Chapter Four – The Man Who Lived

Harry Potter sat back in his chair and examined a new report that had been waiting on his desk for the past few hours. It had been a slow week; he was glad that Friday had arrived. Earlier that day, he had dropped off his two sons at Platform Nine and Three Quarters. For one of them, Albus, it would be the very first journey on the Hogwarts Express. He remembered giving him advice and a few reassuring words about how they would never think any less of him if he got sorted into Slytherin. Was it wrong to reveal to him that the Sorting Hat considers a student's preference in their placement? Well, in any case he felt that calming his young boy down was more important than keeping secrets.

The report went on and on about a new illegal trade in a specific variety of enlargement potions. The lack of regulation resulted in some catastrophic outcomes in the groin area of a few unlucky wizards. Mundungus Fletcher had barely been out of Azkaban for two weeks before these potions started popping up again, he thought. This would have been a rather amusing story if it didn't necessitate a full, long investigation and the issuing of departmental resources to examine a few groins. Harry became accustomed to a less-action-packed lifestyle now that he was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Though in some ways he was thankful for his high salary and the benefit of not having to risk his life on a daily basis. He did, however, miss his time as an Auror. He felt that the way in which he had spent his early twenties, travelling the globe with his mates and chasing the few remaining Death Eaters who had fled the country, was the best period in his life. Harry finished reading the report and set it aside with a yawn. He grabbed a chocolate frog pack from his secret desk drawer. As he was chewing on the chocolate, he read the back of the card which sported a familiar face.

HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER

British Minister for Magic

Famous for aiding Harry Potter in defeating the Dark Lord during the Second Wizarding War. Later known for passing The Emancipation and Financial Liberation of House Elves and Other Enslaved Magical Beings Act as the Head of The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She is also known for her new translation of The Tales of Beedle the Bard from its original runes into English. Granger became Minister for Magic in May 2017, the youngest ever to hold the position.

Harry smiled to himself. Hermione was always the most capable one amongst his peers. Old Kingsley Shacklebolt, "The Caretaker Minister", had been Minister for Magic up until that point. He had decided to retire from his post and declare elections the following May. The memories of the elections were still fresh in Harry's head. Hermione had achieved a crushing victory against her opponent, Blaise Zabini, who sported a conservative view in his campaign which focused mainly on repealing The Emancipation and Financial Liberation of House Elves and Other Enslaved Magical Beings Act. Zabini hadn't counted on the fact that the majority of wizarding households in Britain and Ireland did not own house elves to begin with. And, if anything, the new employment laws meant that many families, who could not afford an elf before, could now rent their services for a period of time.

Harry got up from his desk chair, stretched, and started walking towards the fireplace. As he sat on the comfortable sofa facing it, he noticed the Daily Prophet edition from that morning he'd forgotten to read. He grabbed the newspaper and, after a quick glimpse at the front title ('THE NEW ENLARGEMENT CONCOCTION, USEFUL OR USELESS?'), he turned over the page and saw an interesting article about this new up-and-coming young wizard he had recently met. A young man with broad shoulders and a closely trimmed beard smiled at him from the small photo at the top-right edge of the article. Harry sat back in his couch and began to read.

ERASMUS VAN HELMONT, THE NEXT DUMBLEDORE, OR A DANGEROUS CRIMINAL?

At only twenty-two years of age, Erasmus van Helmont has achieved fame far beyond what many of his peers could hope for in a lifetime, writes Betty Braithwaite, special reporter for the Daily Prophet. The swift success story of Mr van Helmont's life had captivated many in the magical community. Though some say that his suspiciously quick defeat of the famously dangerous dark wizard, Mortedigne, which intertwined with the death of his close friend and schoolmate, Mr Alexander Fawley, might be cause for suspicion and concern.

Born in Mould-on-the-Wold to a father of prominent pure-blood heritage (Dutch house of van Helmont and English house of Crouch) and the talented Austrian-Israeli witch Daniella Kleinmann (known for inventing the Luminmentis potion), van Helmont had first arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as a timid, shy boy with few friends. 'He was very quiet and solitary at first. Always sat at a far corner of the common room he did' says Agatha Hopkirk, a former fellow student at Hogwarts, now junior reporter for the Prophet. Soon after, however, he presented a clear talent in all subjects taught at the school. 'He opened up eventually, though he was always a tad weird he was,' says Hopkirk.

