Thank you all for the reviews. It's been years since I wrote any kind of stories so the many comments have helped not only the structure but the flow too

I have no idea how many chapters this story is going to be. I know I have at least 10 more lined up, just need to flesh them all out. I don't plan on drawing the entire 7 days leading up to the duel out either. That's far too much nonsense for me

This one is shaping up to be a long chapter though and several characters will change from their canon arcs at various points. Remember this is just a story I have come up with. If you want Canon Harry then read the actual books

Again, I own Nothing

Hogwarts

After a few hours of meditation Harry felt much better, his magic had now relaxed, and he was feeling much calmer. Getting up off the floor he decided what he was going to do with the rest of the day when a flash of fire appeared just in front of him. On reflex he unsheathed his wand from his holster on his wrist and cast a shield around him and got into a defensive stance. He relaxed when he saw it was just Fawkes "Oh hello Fawkes, what does your master want now?" Harry asked

Immediately Fawkes started pecking at Harrys head, angrily chirping at the same time "Ok, ok" Harry shouted "I yield, I am sorry"

With one last chirp as if to say "I should think so too" Fawkes stuck out a clawed foot and handed Harry a scrolled-up letter

Harry,

I request an audience with you at 3pm today. Bring your cloak. It seems there are several subjects we must discuss with each other where hopefully we can clear the air and come to a mutual understanding. Several things have been brought to my attention that I feel it is necessary for you to know. A word of caution though, leave any petulance you have towards me at the door. If you want to be treated like the adult you now are in the Wizarding World, then you will behave like one.

Albus Dumbledore

P.S I quite like Snickers

Harry stared at the letter in disbelief for a good few minutes as the indignity of the letter swelled up inside him "Who the hell does he think he is?" he shouted startling Fawkes "leave my petulance at the door? MY petulance. Where does he get off speaking to me like that?"

Fawkes immediately started chirping angrily at Harry

"What the hell do you mean he's correct? You know full well what that man has caused me to suffer!" Harry exclaimed ranting away "Nothing he can say to me will justify the fifteen years of hell I have had to go through because of situations he's created!"

Chirping angrily in reply Fawkes started puffing himself up

"No amount of extenuating circumstances can justify the Dursleys Fawkes" Harry said "I will never forgive him for them!"

Fawkes was silent observing Harry as he started pacing round the vast chamber room thinking to himself and muttering under his breath whether he should meet with Dumbledore or not. Petulance? The nerve of that man! How the hell would he know what Harry has been through. The amount of indignities he's suffered over the years to go along with the various scars lay directly at the headmasters' feet. No amount of grovelling would ever fix that, and he was seriously considering not going just to spite the man

As if knowing what Harry was thinking an angry chirp pulled him out of his thoughtful rant. Only the fact that it was the longest Fawkes had chirped at him in the four years of knowing him stopped him from interrupting the Phoenix

"Things have really changed that much in the last four hours?" Harry asked "How, why?"

Getting a chirp back in response Harry was in shock "Snape? He's put Snape in his place? In front of everyone? Wow. Well let's hope that continues then and isn't just some two-week reprieve before letting him go back to his old ways. Alright, but only because you've said to see him Fawkes! It is not because I want to know what he has to say" Harry finished petulantly

With that Fawkes flashed away going back to his pet human. "Bloody Pigeon" Harry muttered under his breath as he walked to the shooting range at the end of the chamber he'd created a few years ago for the Tri-Wizard tournament. Relaxing into his duelling stance he pulled out his wand and started firing at the several dummies, letting his instincts take over. After half an hour of this he pulled out his other wand that he had secretly got over the summer before his fifth year and started casting again with both wands. Only three people knew of this wand, the maker who had since been obliviated, Albus and himself. It was made of Elder wood with a Basilisk fang core. It was pure white except for a ring of black spiralling up from the bottom towards the tip. Not many people had the focus required to dual-wield wands Albus had told him, in fact he'd only known one other wizard who was capable of such a thing, and he was very tight lipped over who that wizard was. Harry desperately wanted to know, just to get tips on being more effective. He was sure that if he truly mastered dual wielding he would become a formidable force in the future.

The time flew by and before he knew it, it was 2:30 in the afternoon as he decided to make his way up to the headmaster's office. Looking in his bag he pulled out an apple, mentally reminding himself to thank Dobby for stocking up his bag with snacks when he became forgetful of the time. "A young wizard must eat regularly to keep up his strength" Dobby said often so it had become a habit to always check his bag around 2 o'clock. Pulling his Invisibility cloak around him he made his way out of the Chamber and walked through the halls to the headmasters' office, going at a slow pace just enjoying not being seen. Being famous was not all it's cracked up to be and with the events that had happened this morning he was thankful of a way of avoiding being mobbed. Giving the password to the Gargoyle he made his way up the stairs where he felt the alert ward trigger on the door. Really, he mused, how people never figured out how Dumbledore always knew who was at the door baffled him. Receiving a "Come in Harry" he opened the door

Headmasters Office

Upon reaching his office Albus sat down and mentally prepared himself for the upcoming conversation. Given what had gone on this was by far the most confrontational conversation he was likely to ever have with Harry, he knew full well what he had put Harry through because while not by design the situations Harry had found himself in over the last five years Albus had played a passive role, simply watching to see what the outcome would be but always ready to step in should the need arise. The only issue was at the most critical moments Albus was nowhere to be found and Harry had endured on his own. And while he had come out of those situations alive, he hadn't come out of them unscathed. Mental tribulations Albus had found were always significantly worse than physical trials and Harry's mental state was of some concern. Hopefully the coming discussion would ease those issues somewhat and at the same time help regain some of Harry's trust.

