Shampoo147: Okay, this took forever, my ideas are running dry, I need more exercise.
Ayame: Finally realize you need to lose weight?
Shampoo147: I hate you.
Ayame: I am you.
Shampoo147: Now I hate you more.
Ayame: Now I'm doubting your sanity.
Mittens: This is a loop, so just read the story.
Trust Fund
"Oh, Harry, Sweetie, it's okay. Shh, Mommy's here, Mommy's here . . . " Lily Potter crooned as she held her son, Harry Potter in her arms. James walked in and asked, "What's up with Harry?"
Lily cradled Harry's head into her bosom and replied over his head, "Oh, Harry had another nightmare, you know, the one where we forgot all about him. Something to do with Lord Voldemort, too." She then continued to rock Harry back and forth in her embrace, soothing the shivering boy.
James' face softened and he sat next to his wife and said, "Ouch, that bad? Usually he dreams about one or the other, but both?" he then shook his head and rubbed his Quidditch callused hand into Harry's silky nest for hair.
Harry sighed in content as his mother and father crooned over him and comforted him. "Dada." He gurgled in his baby's voice.
"Okay, Harry, time to go back to sleep. Daddy and I will be right here." Lily soothed as she lowered her little baby into the baby blue crib, next to Dylan, his twin. James smiled and kissed Harry's clear forehead.
"Night, Kiddo. Have a nice dream, 'kay?" James cooed as he caressed his son's young face. He, ever since they were still in Lily's stomach, had made an oath to himself that he would be the best dad in the world. He would never favor another child, never force his own expectations and failures onto his baby boys, never. He would never make all the things his father had done to him. Those things still scarred him today . . .
There was suddenly a high alarm going off in his head. His attention snapped to Lily, noticing that she had noticed it as well, if to judge from her suddenly pale face.
They both ran downstairs, and while still within hearing range of his children, James cried, "Lily, he's here, take the kids and go!"
Lily's eyes flared and she snapped, "No! I won't leave you, James!"
James growled as he withdrew his wand and jumped the last four steps on the stairs, "There's no time for this, Lily, take the kids and GO! Hurry, it's me or them, and I'd choose them, Honey." He said, his voice suddenly soft as he kissed Lily before casting the banishing charm on her, sending her back up the stairs.
"I'll hold him off!" He cried up after her.
Lily landed with a soft thump as she landed at the top of the stairs, letting out a soft "Oof!" Dimly, she heard James call up that he'd hold him off.
'James James James James James James' was the only thing going through her mind as she ran down the corridor, forcing herself not to look back. As she threw the door to the nursery open, she noticed that Harry and Dylan were now both awake, crying something fierce.
"Oh, hush you two. Everything's fine, everything's alright." She said, when a thought flickered across her mind, 'No, it's not okay, and Harry knows that. You can see it in his eyes' but the thought was gone quicker than it came as she gathered Dylan up in her arms and reached for Harry.
Then the door blew open and, with a scream, Lily was thrown forward, but managed to avoid hurting her babies as held them off to the side.
There, in the doorway, was a dark silhouette of the darkest man of all time. Lord-
'BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!'
Harry Potter jerked awake and threw his pillow out at his alarm clock. He glared at nothing in particular as he tried to get up and get his toiletries ready for the day.
Dreams like that, they weren't uncommon. They were usually about the same thing, but every time he had them, they kept getting more and more vivid. At first (as far as he could remember) it had been nothing but a woman's scream and a flash of green light, but this was the first time that the dream was uncompleted.
'BEEP BEEP'
Harry jerked himself forward and turned off his alarm for the day. Gathering his clothes, he stumbled, still sleep slurred, down the hall for a quick shower and daily grooming.
As he stood in the shower, allowing the hot water to cascade down and roll off of his body, mind turning over different ideas in his mind.
He had sworn to himself over a year ago that Dumbledore would pay, but in order to do that, he would need to be someone, not a Forgotten Child, but not a threat either. He was fully aware that the old man wasn't the grandfatherly sub that everyone thought him to be; he was a manipulative old genius that didn't like the thought of some people not being under his control. Harry saw what he's done. He makes subtle moves, convincing fools that anything he didn't dub 'light' was dark, and thus, evil. Using this, he moved so that people would believe him the savior, their icon. He 'moved' his pieces to turn one person bitter and hating, then waited for the person to try to get revenge before bringing them down. There had been the 'little' things, then Grindelwald had come along and taken down, casting Dumbledore in the spotlight as the completely light, pure, hero.
