Harry Potter and the Great Sacrifice
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, Folk and Godric Albion! I will try to use simpler words in future ;) By the way, a correction to my previous chapter: I misspelt 'metamorphmagus' as 'metamorphagus', and I will be editing it soon. Anyway, finally got this chapter through… enjoy
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Chapter 2 – A New Life
Once again, in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…
As Albus Dumbledore was reading some of the school reports, such as which ten-year-old muggleborns had a past record of accidental magic, a burst of flame took his attention from them and what he read made his heart burst with anticipation.
The note read:
Albus, a boy at Illionaz of age twelve named Harry McBlack has the scar! The same scar Harry Potter has! It appeared for a while before fading away after he had wiped his hanky over it. I'm quite sure of it. He is currently celebrating a Qudditch victory at Illionaz Qudditch Stadium. A dog that looks similar to the one you told us to look out for has been spotted not far away, but it has the colour of brown coating instead of black. Status quo?
Charles Roberto
The phoenix shall lead in times of darkness.
Immediately, Albus Dumbledore began to reply to Charles to track McBlack's movements. After which, he began contacting the few Aurors inducted in the overseas branch of the Order for assistance. Taking a quill from his table, he muttered 'Portus' and the quill responded by glowing blue for a few seconds before the glow faded away. With that, he wrote a hasty letter saying that he had gone on 'Harry-Hunting' to his Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall before touching the portkey.
The last sentence on his note was "All might not be too late."
-- 0-o-0-o-0-o-0 --
At the Auror Academy in Illionaz…
"Nat, Janet, Horace, Order Operation, prepare for take off in 5 minutes," Tom, the captain of the team, said as he gathered his team and prepared a portkey to Illionaz Qudditch Stadium while briefing them on the situation.
"Is everyone ready? Nat and Janet, you guys will work on the Anti-Apparition and Anti-Portkey wards. Horace will accompany me. Let's go!" In unison, they touched the portkey, and a few moments later, they were no longer in the Academy.
-- 0-o-0-o-0-o-0 --
At Illionaz Qudditch Stadium…
"Something's wrong, Harry," Regulus muttered under his breath as he passed by Harry. "Get ready to run."
An Anti-Apparition ward has been placed, and I can feel another ward being set-up soon. Most probably an Anti-Portkey ward.
Are you sure? How do you know?
Argh, trust me on this. If your Legilimency is up to scratch, you should be able to expand out your mind and feel that a barrier of some sort is preventing you from going further.
Harry nodded but did not try his Legilimency skills. He trusted Regulus and knew that whatever he said was true. Having been drilled since young about the escape route and actions to take, he stood up straighter and began scanning the stadium for possible dangers. Snuffles growled menacingly and started moving around as he too felt that something was amiss. None of them wanted to use the emergency portkey yet, for fear of giving away their identity.
"Hey Harry, I guess it's time to go. Say bye to your friends," Regulus said in a loud and cheerful voice. Harry took on the cue and bid his friends goodbye. Together, the three of them started to walk in faster pace across the stadium, as the feeling of being watched intensified.
Upon leaving the pitch, Regulus brought Harry to one corner as Sirius transformed back. "Damn, I think our position has been compromised. It's time to use the portkey." Regulus growled. The three of them huddled around Harry as he began to utter the words that would bring them to safety.
"The Prongslet is in danger."
They looked around in astonishment as the portkey failed to activate and, after a moment, started running simultaneously towards the closest exit when they realised what had happened. "Damn, damn, damn… I'd never expected them to be so efficient at setting up wards." Regulus cursed as he ran. Sirius transformed back into a dog and ran along them. Harry easily kept up with their pace, having been training both at home and while training during Qudditch practices, his heart pounding with excitement. After all, this is the first time they had encountered any problems throughout their run from everyone.
When they finally reached the exit, they found two Aurors standing guard. Turning back, they realised two other Aurors had them surrounded with no other escape route available.
