Chapter Twenty-Two: Changes

He bent down and gently brushed the child's hair from his forehead. The child shivered. Brian, that was his name. He had to wake the child up, if he slept and longer he would probably freeze to death not to mention all the dangers of the forest itself.

He gently shook his shoulders and looked slowly opened his eyes and looked at him for a second before scurrying back a few feet. He stopped when he saw the man's clothes. Despite Brian's horrible situation he couldn't help but giggle.

To him it appeared the man was wearing bright pink footy pajamas with puppies on them. Brian didn't even wear footy pajamas anymore and he was three, not a grown man.

The man smiled at his laugh. Good, he though. He sees me the way he's supposed to. It will make it easier for me to get him to come with me. He gently motioned for the child to come closer.

Brian hesitated. How did he know this man wasn't going to take him back to the Dursley's? He immediately dismissed the thought. No one that was dressed like he was was going to take him back. Brian thought he could trust him, his eyes were so kind. Just like Daddy's, he thought as sadness filled him at the thought of his surrogate father.

The man's smile faded. Most children immediately came to him. Though, he reasoned, he was a normal child. Normal children don't think of suicide so young. He slowly crept forward and few inches. The child didn't move back so he progressed forward until he was resting on his heels in front of the child, eye level with him.

"I won't hurt you, I promise. I know you don't trust me, but we must leave now. This forest is very dangerous," he whispered consciously aware of the slight rustle of the branches. "I can't say anymore, but you will die a slow and painful death if you stay here. We must quiet to. I can take you somewhere safe and warm. Will you come?" He looked expectantly at the child, hoping he would come of free will. He didn't want to have to hurt him, but would if it was necessary.

Brian frowned and thought about it for a minute. He could take him somewhere warm? How he longed for that. Every fiber of his being ached and he was now sore from sleeping on the hard ground. What was so dangerous about this forest? Why would he die a slow and painful death? Death didn't sound like such a bad idea, but he didn't like the slow and painful part. Mind made up, he slowly nodded his head, but kept all his senses alert as the man picked him up.

"You must be quiet, alright?" Brian nodded again. Despite his exhaustion, his eyes were bright with curiosity. How had this man known where to find him? He wasn't taking him back to the Dursley's, somehow Brian knew this. He felt like he could trust the man, but he couldn't explain why he felt this nor could he explain why the man looked familiar.

This is familiar to, he thought as he laid his head on the man's shoulder and weakly put his arms around the man's neck. Why would this be familiar, the child pondered. Have I met him somewhere before?

Brian looked up as the came out of the forest to see the half moon shining down on him. "Glad we're out of there," the man said. Brian nodded against him some of his exhaustion leaving him as he realized he could know question the man.

"Have I met you somewhere else?" he asked innocently, twisting to look up at the man. He smiled kindly down at him.

"I'm not sure. I seem to have the feeling I've met you before also. What's your last name?"

"Potter," he answered without thinking. After accepting Harry as his father he had began to think of himself as Brian Potter. "I mean, Knight." The man made a note to ask the child about his first answer later.

"Brian Knight? Of course you are! Now I can see it. I've seen you since you were a baby," he exclaimed and hugged the child tightly. Brian simply stayed limp in his arms. The man had known him when he was little? Did that mean he had known his mother, or even his aunt?

"Did you know my mom, or aunt? Though they're both dead now," he said somberly hoping against hope that the man did. His real daddy had always told him stories that he knew weren't true.

The smiled as images rose to his memory. "Yes, I knew your mother. She was a very beautiful, caring, and intelligent woman. She loved you very much, and she still does."

"She's with the pretty angels, isn't she?" Brian asked fearfully. He had always wanted to believe that, but had never been sure.

"Yes, sweetie, she's with the angels. In fact, she's probably looking down on us right now and thanking the heavens I found you." Brian looked to the sky, the possibility that his mother could see him at the very moment immediately interested the child. He started upward for a few minutes as they walked along the tree line.

"What about my aunt? Did you know her?" The man looked sharply at him. He had forgotten the second part of the child's question.

"She never died. She's still alive, we're both married. I'm your uncle actually."

Brian's jaw dropped open. The man ignored his expression and continued talking. "She'll be so happy to see you! So I am. This is such great news! We never did know what happened to you. We wanted to come and get you so bad, but we couldn't. We…" he sighed and shook his head. "It's complicated."

They walked for a few minutes in silence while Brian tried to process what had just been said. By the time he had planned on saying something the man had started talking again. "We're going to take a little trip now, okay? It's going to be like a huge slide. You might see some scary stuff along the way, but nothing it going to hurt you. It can't hurt you. It's just an image, okay?" Brian nodded hesitantly. He didn't like the sound of this.

