like him. He sighed, he'd think about that later, for now, he needed to call the healer for the child to make sure he's alright so with a smile at the boy he left.
A few minutes later, Harry saw a lady with a no-nonsense face come rushing into the room and he thought she looked a lot like Madame Pomfrey from his time, he knew they were related but there was barely any difference between them.
"Mr Peverell my apologies for not coming sooner. I'm normally alerted when one of my patients is awake but for some reason I hadn't been this time. I'm going to perform a few scans on you just to make sure you're completely fine then I'll give you a change of clothes as I'm sure you don't want to be in that any longer than you have to." She said with a kind smile on her face as she performed different scans on him, she was concerned for the child she had healed, he had had acromantula venom running through his body, which she was very concerned as to why, and it was a miracle that the antidote was administered in time. She had then healed the bite but she hadn't made it in time to get rid of the scar since the dittany has to be put on before half-an-hour has past of the injury happening, otherwise the scar will remain and the boy had had the wound for merlin knows how long. The exposure to the cruciatus curse was clear from the tremors of the boy's limbs and she had given him a pain-relieving potion to decrease the effects before healing the cut in his arm but because of the same problem, there had been a thin white scar. She swore that someone needed to make some dittany that could work no matter how old the wound is, it really does get frustrating at times.
Harry tried to recognise the different spells she was doing and he thought one sounded familiar but he didn't know what spell it could be, he wasn't really great at healing spells, but Lani had taught him a thing or two, mostly wandless so that he could heal himself outside of school. She was the only one who knew what actually occurs within the Dursleys' house and she was always there for him. When he was younger she used to sneak into the house just to heal him, he hadn't known though, until she had told him later that she used to send him to sleep beforehand, as he didn't know about magic at the time, and he then understood why whenever he got up the next morning after one of Vernon's many beatings he had felt no pain at all.
He was always thankful to Lani for the lengths she went to to make him feel as if he's not alone, those days when he woke up expecting to be in a hell of a lot of pain only to be stumped when he hadn't felt a thing, she used to be next him in the cramped cupboard just to be there for him and he always admired the fact that despite the shithole that was her life she was still the most kindest person he's ever met. He asked her how she had known when to come heal him, apparently she used to put a spell on him that would alert her if he was ever hurt and sometimes she made it in time to confund Vernon and make him stop. The spell had worn off after he was emancipated and she said that she had trained him well enough that he didn't need her anymore so she hadn't put the spell back on. She started giving him different potions and teaching him wandless healing spells so that he can heal himself if necessary. During the years, she had tried healing him as much as she could but because of her other powers, her magic tended to leech off of her energy leaving her winded and when he had grown up and his wounds had gotten gradually more worse because of Vernon, he had seen that the amount of energy she used to heal all his wounds had made her pass out and he had never felt so much fear and guilt when he saw her keel over. So when she tried to vanish the scars, he had told her not to as he knew it was too much for her at the time. She had been persistent but he had refused to let her despite knowing that he was going to live with it for the rest of his life, it wasn't worth her health, especially since she had to be there for Ana. However, she had been stubborn so she practised non-stop over the years, and pushed herself to the limit until she didn't feel exhausted anymore. Then she had removed the most recent scars but she couldn't get rid of the old ones no matter how many different spells she tried.
She had then proposed an idea that she had used herself, though only if the scars bothered him, but at the time he had been underage so it was considered illegal. But after she had gotten him emancipated the first thing they did was just that. Now because of her genius plan he now had several tattoos, he didn't cover all of the scars otherwise he'd be covering his entire body, he just hid the ugliest ones that he'd rather not see and they were all under heavy glamour, he only took them off when he was with Lani and Ana.
He didn't realise how lost in thought he was until he heard a gasp of horror from the healer and he looked up to see her staring at an extra-long parchment that seemingly went on for ages.
Dippet, who was standing on the other side of his bed looked at her with concern in his eyes as he asked, "What is it Camelia?"
"I-I... " She trailed off lost for words and Dippet now looked more alarmed as he got up and looked at what she was staring at. His skin seemed to pale more and more the further he went down the parchment and Harry suddenly realised with dread what spell he had found familiar, it was a full diagnostic report, it would show his entire history of injuries, even something as small as a paper cut.
"Armando this is... this... this is horrific. What kind of monsters would do this to a child?" Camelia Pomfrey asked not expecting an answer. Her mother had been a muggle healer and had shown her all the different signs, and this parchment screamed of child abuse. How else would the child have been cut on his back so many times growing up, the only explanation was belt lashings, which her mother had told her about from one of her cases but this one was by far the worst case she's ever heard of. The injuries dated back from when he was only a toddler and they gradually became more worse as he grew up. There were some injuries on the parchment that weren't part of the abuse, like the bite wound above his right elbow and she wondered about how he had gotten that when he was only 12. But what was more concerning was the fact that according to the gravity of the injuries the child should have been dead before his 9th birthday, how he had survived she didn't know because the wounds inflicted upon the poor boy were severe.