"We will await orders from Dumbledore. Hold them in position. No exchange of spells unless provoked." One of them, apparently the captain of the team, told the rest of the Aurors.
Harry, Regulus and Sirius were all surprised that it was Dumbledore who had orchestrated the capture. They had expected a worse situation. Dumbledore might not have made the right decision in placing Harry in the care of his relatives, but he was a fair person.
A few minutes passed as all seven of them stood there in silence. The sound of footsteps made them turn their heads towards the entrance, but that tiny distraction was enough. With a practiced grace, Regulus and Harry shot stunners towards the two Aurors standing guard at the entrance whereas Sirius turned into a huge dog to tackle the other two. Not too soon, all four Aurors had been subdued. It seemed that the three had a short conversation in their minds before the attack on the Aurors.
Albus Dumbledore took in everything as he watched the three Stun and capture the four Aurors. He recognized the shortest one among the three to be Harry Potter, as his scar was evidently shown then. The Animagus dog was obviously Sirius, but he was not able to venture a guess as to who the last guy was. He stepped out from the shadows and spoke out loud.
"Swear a magical oath that you were not involved in any way in James and Lily's deaths, Sirius, or I will personally send you to Azkaban," Dumbledore said quietly in a hardened voice. The deaths of James and Lily Potter had hit him hard, which was another reason why he was so desperate to find Harry. He felt like he owed them that.
Sirius Black transformed back from dog-form, standing tall and defiant as he swore the magical oath. After which, he pointed the wand at Dumbledore and shouted.
"Lumos!"
The wand lit up. A sign of Sirius' innocence.
Harry noted that Dumbledore was visibly relieved. "I've never believed that it was you who betrayed them; James and you were even closer than brothers. Who was the Secret Keeper then?" Dumbledore said, his face becoming solemn, as he had an inkling of who might have committed the betrayal.
"It was Peter Pettigrew," Sirius spat as he uttered the name of the person who used to be one of his best friends in school. He revealed where James and Lily lived. I knew it the moment Godric's Hollow went up in flames. We thought that by changing the Secret Keeper to someone nobody would expect, it would provide the ultimate security for James and Lily. We had never expected our plan to backfire on us." At the memory of his best friend's death, Sirius' face hardened.
"You can stop your probing Dumbledore, you know that it won't work," Regulus smirked as he interrupted their conversation. "In case you're wondering, I'm Regulus Black, son of Orion Black, brother of Sirius Black."
At the mention of Regulus' identity, Dumbledore remained impassive, but you could see his eyebrows going up slightly. Harry, who had understood everything Sirius said as he had already been told, only stood by the wall quietly, taking in the reactions of Dumbledore.
"Well, it seems like there are quite a few revelations to make today. I'd say we revive the Aurors andyou're your belongings from Illionaz before taking this portkey to my office at Hogwarts and discuss this awkward situation." Dumbledore said, a twinkle coming into his deep blue eyes as he started smiling. It looks as though he hasn't smiled for a long time, Harry thought to himself.
Together, they revived the Aurors who were embarrassed at being taken unaware. Sirius spared them a few blushes when he told them he used to be one of the top Aurors at the British Auror Academy, winking at one of the female Aurors. Old habits die hard, I guess, Harry mused in amusement as he watched his godfather flirt. Dumbledore then thanked them for their assistance and they went off after a while.
They went back to the house they were living in and prepared to move out while Dumbledore waited in their living room. After an hour, they finally got all their things ready and left Illionaz for Britain.
-- 0-o-0-o-0-o-0 --
Once again, in the Headmaster's Office at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry… (Seems like a popular place)
"…while I understand the situation, Sirius, you should know better than me how unreasonable the Ministry can be at times. After you've escaped the Azkaban prison, they've lost a lot of pride and would have wanted to recover from that incident by capturing you even if you are innocent," explained Dumbledore. "As such, I'm afraid you can not appear in public in any time soon, until we've located where Pettigrew is."
Sirius nodded his hand to show that he understood the risks.
