A/N: Most of the characters and the main plot belongs to J.K Rowling.
Harry woke up with heavy eyelids, it felt like the planet was turning several times faster than usual because of the dizziness he felt. He was wondering where he was, when he heard talking, but he couldn't make out the voices, nor could he make out what they were saying. One thing was for sure though, he had the biggest headache he had ever had. The sunlight was shining through his eyelids, and he wanted to cover his eyes with his hands, but he couldn't muster the energy to do it. The voices began to get clearer, but he still couldn't make out what they were saying. The one thing he did hear was 'Voldemort'. He felt uncomfortable hearing the name, sure he had heard that some people said that he wasn't properly dead, as they hadn't found a body, but Harry didn't think that he would ever try coming back to life.
Slowly, but surely, he opened his eyes. For a moment everything was out of focus, but it began to clear up. He was in the hospital wing, and the people talking were Madam Pomfrey, and Dumbledore. He tried sitting up and the nurse turned towards him instantly, and rushed over with her wand pointing towards him while she muttered some spells, which he guessed were diagnostic spells.
"Ah, Harry my boy, you're awake, good. How are you feeling ?" Dumbledore asked with a gentle smile adorning his face with a grand fatherly tone.
"Could be better sir, but I've definitely had worse days." Harry replied as he tried sitting up while trying not to show the pain that simple task caused him. He can't have done a very good job as the headmaster assisted him. "How are Hermione, Tracey and Daphne ?" he asked with a worried look in his eyes.
"They are just fine. I must say, I'm surprised you managed to get past all of the tests. It was foolish of me to put such an artefact under so little protection. I thought that it would be safe, but if four first years can get past them, they can't have been exceptional, no offence of course." the headmaster chuckled.
"None taken sir" Harry replied with a chuckle of his own. "Professor, when I was down there, there was this mirror, and in it, I saw my parents, I was just wondering- " the headmaster cut him off at this with a shake of his head.
"No spell can awaken the dead Harry, I trust you know that." At this Harry's heart sank. For a moment, he thought, he had hoped that he would be able to see them again, to actually talk to them. "It is the Mirror of Erised that which you speak about, it shows us nothing more or less than the deepest desires of our hearts. I had it moved to protect the stone because you see, only someone who wanted to find the stone, and not use it, would be able to obtain it. One of my most ingenious plans I must say."
"But Voldemort, he still has ways of coming back doesn't he ?" At this Dumbledore's head may have snapped at the speed he looked at Harry, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.
"Yes he does, but what makes you say that ?" he hoped he wasn't about to lose Harry's trust in him, well the bit that he had.
"Well you see sir, when I was at Gringott's, -" Dumbledore put his hand up silencing him. He looked at Madam Pomfrey, and she immediately left huffing. Next he waved his hand and a light blue bubble seemed to cover the area around his bed before it disappeared.
"Privacy wards, we don't want your business leaking out to the school." he said answering Harry's unasked question. Harry nodded and continued his story.
"So, when I was at Gringott's, I had already told you they'd done a health check, but what I didn't tell you, was that they found more than just your power block. They found something else in there which was also blocking my magic, it was a piece of Voldemort's soul. They called it a Horcrux. They said that it would keep him alive, even if he did die that night. That alone was blocking 42% of my magic."
"You say 'was', is it not still there ?" Dumbledore was paying attention to his every word, he hadn't yet found a way of destroying them, but if Harry had, that would make things easier.
"No, they removed it at the same time as they removed the block you put on me. Did you know about it sir ?" Harry asked Dumbledore. The old man's face sunk at this, and he seemed to have gained a few decades in age right in front of his eyes.
"I had my suspicions, but I had no solid foundations. I didn't want to tell you because I wanted you to live your life for as long as possible, I wanted you to be as normal of a child as possible. But alas, it has been removed. I hadn't been able to find a way to remove it, the only way I'd figured was if you were killed, and you were too young for such news, so I decided I would wait."
"I've never had the opportunity to be a child sir, I got denied that opportunity but my cousin and my uncle. My aunt wasn't so bad, but she still prevented it. I was a freak to them. That's why, I won't be returning there this summer, I can't."
"Harry, I must insist that you do. I pit up some strong blood wards to keep you and your family safe."
"Not to be rude sir, but I really don't care, I'll send them a letter to move away, far away, and I'll go somewhere of my choice, I am after all, emancipated."
Dumbledore's eyes went wide once again. "Ah so you have claimed your Lordship then, I wasn't sure, but it was a possibility. Well, it seems that I can not ask you to stay then, but I must ask where it is that you will be staying this summer."
"Potter manor sir, I have to go to Gringott's to get its location after getting of the train this summer." Dumbledore nodded at this, he couldn't protest anyways, he was no longer the boy's magical guardian. "Oh, and Professor, I received this letter on Christmas, from someone called Remus Lupin, he asked if it would be possible for us to meet up in Hogsmeade during the next holidays."
"I'm afraid I can not allow that my boy, if you were seen it would be counted as favouritism."
"Well I'll go under my invisibility cloak, and we can go elsewhere then, I'll be sure to be back for 4 P.M. It's just that I want to meet one of my parents friends at least." Dumbledore nodded in understanding.
"Very well Harry, I will send Remus a letter, and you will join him in my office. You will be able to leave using the floo in my office."
"Thank you sir." At this Professor Dumbledore got up, waved his hand above Harry's bed to remove the wards surrounding it, and began making his way out. "One last question if you don't mind Professor." The headmaster nodded his approval. "Is there a reason that Voldemort came after me in the first place ?"