They had left the forest behind and were now standing at a huge rock. The man, Brian still had yet to learn his name, set him on the ground and then tapped the rock three times with a stick that was lying beside it. It moved aside leaving a huge hole for Brian to peer down into.

Instead of seeing dark like he had expected to he saw a swirling mass of rainbow colors spinning in slow circles. He tore his eyes away as he was picked up again. The man sat down at the edge of the whole. "Ready? This is going to be a wild ride."

Elton Brown sighed and he walked through the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had been ordered to go back and tell the headmaster that Brian Knight was missing. This will certainly kill the boy's case, he thought. It also send out the message that anyone who ends up in foster care gets kidnapped.

They didn't actually know it was kidnapping, evidence would suggest otherwise, but until they knew for sure they had to call it a kidnapping. The police had immediately started making flyers and notified the local news channels, school, and organizations to be on the look out for him. He's probably headed here, he thought. If he can figure out a way to get here, he will. This is where the Potter boy is.

A few minutes later he was seated in front of Albus Dumbledore. The old man smiled politely at him. "What do I owe this visit? Has something happened with Brian?" Elton sighed. He hated being the bearer of bad news.

"Yes, actually. Petunia Dursley, his foster mother, took him with her to store earlier today. We're not entirely sure what happened, honestly. He was kidnapped, or he ran away. We don't know where he is, or if he's okay. I was the one chosen to come and tell you this. Someone though you should know." The man nodded and frowned.

"Did you say Dursley?" Elton nodded.

"Why?"

"Oh, you know how this whole thing started right?" Elton nodded again. "Well, Harry Potter, who Brian sees as his father, Petunia Dursley is his aunt." Elton raised his eyebrows.

"Really, how ironic."

"My guess is Brian ran away. The Dursley's do not have a good record of treating children kindly. They have their own son, but I know they didn't treat Harry right. I don't know the details of it, but I do know they abused him. You should probably check into that." He stood up signaling the end of their meeting.

"Thank you," Elton said sincerely, "I will." They said they good-byes and then Albus called for Harry Potter came to his office, dreading what he would have to tell the child.

Maybe it'll work for the better, he mused. He wants to graduate so once he turned seventeen he could get custody of Brian, and he could very well graduate early. He'll want to go look for Brian immediately, but I can't let him do that. He has to stay here.

Several minutes later there was a knock on the door and the teen, a man by now, entered the room. "Sir, you wanted to see me?" Harry asked his stomach in knots. He knew something was wrong by the sad look on the man's face, and the absent twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes, I did, please sit down. I'm afraid it's not good news."

"Is it Brian?" Harry's heart constricted at the thought that something bad happened to the child.

"I'm afraid so. We're not sure if he ran away, or if he was kidnapped, but at the moment no one knows where he is, or how he is." Harry stared at him.

"What do you mean no one knows where he is? He's supposed to be in a foster home! Did they abuse him?" Albus flinched at his tone, but he couldn't blame him.

"I believe they did. I did not until just a few minutes ago, but Brian has been placed with the Dursleys."

"THEY DURSLEYS?! WHY WAS HE THERE?"

The man spoke calmly. "Since no abuse charges for ever brought against them for you there have a spotless record. I guess they were next on the list to get a foster child. I'm sorry. If I had know he was there I would've done everything in my power to get him out, honest I would."

Harry bit back his bitter reply. "He ran away. He's only been there not even a week, and he's already run away." Harry slumped in the chair. "What did they do him? I never even tried to run away. Not that I had any place to run away to…" Harry frowned and after a moment shook his head. "Do you think he would try to come here? He doesn't realize how far it is from Surrey to here."

"I know. I began making out letters to send to all the papers, and we'll get posters out soon enough. We'll find him don't worry. Harry," he started before the man had a chance to speak, "I must insist that you stay here and finish your studies. I hadn't told you yet, but I was planning on letting you take your N.E.W.T.S next week. I'm sure you can pass with flying colors. If you will do that I will let you graduate early, and then you are free to do as you please." Harry stared at him. "There isn't much you can do right now. Brian is not going to be anywhere near here any time soon, and I can't get the train t take you to Surry so you can look. At least think it over, please."

"You want me to stay here while everyone else looks for Brian?" Harry asked incredulously.

"I know you don't want to, but I don't know if they'll let you search when you should be in school. Just think about it. Do you want me to contact Remus and Brittany?" Harry nodded distractedly.

"Can I leave know? I need to think." Albus nodded. Harry slowly got up and exited the room.

Author's Note: A little shorter than what I've been doing, but I have to leave in less than half and hour for my half sister's baby shower so it's going to stay this length. More about that guy and Brian's aunt later.