Chapter Twenty-Three: The Headmaster

Harry was packed to leave the night before the train to Hogwarts was scheduled to depart. Nervous energy buzzed through his veins. It had been two days since Ginny's nighttime confession to him – things between them were tense and quiet. Remus was the only adult to pick up on it. His response had been not what Harry had been expecting.

"Did you have a fight?" The werewolf had asked over Sunday breakfast after the others had left.

Harry had kept his head down, chin to his chest.

"Harry…all families fight. You'll have a spat, be mad at each other for a while, and then things will go back to normal. It happens. She's your sister now, remember that."

Harry had stayed quiet, unwilling to break the older man's quiet assurance. Things were not all right, they were not family, and…He had pushed the thoughts away. They did nothing for his mood and only served to make Sirius that more suspicious of him.

He was really looking forward to Hogwarts again.

They had arrived at King's Cross Station with a mess of trunks and a new owl for Ginny – Hedwig, Harry realized with a sudden, guilty start, was still at the Malfoy's. Neville had found the long line of trolleys they normally used. Harry stepped up after Neville had secured his, hand wrapping around the plastic-and-metal handlebar before Sirius stopped him.

"Huh?" He ran Sirius' words through his mind again. "But why?"

"We have a discussion with the Headmaster that needs to happen now, Harry." Sirius had his hands planted on his hips. "Go see Neville off – on this side of the barrier, if you please. Then we'll go."

"But…"

"Don't argue, Harry."

He gave the animagus a dirty look, but allowed Neville to pull him away.

"Here," Neville slid a note into Harry's pocket, away from prying eyes. "That's the last of the letters I got from Blaise. I'll see you at school, all right?"

"Yeah," Harry gripped Neville's arm. "Thanks. You have no idea how much I owe you."

"Don't worry about it," Neville replied with a wink. He turned with a laugh, waving at the Blacks, before ambling off with his trolley towards the barrier.

"We have to go now, Harry."

He turned to face Sirius. "I thought the only way to Hogwarts was by train?"

"We're going by port key." Sirius herded them off to a shadowy corner. Harry felt his feet stick to the floor.

"Sirius…"

"Harry, come now. We have to go."

"But…"

"Harry Potter, it's just a port key!" Sirius frowned at him, eyes sharp. "Healer Fondorn said it was just silly for a wizard to be afraid of something to normal to our world. Now, come along."

Harry could not hide a flinch from the man's eyes. "I…"

"Harry, I wonder sometimes what your father would say if he could see you now," Sirius said with a harsh sigh. He grabbed Harry's arm, even as Harry was too frozen to move at the words, and activated the port key. The world dropped out from under him. Panic crawled up his bones.

He landed in a heap just outside Hogwarts' gates. Sirius was standing above him, the frown still in place.

"Come along, Harry." He had his hands on his hips.

It took Harry a few times, but he got to his feet. He could feel Ginny's stare on his back. Remus hovered, ignoring Sirius' snapped orders to leave Harry alone.

"I'm fine, just fine," he told the werewolf. "Sorry, just lost my footing."

"See? I told you he was fine. Healer Fondorn said it would take a few times for him to get used to it, that's all."

Harry kept his head down to hide his eyes. He trailed behind them up the long slope. It was a long walk towards the castle. The grounds already looked barren. He could see smoke twisting its way up out of Hagrid's cottage. The Forbidden Forest was quiet and still, the thick shadows barring eyes from peering into its depths.

Hogwarts loomed in front of him. As they walked across the lawn to the main doors, Harry could not help but remember the battle that had raged there, just months before. The sound of the mob, the way the hounds had howled for his blood. The explosion of fires throughout the fighters. The memories sent shudders down his spine.

Ginny, he noted when he looked up, was having a reaction as well. But Sirius had put his arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to his side. Her cane had come out when Harry had not been looking, the soft thump-swish of it against the ground the only words between them. Remus was on the girl's other side, one hand stroking back her hair and resting on her shoulder.

Harry wrapped his arms around his middle and ducked his head once again.

