A.N. I'm sorry for my lateness. I've been extremely busy and every time I restarted this chapter I felt like deleting it the next time I read it. Hopefully this version will seem ok ahaha. I'm in the middle of writing essays and applying to law schools and graduation and a bunch of other stuff, so thats my excuse for the absence. As always, not getting money from this, tho my broke self really wishes I did... Please comment and like/kudo/whatever to let me know if you like it or hate it.
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Albus Dumbledore was a tired man.
He was a brilliant man, oh yes, but a tired one. The sheer amount of problems in his life made even him sigh in frustration.
He had a future Minister of Magic who refused to use his brain, instead usually coming to Albus, expecting him to do the job instead. Despite the great pains Albus had gone through to not be in power, knowing himself.
He had a school full of kids with the potential to run the world in a few generations to attempt to guide, and portraits who told him every detail of what happened in the building, whether he wanted to hear it or not.
He had all of the documentation for said school to fill out, approve or deny, course proposals to present, and teacher meetings to run.
He had to deal with an extremely political minded school board whose interest rested more in their images rather than the actual good of the school-Merlin knows he'd have changed the history professor by now if he could.
He had an empty Defense Against the Dark Arts post that no one wanted, and a huge amount of pressure on him to solve the curse placed on the post, a result of various previous professors disappearing or dying after a year.
Finally, he had the safety of whom the wizarding world considered their next Savior to track and keep alive, despite the very limited information he got on his life. The people involved were themselves, limited in numbers and abilities.
Harry Potter, despite his youth, was the second coming of Merlin as far as this world was concerned. A one-year-old baby who survived the deadliest curse known to wizards and simultaneously kills the threatening Dark Lord of the time? The feat seemed almost like it was plucked out of a fairytale book.
No matter how much Dumbledore might have tried to hide it, news like that would've blown up anyway, and Harry would still have become a celebrity. However, it would've been a celebrity that carried a heavy burden from the very beginning, and a person unfit to match it.
Albus himself knew that, for he had experienced it. He had defeated after hard work and heavy emotional turmoil his old friend Grindelwald and had had no time to adjust before being swept up in world fame.
Yes, he had saved them all by defeating a Dark Lord.
Yes, he had people's attention and the power to change the world (and how dangerously addictive that was).
And yes, in their eyes, he could do no wrong.
But the responsibility that came with all that was heavy.
He had defeated a Dark Lord, so why had he not been able to defeat another? That question constantly echoed around him.
He had been a savior once, so people wanted him to do it again, despite all the sacrifices required the first time around; never mind the entire group of people who never saw him as a savior, and who still tried even today to kill him for having killed their savior.
He had power, but power corrupts and so he had stayed away.
But people always came to him and, conversely, when things went badly (although admittedly, thanks to his brilliance, it wasn't too often), it was him they blamed.
He could do no wrong, they said, but that was carried by heavy disappointment when his actions were not what people expect out of him.
People didn't see his limitations, they didn't see his humanity, they didn't see the blocks on the road. Instead, they saw a powerful man, a god, who could've done something, done better, but who instead either did nothing or not enough despite his status, his position.
Albus Dumbledore was painfully aware of his status in the world as a savior due to this.
And this was not something that he wanted a one-year-old boy, one who would never know his parents as a result, to grow into, to feel before he could even walk. The fame and power would have spoiled him, and the expectations would've blindsided and crushed him once Lord Voldemort or another Dark Lord decided to appear again.
And so, Dumbledore did what he thought was best, and hid away baby Harry Potter in the Muggle World, where wizards seldom went-especially the enemies left over from the war. Where he would have a connection to family, despite some slightly perceived hostility. Where Harry Potter would just be a normal boy with no enormous political responsibilities on his shoulders.
But now, Harry Potter was missing, according to his first watcher, Mrs. Figgs.
The woman was in charge of watching the community where the boy lived, so she was well placed to know the comings and goings of the boy, enough so that Albus knew there hadn't been a mistake.
Worryingly, Mundungus Fletcher, the one he had watching the school where the boy resided the rest of the time, hadn't found him either.
While some may argue that as Albus Dumbledore he had a lot of pull, his protection of the boy was limited simply because of all he couldn't do, and he never felt it more than in situations like these.
Having the kid be raised in a wizarding family, no matter how trustworthy, was definitely not what Albus Dumbledore had in mind. The security might have been better, but the boy's visibility and awareness of his own burden would have had exactly the unwanted consequences Albus wanted to avoid.
