CHAPTER TWO

AN OFFER YOU CAN'T REFUSE

"Ah", Albus Dumbledore laughed. "Something like that". Harry looked at him sceptically. Dumbledore's face became suddenly serious. "Are you alright Harry?"

"I'm fine," Harry said defensively, wiping at his dried tears. "What do you want?"

"I've come to-" Dumbledore started but Harry interrupted.

"-Make me an offer I can't refuse?" Harry's tone was bitter. Dumbledore laughed again.

"On the contrary", he said pleasantly. "You would have the right to refuse everything I offer".

"And what exactly are you offering?" Harry said curiously, still a little attitude in his voice.

"An insight into your past". Dumbledore said taking out a wand and conjuring 2 wooden chairs and a table out of thin air. He took a seat and indicated Harry to do the same. Harry didn't move.

"What do you mean?"

"Harry, you are a very special young man", Dumbledore said calmly, not slighted in the least. "You and your father singlehandedly defeated Voldemort. Don't you want to know how you did this?"

"Me? No… it was my dad…" Harry stared at Dumbledore confused. He was interested now.

"Ah," Dumbledore said smiling. "Well that's what your step mother and her husband would want you to think. I suppose so that you didn't realise what a powerful wizard you were".

"Powerful?" Harry snorted. "If I was really that powerful, would all this be happening to me?" Harry indicated towards the dingy.

"You only suffer this way because you are treated very unfortunately". At this Harry sat down. "Your step mother and her husband declared you dead to the world because, I believe they wanted the money your parents left you in their will. And being their only living relatives they had the right to claim that if you were dead. Although, you may disagree, the Dursley's did not have the heart to kill you, so instead decided to keep you as somewhat of a slave". Dumbledore shook his head at this.

"How do you know all this?"

"I've been investigating this for a while now actually. You see Harry I'm a sucker for mysteries", Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his bright blue eye.

"So how did I defeat Voldemort?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well you see. When Voldemort attacked you Harry he did not know… (Here's where he goes on and on about the fact that Lily died to save Harry which gave him some weird protection thing… I'm sure you all remember it from the first film… was that a long scene or what? So we'll move on from there shall we…)"

"So I helped weaken him so that it was easier for my dad to defeat him?" Harry said excitedly. His mood had improved considerably.

"Exactly, you do catch on quite quickly Harry. Well now that you know everything, I think it's only proper that you come back to England with me where you will attend the school where I am headmaster, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry". Dumbledore smiled at Harry expectantly.

"And what if I don't?" Harry said smiling slightly.

"Then I'm afraid you'll be sleeping with the fishes", Dumbledore put on a very convincing Italian-American accent for this. Harry laughed but when Dumbledore remained quite serious stopped short. Dumbledore laughed and Harry joined in again nervously. He stopped again when something occurred to him.

"They're not gonna let me go", he said a look of defeat on his face.

"Of course they will", said Dumbledore confidently.

"But what if they don't?"

"Ah Harry, since you are of age, I think it's only fitting that you do exactly as you want without anyone's permission, don't you?" Dumbledore winked mischievously. Harry smiled genuinely for the first time in years.

***

Huge oak double doors opened to reveal a magnificent entrance hall. Candle's on big marble brackets lit up to show a large marble staircase in front. Another set of oak doors were on the right hand side, on the left side a smaller door was open revealing a staircase spiralling downwards. Albus Dumbledore stepped into the hall, Harry at his heels.

"Harry I present to you, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Dumbledore's voice rang clearly through the hall. He was smug, as he turned to face Harry. Harry, whose mouth was subconsciously slightly open, closed it and smiled widely.

"It's brilliant!"

Dumbledore then led Harry to his office, where a battered old hat told him he would be in Gryffindor, finally Harry was taken to one of the highest towers in the school. They climbed a what seemed like never ending grand staircase, which was surrounded by portraits of all sizes and origins. Finally they went through a door that led to a portrait of a large woman in a satin pink cocktail dress.

"Password?" She said eyeing Harry inquisitively.

"Fizzing Whizbee", Dumbledore said a little too excitedly. The woman in the portrait shook her head half disappointed and half amused. It was apparent that Dumbledore had chosen the password. The portrait swung open to reveal a hole in the wall. Dumbledore scrambled through and then called for Harry to follow suit. Harry did so and found himself in a cosy round room full with squashy arm chairs.