Soon after graduating Hogwarts with top marks in his N.E. , van Helmont had set upon a traditional world-spanning tour with his good school-friend and classmate Mr Fawley. Barely a year had passed, and van Helmont had already begun making a name for himself as one of the only non-Japanese students to attend master Haruto Yamamoto's prestigious magical dojo in Kyoto. Later that same year van Helmont had managed to overpower and defeat the dark wizard Shinohakobite who terrorized Japan for several years prior. Mr van Helmont then continued along with his journey across the magical world until he and Fawley had settled in the US state of Virginia where they began working for the American Magical Research Organization and Society (A.M.R.O.S). It was there that he began developing his most famous creation: the Amarous charm.

The charm is hailed as the newest major development in defensive magic and the breakthrough of the century. Its function is, quite simply, countering the previously unblockable Killing Curse. As an immensely difficult and complex spell to perform, its useability and practicality remain to be determined. The Auror Offices of both the American Magical Congress and the British Ministry of Magic, however, had already began to train their employees in its use. Many other magical governments are said to follow suit in the next few months. The invention of the Amarous charm, along with his swift defeats of famously dangerous dark wizards, had recently earned him the title of the "next Dumbledore". Apparently, it was Dumbledore whom Erasmus' father, Eduard van Helmont, had moved to Britain for, worked closely, and maintained a good corresponding friendship with during the last few years of Dumbledore's life. Dumbledore was even named the boy's godfather shortly before his own death.

So, what is, then, the great controversy surrounding the name Erasmus van Helmont? It begins with his undeniably extraordinary magical ability and his tendency to defeat famously dangerous dark wizards while losing "close friends" along the way. As they were giving a guest lecture at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, van Helmont and Fawley were attacked by the dark wizard Mortedigne after they had, presumably, managed to destroy his last two Horcruxes; a feat which several magical administrations employing hundreds of Aurors (among them Harry Potter and his special task force) could not achieve. During the attack Fawley was tragically killed. Van Helmont had disapparated from the scene with Mortedigne shortly after. He was later found by a MACUSA task force in Arizona with what seemed to be a sizeable crater of his own making and no trace of Mortedigne to be found. Van Helmont claims that Mortedigne had died in an explosion set off by their fierce duel.

This is all good and well until one remembers that this is not the first case in which van Helmont appears to have defeated an immensely powerful dark wizard single-handedly and with no living witnesses. His climactic duel in Japan three years prior had also ended with him being found alone in front of a crater of his own making with the dead body of a fellow student at his dojo and no sign of Shinohakobite. Even the not-so-keen observer might see a disturbing pattern in these seemingly unrelated events. Could van Helmont be sacrificing his close friends and allies in order to secure unwinnable victories? Or could he be actively disposing of potential rivals and claimants to his genius inventions so that he could rake in the cash?

Afterall, Fawley had been signed as the co-inventor of the Amarous charm. There are also rumours floating about that the unnamed dead dojo student had been on the verge of a breakthrough of his own before his untimely death. Could there be some big conspiracy? Or is it a simple case of sheer coincidence? Erasmus himself had refused to provide any comments. Fawley's family had declined to interview after a single statement by his grieving mother: 'This is idiotic and preposterous! Erasmus has been a good friend to Alex from their very first day at Hogwarts! Go away!'. The jury is still out in the curious case of Erasmus van Helmont. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement ought surely to investigate any allegations made in the case.

Harry finished reading the article with bemusement. What has the poor man done to anger the writers of the Daily Prophet so much? He thought to himself as he turned the pages of the paper. Yes, these cases were weirdly similar but he, Harry, had to endure such speculations about his sanity and pure intentions back when Lord Voldemort had returned. He was sure that the whole story in its entirety could not have been delivered by the Daily Prophet. In any case, he would soon be able to question the man himself.

There was a knock on the door to his office. Harry called the visitor in.

'Mr Potter? The Minister wishes to speak to you,' said Beth, his young new secretary.

'Sure, tell her I'll be up there in a bit,' said Harry.

'Oh, there's no need to, she said she's coming over here, and I should just let you know,' she replied.

'Alright then, thank you, Beth.'

'No problem, Mr Potter.'

