"Mr. Grim, I believe you'll find I'm a very flexible person," Albus said with a soft smile, but underneath his almost impeccable façade, he wondered why this man, so clearly a member of the Black family, would lie about his identity. He suspected that it might be some sort of ploy, so he held the Elder Wand tightly, knowing he may need to use it at any moment. He wondered how the man came from the mirror, when an almost impossible thought dawned on him.
He shook his head slightly to clear his fantastical thoughts.
No, he mused, can't be.
The man who claimed his name was Harry Grim gave a wolfish grin, somehow noticing Albus' uneasiness. His poker face must have been getting worse over the years.
The man who fell out of the Mirror of Erised looked, in Albus' humble opinion, like he came from a hell no one would want to participate in. His cheeks were sunken and rubbery, his hair a bit greasy and long, and though his eyes attempted to show off childish whimsy, they failed to do so. All Albus could see in those gray eyes were helplessness and loss. Lucky for Harry Grim that he was such a sad being, else Albus may have cursed him the moment he fell through the mirror. But because he was not one to turn his back on those who needed help, he decided to keep up this interesting guise for however long it took to get information out of the ragged man before him.
Grim closed his eyes after a few moments of silence, and asked very simply, "Would it be possible for me to sit down? I've had a very long day, and my bones have yet to recover fully from some of the awful things that have happened the past few years."
Albus ushered him into one of the chairs facing opposite his own seat. And there they sat, a stranger and an old man, watching each other with an intense gaze. Suddenly, Albus stupidly realized that he had not confiscated the stranger's wand. His breathing became quicker knowing that this potential enemy was armed, but the stranger's child-like eyes almost calmed him down enough to keep calm.
Almost.
"So Mr. Grim, what is it that I 'won't believe' exactly?" Albus asked as diplomatically as possible, but this strange man must have noticed the slightly icy tone, for he looked away.
Harry Grim paused, as if contemplating how he was going to explain his sudden appearance at Hogwarts, for it was known by all that one could not apparate in or out of the castle.
Finally, the stranger spoke, his worn and husky voice almost echoing in the large room. "I'll explain, I promise, but I would like to know something first. Would it be possible for me to ask a question? Purely for clarification purposes." Hesitantly, Albus nodded his head, and the stranger sighed.
"This is going to sound quite odd, but could you tell me the exact date?"
If Albus had been drinking something, he would have certainly spit it out. So this is the man's plan he thought wearily. Try and coerce me with tales of time travel.
Nonetheless, he humored Harry Grim.
"It is July 31st, 1977 Mr. Grim, though I assume that may not have been the answer you wanted to hear." Albus said tersely.
Multiple emotions crossed the man's face. Disbelief. Denial. Joy. Sorrow. And finally guilt, which Albus found himself confused by.
"I expected as much when you said Regulus was here," the man mumbled, his voice sounded hollow and agonizingly familiar, "but it didn't quite sink in until right now."
Albus tapped his foot, waiting for the man calling himself Harry Grim to shout about the wonders of time travel, how he was Regulus' great-great grandson, or how he came back in time to save the world. But he did none of those things. He looked at Albus with a mixture of sadness and acceptance and said plainly, "I don't know if it would be right to tell you what happens. Any of it. It's unfair, but bad things happen to wizards who meddle with time." He smiled slightly, as if reliving a comical memory. "When Harry told me about that….. Never mind. Living in the past now. Or, I guess it would be future? I don't know."
He stood up straight, looking more confident than Albus guessed he felt. "Professor, you have two options in front of you. The first is to let me go on my merry way. I'll even drink that damned potion, the what's-it-called truth potion to let you know I mean know harm." He hesitated, and then revised his earlier statement to "well, harm to no one except for Death Eaters."