He hated the man.
Harry finished washing himself and stepped out of the shower. He toweled himself off and put his clothes on, then he brushed his teeth before going downstairs.
Oh the way down the stairs, that little voice was acting up again.
(Oh, why don't you use the darkness against Dumbledore?)
'You are nothing but a voice in my head, I can't hear you'
(You do know that having voices in your head is a signature trait that you're crazy?)
'I am not crazy'
(Whatever helps you sleep at night)
'Wasn't there a point you tried to bring up?'
(What? Oh, yeah, what if you joined up with Voldemort and helped bring down the Light?)
'I can't do that for several reasons: first, I have no idea where he is. Second, he wants to kill all muggleborns and half bloods. Thirdly, my family is part of the Light, and I swore that I would never allow harm come upon them.'
(Just a thought, no need to bite my head off. But, you must admit, there is some merit to the idea, no?)
'No'
(As for your reasons, they aren't that bad)
'Please leave my head'
(Lord Voldemort was last spotted in Albania, so you could start a search there)
'I'm not listening to this'
(If you get enough into his favor, you can show him results of magical tests about the need and advantages of having muggleborns in society)
'Oh, please, I'm a half blood myself'
(And, you can keep your family in a safe house)
'They're not going to be too happy about that!'
(Quit being such a pessimist)
'I'm being a realist'
(Fine, I can tell that I won't be able to change your mind about this . . .)
Harry, happy that the voice was finally shutting up (even if only a moment) made his way into the kitchen and poured himself some cereal, without sugar, he didn't like to have too-sweet sugar. As he was halfway, the voice came back.
(All right, just listen and give me a moment of attention, uninterrupted attention)
Harry glared at his bowl before muttering, "Fine . . . "
(Okay, just a thought, what if you collected the files of all accused Death Eaters, then taught their children.)
'Why would I do that?'
(Hold on, hold on. Okay, according to your family and Dumbledore, Voldemort will come back, right?)
'Yes'
(When Voldemort comes back, wouldn't it be better if you were in his favor?)
'Why?'
(Well, we both know that neither your family nor Dumbledore care for you, right?)
'Where are you going with this?'
(Getting there, now, if no one on the Light knows about you, wouldn't be in your best interests to have the Dark take you in? No, don't say anything, just listen. Not for real taking you in, just pretending. Okay, we both know that Dylan wouldn't be able to take on the Inner Circle, and Voldemort, right? Yes, we do. So, if you were on the inside, you could arrange things so that your brother could fight, if you do this correctly, a weakened Voldemort.)
'I see.'
(Good! Do you see the end results that work in your favor?)
'No, explain it'
(Okay, fighting a weak Voldemort will give your brother all the advantages that you can give, so he'll be more likely to win, and live. Now, if, in the final moments, you show your family your true intentions and loyalties, they'd have to love you, right?)
'Yes, I suppose they would . . . maybe my mother would hug me, or my father would-would . . . ' Ruffle your hair like he does Dylan, that proud gleam in his eyes . . . soft with love . . .
(Plus, if you do this right, you'll have a squad of Death Eater children loyal to you, highly trained, to have your back.)
' . . . The Ministry is corrupt'
(Yes, if we can, Dumbledore will also be revealed as the schemer he is . . . )
'I think we can work that out.'
(Yes?)
' . . . '
Harry was quiet as he thought, memories and flashes flickering in his mind's eye.
He saw his mother, love radiating in her eyes, cuddling and kissing Dylan, her baby . . .
He saw his father, teaching Rosy how to fly for the first time . . .
He saw the family sitting in the parlor, smiling and radiating love, for their family portrait.
He looked up, eyes shining with a mysterious aura that enchanted, and intimidated . . .
'Yes'
Lord Voldemort, standing straight and power sizzling off his form.
Lily looked up with fearful determination.
"What did you do with James?!" she cried as she scrambled up, standing over her babies. A lioness protecting her cubs from the world's dangers
Voldemort sneered, "That blood traitor? He's dead, didn't put up much of a fight, he spilled where you were after a minute under the Cruciatus Curse."
Lily's eyes flared and she cried out, "You liar! James wouldn't do that!"
