Author's Note:

Hello!

There's the new chapter, which is a bit of a transition…

Thanks a lot for the reviews, I encourage people who don't already to do so.

As for Harry's twin, you'll have a little surprise at the end... :)

Enjoy this chapter and see you later for the next chapter!

Translator's Note:

This chapter is rather short, but I still took long to translate it, because I'm not hyped up on it… not that it was boring, but almost nothing happens. From chapter three onwards, you should like it more as Harry will finally meet his twin!

Well then, enjoy this one!

Original Author: Jin Ginkaku

Disclamer: The characters belong to the amazing J.K. Rowling. (except a few though...)

Chapter 2: Preparing a new life

The next morning, Harry took some time to figure where he was. Memories from the day before suddenly came back, waking him roughly. After the house's visit, his grandfather and him ate in the kitchen where a succulent meal awaited them, like Harry never had before. Even the banquets at Hogwarts weren't as good, he thought while helping himself for the third time. They talked during dinner of what he'd do the next day, and agreed on enrolling him at the Russian embassy while staying at the property. Harry then asked if they could push to another day the potion which would give him back his original appearance. In a way, he was curious to see what he would look like after taking it, in another, he was nostalgic when he thought about leaving his green eyes and his hair that would never comb.

His grandfather naturally accepted, stating that when they go out to buy furnitures for his room, they take polyjuice potion so that they stay anonymous. They talked late in the evening, until Dumbledore sent his grandson to bed. Of course, the said grandson took time to fall asleep, excited by the recent events. The Dumbledore's Domain was beautiful, and his room -his room!- would be soon decorated as he pleases.

So it was past ten when he went downstairs to go to the kitchen where he found his grandfather reading a newspaper, different from the Daily Prophet. The old man smiled when he arrived, and put the newspaper on the table, inviting him to sit.

"Hello, have you slept well?" he asked while clicking his fingers. Immediately, different plates containing different cakes appeared, as well as a bottle of pumpkin juice, which Harry used.

"Yes." he answered with enthusiasm, while shoveling a piece of cake which seemed to be the best of all times. Even Mrs. Weasley didn't cook as well. He dared to ask who made it, amusing his grandfather.

"It's Skeeny, our house elf." Albus answered, smiling. He called the said Skeeny, and a creature the size of a six-years-old kid appeared in the kitchen, right in front of Harry who choked in his glass when he recognized Dobby.

"But…"

He stopped immediately, because the creature in front of him wasn't Dobby. It really looked like him, but his bobbly eyes were grey, compared to Dobby, and his cloth was cleaner, in a much better shape.

"Skeeny, this is Ladislas," Dumbledore announced with a smile, "and Ladislas, this is Skeeny."

If the ex-Gryffindor noticed the use of a different name than his, he couldn't think more as the elf started to madly clap his hands.

"Master Ladislas is found!" chirped the creature with a sincere joy which confused Harry.

"Erm…" he hesitated, "you cook really well, erm… thanks…"

The elf's grey eyes widened in surprise, and started babbling again, which Harry hardly listened to.

"You've never seen a house elf before, have you?" his grandfather supposed with amusement.

"Well, I have." Harry answered and started telling his moments with Dobby, which had him warned by the Ministry for use of magic in front of Muggles, and one week of starvation established by Vernon who didn't appreciate seeing his contract with Mr. Mason reduced to nothingness.

"How strange…" Dumbledore murmured while stroking his beard, "He shouldn't have been able to warn you… and elves are very loyal towards their masters, it takes much for one to insult them… as for betraying their secrets… however this…-Dobby, is it?- managed to… strange…"

Harry shrugged, and finished his breakfast in silence, while his grandfather thought. He took advantage of this to take a better look at the kitchen. He wanted to quickly know his new house, and get used to it. The kitchen was a room all in length, of which the centre was occupied by a long oak table. A whole side of the room was furnished with muggles' items, but also wizards'. Thus, an electrical fridge sat next to a shelf with pumpkin juice bottles, and the cooker had been enlarged to allow a cauldron to boil on the fire.