Dippet didn't know how to answer her, he was utterly speechless as he stared at the seemingly endless parchment, he had barely gotten through the child's first few years and he was horrified, and the injuries just got worse the more he grew up. Now he understood why the child hadn't felt pain or grief at his family's death, it was quite obvious that they were the savages that had dared to harm a magical child. It was just unheard of in the wizarding world, magical children were cherished as not many parents are lucky enough to have them. How could someone's own family be so cruel and brutal to a child, their own nephew? He swallowed the bile rising in his throat at some of the injuries the child endured before noticing that as they were going down the parchment that some of it hung in the air right in the boy's line of sight. He really didn't want to believe what he was reading but he knew it was all true as he looked up at the boy's pale expression as he stared at the parchment, his entire body frozen with what he recognised as dread.
Harry fought the urge to bolt, he didn't know what to do, he's never been in this situation before. No one had bothered to make an effort to see what was so obvious, he knew it was, he wore cast-offs in the holidays, he had been as thin as a stick, he dreaded going back to the Dursleys every year so much so that he had begged the old fool to let him stay but his pleas went unheard and every year he had to go back to that damned hellhole. It was in second year that he had come to the conclusion that Dumbles had known about the abuse and yet had done nothing to stop it. Lani, who had at the time just found Ana, had told him that it was what the conniving old man wanted because naturally a touch starved abused child is bound to get attached to the first person kind to them, who shows them a place they can belong. The child would then trust that person so implicitly that they'd become blind to their faults, to what would have been so obvious had they bothered to look and that was exactly what Dumbledore had been aiming for. It would make it easier for him to be moulded into exactly what Dumbles had wanted him to be, the wizarding world's saviour, and he knew had he not had Lani's guidance, he would have become exactly that so he couldn't be more grateful to have her in his life. She had been the only one who had bothered to care for him, to help him, to heal him when he had had no one else so having practical strangers find out about something that only the closest person to him knows was slightly daunting.
"A magical child abused! I've never heard such a horrendous thing! And by muggles no less!" Dippet snapped full of anger as he finished reading the parchment that consisted of 14 years of pain no child should have ever gone through, but after seeing the slight flinch from the boy and the surprise in his eyes, he instantly felt guilty and calmed himself down. He didn't need to scare the boy more than those monsters clearly had. And he wouldn't say it out loud of course but he was glad that they were out of his life now, the poor child deserved better.
Harry had been so surprised at the anger he heard in Dippet's voice that he had accidentally flinched back as he did a double-take. For a man that looked so old and frail, he sure had a fire in him that he hadn't seen from the portrait hung in Dumbledore's office. The knowledge that Dippet's concern and anger on his behalf wasn't faked like the old fool's would have been made him feel more at ease with the situation than he probably would have been.
"Apologies for my outburst Mr Peverell. I just can't fathom how someone could be so cruel to their own family. In the wizarding world, treating a child like this is completely unheard of so rest assured had they not been dead they would have gotten what they'd deserved for daring to lay a finger on a magical child." Dippet said to explain his reaction and to reassure the child that their actions would not have gone unpunished.
"Thank you sir." Harry responded not knowing what else to say to that. Dippet smiled kindly at him before turning to Camelia, who was still staring at the parchment looking pale.
"Camelia?" Dippet questioned concerned, she was known for keeping her cool in the most tense situations so to see her so lost for words was worrying. He understood how she felt though because he had been speechless in the face of the boy's suffering as well and considering the fact that it's her main job to heal children, it must have been heartbreaking to read.
Camelia looked up as she heard the headmaster speak before realising that she had been staring at the parchment the entire time. "My apologies headmaster. It's just... I just... How can someone do all this to an innocent child?" she seemed truly troubled as she asked this before she looked at the two of them with a hard glint in her eyes as she asked, "Where are they now? They ought to be punished," in a cold tone that had Harry gulping slightly, yep, she was Madame Pomfrey's grandmother, there was no doubt about that, they were both as scary as each other.
"Don't worry ma'am, they're dead." Harry said politely and she looked at him with a look that screamed she wanted to say 'good' before settling for saying, "Well that's unfortunate," with a clear sarcastic undertone that even Dippet seemed to pick up on for he smiled slightly.
"I'm going to issue you a nutrient regimen which you will consume daily. Don't worry I will make sure it's sent to you. It will help with the years of malnourishment but it won't take away all the damage, however you will significantly improve in a matter of a few months, Mr Peverell." Camelia said to the boy kindly.
Harry very nearly groaned as he realised he was going to have to drink the most foul-tasting potions when he was completely fine, malnourishment wise, thanks to Lani. But he had no choice but to agree with her, "Thank you ma'am." After she smiled at him Dippet's voice was heard.
"Mr Peverell I'm really sorry to ask but exactly how long had you been captured?" Dippet asked looking slightly pained that he had to ask such a question but knowing he had to because the Aurors would want to know and if he was going to enrol the child in Hogwarts he was going to need more information.