Voldemort sneered again as he prowled over them, successfully scaring Lily even more, and causing the babies to silence, "That would show what you know about your husband, then, mudblood." He raised his wand to Dylan, who was currently at Lily's side.
She managed to pick him up and held him protectively against her chest, "Not my babies! Please . . . have mercy . . . have mercy . . . Not my babies! Not them! Please – I'll do anything-"
"Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!" Voldemort snarled as he leveled his wand at her.
How satisfying it could have been, but then he vetoed the idea, killing her would not do . . . "Stupefy."
Lily was shocked when a red beam soared to her and hit her in the chest. There was darkness and nothing more . . .
"Lily, Lily, Honey, wake up." there was James, he was shaking her, "Wake up, wake up." He was whispering to her softly . . .
Lily's eyes snapped open
"James! Harry, and Dylan, I messed up, James, I'm a horrible mother, oh god . . . " Lily then lost all ability to be coherent and burst into tears to communicate her sorrow. James frowned and pulled her close to his chest, tucking his face into her auburn hair.
"Lily, the boys are all right." Lily's head snapped up so fast that she knocked James' teeth together with a harsh snap.
"What, they are?! Where are they? Where's Voldemort?" Lily asked in rapid succession.
Before James could answer, Dumbledore came in and smiled. "Lily, James, this might be a bit difficult to believe, but when Voldemort tried to one of your boys, the spell must have rebounded and killed him." There was a stiff silence after that announcement before Lily cried, "Where are my babies!?"
Dumbledore smiled and handed over an auburn haired boy, "James and Lily Potter, I present to you, Dylan Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived." Lily stared at her little boy before handing him over to James and asking, "Where is Harry?"
Dumbledore merely smiled again as he raised his wand . . .
Harry Potter said nothing as he gently put down his book, The Rise and Fall of Dark Arts. There was a brief mention of Dylan in there, but not very much on Voldemort himself. As he thought, he realized something, Lord Voldemort (Dark Lord) was said to be in Slytherin, meaning that he had to have gone to Hogwarts. If that was true, there had to be history on him in the student files.
Harry vexed his lips as he thought about this. He needed to learn more about Lord Vold- the Dark Lord in order before he made any final decision about join him, or dedicate his loyalty to him. Harry gritted his teeth in anger, in order to access the student files of Hogwarts, he'd have to be in Hogwarts itself, and he couldn't sneak in with the old Codger in office, he was too smart to be outdone by a neglected kid like him. So, at the moment, he would either have to pose as a student and go in (after Sorting of course) and do his research then, or wait until he went to Hogwarts and go with Ministry information at the moment.
But in order to pose as a student, he would need some polyjuice potion, and since he had no money for the potions supplies in that area, it looked like he would have to wait until he was a student before he could even glimpse at the records. So, it looked like he would have to stick with library newspapers on any lead on the Dark Lord. He would also have to get into the Ministry for a list of the suspected Death Eaters, and imprisoned Death Eaters. Looks like, either way, he would need polyjuice.
'Now would be a good time to annoy me with your never-ending knowledge.' He thought irritably, thinking of the annoying little voice in his head.
(Why? For once it seems as if you have everything under control.)
'I need your help, I need money.'
(Is that all you'll ever call me for? Never to say hi?)
'You're a voice in my head, you never leave.'
(Good point, well, you could use your trust fund)
'I'm a forgotten child, they wouldn't remember me enough to set up a trust fund.'
(Silly boy, it's traditional for pureblood families to set up a trust fund for the boys of the family within a week after they're born. The usual minimum is 1000 gallons, but 2000 gallons for the heir, and seeing as you are a twin of your brother, it's most likely that you were given 2000 gallons, and that should have been roughly eight years ago.)
'For that amount of money, the interest rate would be ten percent. So that should be . . . roughly 4,256 gallons now, if I was counted as a possible heir. Thank you, I shall go to the bank tomorrow, after I talk a house elf to get me good robes.'
(No problem, I may never always give you a straight answer, but you can always ask me any question. Just not about the birds and the bees.)
'A bit late for that.'
(Hmm, I think so, well, goodbye then.)
'What goodbye? You're still in my head.'
The voice didn't reply and Harry once again doubted his own sanity. He had just had an educational conversation with himself.
Shampoo147: I hope you all forgive me, making a chapter longer is harder than I thought, and it's hardly any longer!
Ayame: Please review.