He looked directly at Albus before he continued, and the old man swore that those cold eyes could read his thoughts. "The second is to listen to what I have to say about who I am and to observe the future as it happens. As it's meant to happen." He smirked a bit. "I already know you don't believe I am who I say I am. You've always been good at looking past deception. Well…" he amended, keeping his eyes trained on the cupboard where Albus hid his pensieve, "almost always."
Albus didn't think he wanted to know what was meant with that last statement, but his thoughts quickly turned to other issues set forth by Grim. Would he be able to just let this man go? Albus could feel a war on the horizon, and the amount of people he knew he could trust was dwindling faster than he could say "Sherbet Lemon." He could always force the truth out of Grim and then lock him up, he mused, but that was against Albus' moral code. No. If he were going to get any information about the apparent future, he would do it the right way and go from there. The man had not caused any trouble, nor had any threats been made. Albus decided, reluctantly, that he would give this peculiar man the benefit of the doubt.
"I will choose the second option." Albus said warily. Before Grim could utter a single word. Albus quickly added, "but if I don't believe what I am to hear, I can use Veriterserum, or, as you so eloquently put it, the 'what's-it-called truth potion,' to confirm any information." Albus chuckled at the interesting name for the formidable potion, but sobered up enough to ask, "Is that clear?"
Grim smiled a bit at Albus' joke at his expense, and said "Crystal."
Grim sat down again, perhaps not even realizing that he had been standing in an abrasive position, and looked at Albus, ready for him to start the round of twenty questions.
Albus smiled a bit at the man's newfound energy, but started off with something simple.
"Is Harry Grim your real name?"
It was almost said as more of a statement, because Albus already knew the answer. He just needed confirmation on his first suspicions.
Grim seemed as if he expected this one, because he quickly replied "No."
"Do I know you right now, in this current time?"
"Yes."
Albus pulled back a bit, not expecting this particular answer. He assumed that whoever this was, he was not a man even close to this time. However, thinking back to the stranger's reactions, it was clear that he was not comfortable being in his present situation for reasons other than he was out of time. Yes. He knew people, people who he did not want to see. He even gazed at Albus with a hint of trepidation, making Albus' curiosity at this man's identity grow even stronger.
"You're a Black."
This one wasn't even a question.
"Yup."
"Regulus?"
This was Albus' answer. That boy was destined to be a Death Eater, hence why he was so uncomfortable being with Albus. But even that didn't feel right. Something about the eyes.
Grim laughed without humor. "Come now Professor, and I thought you knew me better than that! Did you know I once painstakingly dedicated a shrine to you in my chocolate frog cards as a fourth year? Can't believe you would let me down like this by guessing I was my brother!"
"Are you Sirius?"
Impossible.
Sirius Black grinned. "Totally. I had like 50 cards stacked up, no joke."
Even Albus had to smile at the horrible pun. No one else but Sirius Black could make such awful jokes.
But then he remembered why he was interviewing him in the first place, and cautiously asked, "Do you have any proof? Otherwise, I think I might have to turn to the Veriterserum. This is very hard to believe."
Sirius thought very long and hard, and Albus could almost see the gears working in his head. Then he smiled, as if telling himself some secret inside joke, and stood up. Albus followed suit, a bit nervous about what Sirius would do to "prove himself."
"I always suspected you might know about this particular secret, Professor," said Sirius. "Either you'll be very alarmed and confused, or know that I'm telling the truth." He smirked a bit, some sadness still evident, but he looked calmer now. "Honestly, I'm kind of hoping you do freak out just a little."
What did he mean by that?
Before he could ask, Albus found himself standing face to face with the man claiming to be Sirius Black.
Then, in a split second, the man was gone.
Standing where Sirius stood was a large, black dog, wagging his tail, and looking just a little too pleased with himself.
A/N I think I'm going to attempt to continue this. I have this idea for the ending that just won't leave my head, so, fortunately, I'll keep trucking on. I don't know how long this will be, nor do I know at what point it's going to end. But I'll finish it. Even if it takes forever. Thanks for reading!
~M