The other possibility, putting trackers, wasn't even considered. On kids under eleven, it could be harmful to the development of their magic cores. In fact, any direct magic to a person whose magic was still developing risked to make major changes in the way they used magic and how it developed, and so any kind of direct magic was discarded.
Harry still hadn't used actual controlled magic in an environment where Albus could observe him, so it was impossible to see the effects of the killing curse yet, but it was more than likely that something had already changed, especially since the magic was one of the most powerful dark curses from one of the most powerful wizards in history.
Albus Dumbledore was just thankful it hadn't turned him into a squib as far as he could see. Despite his own acceptance of them, it would've made things so much harder for the boy. Albus himself had felt a hint of that back when he'd considered coming out before realizing how much it would hinder any progress he attempted to create.
On the other hand, having people watch the residence and the school was also very limited because the number of people he trusted and who would be willing to spend days in the muggle world watching a little boy, no matter how famous, were themselves also very limited. Hence the two people who did.
Thankfully, the boy seemed to spend most of his time at either place, though it had been frustrating that Fletcher's reports were so small. The boy probably didn't frequent the library as much as he should've, but that hadn't been a problem either really.
Till now. Till both of his watchers reported him missing for longer than usual. Two whole days, in fact.
Where on earth had Harry Potter gone off to?
Albus Dumbledore sighed again.
This was going to be a long day.
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Belinda Malfoy, Harry decided, was full of surprises.
Oh, she was most decidedly crazy, in a dark sort of way. Violent, definitely. Moody, too.
There was an edge to her, however, that was almost sort of soft. That protected with softness rather than cut with vigor like the rest of her seemed to do.
He'd first seen a glimpse of it at the hospital, through his first blurry blinks, as he realized she was crying for him. It had been shocking, considering his earlier fear of her, almost funny in a way.
Like a strange colored spot in an otherwise black and white picture.
His first direct conversation with her, though, revealed so much more of that softness than he'd realized, as she gave him answers to all of his questions. And that, in the grand scheme of things, was much more shocking to him than what he learned.
She had been truthful.
She had been straightforward.
She hadn't dismissed him.
And, most of all, she hadn't underestimated him.
It probably told much about his life that that's what he was preoccupied about, rather than his discoveries, especially considering how important they were, but to him finding someone older than him like this was so rare that he didn't care.
At first at least.
"So you're saying, you're a squib, someone without magic."
"Yes."
"And you've been hiding from the… Wizarding World ever since?"
"Yes."
"But your family still loves you, although they refuse to admit your existence publicly?"
"Well… yes."
"But you still have bouts of accidental magic?"
"Squibs like me often do have small amounts of magic, we're just not able to control it, and any magic actually done is so small, it doesn't usually matter. At least, according to them."
"Them? And is accidental magic why I have such good luck?"
"Wizards and witches. And," the girl hesitated, "well, I'm not sure about that. It could be some form of accidental magic that helps you, but I have never heard of it being so consistent."
"So… why am I here then? And why are you here?"
"You, I wouldn't know. No one really knows much about you, to be honest. You're a mystery. In fact, it's probably partly the reason for your fame. Surviving the killing curse and defeating the Dark Lord was all impressive and unique, but your total lack of public appearances and the little information we have about you kind of stirred the cauldron."
Belinda Malfoy paused, clearly unsure, but at the boy's inquisitive gaze, decided to add, "There are all kinds of ideas about where you are and what you're doing, and no one's entirely sure what is the truth. So of course, that means everyone is interested. People have come up with tales, but except for the youngest, who creepily idealize you, most are aware they are just fantasies. The real thing is elusive, and to many, that means a random, unknown and possibly powerful chess piece of the chess board."
Belinda drew a deep breath, before saying, "basically, you are an unknown political tool with huge amounts of power that everyone wants on their side because your image carries meaning in today's society."
Harry blinked. Well, at least he now knew a bit more about where he stood, despite his continued general ignorance about the world. He was, however, done being a tool. Knowledge, he decided, would be his shield and his weapon.
Belinda, seeing that Harry wasn't going to speak up, continued.
"As for me… my… family, in their great wisdom, decided the best place for me was muggle society since in their minds, those with no magic don't belong in the wizarding world."
"And you don't? I mean, I don't think it's right that family be split like that, but the idea of no magic people in the no magic world makes sense, I think."
"That's only because you don't know much about our world. On paper it makes sense, but magic is so much more than wands and spells. Yes, we aren't able to do conventional magic, but we still have the knowledge, and there are plenty of jobs and activities that can be done by us even without being able to wave a wand."