Dumbledore let out a heavy sigh at this. "That I'm afraid, is a question for another time my boy, but yes, there is." he said this with such finality that Harry didn't even think to ask another question. He watched as the headmaster left. Madam Pomfrey soon walked back up to him, and waved her wand above him a few more times, mumbling to herself.
Harry left the hospital wing a few hours later. It was currently the middle of the afternoon and Harry was excused from class for the day. He had been told that his three companions had chosen to go to class anyway, sure it was flying, but Harry decided against it, he wasn't in the mood to go flying just yet, he needed some alone time.
He went up to his dormitory, and picked up the book Hermione had gotten him for Christmas, The Advanced Art of Combat. In there, was a spell most people knew, the stunning spell. Harry however remembered using it without ever hearing of it, when he was down in the chamber with Quirell. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he tried it again there and then. It worked perfectly, and it went quite fast considering he was only a first year.
He was wondering whether it was his family rings that gave him this knowledge. He had never read it in any books that the rings do such things, but then again, all families have their secrets. He continued working on some spells, but he mainly worked on his accuracy with the target Neville had gotten him.
It was 6 P.M when Harry decided that he was hungry, and so he made his way down to the Great Hall. There he found Hermione looking at the door to the Great Hall, he assumed that she was looking for him. He made his way over to her. "How are you Hermione ?" he asked.
"You're asking me if I'm fine ? I didn't just go against You-Know-Who not even a day ago !" she said the latter in a hushed tone so that only Harry was able to hear her. She didn't think that Harry would want this to become public news. Harry let out a little chuckle at this, and sat down to her right. She was currently sat with the rest of the Racenclaw first years. They did ask Harry why he wasn't in class today, but he just brushed it off by saying that he didn't feel well this morning. He felt bad about lying, but it was necessary if he wanted to keep his story quiet.
"Well of course I'm asking if you're fine, you went through with most of it too" he said letting out a small laugh.
"I might have gone through with some of it, but I had to go back because you and already taken the right potion, and there was only one option to go through anyways" she replied with a small 'hmph'
"Well I couldn't let you go through with it, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself" he said with a small shrug.
"Well, now at least you know how I feel" Harry hadn't thought of it that way. He considered Hermione to be a sibling in sorts and he wouldn't want her going through what he had in the chamber with Voldemort.
"You're right Hermione, I get what you mean now, sorry" She just nodded her acceptance of his apology.
Harry looked over to Tracey and Daphne, who in turn looked at him. They both smiled at him, although Daphne's seemed a lot more forced than Tracey's. He didn't know why Daphne was so cold towards him, but she must have her reasons.
He returned to his meal, and by the time he had finished, he doubted that he would be able to climb the stairs to the common room. He had eaten well above his fill, and wasn't sure if he could walk at all actually. A wave of laughter overtook the Ravenclaw first years, as Harry seemed to have a stomach ache because of the amounts he had eaten. They stayed there for a little while allowing their meals to set, and eventually, they made their way back to the common room together.
Dumbledore was currently in his office pacing, which he did quite often, especially when he found out some rather important news. He needed time to work things out into his plans. He had earlier found out that Harry didn't in fact have to die, so that meant that he could train Harry to his full potential so that he could defeat Voldemort, when the time came. But that posed a problem with Albus, if that were to be the case, he wouldn't be considered as the Leader of the Light, Harry would take that role. He would also become pure history then, he wouldn't be the Greatest wizard alive either, because if Harry could defeat Voldemort in his young age, then that meant that he could accomplish great things later on in his life.
The thing that bugged him the most though was that he had to choose between his position and ultimately, the Greater Good, the one thing he had worked towards his entire life. 'But I like my position, why should I give it up ?', he asked himself, 'You should give it up because the Greater Good is more important than your pride' another part of his brain reasoned. 'Pride ? What pride ? It's just that I worked for that position, and so I should keep !' his prideful part of his brain announced.
At this Dumbledore shook his head. What was he thinking of course he would teach the boy, sacrifices had to be made in life, and if his position had to be sacrificed for it, then be it. Although if he had the chance to keep some of it, he wouldn't throw that chance away. He would wait until the summer to offer Harry help, like that at least, he would have the location of Potter Manor. Yes, that's what he would do, not only would it help Harry, but he was always curious as to the location of the ancient Manor.
He regained his seat at his desk and began writing a letter to Remus Lupin. He knew that giving Harry permission to see Remus would only gain him some trust on the boy's part. Not that it was as important as it was before, because now, he didn't need the boy to trust him enough to throw himself in front of the deadly green curse, which would inevitably end his life, or at least it normally would. He was beginning to wonder if the protection Lily had supplied him by sacrificing her life, would protect him not only from Voldemort's curse but others as well. He wasn't going to ask the boy to try though.
A/N: Thank you for all your reviews, favourites and follows. It means not to me, and I hope you are enjoying the story. I've seen some of the nicknames you've come up with for Tracey, and I do like some of them, although I'm looking for something fitting her personality. I've seen one of you put Lister/Listy, but that wouldn't make any sense really, as Harry wouldn't know who David Lister is. Thank you anyways, but if you have any more suggestions they are still welcome, I've got a few in mind, but your idea could be a part in the story if you've got a good one.
Replies:
No, Harry will not be informing the DMLE about everything that went on with Quirell, I know the teachers should have had better enchantments and all, but that would mean Dumbledore wouldn't be willing to train Harry because of his transgression against him, and to be honest, Dumbledore is the only person that can really train Harry to be the man he is meant to be.
About the House merging, I don't think that I will implant it in this story, because like one of you said, it would be the end of an old family line, but if Harry has two children then the Peverell line would be continued.