"I don't know sir, they didn't exactly tell me the time and there were no windows where I was kept." Harry responded thankful that he had come up with something to answer. Though he was slightly uncomfortable when the healer and Dippet looked at him with sympathy.
"It must have been some powerful accidental magic that allowed you to rip through Hogwarts wards and land here, but why it had taken you here is beyond me. Normally you'd go to someplace that you felt the safest but you don't even know this place." Dippet said first in shock at the powerful accidental magic from a 14-year-old then confused as to why the boy's magic had thought this the safest place for him.
"What is this place may I ask sir? Though it does sort of sound like a magical school. Am I right sir?" Harry asked making himself appear to be confused before slow understanding dawned on his face as he carried on before looking questionably up at the two teachers.
"Yes, you're right Mr Peverell. This is Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dippet said to the boy before continuing, "I'm guessing that since you already have a wand and weren't surprised by our mentions of magic that you already know about the wizarding world so which school did you go to?" Dippet asked curiously.
"Oh, I didn't go to school. My aunt and uncle wouldn't let me go" Harry said pretending to look confused as he remembered his cover story whilst twirling his wand absently in his hand.
"What do you mean they didn't let you go? Didn't you get your letter? Wait, then how do you know about magic?" Camelia asked the child confused and angered at his relative's treatment of him.
"My best friend, Leilani, was a witch and she taught me everything she knows. She told me that I was supposed to get a letter when I turned 11 but I don't remember getting one. After my 11th birthday though, my relatives did seem to be slightly wary around me, so much so, that Uncle Vernon had actually left me alone for an entire week and I had never understood why until now." Harry said as he mixed his cover story with what had actually happened.
Dippet and Camelia were saddened by the shock in his voice as he spoke of not being hurt by that monster for a week. He should never have had to live like that and they were both infinitely glad that his relatives were all dead. They were glad that his best friend had taught him everything she knew, so now they wouldn't be as worried for him as they would have been if he had actually known nothing and been completely defenceless.
"Mr Peverell, may I ask you something?" Dippet asked the child hoping he'd agree.
"Of course sir." Harry responded slightly confused.
"Well, I was wondering if you would like to become enrolled as a student in Hogwarts?" Dippet asked, he knew he had to alert the aurors about what had occurred so that they'll keep an extra ear out just in case Grindelwald wishes to come and finish him off like he had clearly intended to do. He refused to let that happen so he couldn't take the risk on the off chance any harm could befall the boy who was sitting in front of him with a bright smile on his face and his wide emerald eyes staring at him in happiness.
"Really? You would do that? Does that mean I can stay here?" Harry asked rapid-fire questions to make it seem as if he were very eager, which he was, but he also knew that he had to meet the teenage Dark Lord, that was not something he was looking forward to at all.
"Yes that means you can stay in Hogwarts but we'd have to find other accommodations for you during the Summer but don't worry Mr Peverell we'll get that sorted out in no time at all. For now, since you're 15, that'll make you a 5th year so once Madame Pomfrey is finished with you, I will take you down to my office where you'll be sorted." Dippet said. (I changed his age as I realised that Tom was in 5th year and Harry can't do 4th year again)
"Sorted sir?" Harry asked putting a confused look on his face. He wondered what house he'd be sorted in this time, he hoped it wouldn't be Gryffindor, he absolutely refused to have the old fool as his head of house.
"There are 4 houses in Hogwarts, each of which value different traits. You could be sorted into Gryffindor for the brave, Hufflepuff for the loyal, Ravenclaw for the intelligent and Slytherin for the ambitious. There are other attributes you may have that can get you in each house but those are the main ones." Dippet explained.
"Oh. But how will I be sorted sir? How can you tell my different traits when you barely know me? What if I change as I grow up? Will I still stay in that house?" Harry asked every question he could think of that would have come to his head had his cover story actually been true.
"Very insightful Mr Peverell. I have never actually thought about that before but you're right. If such a problem arises you may come and seek me out, I'm sure we'll come to some arrangement. As for how you'll be sorted, you'll find out later." Dippet said as he stared at the boy thoughtfully, the boy was smart there was no doubt about that. What he had asked had made so much sense, after all, children do change when they grow up so what if they feel like they don't fit in their house anymore. He'd look into that problem later as he watched Camelia ask the child a few questions and give him a potion, clearly he was still sore, before nodding in satisfaction and deeming him fit enough to leave.
Harry looked at who he now had to call Madame Pomfrey, which would be really weird, though she was really nice albeit slightly strict. She asked him a few questions about the pain but he had told her he was fine despite his slightly aching body but she had raised an eyebrow at him as she crossed her arms over her chest clearly not believing him. He had relented with a sigh, in his defence she was scary, and told her about the ache, she had then given him a pain-relieving potion which made him sigh in relief as he relaxed when the pain vanished. Camelia nodded at him before she told him that he may go with the Headmaster to get sorted but if he felt any pain then he had to come straight back here. Harry nodded and smiled at her before following the Headmaster out of the Hospital wing.
