Alduin was happy that Harry's letters home no longer contained mentions of suspicious teachers trying to kill him, but he would have appreciated if there had been more news about his education and less about his friends. There was only so much information about the youngest Weasley boy he could take. He just hoped he had taught Harry enough before he went to Hogwarts, and that the boy would not return to him with his manners completely ruined. He had great hopes about Neville Longbottom helping in this respect, but his shyness could be an obstacle in that.

He tried to control the impulse, but when there were only ten weeks to Harry's exams left and there was still no mention of studying in his letters, he wrote to remind his ward that doing well on those exams was very important. The reply he received was shocked, though Harry tried to mask it. There were still ages left till the exams, it said, and besides, no one was studying yet.

Alduin sighed. Gryffindors. His reply was a little terse, recommending Harry to check with Ravenclaw students, that he would be surprised. Perhaps he should have been kinder, but then, surely there was some excuse for him in the fact that he had recently found out that his ward was the Chosen One of the wizarding world, just when Alexandra's delivery date was swiftly approaching.

Also, he was possibly in withdrawal.

Well, not actually – he wasn't stupid, and there were magical ways to prevent physical addiction from forming. He knew all of them in and out. Mental addiction was another thing, though, and he found it far too easy to slip into the habits formed when he had been down before.

But he was managing. In the last two weeks, he hadn't had more than a glass or two before bed. Not enough to even feel, really. Certainly not enough to keep the nightmares at bay, but combining alcohol and Dreamless Sleep was a recipe for disaster and he was not that far gone yet.

So, in addition to all of the above, he was also operating on lack of sleep. It was probably a good thing Harry was away at school, really. No, scratch that, it was definitely a good thing.

At least everything seemed to be fine with his son, and his wife, and of course giving birth with the help of magic was not really very strenuous or risky, but he still felt restless and couldn't wait until Wynn was with them in the world. At least that would be one worry off his back.

His impatience, of course, had nothing on Alexandra. She also told him in no uncertain terms that she wanted him to talk to Dumbledore about Harry now, before Wynn was born, to have it out of the way so that he had time to concentrate on her and their son after he was actually among them. So, reluctantly, Alduin arranged for a meeting. He would have preferred to do it once he was in a better place mentally, but Alexandra and her brother were right. Wynn was a priority, and besides, there was no telling he actually would be in a better place once his son was born. Certainly the lack of sleep was unlikely to change.

So he had one drink to steady his nerves – just one! - and headed to Hogwarts.

The headmaster welcomed him with the usual false cheer, and offered him a sweet. "You know, people could say you're a little overprotective, Mr. Travers," he said. "No other parent has been in my office this often this year."

"No other parent has had such a good reason," Alduin retorted, and then plunged right in. "I went to the Department of Mysteries and listened to the Prophecy."

Every sign of cheer immediately disappeared from Dumbledore's face. "You had no right," he said.

"I had the only right," Alduin replied. "I'm Harry's guardian, and I needed to know. It would have been nice to hear about it from you, but I have learned long ago not to expect such things."

"What do you intend to do, then?" Dumbledore asked in a tight voice.

Alduin shrugged. Feigning nonchalance in face of despair was a skill he was a master of, after all. "Prepare Harry as well as possible," he said simply.

Dumbledore seemed surprised. "You intend to tell him? Now?"

"When he comes home for the summer, yes."

"Do you not think he's too young to hear?"

Alduin tried to curb his irritation and be as honest as possible. "I considered this," he admitted, "but unless you know something I don't, we don't truly have a timeframe. We don't know if Riddle is coming back in a year or in ten. If I knew we had time, then I'd certainly wait, at least until he was fourteen. But he might be dead by then if I don't do something."

Dumbledore slowly nodded. "Hm, yes, that is a valid point."

Alduin hesitated. "Why did you not tell me, Dumbledore?" He asked then. He was no longer as furious with the man as he had been. The Prophecy explained a lot. Still, he still thought Riddle could have been captured had Dumbledore told someone about his suspicions about Quirrell, and so he was suspicious of another blunder like that.

"It is very sensitive information."