They were not stopped by any of the teachers on their march to the Headmaster's office. Harry had hoped to at least see Professor Snape in one of the long, dark halls that led off their main path, but he caught no sight of the man at all.

The gargoyle was already to one side as they approached. Sirius went first, Ginny, Remus and then Harry. He took a deep breath, settled one hand on the iron rail and stepped onto the spiraling staircase.

Sirius was settled in front of Dumbledore's desk when Harry slipped in through the door. The Headmaster's twinkling blue eyes settled on him for a brief moment. Something in Harry's chest loosened by a few degrees.

"Sirius, Remus." Albus leaned back in his seat. "So good to see you again. Miss Ginny, Harry," he added with a nod.

"We're here to get them resorted," Sirius said without preamble.

The Headmaster blinked. "I'm sorry to hear that, Sirius."

"They have no business being in Slytherin anymore. They should go back to Gryffindor, where they belong."

"Ah, but that is the House that petitioned them to leave."

"They petitioned Harry to leave," Sirius' hand cut through the air. "Not Ginny. She made her choice voluntarily. It was brave of her, very, very brave, but she's done her duty. She's made her point. There's no reason to keep her in the snake's den."

"And what of Harry?" Albus linked his hands together in his lap.

"We can put him in a different House. Just not Slytherin."

"There is no shame in Slytherin House, Sirius."

"I will not have Harry in that lying, conniving House one more day, Albus! They almost ruined him!"

"Ruined him, my boy?"

"They've fed him potions, Albus, lies, whispers, everything to make Harry think he's some kind of invalid! They're trying to destroy him! Snivilus –,"

"Sirius." The Headmaster's rebuke rocked the animagus back on his heels.

"Fine. Snape. Snape's been corrupting him!"

"Nonsense. Severus would never do such a thing."

"Sure, and we all know what kind of stand up wizard Snivilus is."

"Sirius."

"He was a Death Eater at one point, and sure, he's changed sides. He fought on the winning team, so what? He's still trying to get at me, Headmaster. He's still running some feud with James' memory. It would please him like nothing else to ruin James' only son!"

"Severus would never do such a thing." Harry found the Headmaster's gaze on him. "Severus would do anything to keep the boy from harm." He felt something warm bloom in his chest.

"But Harry's mine!"

The feeling withered and died at Sirius' shouted words.

"Harry," the Headmaster rumbled, "is not a possession."

"Of course not!" Sirius' arms flailed in the air. "But he's James' son, he's my godson and no one else's. I get to chose what's right for him, not some dried up old snake who didn't know how to care for someone if it came in a potions text with step by step directions and was tied up in a bow!"

"That is very harsh, Sirius."

"I want them resorted, Albus. I want them out of that House."

There was a brief moment of utter stillness. Then Albus rose to his feet, his power wrapped around him like a cloak. Harry could almost see it, the way the magic folded around him, crowding the air around the surprisingly thin body, giving the illusion of girth and weight.

"I cannot do that," Albus' voice held an undercurrent of power. "The law forbids it. Harry has been resorted according to ancient law. Ginny has chosen her new place according to ancient law. There is nothing I can do to change that."

"But!"

"No, Sirius," the Headmaster gazed on him with sorrowful eyes. "Of all the things we learned in this last year, I would have thought that Slytherin House's bravery and sense of duty would have impressed themselves upon you. That House, which took Harry in with open arms when all others turned their backs on him – you would take him from such a place?"

"But they're trying to ruin him!"

"Nonsense, Sirius." The Headmaster rounded the edge of the desk. "Harry is a fine boy. He has come through fire once before," the blue eyes met green. "He will whether this fire storm as well."

Sirius looked between them, jaw working in silence. "…Fine. Right. Yes, of course." The animagus shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "He's – Harry's a good boy. He'll be fine. What am I thinking?" He let out a short laugh. "Ginny…are you sure about Ginny? The cold down there, according to Healer Fondorn, will not be good for her knee, especially if she's to continue to work on getting it better."

