I own nothing of Harry Potter and make no mistake, this is slash. HP/SS I would like to point out now, before anyone yells at me, that I had to make Albus the way he his. I think that if Harry really did show up they way he did, Albus would act as such. Therefore, it is with a heavily amused heart that I write this chapter. Things get most intrusting from here on in. At lest I think…
Severus Snape and the Boy-Who-Is-Missing
True to his word, Harry showed up the next day to do research in the library. He did not go there first though. He visited Severus's class, all the students turned when he walked in. Smiling shyly, he looked up at a fuming Professor. He was kicked out before Harry could do anything damaging to Snape's reputation.
So Harry, after he was kicked out of the potions class, slowly made his way to the library. The few students that walked the halls, stopped to stare at him. He got it no matter where he went, scar or not. People just like to stare at him. His first mate told him that it was because he was the walking manifestation of lust, sex, beauty and innocence.
Yeah, he didn't believe it when he first heard it either. Harry really didn't care about all that, but it did give him an extreme advantage in getting someone to trust him. People tend to look to beauty before truth. Just look at the Malfoy's.
As it so happened, one of his staring admirers recognized him. Professor Malfoy was on his way to his classroom, when the warrior passed him by. Draco dropped his bag he was carrying before he passed out.
Unknowing of the state he put the Professor in; Harry kept walking to the library. Inside there was barely a soul. No one paid any attention to him in there anyways. It was quite different then out in the halls.
Walking up to an empty table, Harry sat down, kicked his long leather clad legs in the air and rested his feet on the table, crossed. He was waiting for something and he wasn't disappointed.
Madam Pince walked angrily to the young warrior and pushed his feet off her table. "Dumbledore has told me about you." She softly hissed as Harry beamed a playful smile at her. "Now, you are allowed to go into the restricted section, but I will be watching you very closely. You miss treat my books, I will cut the fine from your hide. Am I understood?"
"Aye, ma'am." He smiled, standing up to give her a quick hug. "Your books are safe with me."
***
It went on like that for a while. Harry would spend his free time in the library. It took about a month for the students to get used to him being around. They would see him alone in the library or with Professor Snape. At first, no one would approach him, but the few brave that did, found that Vladimir was a really sweet and intelligent pirate.
It was not uncommon to see the young warrior helping students with their homework. Hell, he even let two Ravenclaw girls play with his hair, (as long as they left his bangs alone) that day he sported braded pigtails.
All the teachers knew he was helping and only a hand full of them actual met Vladimir . They didn't mind really, but most of the staff members didn't understand why Dumbledore wouldn't even talk about this mysterious man.
It took about two months of Harry showing up that Draco finally approached him. That conversation went well. Harry was surprised that his school rival would even recognize him, but then again he was a Slytherin. "And as your school rival," Draco so nobly told him. "I should be able to pick you out in a crowed of clones."
Again, much to Harry's amusement, he gave someone his true identity. As well with some very heavy threats, should Draco every let it slip. Draco would not tell a soul even if he could. His new friendship with Malfoy made Harry smile. He always thought they would end up as such.
It was in the middle of December Harry sat in the library, reading and thinking about his relationships with others. He and Severus were going very slowly. Really, that man could be too stubborn sometimes. Draco turned out to be more then a friend. His status would be more of a brother, now.
Despite what the rest of the world thought, Harry did indeed keep in contacted with his friends. He Owled Ron and Hermione constantly. His Godfather and Lupin, as well. Like he once said, he was only human. Harry could not disappear entirely.
As Vladimir , Harry's life was at a good peek. That's what troubled him the most. He was waiting for it to go the only way it can, down and down it went.
There was an attack at Hogsmeade a few weeks ago. A third year and a fourth year was killed. Two boys Harry helped in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Vladimir wasn't at the castle that day or the next. No one seemed to know what happened to him. He disappeared for two days without a trace, but surfaced the third. That is when Albus had enough.
As far as he knew, neither Severus nor Draco knew where the dark wizard went. He did not like what Harry had become one bit. Albus watched as Tom Riddle slipped through everyone's fingers. He was not going to let Harry do the same. No matter what he had to do to stop him.