"And what have I ever done to make you mistrust me?" Alduin knew trust didn't work like that – one had to earn it first, and he had never done anything for Dumbledore – but then, as he said, he was Harry's guardian. As much as Dumbledore disliked the fact. That rather changed things, in his opinion.

Dumbledore shook his head with a slightly condescending smile. "It is not like that. I have told no one, except for those who were present at the time."

Alduin stared. "No one? So if something happened to you…?"

"If something happened to me, without wishing to sound immodest, it would cause many more problems than just this."

Alduin barely refrained from rolling his eyes. "Yes, obviously, but shouldn't you try to limit the number of problems it'd cause, at least?"

"I have a will," the Headmaster said complacently. "My memories are part of it. It would have got to Harry anyway."

"You seem to count on people obeying your orders after your death rather a lot. Now, in peace, it would perhaps work. But then, you're much more likely to die during a war..." he paused. "But no, let's not do this. I'm not here to berate you. I need to know if you have any theories about this power Harry is supposed to have."

"Yes, of course. I believe it is love."

Alduin exhaled.

"Do not underestimate it," Dumbledore said sharply. "It is a most powerful-"

This time, Alduin did roll his eyes. "Yes, Dumbledore, I know. I'm a transcendental, remember? Even though love is not my specialization, I still think I know more about it than you do, academically speaking. That's why I believe you're wrong about the reasons Harry survived the killing curse, or at least not entirely right. So if that protection is going to be the power you're talking about..."

"Nor precisely." Dumbledore paused. "If you must know, this is the reason why I didn't wish for you to have he guardianship of Harry. His one quality that needs to be strengthened is love. Without meaning any offense, I know Ravenclaw households tend to be rather emotionally cold, and the nature of your marriage..."

Alduin wanted to say something truly rude in response, because surely it was none of Dumbledore's business, but he made himself consider it instead. "As for me and Alexandra," he said after a while, "as I'm sure you know, we'll have a child soon. Surely that should be…?"

"Yes, that is, indeed, excellent news. It cannot, of course, make up for the months Harry already spent exclusively in your care, but it will be very useful for the holidays."

Alduin wanted to protest, but Dumbledore raised his hand. "I have to admit," he said, "that you surprised me pleasantly with the way you cultivated Harry's Gryffindor connections. I do think it might add the necessary impetus, as long as Draco Malfoy's influence does not overpower the Gryffindor one."

"Harry sees Draco's mistakes clearly enough, so I don't think there's any danger of that. But there was something else I wanted to say. If encouraging Harry's love was the goal...how the hell could you leave him with the Dursleys for all those years?"

"Because, by the nature of his task, it is likely that it will require a degree of self-sacrifice of him," Dumbledore replied calmly.

Alduin suddenly felt rather acutely sick.

"So," he said slowly, "you let him be emotionally abused for years to ensure he doesn't like life and value himself too much, hoping that the adoration he was likely to receive once in the wizarding world would be enough to prevent him turning into a hateful kind of person?"

"It was a calculated risk," Dumbledore replied. "I relied on the subconscious memory of his parents' love to see him through."

Alduin almost laughed, though he felt no mirth at all. "And you call me emotionally cold? What would your precious Gryffindors say if you presented them with this reasoning?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at him. "I would, naturally, never confide my reasoning in one of my 'precious Gryffindors', as you say. I know them too well for that."

"Rather lucky for you then, is it not, that the surviving relative of Harry's isn't one of them?"

"Not really. You see, they'd be much more likely to listen to me." He frowned. "It's the Hufflepuffs I'd have had the most trouble with, but then I'm sure you can sympathize with that." He paused. "It hardly pleases me that it's like that," he added. "I would have liked Harry to have a normal, happy childhood. But we have a war to win and a world to save, and I cannot afford to be sentimental."

Alduin left Hogwarts in a rather dazed state of mind. This conversation was going to take almost as long to adjust to as the prophecy itself. But at least he got the information he came for. This was going to be hard.