As his secretary left his room, Harry contemplated the past few months in his mind. He had liked his old secretary, Percilia Waterborne, but she was getting rather forgetful of late. Her retirement at the age of a hundred and fifteen couldn't have come sooner. Bethany Roberts was an eager and energetic young witch who was always up on her game. Harry had grown very fond of her in the past couple of months.

'Harry?'

'Minister?'

'Oh, stop this nonsense, will you?' said Hermione as she entered and sat down on the armchair to Harry's left. He smiled at her cheekily. She was wearing her travel coat and had her bag in her arm.

'Leaving already?' said Harry.

'Well, I figured there's only one more hour left, and I'd better get home and make sure Ron's fixed the new car properly,' she said.

'Tut, tut, the Minister herself skiving off work.'

'Well, if the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has any complaints, he should take them in with my secretary.'

Harry chuckled. 'Are you and Ron still coming over for dinner tomorrow?' he asked.

'Yes of course. Is he coming still too?' asked Hermione.

'Well, he said so when I invited him over last week. Seemed very excited about it,' said Harry.

'I still can't believe there's now a counterspell for Avada Kedavra. Think of the number of people that could have been saved back in the day…'

'I know…' he said heavily.

They both sat in silence for a minute as all the victims of the Second Wizarding War had popped back into Harry's mind. Not wanting to remain in this sombre silence for long, Hermione began to speak again.

'That seminar was quite fascinating though, wasn't it? He named your case and the Patronus charm as his inspiration and the base for the technique,' she said curiously. 'I still find it a little hard to concentrate on a person I love while conjuring a complex magical force field.'

'What are you on about? You were the best one in there!' said Harry. 'Van Helmont's actually wanted you to demonstrate it in action, only you chickened out.'

'Oh, but it's just so dangerous! If I had screwed anything up, I wouldn't be alive right now! It's different in a battle or a duel, but I just wouldn't want to lose my life over some stupid drill,' she retorted.

'Well, in any case, I guess we'll have another chance at a first-hand demonstration tomorrow, won't we? Did you know he was Dumbledore's godson? I had no clue…'

'I imagine Dumbledore would have been godfather to plenty of people in his time,' said Hermione wisely as she glanced at her wristwatch. 'I wanted to talk to you about next year. I had an idea to ask van Helmont if he'd like to be on the committee.'

'Yeah, I guess, he's got loads of hands-on experience, knowledge, and training, even if it is of the unconventional kind. He could probably come up with some good ideas,' said Harry.

Hermione snorted. 'Look who's talking. You are the king of unconventional training, Harry Potter.'

'I guess so,' said Harry with a slight guilty laugh.

'So, we'll see you tomorrow at six-thirty?'

'Yes, I'll see you then.'

Harry folded the paper in his hands as she got up to leave.

'Could you call Beth in for me please?' he called after Hermione.

'Sure,' she replied.

Harry got up from the sofa and threw the paper in the bin beside the fireplace. He walked back to his desk and grabbed a quill and parchment from his drawer. His secretary came in as he finished scribbling his note.

'You called for me Mr Potter?'

'Yes Beth, if you could kindly send a notice to McAllister that I looked over the enlargement potions' report and that it seems fine. Also, if you could get this to Thomas before the end of the day,' he handed her the note he had just scribbled. 'And one last thing. Could you please send an owl to Teddy Lupin for me? Just tell him that dinner tomorrow is at six-thirty, but he can come over earlier if he likes and tell me about his training.'

'Of course, Mr Potter,' she replied.

'You're a darling,' said Harry.

She smiled and left his office. As the door closed Harry started packing his files into his briefcase. He had decided to go home early like Hermione. Afterall, he wanted to know whether Albus and James had arrived at Hogwarts yet and which house his younger son got sorted into. He walked out of his office a minute later and waved Beth goodbye as he walked past her desk. A few minutes later the doors of the lift he was occupying opened as the cool voice said, 'Eighth floor, The Atrium.' Harry walked past the Fountain of Magical Unity (a golden statue at the centre of a large fountain depicting a wizard, witch, goblin, house-elf, merman, and centaur holding hands and standing in a circle) and proceeded towards the fireplaces ahead. He stepped into the nearest fireplace and, in one sweeping motion, left the Ministry of Magic behind.

Harry climbed out of the fireplace into the familiar kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Kreacher, his old house-elf, greeted him cheerfully.

'Welcome back master! Dinner is nearly ready, steak and kidney pie,' said the elf.