Vladimir sat alone in the quickly darkening library. His one red eye scanned the text of the book he was reading. Quickly as soon as he spotted him, Albus marched his way over, his powers growing. Harry casually turned his page as the Headmaster stopped in front of him.
His powers were so great that they begin to glow, giving the old man a goldish gleam. No wonder Voldemort feared him; he was one intimidating old fool. "I can not let you do this Vladimir ."
Harry licked his finger and turned the page again. "Do what, Headmaster?"
"Did you not hear what happened in Hogsmeade?" He growled.
"The Dark Mark was cast." Harry stated plainly.
"That is not public knowledge." The blue of Albus's eyes, once home to warmth and love, were now iced over. "Were you there that day?"
"I was around." He almost whispered, but Dumbledore caught his words.
"I will stop you before you turn yourself into another Voldemort." The energy around the Headmaster grew and glowed with brilliance.
Shutting his book and carefully placing it on the table, Harry looked up at the Headmaster. "I have told you many times, I am not the one you are looking for." As Harry stood with an unreal sense of grace, the whole library seemed to shake and some books fell off their shelves.
Swirls of what looked like black sand surrounded Harry as his own silent anger grew. Gently placing his hand on his ex-Headmaster's elbow, Harry looked him dead in the eye. "I am the Boy-Who-Lived. You do good to remember that." His hand traveled down Albus's arm in a sweeping motion.
Where Harry's hand swept, the glow that surrounded Albus, vanished. Vladimir smiled, showing Albus his opened hand where a ball of goldish energy swirled. He blew into it and it scattered away like fine dust. Winking Harry left the Headmaster alone in the dark library.
Soon after the ordeal with the headmaster, Severus got a soft knock on his door. Opening it, he quickly found his arms full of a familiar dark haired wizard. Severus tightened his hold on the younger man and kicked his door shut. "You're shaking." He rested his head atop of Harry's. "What's wrong?"
Harry pulled away almost shyly. "Sorry. I just needed that." However, Snape was not going to let it slide. He pulled the warrior in to his arms one more time.
"If you don't tell me what has gotten you all worked up, I will drug you with a truth potion so powerful that you will never lie again."
Harry looked blankly up at his companion. "I never win with you, do I?"
"And there is no changing the subject either." Snape sneered.
Sighing Harry buried his face into Snapes chest. "Albus threatened me."
"Not surprising." Severus stated. "I'm wondering what took him so long. I think he finally snapped when those two students were murdered."
Growling, Harry pushed away from Snape. "I did not kill those kids!"
"I didn't say you did." Snape angrily snapped. "Albus is a senile old man. I love the old goat dearly, but you are not the answer to everything! Even when you were a student here, that fool thought you capable of everything. Now that you are here and no one has seen this new Dark Lord, whom do you think Albus is going to turn on? Gods, Harry! You are scarring him!"
"I haven't done anything." Harry whispered.
"You don't have to." Severus wrapped his arms around the smaller man. "You will forever be an excuse, Harry. If something goes wrong, blame Harry Potter. If Harry Potter can talk to snakes, he must be evil. If Harry Potter disappears for eight years and then comes back more powerful then anyone has yet hopped to dream, then it's his fault the world is not perfect." Severus pressed his lips to Harry's as his words dropped off into a whisper.
Breaking apart Harry asked, "Then what should I do? I do not want to leave. I don't think my heart could bare that burden again." Pressing his forehead to Severus's chest, he sighed. "What am I going to do about Albus?"
Above him, Snape snorted. "He is a stubborn old man. He won't give up chasing you."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Harry pulled back as Snapes clock chimed a warning. The hand moved to 'Going to be late for dinner'. "Go to dinner and I'll see you afterwards."
"Come with me?" Severus asked. "The whole bloody school knows about Vladimir . I think the students and the staff would like to see you there."
For what seemed like the hundredth time that night, Harry sighed and shook his head. "I threatened Albus right back, you know. I'm the last person he wants to see right now." Harry smiled, practically shoving Severus out of his rooms. "I'll see you afterwards." Snape shrugged his shoulders in defeat and glared at Harry. "I know. I won't touch anything."