Dumbledore continued. "On the other hand, will you allow Harry to study here at Hogwarts since he has already been discovered? All of us know how much Harry's resurgence will mean to wizarding world. I personally believe that Voldemort is not yet dead, and is simply waiting for the chance to strike back."
Sirius thought for a while before consulting Harry, "So kiddo, what do you think? Do you want to attend Hogwarts?"
Harry pretended to think for a while before shouting out his answer. "Yes! Of course! It's been such a long time since I've met people my own age!" Harry exclaimed excitedly, thinking of the prospect of meeting friends.
"Well, I guess that answered your question," Sirius said, smiling.
Dumbledore smiled and knew that part of his problems had been solved since Harry had agreed to study in Hogwarts. After that, they discussed that Harry's custody would go to Regulus who would assume an identity Dumbledore would assist in creating. Dumbledore was informed of the adventure Sirius had shared with Regulus prior to his 'death'. They had also come up with a plausible story about Harry's sudden appearance, something along the lines that the man who had kidnapped Harry was actually his long lost uncle. It was vague, but it would satisfy for now.
As the meeting was coming to a close, Dumbledore asked Harry the subjects he wanted to take before passing him a list of what he had to buy. He then told him, "Harry, you will find out which house you are in when school reopens on September 1st. And oh, don't forget to buy a wand too." He winked at Harry, who had turned beet red with embarrassment for untraceable wands were illegal for underage wizards.
Together, Harry, Regulus and Sirius left Hogwarts and proceeded to 12 Grimmauld Place, their current home in Britain, to settle down. It was the only building owned by the Blacks that had the most protection currently and had a good location. Security measures and the subsequent protection wards would be put in placed on the building the following day. The Fidelius Charm would also be used and the Secret Keeper, after much debate, would be Dumbledore himself.
When the three of them left, Dumbledore heaved a sigh of relief. It seems like young Harry was not corrupted after all, and he seems to be leading a happy life, smiled Dumbledore. He was most afraid that Harry would turn Dark, and the prophecy would become void. Thinking about the prophecy made him frown. Nobody else in this world knew about it, for he had only told the Potters about it, and made them promise not to tell anyone else. Nobody as young as Harry should be given such a heavy responsibility. In fact, it shouldn't be part of anyone's destiny at all! Dumbledore thought sadly.
Well, that's just another problem to solve. Now, how should I announce Harry's return? Dumbledore pondered heavily, while eating one of his famous Lemon Drops.
-- 0-o-0-o-0-o-0 --
A few months after Harry's re-appearance in the wizarding world…
"Sirius! Sirius! I'm still on the team! Woohoo!" An elated Harry sprinted down from his room to the living room holding a letter in his hand, which looks livelier than when they first entered.
Sirius, who appeared to be doing some research paper looked up and smiled. Harry showed him the letter bearing the insignia of the Draconian Dragons. Browsing through the contents, he could tell the reason why Harry was so excited. It appeared that after they have "emigrated" from Illionaz back to Britain, Harry was sent a letter from the coach asking about him. As Illionaz was a magical capital, their Qudditch team was allowed to have members from all over the world. However, despite that advantage, they had never made it through further than the group stages. After exchanging a series of letter, Harry managed to convince the coach that while he might be studying in Hogwarts while they were training, he could arrange to practice with them fortnightly. Moreover, Harry added that there was Qudditch in Hogwarts too, so he could also practice there.
Eventually, after much compromise, Harry was invited into the reserve team where he was not required to participate in the weekly trainings held by the Dragons. They also realised his real identity when Harry told them in one of his letters and understood the advantage they would have in the marketing and media industry for their Qudditch team – after all, they had The-Boy-Who-Lived! That was advertisement in itself already.
"That's great! By the way, what makes you so assured that you will be guaranteed a place in the Qudditch team when you reach Hogwarts?" teased Sirius.