'Thank you, Kreacher,' said Harry as he walked past the large kitchen table toward the door that led to the hallway. The kitchen, like the rest of the house, had been fully renovated when Harry had officially moved there in the summer of 1998. Even after a thorough clean-up, it took almost two months to fully rid the house of its old, cursed paintings and tapestries. The house in which Harry and Ginny had raised their children was a very different place from the one which the Order of The Phoenix had made its headquarters almost two decades prior. It was much brighter and more inviting. The walls were brightly coloured, and the wooden floors had been cleaned and polished to look much fresher. Portraits of the Potter family hung in the rooms and a light breeze could be felt through the extra open windows which were added some time ago.

Harry entered the drawing room and spotted his wife on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

'Has there been any news from – '

'Slytherin,' interrupted Ginny before he could finish his question.

'What?'

'Albus got sorted into Slytherin,' she clarified.

'Really?' said Harry in surprise. 'After all the arguments with James and the doubts? After I told him he could choose which house he'd be sorted into? Well, that's… odd.'

'Yes, and you wouldn't believe who he's made friends with already, it's Malfoy's boy, Scorpius.'

'What?! I wouldn't have imagined… Well, I guess he can't be as bad as his father than eh?' said Harry with a sigh. 'Who told you that?' he enquired.

'McGonagall sent an owl a few minutes before you arrived. Rose and Roxanne got sorted into Gryffindor and Hufflepuff respectively by the way,' said Ginny.

'Yeah, I figured they would, and still Albus…'

'Well, if he did listen to you at King's Cross then that means he chose to be in Slytherin. I guess if he feels like he fits in there more than in any of the other houses…'

'I just don't want to go on any play-dates with Malfoy,' said Harry half annoyed.

Ginny laughed. He sat down beside her as they talked for while about their days at work. Soon after, Kreacher had called them downstairs for dinner. Lily was already in the kitchen as they arrived downstairs. They spent the rest of the evening reminiscing about their days at Hogwarts to Lily's increasing annoyance.

His great horned owl, Athena, came in a little later with Teddy's reply to Harry, saying he would be at their house at four o'clock the following day. Teddy had recently been accepted to the rigorous Auror training programme of the Ministry. On top of unusually high marks achieved in their N.E. , prospective Aurors were required to undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests which often resulted in more than half the class quitting within a month. Harry was sure that his godson Teddy would be up for the challenge. His mother was an Auror after-all, and he had inherited her Metamorphmagus abilities which were quite useful for a profession in which disguises are often used. He had also inherited his father's affinity and talent in defence against the dark arts. Teddy was practically a member of their family ever since his parents died in the Battle of Hogwarts nineteen years ago. Harry saw him as more of a son than anything else, and his determination to become an Auror had made Harry very proud of the man he'd become.

'Wait a second, I want to send a letter to Hogwarts,' Harry told Athena as she was about to take flight again. He summoned a quill and parchment from his study and began to write swiftly.

Albus,

We are very proud of you. Don't listen to your brother if he teases you for being sorted into Slytherin. We both know you will do great no matter which house you're at.

Take the weekend to explore the castle a little, just be careful not to run into Peeves or Filch. We'll write to you again soon.

Love,

Mum and Dad.

Harry sealed his letter and attached it to the Athena's stretched out leg. He turned to Ginny and said, 'I think I'm gonna go take a shower now.' As he was ascending the stairs to the third floor Harry could not help but feel immensely jealous of his two sons. There they were, at the very beginning of their time at Hogwarts, full of potential and wonder. Hogwarts was his first true home, at least the first true home he could remember. He yearned to go back, to attend lessons and spend sun-filled free periods in his favourite courtyard. He even missed the trouble that came along with being The Boy Who Lived. Yes, he was often in mortal peril and was the subject of rumours and ridicule far more frequently than he wished to be, but the adventures he had had at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione by his side nevertheless made his fondest memories. He was not that bright eyed child anymore, he thought bitterly as he turned the tap in his shower. He was now a full-grown adult, with responsibilities, and a job, and reports to fill. Unstopping, relentless, tedious, soul-crushing reports. In spite of himself, even though he kept telling himself that his boredom, his frustration, with the life he had now been leading was a small price to pay for the safety and peaceful existence of his children and of the Wizarding World, he couldn't help but hope, pray even, that some other adventure would arise and disrupt the crushing dullness that was now the life of The Man Who Lived.