Harry watched as Severus stocked down the corridors, his robes flowing wavelike out behind him. With a sad smile, Harry closed the painting door and Apparated into the Headmasters office.
Walking around the desk, Vladimir sat in the Headmasters chair, waiting for Albus to return from the Great Hall.
About an hour later, Albus returned to his office. Upon hearing the Headmaster giving his password, Harry turned into his seventeen-year-old self. When Dumbledore opened the door to his office, he was quite alarmed to see the school day Harry sitting behind his desk. "Please, have a seat Albus. We have much to talk about and only a little time to do it in." Harry eyes reminded emotionless as well as his voice.
Dumbledore sat himself in one of the chairs in front of his desk. This certainly was a change. He wondered if he looked intimidating behind his desk. "Now Headmaster," Harry continued. "Lemon Drop?" Albus's eyes grew wide as Vladimir played with him. "No? Fine then." Vladimir leaned back in the nice leather chair, watching the headmaster completely. "I can not allow you to become a real threat to me Albus."
"What would you do?" Albus asked flatly, knowing where this was going.
"Take away the threat, of course." Vladimir stated obviously, as the blue eyes of the Headmaster grew even bigger. Leaning forward, a stream of words left Harry's lips that Albus did not understand.
The lights in the office, slowly started to dim until there were barely a flame. The air grew so thick that Albus thought he would choke, but he knew that nothing… damaging was happing. The words leaving Harry's lips surrounded Albus like a warm blanket. He felt safe, until the words stopped.
The office became flooded in light once more and Albus found it hard to see. Everything was blurry, out of focus. A soft chuckle interrupted his thoughts. He looked up at Harry, who was still behind his desk. "Take off your glasses."
Not understanding why, Albus took them off and everything became sharp and clear. "Now," Once again Harry's voice flooded his own thoughts. "Before you ask, let me tell you what is happening." Pausing taking in a breath, he went on. "Physically and magically you are thirteen, my dear Headmaster." A small gasp escaped Albus. "You will remember everything you have every learned, but you do not have the strength to pull it off, yet. You are thirteen again, Headmaster."
Vladimir watched in amusement as the auburn haired child in front of him gasped and fainted. Standing, Vladimir walked over to the child passed out in robes that were to large. He changed a chair in to a sofa and positioned the young Headmaster on it. Placing his hand over Albus's forehead, Harry began to speak. "You will only remember that Harry Potter did this to you. There is no connection to Harry Potter and Vladimir the Dark Prince. Vladimir is a trusted friend."
Lovingly Harry brushed his hand through the Headmasters deep red hair. Picking up a peace of parchment, he transfigured it into a throw and covered the small child with it. "Sweet dreams."
Leaving the office, Harry melted his old self into the new one and hurried off to the kitchens. There he, with much help from the house elves, got enough food to feed an army. Telling the house elves his thanks, he Apparated back to Snape's rooms. Where he found Severus standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed.
"What?" Harry asked looking down at all the food in his arms. "I was hungry."
"What did you do?" Snape deadly whispered. "All the lamps in the castle dimmed. You didn't…" Flashes of their earlier conversation came to his mind. "Did you… Where is the Headmaster?"
"He's fine Severus." Harry sighed. "He's asleep in his office, if you must know."
Before Severus could sigh with relief, a thunderous knock made him jump, instinctively grabbing his wand. With food still in his arms, Harry looked at him as if he'd gone mad. "You want me to get it?" Harry tried to hold back the laugh as Severus glared at him as he went to open the door.
There in the doorway, Draco stood slightly bent over with his hand over his heart. "We—need—" He panted trying to catch his breath. "to—get—the—Headmaster." Draco's pale blue eyes locked with Harry's red one. "People are saying that Harry Potter has attacked. That he attacked his relatives."
Harry gasped. It was true that he didn't like his Aunt and Uncle, but his cousin and he got along, for once. Before anyone could act, Harry dropped the food in his arms and Apparated to number 4, Privet Drive , before the food could hit the ground.