A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any character thereof.

Chapter 59

It was two days after the students had left that Severus knocked on the Headmaster's door.

"Come in."

Severus entered the office carrying the pensieve and replaced it in its normal spot. "I've come to return this to you."

"Thank you, my boy."

"I've got to say that I'm surprised you have not ambushed me yet."

"Now Severus, I do not ambush people."

"Whatever you say Headmaster," he said wryly.

Albus smiled. "Besides, I know better than to provoke you when you are that angry at me. I gave you the space you needed and assumed that when you were ready to talk, you would come to me."

Severus simply snorted. "Lupin came to see me on the day he left."

"Oh?" Albus asked as he took a seat behind his desk.

Severus nodded. "It would appear that James knew that Harry was my son."

Albus' eyes widened in shock.

Severus simply nodded. "Lupin evidently knew as soon as he set eyes on Harry whom he belonged to." He tried to hide the resentment in his voice, but realized that he didn't succeed very well.

"All these years Remus knew that Harry was your son?"

Severus gave a slight nod. "That's not all he knew either. When James learned that Harry wasn't his, he performed a blood adoption to bind the boy to him so that it would be as if he was his son."

"Lily allowed that?"

Severus grimaced. "I imagine that Lily would have killed James herself. No. Remus said that they performed the ritual in secret."

"Did Remus tell you which blood adoption spell James used?"

Severus shook his head. "He couldn't remember off the top of his head. Only he would forget something like that."

"I'm going to be gone for a couple of weeks. I have some research to do. You'll mostly have the castle to yourself," said Albus after about 20 minutes more of talking.

Severus nodded. It wasn't an unusual occurrence during the summer months.

"I'll need you to put some feelers out when you can. I'm worried that Pettigrew will try to find Voldemort and return him to his body."

"After all this time? How would he even be able to find him?"

Albus sighed. "Trelawney made another prediction - this time to Harry. It said that after being chained for 12 years, his servant would raise the Dark Lord and that he would be more terrible than before."

Severus sneered. "A real prediction?"

"It seems to be. That brings her up to two."

"I suppose that it's good that I've not told Harry yet. Maybe I shouldn't, at least not until the Dark Lord is gone for good."

"Severus, you need to tell him before then. He deserves the truth and you deserve a son. Who knows how long this war will last."

"Maybe we'll get lucky for once and Pettigrew won't find the Dark Lord."

Albus looked up, his eyes shining brightly. "When did you become an optimist?"

"When Lily told me that I have a son with her, something I had long thought impossible. Enjoy your time away from the castle." With that said, Severus walked out of the office.

It was a little over a week after school let out. Harry stood up to stretch. He had just finished up the last of his homework when he heard his uncle's alarm go off.

He quietly stored his book in his trunk and crossed back over to his cot. So far, his uncle had left him alone.

Once his aunt confirmed that she remembered Sirius, Harry had been allowed to keep his stuff in his room.

After swearing not to do any 'funny business', of course.

He was even being fed twice a day. The only chores he had to do involved cooking.

Hedwig hooted softly and flew out of the window. She comes to visit at night but makes herself scarce during the day. His uncle still thought that she was at Hogwarts.

Albus launched the book across his desk.

"Useless," he muttered. He pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted and disgusted. "All these books at my disposal and not one of them tells me anything that I don't already know."

He was due to return back to Hogwarts the next day to begin preparations for the Tri-Wizard Tournament that was to start this upcoming school year.

Albus glanced at the clock. It was nearing time for dinner. He sighed and made his way to the kitchen to rummage for a snack (much to the annoyance of his house elves).

"Remember what I said boy! Not a sound!"

Harry nodded and went into his 'prison'. He heard the locks click on the outside of the door. He had just finished cooking a very nice dinner that involved roast and all of the fixings.

Of course he hadn't been allowed any of it. His dinner had been two cheese sandwiches, which was fine with him. He could have forced the issue by threatening to tell his god father but he had come to enjoy his time alone. He didn't want to force his Uncle's hand unnecessarily.

The school nurse where Dudley attended school had written to his aunt and uncle saying that his cousin had to lose weight. After many, many tantrums the diet began. As soon as Harry realized that his Aunt Petunia has planned on putting the whole family on the diet, he sent Hedwig to all his friends.

They had responded generously. He had a whole compartment in his trunk stuffed with food, which was another reason he didn't complain. He knew that he would not be hungry.

Tonight was really the first time that the diet would be ignored since it began. He was thankful he wouldn't have to see Dudley pig out more than normal.

Harry heard the door bell ring. There was an important dinner guest over tonight. Determined to make use of his time that he knew he wouldn't be interrupted, Harry quietly pulled out one of the extra defense books that he had purchased the previous year.

He had been practicing the movements with a pencil and repeating the words only in his head. The last thing he needed to do was set off the underage magic detector.

If Voldemort really was coming back, he would do his best to be prepared.

About an hour after the guest had arrived, Harry heard someone come up the stairs. He quickly and quietly stored his book away and resumed his seat on the cot.

There he began practicing his meditation techniques. He was getting a lot better at it. He certainly felt calmer after performing the exercises.

Albus looked at Kingsley Shacklebolt in his doorway.

"What's wrong Kingsley? I thought that you were coming to see me tomorrow at the castle."

"Can I come in?"

"Of course. Sorry. Katty!"

A house elf popped into the foyer. "Can you make us some tea and bring it to the library?"

"Certainly sir."

As the elf popped away, they went to the library and sat down. Well Albus sat down, Kingsley just blurted out, "That had to have been the wrong house."

Albus looked up confused and gestured for the man to sit down.

"Number 4, Privet Drive?"

Shacklebolt frowned as Albus handed him a cup of tea. "It was the right house then but Albus ... there was no indication that Harry lived there at all. No pictures. Nothing. I didn't even see him tonight."

"He wasn't there?" asked Albus alarmed. Since Kingsley was an Auror - and a good friend - he had sent him to check up on Harry discreetly to see if anything could be proved because the boy had been right.

If he had to ask, then he already knew the answer.

It had, unfortunately, been a couple of weeks before Kingsley could get an invite to the Dursley home.

"If he was there, then he was in the locked room upstairs - with the locks on the outside."

Kingsley sat back because he saw the fire in Albus' eyes.

"I asked about the door because there was a cat flap on the bottom of it. Mrs. Dursley said that they had a cat and that it liked to go in the storage room."

Albus stood and began pacing.

"That's not all, Albus."

Albus turned around to look at him.

"When I crossed the property barrier, I felt no wards."

A/N: It's not very long .. but that was just a cliff hanger I couldn't pass up on. *grins innocently* The next chapter is longer ... and Harry discover's something strange. *points to the halo above my head*

A/N: Now for some of my traditional warnings. A/N: Warning, Harry will be powerful, but he won't be super duper powerful. He will still have to struggle with certain things as well as deal with other childhood issues. Harry is going to be incredibly smart, but don't worry about him out-doing Hermione ... to an extent anyway. [I've always seen her as more of a book smart, and him as an experience is learned kind of smart.] (Evil smirk) And to alleviate some fears, he won't all of a sudden wake up and realize woah, I can take on the world! It will be a slow on going process. (Smile)