"Ha, we will see then. Never underestimate the Potter Charm," with that, Harry winked at his godfather and went off to his room again. It was the first time Harry was going to school, so it was only natural for him to want to excel in his studies and prove to others that The-Boy-Who-Lived would not be only famous for his scar. He was spending all his time in his room reading the textbooks bought. At the rate at which he was reading, it would not be long before he started requesting for past year textbooks.
Sirius smiled again for Harry had reminded him very strongly of Lily. Lily was a very studious Head Girl and could often be found hiding in the library or reading somewhere. It was only after James and she became a couple did her reading habits become less frequent. Then again, the way he held himself and the way he spoke were also very… James-like.
Sirius then shook his head from his thoughts before concentrating on his research once again. This was one project he could not afford to fool around.
-- 0-o-0-o-0-o-0 --
Back in Harry's room…
Harry was bored, and he twirled his newly bought holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches wand while daydreaming about how school would be like. He thought about his choice of subjects. Dumbledore had told him that the compulsory subjects were Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions and Transfiguration. Harry had then decided to overlook Divination and instead took Arithmancy to satisfy the minimum number of subjects that could be taken. Most of the contents in Charms, DADA, Potions and Transfiguration for his year were easy for Harry as he had already gone through it with Regulus and Sirius.
As Harry daydreamt, his mind drifted back to the day he went to Diagon Alley to purchase his stuff. The day after Dumbledore released a press statement about his return to the wizarding world, articles that predicted where Harry had been mushroomed overnight. Harry could not help but laugh each time he came across a ridiculous speculation. Some said Harry attended a secret school and had developed special powers; others believed that Harry was captured by wizards who had obliviated his memories of the stay. Harry got used to the articles and was not bothered by them at all. What he did not expect was the reaction of the wizarding public towards him. It was a nightmare.
Flashback
That fateful day, Harry had decided to be done away with concealing himself with his metamorphmagus abilities and went to Diagon Alley with Regulus looking like… himself. The moment the first shout of 'Harry Potter' went up Harry was immediately mobbed by the crowd – a crowd which consisted mostly of girls. Girls were grabbing at Harry everywhere; some asking him to sign autographs, while others gave him their contact numbers and even photos! Thinking about the photos made Harry blushed – there were a few of the photos that would be considered indecent. Another incident was even more embarrassing, as Harry recalled a girl, or rather, woman of about twenty-years of age asking him to sign on a private part of her body. Harry was so shocked that he would have fallen to the ground had Regulus not catch him in time. Luckily for him, Regulus managed to shoo off the crowd with a few magnificent display of fireworks. Even then, there were still a few of the more daring girls who approached him while he was shopping for his school items, and he decided to appease them by signing his autograph for them.
Bad mistake.
Immediately after the first batch of girls went off exclaiming how lucky they were to get Harry Potter to sign for them, the crowd of girls had decided to swarm him again. Harry's day ended with a bang, literally, as Regulus decided to Side-Apparate with Harry back to the street of their unplottable home.
Upon reaching home, Regulus recounted the events that happened to Sirius, and both laughed at the expense of Harry, who was blushing so much he practically looked like a tomato.
"Well, well, it seems like our young Harry here is quite the charmer, eh? We would better start filtering his mail in case he should receive any other nude photos," Regulus said in between laughing.
Sirius roared with laughter, his eyes sparkling with tears, as he struggled to gain back control over his speech. "Definitely! It seems that Harry is in need of some lesson on how to deal with girls, bro." Between looking at the maniac grins displayed by both the Blacks and moving back, Harry somehow found himself cornered by them. His only reply back a weak grin.
End of Flashback
Looking out at the window, he discovered that the sun had already set. Finding himself sleepy, he lay down on the bed and cleared his mind. The last words he whispered before sleep had claimed him were 'finally… a new life'.
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Author's Note: I have purposely chose not to include Harry's birthday celebration as it might seem quite boring with only Regulus and Sirius around. However, if enough people request for it, I might re-edit this chapter to include it. :) Also, watch out for a Harry vs Snape encounter in the next chapter!