"Your dormitory is through that door", Dumbledore pointed to the doors on the left of the common room, "Up the stairs, the door with seventh years written on it. Your belongings should already be there. Breakfast will be at 9:00 AM in the Great Hall. And now Harry I must bid you goodnight". And with that he left, leaving Harry staring after him.

All this was a lot to take in. This time last night he had been lying in his cupboard, a horrible feeling in his stomach, which usually came every year on his birthday. Feeling like he was wasting his life, like he was unwanted, like he was good-for-nothing. Now he felt almost happy, the idea of a new school without Dudley or Piers to scare people away from him was uplifting. Harry felt like he was starting a new life. He would be spending the rest of the summer in Hogwarts with Dumbledore and a select few other teachers.

Harry made his way over to the fireplace and sat down on an armchair. It was incredibly relaxing. The fireplace was crackling with a warm fire. Just then Albus Dumbledore's head appeared in the fireplace, smiling. Harry jumped, he could never get used to that.

"I almost forgot," the headmaster's head said, "Happy Birthday Harry!" With a mad twinkle in his eye he disappeared. How did he do that?

***

Harry went down to breakfast early that morning, he was eager to see the rest of his new school. He found it quite easily as he was rather good with directions. Harry was dressed in an oversized white t shirt and blue jeans.

He pushed open the doors that he guessed were to the Great Hall, they were on the right side of the front doors [well at the moment left side, but you know what I mean]. He was right, the doors pulled back to reveal a large [why was everything so big in this place?] room with four long house tables and a slightly raised platform at the very end. This also had a long table, the staff table Harry presumed as Dumbledore was sitting at the high chair at the centre. Him and a man with a pale, sullen face and dark hair that fell into his face, were the only people in the hall.

The ceiling was bewitched to what looked like the sky outside, which at the moment was a pale blue. Harry walked slowly towards the staff table.

"Headmaster…" Harry's voice rang throughout the almost empty hall. Dumbledore and the man looked up from their conversation.

"Harry!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "Good morning. Come, sit". He pulled out the unoccupied chair on the left side of him.

Harry walked the length of the table and around it, he took the seat.

"Headmaster, I never got to thank you…" Harry started but Dumbledore raised a hand to stop him.

"No need Harry, no need," He said smiling warmly. "And please, call me Professor". Harry not quite understanding this, just nodded and smiled back. "Oh, this is Professor Snape", He gestured to the greasy haired man, who merely looked at Harry blankly. "And Severus, this is Harry Dursley".

Severus Snape did not look the pleasant type, but Harry was not a person to judge. "What do you teach professor?" Harry asked pleasantly. He had a way with teachers.

"Potions", Snape said in silky smooth indifferent voice.

"I love potions!" Harry exclaimed. Snape looked suddenly interested. Dumbledore looked from Harry to Snape fondly. "I once had to make the draught of living death in sixth year and I had it finished before anyone!"

Snape looked ever so slightly, dare I say it, impressed. "How did you manage that?"

"I realised that after stirring the potion seven times anti-clockwise, if you turn it clockwise once, it had a stronger affect".

Now Snape really was impressed, he leaned in closer towards Harry. "Yes, yes. I found out that in my sixth year, really effective. You know what I'm brewing at the moment for my sixth year class? Felix Felicis".

"Oh wow, I've always wanted to make that. Takes sixth months to brew doesn't it?" Snape and Harry were both leaning over Dumbledore now.

"Yes it does", Snape answered pleased by the fact that someone else besides him seemed so much engrossed in Potions.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, fingertips together. As Harry and Snape continued to talk animatedly, Dumbledore smiled to himself, evidently satisfied.

***

Harry had taken to wondering the castle that evening. For the past three hours he'd been with Professor Snape in his classroom discussing potions. Snape had even shown him his private store cupboard where he kept the more dangerous potions. Harry had come to the conclusion that he particularly liked Snape; he was so enthusiastic about his subject and was oddly pleasant when surrounded by potion fumes. He just hoped that all of his other professors would be as welcoming as Snape (Never thought you'd hear that, did you?).