"I'm sure this Healer Fondorn can forward his notes to Poppy to make sure Miss Black can continue her rehabilitation," Albus inclined his head. "That would be a wonderful idea."

"Of course!" Sirius turned to Ginny. "Hear that? You'll be fine! And we'll see about those laws," he tugged the girl into a large hug.

Albus was mere feet from Harry's spot near the door. Harry had tucked his hands inside of his sleeves, curling his fingers into the stiff fabric. He could not meet the older wizard's gaze.

"Now, if that was all," Albus cleared his throat. "We should let the children get resettled into their rooms. Minerva?" The older witch stepped into the room. Harry glanced at her face. The Gryffindor Head of House was blank of expression, though her jaw seemed set and her hands folded tightly at her waist.

"Good afternoon, Albus," Professor McGonagall nodded to the older man.

"Why don't you say goodbye then, Sirius." Albus beamed a smile at the man. His eyes were hidden by his half-moon glasses. "Do you have their things?" Remus nodded and began to unpack his pockets. Professor McGonagall helped him unshrink the lot of it.

"But – but…" Sirius' shoulders drooped. He looked down at the top of Ginny's head. "I have to give her up now?"

"Just for now, Sirius. She will always be your daughter."

"…Yes. Yes." Remus put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. He flashed the werewolf a shaky smile. "Right." He pulled away from the girl. "I'll see you at Christmas hols, right? And you'll write, every week, you hear me?"

"Of course!" She buried her face against the man's side and wrapped her arms around his middle.

"I'm so proud of you, Ginny," Sirius said into the silence. "I really am." He pulled away after a moment and kissed her forehead. He turned her to Remus and looked for Harry. He approached, but stopped a foot away.

"Harry…kiddo…" The animagus sighed. "We want what's best for you, you know that." He knelt in front of Harry, hands settled on his knee. "We love you, Harry. We do. It's just…hard sometimes, when you're…" Sirius cut a glance towards the Headmaster. "We'll…talk, okay? Write to me. You want me to have Healer Fondorn to come here?"

"What? No, no," Harry shook his head. "I – Madam Pomfrey would never forgive you."

Sirius laughed and the tension lines around his eyes and mouth faded. "Of course, of course." He reached out and patted Harry's upper arm. "Be good, kiddo," he said with a look. Harry, unable to speak by the sudden lump in his throat, merely nodded.

Remus' hug was brief, but real. Then the two men were out of the door and clattering down the stairs. They could hear Sirius' elaborate sniffles and wails of how they were just growing up too fast, Remus! Where'd the time go? Harry stifled the urge to roll his eyes.

"Come, Ms. Black," Harry glanced at McGonagall's cool tone. "I'll show you down to the Slytherin dormitories."

"But…Harry…"

"The Headmaster has some things to discuss with Harry," the older woman caught his eye. The odd gleam in hers was unsettling. He frowned, but the expression passed too quick for him to recognize.

"…Will you be okay, Harry?" Ginny took a step towards him.

"I'm fine, Ginny." He forced a smile onto his face. "Go on, get settled. I hear the dorms change every year, isn't that neat?"

"…Really?" Interest lit her eyes.

"Come along, Ms. Black." Professor McGonagall swept from the room, leaving no time for further talk.

Harry watched them go with his smile sliding from his face. He felt the Headmaster step up behind him. The warm, solid weight of the man's hand on his shoulder was enough to dissolve the strangling knot in his throat.

The door to the Headmaster's office shut with the quiet click of the lock sliding in place.

There was a long moment of silence. Harry curled his hands around his forearms and turned to face the older wizard.

"Oh, Harry my child," the Headmaster sighed. "I am so sorry."

It was enough to cause Harry's eyes to tear. He ducked his head, letting his bangs fall in front of his face. He drew in a long, shuddering breath.

Warm hands settled on his shoulders, drawing him into an enveloping hug. Harry let his forehead rest against the broad, ancient chest.