Above a large worktop, a big bay window showed the forest circling the property. The room was heated by a chimney which took an entire wall. Finally, there were three doors, which lead to the guests rooms, the living room and the entrance. Put aside what was on the table, everything was tidy and stored on the shelves.

"Are you done?"

The soft voice of his grandfather took Harry out of his contemplation, and he nodded with enthusiasm. They left the table and went up for Dumbledore's office which was in the tower. The room looked like the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts by its decoration. There were the same golden tools on the shelves and the desk. The notable difference was that the paintings only represented landscapes, allowing a welcome intimity. Three windows gave onto the park, letting the sunshine in. Finally, a spiral staircase in a corner lead to the house master's apartments.

"Hum, let's see," Dumbledore thought while searching in his papers and waving at his grandson to take a seat. "Ah, there."

He took out a blank piece of parchment, a quill and a form written in what appeared to be Russian. He sat at his desk, in front of Harry and started writing.

"Why enrolling me in Russia?" dared to ask Harry after a silence.

"Your mother was Russian, it will be simple for you to obtain the nationality," Dumbledore replied, raising his head from the form. "Right… so you will be enrolled as Ladislas Alexei Grindelwald, son of Wilhem Xander Grindelwald and Alisa Sophia Grindelwald. You will be born the 17th June 1979."

"1979?" Harry repeated, frowning.

"As I will give you back your real age, you will be 13," explained Dumbledore who was reading the form at the same time. "Hum… I'll be your tutor until your majority, and we'll see your account with the goblins, let's not complicate the matter any more. For your scholarship - you are minor - I put that you are under preceptor, is that okay?"

"Preceptor?"

"This gives us a rather comfortable freedom from an administrative point of view, as you will physically 'gain' a year. There will be a need to catch up an academic year so you don't fall behind, or you can go back to school as a third year in September, and so follow just the second years' programme until June…"

"But… where will I go?" asked Harry who felt a sudden panic coming tohim. Going back to Hogwarts was out of the question, to see all his friends, and foes and…

"Where you want," Albus instantly calmed him, and he developed when he saw his lost look. "There are several schools for magic, especially in Europe. Hogwarts is only one of them."

"Oh…" Harry whispered, "I didn't know…"

"You haven't known our world for long… Personally I went to Hogwarts, but your father, and before him your grandfather went to Durmstrang, a Russian school."

While the youngest meditated on these words, Dumbledore finished filling the form, which took him half an hour. Once done, he took the blank parchment, he talked to his grandson, getting him out of his daydream:

"Now, I have several points to clear with you. The school isn't very important at the moment, as you will study here until June. There is first of all the matter of your magic. I will begin by unleashing it, however you might have magical accidents, like when you were a child. But it's especially your magical power that interests me.
You inherited from your parents, and before that of grandparents of an extraordinary magical power. However, to avoid repeating the story a second time, I looked for a solution, so that your body doesn't suffer a pressure, like Wilhem. I concluded that you need to link to a non-magical being, who will carry a part of your magic, and thus reduce the pressure on your body. You will still have your power, it will simply circulate between you and the being to which you will be linked to."

"But this… being, what is it exactly?" Harry asked, furrowing his brows.

"Well... as you want, it just needs to, initially, not have any magic within it."

"And when do I need to do it?"

"Oh, not now," Dumbledore reassured him with his confident look. I haven't even started unleashing your magic yet. I'd say you have a year to think about it. But it's better that you know, to prepare yourself."

Harry nodded, registering the information. His grandfather had an encouraging smile, before continuing:

"Something else… We delayed to the end of the week your change of appearance, but about your name…"

He left his sentence in suspension, seeming for once unsure of the decision to take.

