Disclaimer: Not mine except this story
AN: The first dozen or so chapters will be setting the scene for what will be happening later at Hogwarts, they will not be that long, and the plot will not appear to be moving that quickly at first. For anyone who actually reads this story please bear with me.
After they had finished eating Dumbledore turned to Harry "I suggest we take this back to the lounge so we may discuss these matters in comfort. I am not sure if you would like Remus to be with us as some of the issues are personal" He peered over the top of his glasses the twinkle all but gone from his eyes now.
"I have nothing to hide from him" stated Harry in the same neutral tone he had been using with Dumbledore, "unless you have something you don't want him to hear I would prefer he was with us"
"Are you sure?" questioned Lupin, "I don't mind if you want some privacy"
"Moony, as far as I am concerned you are now my guardian, there is nothing that could be said to me that I don't want you to know."
"As you wish" and with that Dumbledore led them back to the lounge where he wearily sank into one of the large sofas. "Harry I would ask that you allow me to finish everything I have to say before you interject. Firstly there is the matter of Sirius' estate. I am not sure if Professor Lupin has had an opportunity to discuss that with you yet however I feel that it...."
"I don't want any of it, it would do nothing but remind me of Sirius and I can't....I just can't....." for the third time in as many hours tears were threatening to overcome the boy.
"Harry" Dumbledore spoke softly, " I know your upset at Sirius' death and I know that this will be a difficult time for you, but if you do not accept the provisions of his will, his estate will be divided up equally among his three closest living relatives, Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy and Andromeda Tonks. Whilst I wouldn't begrudge anything of Andromeda, Sirius would not want his other cousins to benefit from his passing. You will have a few weeks to consider the matter before the final reading, but please look at it from the point of view that this is Sirius' last request of you."
"Secondly, there is the matter of your training. If you agree we will design a plan that will train you in every facet of martial wizardry possible over the next year. At the end of that period we will reassess where you are with your studies and alter the plan accordingly. It will mean many sacrifices on your part, and you must be prepared to devote your whole time and attention to whatever task you are working on. I will explain your training in some more detail once we have finished our discussion, we have some more urgent matters to attend to first."
"Thirdly there is the matter of your returning to Privet Drive. The Dursleys are your only living relatives on your mothers side, and as such the people who can take advantage of the ancient magic of your mothers sacrifice. The key factor apart from blood in this magic is home. It is apparent to me that neither the Dursleys nor yourself consider Privet Drive your home, and since Grimmauld Place it will officially belong to you if you accept Sirius' final testament and there is greater protection afforded to you here than anywhere else outside of Hogwarts, I will allow you to reside here providing your guardian or whomever your guardian grants locus parentis agrees. As to who your legal guardian will be, that will have to be decided by the Wizzengamot. Unfortunately the Ministry will wish to interfere in the matter as you are such a high profile individual within the community. Any questions so far?"
"When you say the Wizzengammot will decide, what is the problem, I want Moony to become my guardian?"
"Harry, unfortunately whilst both you and I feel that Remus would make an excellent guardian, his lycanthropy will be an issue for the Wizzengamot. After the stance that the Ministry took last year with its decrees against lycanthropes they would not be able to allow him to be your primary caregiver without losing too much political face. As you are a public figure the media will be covering your story with great zeal. Cornelius Fudge is having a hard enough time at the moment after his about face on the issues of Voldemort and both yours and my sanity that he will not allow something such as this to become a politcal issue. He will be pushing for you to become a ward of the ministry under his personal care so that he may make as many media miles as he can from your fame. The only way of preventing this from occurring is if a distant relative was to come forth and offer him or herself as your guardian. They would then be within their rights to allow Professor Lupin to watch over you at their own discretion."
"But you just said that the Dursley's were my only living relatives"
"No Harry, I said that the Dursley's were your only living relatives from your mothers side of your family tree. You do have one distant relative from your fathers side that would be willing to appear in front of the courts on your behalf."
"I do! Then why haven't they come forward before this. Why have I never known about them"
"Harry the maternal line was required for the ancient magics to work, your paternal relative was not in a position to provide you with the safety or anonymity that you required growing up, and so they decided to keep their relationship with you a secret for your own safety. This particular person is also extremely high profile within the wizarding community and has made many enemies, both public and private over many years. They had gone to great lengths to keep their familial relationships a secret from the public, to the extent that your father was not even aware of their relationship.They deemed it essential that you were not exposed to the fickleness of public life until you were old enough to handle it, if not accept and understand it."
" Harry, your fathers mother was my grandaughter. I am your Great Great Grandfather"
"My Great Great Grandfather" Harry was shocked, but amazement soon gave way to anger "WHY DID YOU NEVER TELL ME THIS BEFORE, WHY LEAVE IT UNTIL NOW? WHY DID YOU LET ME THINK I WAS ALL ALONE? Why did you let me think no-one cared?" the last was a whisper. Lupin leant forward and placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder, his shock at the announcement still evident on his face.
"I have wanted to tell you this for quite some time now" Dumbledore sighed, "At first I kept it from you for your own protection so that none of my other enemies could use you to get to me. That is why it was kept secret from your father. After that I decided that you had enough turmoil dealing with everything else that was going on in your life as you adjusted to the wizarding world, I felt you had enough on your plate without some long lost relative suddenly being sprung upon you. Finally I kep it from you from fear, fear that you would hate me for not telling you sooner, fear that you would turn away from me and not allow me to be as close to you as we were becoming. Harry, I am an old man, I will be 157 years old in October. For the last seventy years, since the death of my wife and children, the wizarding world has looked upon me as an infalible source of power and authority. It was not a burden I chose, it was not a burden I wanted, however it was a responsibility I took seriously. I am however only human, and humans make mistakes. I know I have made many of them over the years. My one hope is that you will eventually find it within yourself to forgive an old man his errors and allow him to rectify the situation as best he can. Please, let me come forward and publicly acknowledge you as my heir, once I do that Cornelius Fudge will be unable to remove you from the care of Professor Lupin. I will officially be your guardian, but providing I don't disagree too greatly with Remus' decisions I will allow him to be your primary caregiver if that is what you wish."
"Can you...can you give me a little time to think about what you have just told me."
"Yes Harry, we have a few weeks yet until a hearing will be held, I suggest you talk it over with the portrait of your parents, as well as Professor Lupin, and maybe your friends before reaching any final decision. Be aware however you only have two alternatives, either accept me as your guardian on paper at the very least, or be a ward of the Ministry under Fudge's care."
"I will return tomorrow if you wish so that we may continue our discussion with regards to your training"
Harry nodded, a mixture of emotions apparent on his face. Dumbledore turned towards the fireplace, threw in a handful of floo powder and with a flash of green smoke was gone.