"I have known Sirius for a long, long time, my boy," Dumbledore spoke into the silence. "He has ever meant well, but sometimes he cannot understand that the world he would like to exist is not reality. In his mind, James is still part of this world, still a part of Sirius' life. Your father was ever his grounding stone, and without James, Sirius has always been a little lost."

"…I'm not James."

"I know that, and there is no reason for anyone to ever tell you to be James Potter. You have to be yourself, Harry. There is no one else you can be."

"Tell that to Sirius."

"I may at that."

Harry drew away. Dumbledore ran a hand over Harry's hair, pushing it away from his eyes. "I have something for you," he told the Headmaster.

"Yes?"

Harry drew out the folded bits of paper from his pocket. The heavy creases quartered the sheets, but it had been the only way for him to get the information out to the Headmaster. He didn't want to give up the notebook with the originals. Not yet. Draco had to see them first.

"I've been having visions," he sniffed and wiped his nose with the edge of his sleeve. He held out the sheets. "This is what I could remember. Draco probably has a list of things that happened over the summer, but this is what happened when I was…away."

"The Malfoys have indeed kept in contact with me," Albus took the papers with a steady hand. "They have also been quite diligent in asking for reports on your own welfare."

"I…they did?" Harry risked a glance at the older man.

"Why don't you tell him yourself, Severus," the Headmaster spoke to someone behind Harry.

He whirled, finding the Potions Master framed in the doorway to the Headmaster's office. Snape stepped into the room, hands hidden by his billowing sleeves. Harry was struck by the urge to run to the man, but fear glued his feet to the floor.

"Mr. Potter," the Potions Master flicked a glance at Albus. "…Harry."

Air began to move in Harry's lungs once more. He felt the tension sag from his shoulders. "Hello, sir."

Dark eyes seemed to study his face. "You are not well."

"I'm much better, sir. The potions Neville brought did wonders."

"…I see." Snape stepped into the room, his robe rustling about his legs. The door swung shut behind him. He stopped short of Harry, almost towering over him. "It seems as though I must thank that blasted Mr. Longbottom when I see him."

Harry felt something bubble up in his chest. It almost felt like a laugh. "I think if you did that, he'd faint dead away."

"All the better then."

Harry's hands flexed at his side. The urge to hug the man was stronger. With some difficulty he turned to face the Headmaster. The blue, twinkling eyes seemed to see right through him.

"Harry," Albus smiled at them both. "I'm sure you and Severus have much to talk about." The smile dimmed. "However, there are a few things we must speak of before I can let you go."

"Sir?" The warmth in Harry's chest grew tight.

"Have a seat, my boy," Albus moved behind his desk and sat with a sigh. Harry took one of the chair opposite of him. Severus stood behind him, close enough so Harry could almost see the man from the corner of his eye.

"Harry," Albus continued. "I cannot tell you how sorry I am for all that you have gone through." Albus leaned forward, lacing his hands together on the desk. "And all that you will have to go through in the coming months."

"Sir?"

"I'm sure you are aware of the…political maneuvering that is going on in the wizarding world?"

"Yes."

"It cannot be helped, at the moment." Albus shook his head with a sigh. "Scrimgeour was our best chance at having a candidate that would openly accept the old ways and the old gods. With the murders and the confusion that have happened, however, our best hope at changing the current policies within the Ministry have been forced into an uncomfortable corner."

Harry frowned, his thumb tapping out an uneven rhythm on his thigh. "I don't understand, sir."

"It is a long tale," Albus sat back, resting his hands on his middle. "One that started long before the first muggle world war. The impetus of change has never come swiftly to the wizarding world, Harry. We exist in clothes and culture more than a century behind the muggle world. Some say that it is our culture to do this, to deny the other world that exists beyond our wards and our small corners of the world." Albus' long eyebrows drew together. "That, however, is a fallacy."

Harry glanced up and back at his Potions professor. "Do you believe this too, sir?"

Severus shifted his stance and glanced down at him. "I do not agree with all that the Headmaster and his…other interested parties propose. I do not think that the muggle world and the wizarding world would ever be able to coexist peacefully." Severus gave the older wizard a sharp look. "But others would overrule me on this regard."

