A/N: Ugggggggg! I've had a major case of writers' block. Or is it typer'
block? Anyway, every time I sat down to write some more of this chapter, I
couldn't get the words to come out. It was so frustrating!!! And I finally
got this chapter all typed up, when my computer restarted itself and I lost
it all!!! I swear, some higher power doesn't want me to update this story.
Oh, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far: Tini; kittygirl220; MaggieDB: Do you mean magical? If so, no. I want to make Harry's magical life and his muggle life separate.; Mikee; meghphan; JerseyGirl03; JerseyPike; Englishgirl; Rachel A. Prongs: I never thought of it that way, but you could be right.; Lei Dumbledore; Zaz; PhoenixFire; shdurrani; k00lgirl1808; Katy999; LittleEar BigEar's sis; Ian; Lirael; misguided angel 24; Evil Willow; harrypotter4ever; Maikafuiniel; Affascinato: You'll have to wait to find out *evil grin*; Lady Desdemona; ER; BookMaster3000; and Sethanon Snape. Wow!!!
And now, on with the sho-er...story!!!
CH2: Revelations
~All his pranks were pushed out the window at what he saw before him~
Sitting, in front of Miss Weston's desk, calmly sipping a cup of tea, was the oldest man Harry had ever seen. He had long white hair and a beard that went down to his waist, and light blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles. But what struck Harry as odd was that he was dressed in a flowing blue robe and wore a pointy hat. How very strange! That, and the fact the room contained no less than 20 owls, was enough to cause him to gasp in surprise, thus drawing the man's attention.
"Ah, Harry, come in and close the door. You're letting in a draft."
Too shocked to make a coherent thought, Harry obeyed and plopped down into one of the chairs near the desk.
"Would you like some tea?"
Harry shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but found his brain didn't seem to be connected to his mouth anymore and shut it.
"Harry?" Miss Weston's voice broke through his stupor. "I'd like you to meet Professor Albus Dumbledore. He has some rather er...interesting news for you." They both turned their attention to the old man.
"Ah yes, straight to business. Harry," the Professor leaned closer to the boy. "You're a wizard." Harry just stared in shock for a minute before turning to Miss Weston.
"This better not be a joke to get back for all the pranks I played." Secretly, Harry was praying it wasn't a trick: it would explain so many things.
"No, it's not a joke. Think back. Hasn't there been any strange occurrences that happened around you."
"More than I can count." And that was true. There was the time he turned his math teachers hair purple and the time he shrank Nicole's favorite sweater. But they hadn't all been pranks either. When he was 5, he slipped over the railing on the third floor. Surprisingly, he didn't get so much as a scratch.
"I thought so. Now, I've come here to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and wizardry, where I am Headmaster. Just like your parents." At this, Harry snapped to attention.
"My parents?!?" He instinctively clutched the chain around his neck. On it was a small locket that had been found with him when he was left at the orphanage. And refused to come off.
"Yes, your parents. In fact, I was good friends with them after they graduated."
"So..." The orphan's curiosity was peaked now. "Do you know what-what happened to them?"
Dumbledore rubbed his eyes. "That is a long and mysterious tale, indeed. But someone must tell you. You can't go off to Hogwarts not knowing." He sighed and leaned back into the chair. "Years and years ago, there was a young wizard called Tom Riddle. His mother was a pureblooded witch, meaning she came from a very old wizarding family. His father was a Muggle, a non- magical person. When his mother was pregnant, his father found out she was a witch and left her. He didn't approve of anything magical. And since his mother died giving birth, he was raised in an orphanage. Then, Riddle was accepted to Hogwarts. I, myself, taught him Transfiguration. An amazing student with so much...potential. Actually, you remind me of him quite I bit. Well, after Tom left school, he got deeply involved in the Dark Arts. And he came back changed. Starting with his name." At this, the professor took out his wand and wrote in the air:
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
A slightly startled Harry and a gobsmacked Miss Weston watched as the letters rearranged themselves:
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
"Since his father had abandoned him, he didn't have a favorable opinion of Muggles or Muggle-born witched and wizards. He gathered followers, his Death Eaters, and began to 'purify' the wizarding world. But there were people who fought against him. This is where your parents came in. Straight after school, they joined the Order of the Phoenix, an organization who openly opposed Voldemort. James was from a prominent wizarding family who didn't believe in so-called 'pureblood values'. And your mother, Lily, was a Muggle-born. All this together made your family a high target for the Dark Lord. Of course we took many precautions to protect you, but they failed. On October 31st, 10 years ago, Voldemort showed up in Godric's Hollow where your family was staying. He murdered your parents first. But this is the strange part. He turned the Killing Curse on you, but by some miracle, you survived with only that scar on your forehead. And Voldemort's powers broke and he fled. You defeated the Dark Lord, Harry. You're a hero, the Boy Who Lived."
Harry sat stunned, staring at a spot on the wall to his left. 'I defeated a powerful wizard? Me?!? That doesn't make sense...I couldn't have-' But then it hit him.
