Hey everyone,

So unfortunately, my weekend was incredibly packed and I didn't get a chance to edit this chapter in DocManager. All I had the time for, in order to make sure I could even post this chapter, was quickly rewrite this AN. Tomorrow I will come back to this chapter and edit it so that the formatting fits my usual style. I am aware that some of you don't like my style, but I can't stand all day empty space between the paragraphs. So tomorrow, expect a new chapter and for this chapter to be reposted in my usual style.

Apologies again,

Venquine1990

Chapter 07

Witnesses And Concerns

13th of August 1995

Helicarrier, Above England

Dumbledore's POV

I haven't seen a gruesome sight like the one before me in some time. Most of the room before me is dark with the only light source being several bright lamps being hung over the area where several Muggle men and women are doing horrible things to both the man that was almost a thorn in my side several years ago as well as the boy who can't seem to get the hint that his life is forfeit. These facts are the only reason I have yet to speak up in protest to this.

Well that and the fact that I am constantly being kept under watch, a man with short blond hair keeping a constant hand on my shoulder, the grip not painful enough to leave a bruise, but strong enough to constantly warn me against trying anything. I have tried to enter his mind and have him release his grip, but the blonde kept his gaze averted from mine and was standing up high enough I couldn't quite lock both my eyes with his.

And while I might be powerful, I do need to lock gazes in this manner if I want to cast the spell silently. The man may remain at my side; his companion has been switched twice now. The first time was that scarlet woman that hit me with some kind of dart that made every nerve in my body feel like it got hit with a lightning strike and the second time it had been the man wearing the strange suit of armor, his mask down and his hand glowing with a light that wasn't quite magical, but did look immensely powerful at the same time.

Both of them had whispered something in the blonde's ear and the temporary look of relief on his face told me all I needed to know. Whatever was going on in the other room was actually doing Potter and Black something good. What's worse is that, after the latter of the two came in, the Weasley twins suddenly started chanting something while standing between the two beds and having two fingers, both of their forefingers, on the strange pipe filled with blood between the two beds.

I had not been able to hear what was being said, but I did find out quite quickly what it was thanks to two things. One is the fact that, after being both a teacher and later Headmaster for as long as I have, I have picked up the skill of reading lips after all these years of spending time with the students in the Great Hall. The second was the subtle changes that seemed to occur in Potter's appearance as the chanting continued. And because I was able to read their lips somewhat and pick up on them saying words like adoption, love, protect, father and son, I realized what was happening.

"Why are you doing this? Harry needs to die in order for Voldemort to become mortal. You're just making his inevitable death and the pain it will cause poor Sirius even worse. This is the whole reason I locked that man in Azkaban, the distance and time spent apart should have broken their bond, make them no longer have a need for each other. Can't you see that you're ruining everything I have worked so hard for, ruining my plans to protect poor Sirius from his heartache?"

I try to plead with the two men, really hating the fact that the blonde is keeping his gaze averted and that the other has his face hidden behind his mask. And the latter of the two just coldly retorts: "Just keep your trap shut and wait for the surgery to be done already. We'll show you the results on the screen over there afterwards. For now, JARVIS, status report." And a voice that sounds more alien than that of the mechanical man answers:

"54% of Agent Potter's blood has been transfused and replaced with a combination of Captain Roger and Lord Black's magical blood, sir. The combination even seems to have a more positive result on Agent Potter's health and vital organs than I previously calculated. A few health issues that he had gained in his earlier years are being remedied by the magic of Lord Black and his blood as well as the ritual and the serum coursing through Captain Roger's blood, sir."

"So we're down to the last 16%, right?" The blonde man asks, a small smile tugging at the edges of his lips and the mechanical voice answers: "Correct, Agent Barton, after which Nurse Marian will cut a small part off of Mr. Black's skin underneath his arm pit and apply that bit of skin to Agent Potter after removing the skin that holds his scar. That will result in the last of Tom Riddle's magic being removed from Agent Potter's form."

"Eh JARVIS?" The metal man asks confused and while I feel horrified that the information I have been trying to keep secret for the past several years, and before that several decades, is now known to some strange alien like being, the voice answers: "I did some digging while waiting for Nurse Marian to ask me to run another scan, sir. And I found the most intriguing information. Lord Voldemort is not a real name; it's an anagram. I did some reshuffling and found the man's true identity. This is apparently already known to SHIELD."

The man on my right turns to the one on my left and I do the same. Yet while this actually makes the man finally turn to me, he also smirks and asks: "Forgot that Harry is both an Agent working for us and the one to uncover that little secret now, did you?" And I feel both so humiliated and betrayed that the thought of finally mentally striking the man down doesn't even occur to me. Instead I just turn back to the scene before me and mentally mutter: "Die, die, die, die, die, die, you traitor." As I lock my gaze onto that loudmouth brat.

At the same time

On the other side

Lupin's POV

I really didn't like the reality check Harry gave Alastor and me or the vocal trashing that he gave us at the same time. Yet I can't fault the boy either and didn't even feel like arguing or bringing up the notion that he could have asked us himself as I know that's just a lousy excuse and a way to put the blame that is rightfully mine on his shoulders. The boy had also hit home on the fact that I had several months full of weekends while teaching him that I could have used to take him to visit Lily and James. And the reasons I didn't makes me feel even worse.

The first reason was Albus, who throughout the year constantly kept telling me to just take it slow with the boy and gently work my way back into his life, but who was also constantly warning me against going too fast or getting too close. Looking back, I realize that the man was using my fear, which I succumb to much too easily, against me. Yet the other reason makes me feel as if Remus Lupin is the true monster, not Moony the werewolf.