He was climbing the Grand Staircase for what seemed like the hundredth time [they should really invest in lifts], when he noticed that he hadn't been on the third floor yet. He went through the archway to the third floor corridor; it was long and winding just like the rest. Several knights of armour lined the walls, the torches on the wall brackets were lit and casting eerie shadows over the stone walls. He walked to the end of the corridor and through a yellow tapestry of a decapitated man, carrying a silver platter with a head [presumably his own] on it. He was now in a pleasanter looking corridor, it had many high windows that sent beams of light onto the richly woven carpet. Instead of knights of armour, bookcases lined the walls here.

Harry began to look at a book on the shelf about how to enchant witches [what was this doing in the school? Hmm] when a female voice behind him spoke.

"Ahem". Harry turned to locate the source of the voice. It was a thin beautiful woman of about 5 foot 6, she had long dark brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and skin the colour of mocha (Harry had the sudden urge to sing livin' la vida loca! Haha not really… I did! Anyway…). "Hi".

"Erm… hi", Harry said politely hiding the book behind his back.

"You must be Harry Dursley ", She said holding out her hand. Harry took it, it was very soft and surprisingly cold in the heat of the castle. "I'm Tia Harris. Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher".

"Teacher?" She looked no more than nineteen years old. She could have easily passed off for a student even.

"I know," Professor Harris smiled, apparently flattered. "Dumbledore told me you'd be arriving. What do you think of Hogwarts so far?" She had a very distinct north-western accent.

"It's amazing", Harry answered enthusiastically. "I keep getting lost though". He added, a note of defeat in his tone.

"I was the same on my first day," Professor Harris said pleasantly. "You get used to it. Well I personally just relied on my friends to remember". Harry laughed but felt slightly deflated, how long would it take for him to make friends? "But until you have more experienced students to help you, you can always come find me or one of the other professors. If you can find us in the first place… hmm".

"I think I'll manage, thank you professor".

"Good, good". She said kind of relieved. "I'm gonna go now. I missed breakfast. No idea how I'm gonna get used to wakin' up so early when school starts". They laughed a little and she made her way towards the tapestry Harry had come through. She turned round abruptly. "Oh and that books no good. Trust me, a man who lives alone with his collection of pigmypuffs aint one to trust on how to get anywhere with women". She went through the tapestry with an amused expression at Harry's bemused one.

It was around 5:00 PM when Harry concluded that he had done enough exploring. Every time he thought he'd conquered the whole floor, more passageways appeared out of nowhere. Harry's previous school had been nothing like this. As it wasn't a boarding school, it was like any normal Muggle school [Harry had been to Muggle primary school as the Dursley's tried to squash the magic out of him and claim he was a Squib]. Harry approached a statue of a one eyed witch. As he was examining it, Dumbledore came round the corner, a plain piece of old parchment in his hand.

"There you are Harry", He said as he reached him. Harry smiled in greeting. "Ah… would you say, 'I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good?" Dumbledore seemed to be looking at Harry as if he wanted him to figure something out.

"Are you?" Harry asked bewildered.

"No no, you are". Dumbledore's expression was impatient.

"I am?"

"Yes. In that case you would say 'mischief managed'"

"Right…"

"Yes". Dumbledore put the blank parchment in Harry's hand, nodded, turned around and walked off, round the corner, muttering something that sounded like, "That sounded about right".

Harry stared after him completely baffled. What the hell was that about? Harry was sure there was something wrong with the headmaster, although Snape claimed that he was most powerful wizard in the world.

Harry examined the parchment in his hand. It didn't seem particularly special, it was rather old though and quite dusty. Why had Dumbledore given him this? And why did Dumbledore say that he was up to no good? Harry pulled out his wand [Dumbledore had somehow managed to get it back from his step-mum who confiscated it from Harry the moment he stepped into the house everyday after school]. He pointed it at the parchment.

"What are you?" Harry said aloud, tapping the parchment with his wand.

Writing appeared in a messy scrawl on the parchment. Harry pulled it towards him to read it.

Padfoot would like to say that he is a piece of parchment…Duh!

Prongs hopes that you don't go to Hogwarts, in that case the standards have fallen drastically!

Padfoot would also like to add that it is rather rude to ask somebody WHAT they are!

Prongs asks didn't your parents ever teach you any manners?

That hit home. "I don't have any parents!" Harry yelled at the parchment feeling stupid.