"Oh... well, I suppose I need to get used to it, simply…" mumbled Harry while bending his head over his knees. Ladislas seemed to be… too exotic compared to Harry. Plus he had always been Harry, not Ladislas…

"Yes, with time, you'll get used to it…"

There was a silence in the office, where a clocked rung midday, while the two Dumbledore thought.

"Hum…" finally risked Harry, who felt his ears blush, "how do I need to call you?"

His grandfather stared at him before bursting into laughter:

"As you want, but don't be so formal!" he warmly answered. "I am your grandfather now, not your Headmaster, nor even a teacher."

"Then… Albus?" tried softly the brown-haired, who couldn't help but smile.

"There, Albus," confirmed his grandfather, "and I will be calling you Ladislas…"

They smiled to each other, this time with a renewed trust, then went back downstairs in the kitchen, where awaited them a meal which was once more succulent. They chatted happily while eating, then went outside to visit the domain, which they couldn't do the day before, as they night had already fallen when they arrived.

They went around the lake whose surface was entirely frozen, then, when they went back to the terrace in front of the castle, took a path which followed the building to join the other side, where was a greenhouse. It was a glass dome, whose interior was full of Muggles' and Wizards' plants. The atmosphere inside was hot and humid, to allow the vegetation to survive during this freezing December. At the centre of the greenhouse, a phoenix statue made in white marble rose gracefully. Harry was once again stunned by the place's beauty, and wnt back light heartedly.

They spent the rest of the afternoon in the ground floor's living room. Harry read a history book of wizards, which he found on a shelf, while his grandfather filled in papers for Hogwarts. Around 4pm, snow began to fall, for the younger's visual pleasure who stared, after letting go of his book, at the domain which he had a pretty impressive view of from the living room's bay window.

The evening was relaxed in the same way. After the dinner, Albus told one of the wizard legends he heard one of his travels to Europe, then they went to bed, because the day after, it was planned that they go buy clothes and furniture for Harry.

This night, Harry thought laying in his bed, that he had made the right choice, and that from now on, he wouldn't be alone anymore. He fell asleep a smile to his lips, dreaming of the following days which he hoped would be as interesting.

The day after, after a breakfast spent with his grandfather, he drank polyjuice potion, to take the appearance of a boy his age, while Albus became a mature man in his fifties. The potion had an awful taste, despite its orange colour which made him think of pumpkin juice. His grandfather told him they would have to take some again every hour to stay in their respective appearances, which didn't enchant Harry.

Once their preparations were finished, they went out of the domain, and Apparated towards Cologne, the nearest city with a wizards district. The travel was once more laborious for Harry, who thought he was going to throw up the rest of his polyjuice potion, which he had difficulties getting used to, but ended up getting interested to what was surrounding him, and forget the unpleasant sensation squeezing his stomach.

The access to the district was being done through an alley not much frequented. Dumbledore tapped a wall with his wand, and the bricks animated themselves to leave a way for the two wizards. Obviously, the shopping street was smaller than Diagon Alley, but there were still what they needed for their purchase. They started by a clothings and uniforms shop, where Dumbledore bought an entire wardrobe for his grandson, who couldn't refuse against his grandfather's tenacity.

After that, which took them half of the morning, they went to a library, to buy books for Harry who would stay at the domain until June, just the time to catch up on his year of delay. Indeed, after thinking about it, he decided to go into fourth year in September, so he's not late regarding his age. If the school hadn't been chosen yet, it was nonetheless certain he would work during the remaining eight months, and it didn't displease him.

They ate at twelve o'clock in a restaurant for wizards, to, after lunch, leave Cologne and visit a craftsman who lived in the countryside. There, they chose new furnitures for Harry's room who felt himself blushing at each new purchase from his grandfather. In the end, a huge wardrobe made in oak, with a phoenix engraved on the doors, a more practical desk to work which would go into the room where Harry would study, a lamp which seduced the young man at first glance, and a wooden statuette for Albus's office.