Vaguely, the child heard Miss Weston's attempts to get his attention, but he was lost in a sea of sight, smells, sounds.....memories. Not taking his eyes from the wall, Harry whispered a barely audible...
"I remember."
Oh, and thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story so far: Tini; kittygirl220; MaggieDB: Do you mean magical? If so, no. I want to make Harry's magical life and his muggle life separate.; Mikee; meghphan; JerseyGirl03; JerseyPike; Englishgirl; Rachel A. Prongs: I never thought of it that way, but you could be right.; Lei Dumbledore; Zaz; PhoenixFire; shdurrani; k00lgirl1808; Katy999; LittleEar BigEar's sis; Ian; Lirael; misguided angel 24; Evil Willow; harrypotter4ever; Maikafuiniel; Affascinato: You'll have to wait to find out *evil grin*; Lady Desdemona; ER; BookMaster3000; and Sethanon Snape. Wow!!!
And now, on with the sho-er...story!!!
CH2: Revelations
~All his pranks were pushed out the window at what he saw before him~
Sitting, in front of Miss Weston's desk, calmly sipping a cup of tea, was the oldest man Harry had ever seen. He had long white hair and a beard that went down to his waist, and light blue eyes behind half-moon spectacles. But what struck Harry as odd was that he was dressed in a flowing blue robe and wore a pointy hat. How very strange! That, and the fact the room contained no less than 20 owls, was enough to cause him to gasp in surprise, thus drawing the man's attention.
"Ah, Harry, come in and close the door. You're letting in a draft."
Too shocked to make a coherent thought, Harry obeyed and plopped down into one of the chairs near the desk.
"Would you like some tea?"
Harry shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but found his brain didn't seem to be connected to his mouth anymore and shut it.
"Harry?" Miss Weston's voice broke through his stupor. "I'd like you to meet Professor Albus Dumbledore. He has some rather er...interesting news for you." They both turned their attention to the old man.
"Ah yes, straight to business. Harry," the Professor leaned closer to the boy. "You're a wizard." Harry just stared in shock for a minute before turning to Miss Weston.
"This better not be a joke to get back for all the pranks I played." Secretly, Harry was praying it wasn't a trick: it would explain so many things.
"No, it's not a joke. Think back. Hasn't there been any strange occurrences that happened around you."
"More than I can count." And that was true. There was the time he turned his math teachers hair purple and the time he shrank Nicole's favorite sweater. But they hadn't all been pranks either. When he was 5, he slipped over the railing on the third floor. Surprisingly, he didn't get so much as a scratch.
"I thought so. Now, I've come here to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and wizardry, where I am Headmaster. Just like your parents." At this, Harry snapped to attention.
"My parents?!?" He instinctively clutched the chain around his neck. On it was a small locket that had been found with him when he was left at the orphanage. And refused to come off.
"Yes, your parents. In fact, I was good friends with them after they graduated."
"So..." The orphan's curiosity was peaked now. "Do you know what-what happened to them?"
Dumbledore rubbed his eyes. "That is a long and mysterious tale, indeed. But someone must tell you. You can't go off to Hogwarts not knowing." He sighed and leaned back into the chair. "Years and years ago, there was a young wizard called Tom Riddle. His mother was a pureblooded witch, meaning she came from a very old wizarding family. His father was a Muggle, a non- magical person. When his mother was pregnant, his father found out she was a witch and left her. He didn't approve of anything magical. And since his mother died giving birth, he was raised in an orphanage. Then, Riddle was accepted to Hogwarts. I, myself, taught him Transfiguration. An amazing student with so much...potential. Actually, you remind me of him quite I bit. Well, after Tom left school, he got deeply involved in the Dark Arts. And he came back changed. Starting with his name." At this, the professor took out his wand and wrote in the air:
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
A slightly startled Harry and a gobsmacked Miss Weston watched as the letters rearranged themselves:
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
"Since his father had abandoned him, he didn't have a favorable opinion of Muggles or Muggle-born witched and wizards. He gathered followers, his Death Eaters, and began to 'purify' the wizarding world. But there were people who fought against him. This is where your parents came in. Straight after school, they joined the Order of the Phoenix, an organization who openly opposed Voldemort. James was from a prominent wizarding family who didn't believe in so-called 'pureblood values'. And your mother, Lily, was a Muggle-born. All this together made your family a high target for the Dark Lord. Of course we took many precautions to protect you, but they failed. On October 31st, 10 years ago, Voldemort showed up in Godric's Hollow where your family was staying. He murdered your parents first. But this is the strange part. He turned the Killing Curse on you, but by some miracle, you survived with only that scar on your forehead. And Voldemort's powers broke and he fled. You defeated the Dark Lord, Harry. You're a hero, the Boy Who Lived."
Harry sat stunned, staring at a spot on the wall to his left. 'I defeated a powerful wizard? Me?!? That doesn't make sense...I couldn't have-' But then it hit him.
Vaguely, the child heard Miss Weston's attempts to get his attention, but he was lost in a sea of sight, smells, sounds.....memories. Not taking his eyes from the wall, Harry whispered a barely audible...
"I remember."