Moony would like to apologise and use this opportune moment to call Prongs and Padfoot 'Idiots'

Prongs would like to say he's sorry and that Moony is the actual idiot as he was the one who didn't share his chocolate!

Padfoot agrees with Prongs on both comments and would like to be so bold as to ask what happened?

Moony adds 'as long as that is okay with you' and that his chocolate was reserved for people with more compassion and those who don't set the caretakers cat on fire!

Prongs says she had it coming!

The writing disappeared again, no more showed up. It seemed they were waiting for Harry's answer. "They died saving Voldemort", Harry said simply but not without pride. "I don't really remember, I was too young", he added as an afterthought.

Padfoot would like to offer his sympathy and say Yaaaay! Snake-face is dead!

Moony agrees.

Prongs also agrees but wishes it could have been him who did the defeating.

Padfoot would love to hear all the juicy details!

Prongs seconds that!

Moony explains that what they mean by this is that when we were at school the psycho man (who needs to get a life, or girlfriend… or boyfriend even, if that's the way he slithers) [Harry laughed at this] was coming to power so we don't actually know what went on after our school years. Care to elaborate?

Padfoot would like to suppress his utter astonishment at the fact that Moony made a joke that was actually funny.

Prongs cannot answer as he is lost for words at this particular point.

Padfoot adds that you cannot be 'lost for words' when you just answered!

Harry elaborated, giving as much detail as possible, names and all. He waited for the writing to show up but none did. "Hello?" Harry asked tapping it with his wand. A good five minutes later writing appeared once again.

Padfoot would like to say to Prongs Ha! I told you Lily would never let you name your kid Elvendork!

Prongs says that maybe they were waiting to name their daughter that. And also that 'I MARRIED LILY! I MARRIED LILY!' *Does crazy jig*

Moony would like to say that either Prongs got smarter (which he highly doubts) or Lily completely lost her mind. And would offer his condolences to Harry for having such an idiot for a father.

Harry who had been completely out of the loop, suddenly realised something, "Wait… Prongs is my dad? Or teenage dad?"

Padfoot says yes! Weren't you listening? Or reading for that matter.

Prongs says that you obviously did not inherit Lily's brains!

Moony says don't take offence Harry, they're always like this.

Harry let this sink in. Prongs was his dad, as a teenager, enchanted into a piece of parchment. Off all the times Harry had imagined having a conversation with his father again, this was not it, but he was glad non-the-less. As Harry collected his thoughts, random scrawls that read 'Lily Potter' in love hearts appeared on the parchment. The hearts continued as more writing appeared in Moony's hand.

Moony asks if you have Lily's eyes?

Prongs adds that they are rather beautiful.

Padfoot hopes you didn't get Prongs' hair!

"Erm, well yeah I do have my mums eyes", Harry said amused. "I have your hair though, never seems to do what I want it to".

Prongs says oh well.

Padfoot offers his sympathy.

Moony is pleased, minus the whole Prongs' hair thing.

"I look like you as well. Well that's what everyone says".

Padfoot would like to say how he won't hold it against you. But at least you have Lily's eyes, which seem to be your only selling point.

Harry laughed. He continued talking to the parchment as he walked slowly towards the Great Hall. "So what is this piece of parchment anyway? All Dumbledore said was that 'I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good'" At these words the writing on the parchment disappeared [Prongs would like to say that this is a magnificent invention of your wonderfully talented father, it's…Hey!] and new words appeared saying, 'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present The Marauders Map'. The ink spread out onto the parchment making a detailed map of what looked like Hogwarts. It opened up to show every passageway in the school. At the centre of the map a tiny dot with the words 'Harry Potter' next to it.

"Wait… is that actually me?" Harry paced up and down and was amazed when the dot did the same. Writing which Harry knew by now that belonged to Padfoot appeared on the side of the map.

Padfoot says yes! That's what the map does!

Prongs would like to add that, that was what he was trying to say before he was interrupted!

Moony explains that the map shows where everyone in Hogwarts is and also shows all the secret passageways.

Padfoot asks aren't we just brilliant?

"Yes!" Harry exclaimed. He was indeed very impressed, but more thankful. At least now he could find his way around this maze.

***

This one's just a little background info…

Please Review…!

It makes me feel sad otherwise =(

xxx