"So you think we should stay apart?" Harry turned in his seat to get a better look at the man.

Severus shook his head. "No and yes, Harry. It is a complicated question that has a complicated answer, if it even has an answer."

"Severus is right," Albus said, drawing Harry's gaze. "Our ideal of uniting the wizarding and the muggle world does not have a happy or easy answer. I do not think there is even a single answer, but perhaps a series of answers that may lead to a better understanding between our two worlds."

"I don't understand what this has to do with me or the visions I have," Harry looked between the two older men.

"Harry," Albus leaned forward once more. "You have an ability that has not existed in either of our worlds for millennia. In this, you are more vital to the events of the future than you have ever been before."

"Not again," Harry couldn't help the exclamation.

"Ah, my boy. It seems as though fate is not done with you yet." Albus' gaze flicked to Severus and back to Harry again. "The rebirth of the old gods is perhaps the first of the answers that needed to take place. In any event, they have drawn both worlds together in a common cause; the gods have woken, they walk the earth again and none can deny that claim."

"Some try," Harry retorted.

"They are blinded by their fears."

"Their blindness is –," Harry snapped his jaw shut and turned his face away.

"Harry?" Severus laid a hand on his shoulder.

"What do you need me to do, Headmaster?" He spoke with his eyes closed.

He could hear the old man's heavy sigh. "Would that I could give you a lifetime of peace and happiness, Harry." He opened his eyes and turned his gaze towards the Headmaster. "I would have you report to me all the visions you have. You have the ability to see the future, both what will come and what may come. Both are important to me."

"Why?"

"To know what might come can change the minds of those who think they have the power to control the flow and thought of the world." Albus' expression became pained. "It is not a pretty thought, nor one most would think an old man like me should have." He shook his head. "But this is the price of power, Harry. If you do nothing, then events will slip through your fingers and ruin the world. If you do too much, you become that which everyone fears, the dictator and the tyrant. I wanted to be neither, but at times one is forced to use what power one has to change the world for the better."

"Isn't that what Voldemort wanted to do?" Harry challenged.

The unexpected smile on the Headmaster's face rocked him back in his seat. "And now you begin to understand, Harry. History is written by the victors. In this case, I do believe the world is a better place without Tom Riddle riding its helm. I do not know if I would be any better of a pilot, but," he speared Harry with a glance. "I try to make things better. I have always tried to make things better in this world, and much to my sorrow, some of these attempts have cost the lives of people I love, people I respected and people I was supposed to protect. That is a cost, that is the result that I must always live with."

Harry swallowed and looked away from the crystal clear gaze. "Does it always have to be like this?"

"Yes."

He wanted to flinch away from the clear truth that spoke in the Headmaster's tone. "It's not fair," he said.

"Life has never been fair, Harry." Albus sounded tired. "But those who can, do try to make it fair for those who have no power to change the world on their own."

With that, Harry knew he was hooked. "I'll keep writing down my dreams," he said. He looked up to meet the blue eyes of his Headmaster. "There is a presence that is moving in the world right now, sir. A bad presence, but I don't know what it is, or who. It caused the murders on the beach, and it'll cause more. That much I do know."

"Thank you, Harry." Albus rose from behind his chair. "You do not know how much it pains me to ask you of this."

Harry rose from his own seat. The Potions Master's hand fell away. "You're right, I don't," he told the old man. "And I don't want to know. Not right now." He turned to Severus. "May I go down to the dorms, please?"

"You may, Harry." Snape's hand moved at his side, but fell back before it could touch Harry's shoulder. "I will escort you there."

"Thank you, sir." Harry spared a glance at the Headmaster. "…Will it ever get better?" He lingered to ask.

Light gleamed against Albus' glasses. "To that we always endeavor, Mr. Potter."

Harry closed his eyes from a long moment, sighed and turned away. Severus followed at his side as they made their way down the revolving stairs and out into the hall.

The sound of the door closing behind them seemed loud in the silent office.

End Chapter Twenty-Three