The Malfoy girl sighed, before starting again.
"As squibs, we still have a core, albeit a small one, and that means we can still do magical things like making potions, riding brooms, writing and activating runes, filing documents, and other. The real reason they try to put us in the muggle world is because we are seen as a stain on an otherwise seemingly perfect world and perfect philosophy. They don't want us around to ruin their own self-made world and ideals, so they remove us. I am in fact one of the lucky ones. Some families go as far as killing those born as squibs."
"That's… not right." Harry scrunched his eyebrows together, looking down in thought. "Why is nobody doing anything?"
"Because there isn't a reason to do so. There's no problems, and so no reasons to reform. The world has functioned like this for centuries, and having those like me disappear means there is no one to speak for us, really."
"Is this why you are explaining everything to me?"
"I'm not going to lie, having you as a friend would be highly beneficial to us, so yes, I am talking to you partially because of what I could gain from a friendship with you. I've been raised as someone who is supposed to see everyone as political allies or enemies, and so I can't help it. I'm sorry," replied Belinda sincerely before continuing.
"But, mostly, I see you as a confused person trying to understand a newly discovered position in the world. As a highly intelligent nine years old kid who feels like the whole world is against him, and who wants to know things in order to protect himself. And that resonates with me because I have been there."
Harry stared into her eyes, looking for any signs of a lie, smiling once he became certain of the truths she told.
"Thank you," he whispered, bashfully looking at the floor, eyes in his pockets gripping his lucky dices.
Belinda smiled, whispering back, "you're welcome."
"I have two more questions for you," started again Harry.
"Anything."
"Who is Cornelius Fudge, the librarian? My dices hinted you might know."
"Your dices, huh. The way you use them amazes me, to be honest. They're right librarian isn't called Cornelius Fudge. He is, honestly, a pathetic excuse for a human being with delusions of grandeur."
"Delusions of what?"
"Sorry, I meant… okay, so, Cornelius Fudge is actually the name of a very important Ministry official who is very likely going to become the new Minister of Magic. The guy you know as the librarian simply took his name, likely wanting to feel more important than he actually is."
"Okay…?"
"He's actually a lowlife known in the streets as Mundungus Fletcher. I wouldn't worry about him, especially as the job of librarian in a public school is likely just a cover for other activities. You should probably just stay clear."
"Alright. Finally… in exchange for helping you in the Wizarding World, in the future, could you teach me about it? About everything. How to act, what is common sense, important people, aspects of magic you already know, and maybe access to the actual world. I want to know everything."
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As it turned out, Belinda Malfoy was rather limited in what she could teach, because much of what she knew was taught to her as a girl in the Wizarding Society. The Wizarding World was apparently very gendered in activities and education.
She did teach him the basics of everything, especially as he refused to leave the house till she did, to her amusement.
It took two whole days to go over the beginner levels of what she could teach, but Harry was sure the Dursleys wouldn't mind his being gone.
Quite the opposite, in fact, knowing them. If anything, they'd just miss their cleaning and cooking slave.
It didn't matter anyway. Belinda was able to teach him the introductions to potions, runes, the identities of some important people, and she had a small stack of books on magic that she had let him read, clearly making him understand that his development in every area came down to practice and effort.
The basics were just that after all, the basics.
He'd have to practice them constantly, and come back regularly to learn the rest, especially considering he was not going to bring back books about the M word, magic, to the Dursley home, considering their hatred of the subject.
As far as common sense and how to act, however, Belinda wasn't able to do much except give him one book on wizarding etiquette. As a girl, the etiquette taught to her had been entirely different, and it had been a while since she had used it anyway. Wizarding common sense too had been a struggle, simply because she had been removed from her position at age 11 and put in the muggle world. While she may have started life learning wizarding common sense, much of it was gone now or mixed with muggle ideas.
"Here, read those. Come back next Friday, someone who knows all of this will be here," she had told him, at the end of the days spent at her empty but stunningly big house. "He'll be better placed than I at teaching you all of this stuff."
Harry hadn't told her then, but he'd discreetly checked with his dices as to whether that was a good idea or not. He only trusted Belinda because of her sincerity so far and because his dice had led to her.
He wasn't sure about anyone else.
His dice, though, approved with double sixes, so apparently, this meeting with Marcus Flint was very important according to them.
He looked forward to it, especially as meeting anyone was better than being greeted by a shrieking Petunia Dursley, after all, as he was on his return home.