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Since Alduin looked just about ready to send him a Howler – something he had only heard about until now, but that sounded horrifying enough – Harry decided that it might, in actual fact, be better to start studying for the exams that still seemed so very far off. Neville joined him in his efforts, muttering that it was probably never too early for him and prompting another pep talk about him not being stupid or bad at things at all from Harry. But the rest of the House flat out told them they were insane and they were on their own.

It didn't make Harry any more confident in his efforts when Hermione Granger praised him effusively after seeing him in the library. "I'm glad someone at least has sense," she said. "Padma complained just the other night that her sister seems to think she'll just pass the exams based on her smile, and even some people in my own house don't appear to take it seriously enough. See you around, Harry, I have work to do!"

Curious about what the opinions were in the other Houses, Harry mirror-called Draco in the evening. "Yes, of course," Draco said. "We're all working on it already."

Harry groaned.

"What, you haven't started yet?" Draco seemed astonished.

"Starting just now, but I'd really hoped Alduin was exaggerating."

Draco smirked. "Well, depends on whether you want to just pass, or actually do well." He paused, then lowered his voice and added: "Though Greg and Vince have to work really hard even now to even make sure they'll pass...but they're determined not to give up!"

Good for them, Harry thought. If they can do it, so can I.

Still, it was exhausting, and when Harry felt his two-way mirror burn in his pocket the next day at breakfast, he made a face at the other Gryffindors. "Probably Alduin isn't happy with my assurances that yes, I'm studying now, and wants to see it with his own eyes," he commented as he took it out. However, what greeted him was Alduin's beaming face, a sight he had never seen before.

"Wynn was born last night," his cousin said without preamble. "He is fine and healthy, and so is Alexandra."

Harry's face immediately broke into a great smile. "Wow," he said, "that's great! I mean, congratulations! I can't wait to meet him!"

"Yes, you will soon enough. Listen, I have to go back to him and his mother now, but have a great day. And study!" He added quickly before breaking the connection.

"Trust him not to forget that even right after his son was born," Dean commented.

Harry nodded, amused in spite of himself, but said: "I really can't wait for Easter break now. I can pretend to have a little brother!"

"Having a little brother isn't all it's cracked out to be," Sophie muttered.

"Well, it's bound to be better than having a little sister," Ron observed, and Sophie smacked him.

"I think siblings are great," Dean admitted. "I think you will really enjoy playing with him, Harry, even though the age difference between you is huge, so maybe it won't be really like with mine. It sucks that you won't be able to help him at Hogwarts or anything, because he is too much younger."

"But he will get to play the wise and strong older brother," Seamus said. "That's cool, isn't it?"

"I'm not too sure Alduin would let me get away with it, but I can try," Harry laughed.

He considered the idea a bit more when he was lying in bed that evening. He had another second cousin now, just like Neville, only this one was much younger. He doubted he could ever be really friends with him, he would probably always be just a baby, but maybe he could help him and protect him when Wynn got older? Dean was right that they would never be together at Hogwarts, but he could still write to him and tell him all the things Alduin wouldn't know, like the wonderful secret of the come and go room.

He also wondered if Alduin and Alexandra would want to have more children. It hadn't occurred to him before, but it seemed that most wizards had two, just like with Muggles, so maybe another one? It also seemed to Harry that wizards usually had one son and one daughter, strange as it was, so perhaps he would have an almost-sister in a few years.

He thought about what Ron said, that little sisters were no fun. He had to admit that he was somewhat less excited about the idea that about Wynn, but then, Sophie was all right. If the girl was like Sophie, that would be fine.

He frowned, and thought of Alexandra, because any daughter she had would probably be a lot like her, wouldn't she? Alexandra was nice too, but he couldn't imagine having such a good time with a small version of her as he had with Sophie. She was just too...well, too much of a Ravenclaw.

Then he realized that all children of Alduin and Alexandra were likely be very Ravenclaw, and frowned. But perhaps he would get an opportunity to make more of a Gryffindor out of Wynn? If he grew up to be like Abdulaziz, Harry decided, that would be all right.

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AN: Yeah, Alduin and Dumbledore were quoting the Desolation of Smaug, why do you ask?