They came back to the domain at around 5pm, where awaited each of them a mug of hot chocolate prepared by Skeeny, and which was delicious. They stored their purchases, then each went about their business, Albus in his office, and Harry in his bedroom. The young Dumbledore contemplated for a long time the new clothes which were now inside his new wardrobe, with a disconcerting happiness. The only ones he ever had were the remaining from his cousin Dudley, then Hogwart's uniform. But now, he had a whole collection of clothes…

He stored in his bookcase the books he chose, then read a chapter on spells in the study room. The latter was situated in the first floor, and was neighboring the library. With a high ceiling and big windows, it was very luminous, and of a light blue tint. A chimney warmed the room gently. Near the windows, alcoves with cushions and blankets were digged into the rock to read comfortably, while work tables as well as desks filled the room. He went down the stairs cheerfully, going to the kitchen to have dinner, and smiled brightly at his grandfather, who happily smiled back.

"So, what do you think of the domain?"

"Great," the youngest enthusiastically replied, his eyes shining, "it's really nice… I'm happy to be here!"

"It's good to hear." Albus smiled. "I was afraid of making a mistake by revealing you your true identity…"

"No!" Harry exclaimed with vehemence. "I'm way better here than at Hogwarts! Even if I liked it a lot, I was… I wasn't myself with the others, especially after the duel with Malfoy…"

"I understand," sighed Albus, "children can sometimes be cruel when they are scared, and…"

"I scare them?" wondered the ex-Gryffindor while furrowing his brows.

"Well... in a way… You are different from them, and, you are for them the Boy Who Lived."

"It's strange," Harry mumbled, diving his head into his plate. "I never knew I was a savior before I was eleven. In the Hogwarts Express, Hermione told me things I didn't even know myself while it… it was about me."

"Miss Granger likes reading a lot," Albus noted with a light smile, "and there are a lot of books about you… You are an enigma for wizards, because you survived the spell of death… when you were a baby."

"Is it because I'm powerful?" Harry asked curiously.

"I do not know," admitted his grandfather, "but I think it is possible. You inherited of a spectacular magic power, that a lot would envy you if they knew about it. Your father was already more powerful than average, because of his magical conception, and of his parents, but with your mother's power, who descends from a great lineage of wizards…"

His voice broke while he thought of the past, probably in view of his far away gaze. Harry silently nodded and finished his meal, meditating the new information he just obtained. His grandfather didn't seem to want to hide his past, and his parents', but didn't give him all their stories in one go either, and he struggled a bit to understand all that happened. He had, in order to understand better the past of his family, bought a book which talked about the Second World War, and about Grindelwald.

"Now that you are settled, it is necessary that I talk to you about something." started Albus while they were beginning to eat their desserts.

Harry rose up his head and scanned his grandfather's face, waiting for him to continue. The Headmaster of Hogwarts caught a letter, which had arrived during the day, Skeeny had told them when they came back from shopping, and put it next to him. He took a deep breath and said:

"I believe I already told you about your twin sister..."

Author's note:

There you go... it's not a brother, but a sister…

And it's an OC but worry not, I'll do my best so that she doesn't become a Mary Sue (hating them myself...). You'll meet her in the next chapter, where Harry starts to really settle down. I know it's a bit long for a transition, but at the same time, it is necessary to mark the change of life: he leaves Hogwarts, changes his identity, etc…

Anyway, I hope you liked it, if it's the case, don't hesitate to leave a comment :)

Translator's note:

Phew- This one was easier to translate than the previous one. So far there are about 28 chapters, and Harry's twin sister is NOT a Mary Sue, and I really like her alot, so please give her a chance! Admit is, you actually thought it was going to be a guy, am I wrong ;) Tell me if you guessed right!

Also, I thank each and every one of you for reading this fanfic! It would be much appreciated if you left a review, even a small one! I'll see you guys in the next chapter!