Throughout the years I have visited Lily and James' graves several times over and I often met people who had been part of the Order and survived the war, just like me. One of them had scoffed and said that Harry was a disgrace to his parents, never coming to visit. And while I had argued against him at the time, the statement had stuck with me, whispering in my ear every so often and even more often than not during the year I was teaching.

At this point in time I wonder if this person hadn't been Albus in disguise and whether or not the man hadn't found out about these thoughts of mine and decided to use them against me, but that doesn't change matters. The fact is and remains that I, an adult, grown and responsible thirty-something old man had left the responsibility of visiting his parents' graves, even learning where they were buried, on the shoulders of a minor, a child, a teenager.

Yeah, Harry did look more like an adult than a teenager, both when I got him out of Privet Drive and after he took charge to get us onto the Helicarrier, but that doesn't change anything when it comes to the huge slight I made against him and his family. And the fact that the boy believes that I feel like my friendship with his family died out when James died really hurts, yet at the same time there is something else about his rant that bugs me.

Harry, during his rant, mentioned a photobook that he had been given that is apparently filled with pictures of his parents. I wouldn't have minded hearing about this, but there is just one thing about the knowledge that bugs me. "I have two cabinets full of picture books of both Lily and James and even several of them personally, from before they started dating. Why did whoever gave Harry that book not contact me about this? And where did they get the pictures from?"

"You okay?" Ginny suddenly asks, startling me as I hadn't noticed her moving over to stand with me as I stand near the door to the surgery room, my gaze far away, yet also aimed at the sleeping duo lying on two beds quite near each other. "It's Harry's photobook. He mentioned having it, but I wonder where he got it from.""From Hagrid. He gave it to Harry at the end of his First. Said he had contacted friends of his parents and asked for copies of the photos."

This upsets me even more than just the confusion I felt earlier and Ron, who had been the one to softly tell me this as he had apparently joined Ginny in walking over, asks: "Why? What's wrong?""I may not have a lot and have been selling a lot of my personal stuff before Albus starting paying me to make up for failing a close friend, but the one thing I was never willing to sell were the two cabinets I own as they are filled to the brim with those same pictures.

I just wonder why Hagrid never contacted me about this request. He knows I have these cabinets, everyone who knew James and Lily does. And he can't use the excuse of not wanting to ask me to part with them as he wanted me to send copies, not the originals. Though to be honest, I wouldn't have minded sending either. Heck, that's another thing that bothers me. Has Harry ever received any of my gifts?" And both Ron and Ginny shake their heads, which only increases my concerns.

"Where did those pictures go? Who is keeping me from getting close to Harry? And am I too late with telling him that I have been trying to, indirectly, get in contact with him and that I never expected him to reply, which made me not even care for the fact that he never did. Or did he perhaps try and did someone keep him from doing so or intercept his attempt after he made it?" And for some reason that I really don't like I feel my gaze moving from the beds to the other side of the room.

"Lupin." The stern voice makes me yelp and almost jump a second time in only a few minutes and I turn to see Fury standing to the side of me, the eyebrow of his good eye raised in amused disbelief as he says: "I would have thought someone with your senses wouldn't be able to be caught of guard. Might want to work on that. Now, walk with me." And while Molly huffs at the order at the end, I just comply and follow him.

He moves us to a small office a few doors away from the surgery room and asks: "Harry's surgery is almost done. Which means I need to ask both you and Moody an important question. Have you made up your mind yet?" I nod at the man, but then decide that, because Harry trusts in SHIELD's abilities so much, I'm going to do the same. "I need your help." The same eyebrow raises again, this time in intrigue and I continue:

"Harry's photo book. Ron told me that it's filled with copies of pictures that were sent to Hagrid by friends of Lily and James, that Hagrid had sent out letters with the request for those pictures. But while I have two cabinets full of them, I never got such a letter. It makes me wonder who those copies come from and why I wasn't approached about this. I'm sure Hagrid would use the excuse that I really treasure my pictures, but that doesn't count as he was asking for copies.

Not to mention that I have been sending Harry a picture of his parents since his eight birthday, one for his birthday, one for Christmas and one for Halloween. But it's obvious that he never got any of those. And now, I regret not giving him those pictures personally when I was his teacher. I – I was a fool who let himself be manipulated by Dumbledore, who told me that I shouldn't go too fast if I wanted to rekindle the bond we had when he was little.

I need SHIELD's help. I – I want and – and need to know where those pictures went, who took them and why. I – I suspect that Dumbledore has a hand in it, but – I don't think he would keep them to himself, that he would hide them somewhere near his other possessions. I – I think it's more likely that he handed them to someone else for safekeeping, as he'd probably call it." I mutter, more to myself in the end than really to the man in front of me.

"And now I get why Harry said you would be a credit to the team." Fury mutters, shocking me. "He may not like the fact that you have kept your distance all these years, but he is able to recognize a talented wizard when he meets one. And he definitely told me that you'd contribute to SHIELD and more than just with those senses of yours.""But – but what – what about –?" I ask and the man shrugs as he says:

"Follow me. Once the surgery is over, we're taking Dumbledore to a special kind of cell. There you'll see how well we'll be able to contain one of your kind – and I mean wizards, Lupin, just so we're clear." The fact that the man sees me as a potential recruit for his team, that Harry recommended me to him, utterly astounds me and I follow the man, intrigued at seeing this supposed cell. "Also, we'll definitely question the old man about those pictures." Fury adds, making me smile gratefully.

Nice one, Nick.

And to be honest, I wanted to add a bit of drama to this chapter, but realized that what I had planned is better off left for later. I don't want to keep this tidbit of information from Harry, but I don't want to overload this story either. And if I save this for after Dumbledore's trial, it will just mean more content for me to work with. And to be honest, trying to put everything together and make everything happen at the same time is a bit of a nasty habit of mine.

I'll work on it,

Venquine1990