Popping a lemon drop into his mouth he opened the top drawer where three items lay inside. Each item was of importance but each for very significant reasons. The first one was a book with a hole burned into it going all the way through to the other side. Out of the three items this one he felt was the most significant. It was proof of what Tom had done over the years to ensure survival; at the minute he was unsure of just how many of these items there were, but they would all need to be destroyed. He was certain there were six floating around, two of which he knew were forever gone.

The second item he pulled out from the drawer was the ring that once lay on the table in the corner. It was one of the six items he was looking for connected to Voldemort but more importantly it was one of the three items he had been searching for, for nearly a century now. Placing it on his desk he marvelled at it, it looked like such a simple thing. Very unremarkable except for its markings, a triangle with a circle inside and a straight line going through the middle but it was these very markings which signified just how important a historical item it was. One of three brothers, each with their own bloody history and all just as sought after for very different reasons. A wand, a stone, and a cloak. To the unenlightened uniting them was said to bring immeasurable power. To those in the know however they were The Deathly Hallows, said to be created by Death himself as revenge against three brothers who had arrogantly demanded items off him for thwarting his trap and attempting to humiliate him.

Putting his wand next to the stone he marvelled at having accrued two of the Hallows and very soon the third would be in the same office, united perhaps for the very first time since Death handed them out so very long ago. The irony was not lost on Albus, having Deaths Hallows in the same room as an item designed to cheat Death from his prize, one of which was foolishly used as a Horcrux. It truly baffled Albus that someone would take such a course of action. Death was not something to fear, rather to be embraced as the one guarantee you have in life so make the most of the time you have given to you. He had read that quote somewhere before and had often agreed with how very profound it was.

The third and final item in the drawer he pulled out with reverence, being very careful with it. Using his sleeve, he brushed away the dust that had accumulated on it revealing it to be a picture of three young people. This was perhaps the most treasured item in his possession. It signified a time in his life where he was the happiest, the most content. It was a picture of himself with his brother and sister that he had commissioned a long, long time ago. If there was anyone else in the office, they would perhaps wonder why he used his sleeve and not his wand to clean the grime and dust off the photo like a common muggle. But Albus had never had his wand in his hand when he looked at this photo because the last time his wand had been anywhere near his sister, he had accidentally ended her life. He knew this. Foolishly after defeating Grindelwald, he had entered the memory in his pensieve and watched what had happened hoping to absolve himself of some of the guilt he had carried for nearly forty years at the time. While spells were flashing everywhere Albus had focused on the one that ended little Arianas life. It was his. He had never told anyone this. It was his burden to bear. He just hoped that the life he had led after the war had gone some way to absolve him of some of his sins and that when he next saw her, she would forgive him. Looking at his blackened arm he knew that time was closer than ever.

A chime from the doorway brought him out of his musings. Putting the photo and the book away but leaving the wand and ring where they were Albus called out "Come in Harry"

Harry entered the room and sat down in the comfy chair that was opposite Albus. "Afternoon Professor" he said

"Albus, Harry" came the reply "in this office when we're alone like this it's Albus"

"Ok, Albus" Harry tried tentatively "that doesn't sound right does it" Harry asked laughing

"It never does the first few times" Albus said "It took me a long time to get used to calling my elders by their chosen name. it gets easier over time, but you never really get past the fact that they're your elders. But as you're now an adult in the wizarding world its only correct that you should have the right to call me Albus"

Nodding thoughtfully Harry looked around the office. Noticing the two items on the desk Harry blurted out "I nearly wrote you a letter declining this meeting you know? I'm not your biggest fan right now and I wasn't particularly fond of the language used in your letter to me earlier until Fawkes pointed out to me that if we are to work together and have any sort of civil relationship then leaving any anger, or petulance as you wrote, at the door should be what I should do. Fawkes was very persuasive."

"That is very mature of you Harry. Something I should not really be surprised at anymore given how much you've grown over the past year or so" Albus said "Watching you become the wizard you now are has always been a fascinating thing. I've known of course from your birth just how much of an impact you would have on the world given your obvious power. You may not know this, but I used to visit you as a baby a lot. James and Lily often needed my help with you because your magic was greater than anyone they'd known. Very much like my own as a youth. I was glad to be of help"

"I know" Harry replied. Seeing Albus' questioning look he continued "when I went to Gringotts during the summer I was able to access the Potter family vault and my mothers' journals from the time she started Hogwarts up until her death were in there. She described everything in detail just how much you helped. I thank you for that. It could not have been easy"

"No, it wasn't" Albus replied "but they managed very well. Now, onto why I called you here. I assume you believe it was because of the actions of this morning but you would only be partially correct. I invited you because I wanted to talk to you about several topics that I felt you were either too young to know or issues I have never talked to about anyone before. Hopefully we can come away from this meeting with a better understanding of each other and perhaps learn something new about each other. Firstly, anything that is said in here today stays in here. A lot of what I'm going to say is likely to shock you, disgust you perhaps, but will be the truth as I see it. Secondly, I am not going to dissuade you from the upcoming duel. As I told the students mothers a few hours ago Magic herself deemed your cause just. It is going to be down to them to try and persuade you to call it off. I will simply give you my thoughts on it and inform you of some things you may not have realise when you called Blood Feud"

"That isn't going to happen Albus" Harry interjected "I have grown weary of always being the bigger person, always turning the other cheek, letting people walk all over me because it was what's expected of me by others. The wizarding world seems to have this preconceived notion of who I am and who I should be. I know who I am. I'm powerful Albus, why should I let those weaker than myself put me down at every turn?"

Leaning back Albus sighed. "Believe it or not I know exactly what you're going through Harry. It's not easy knowing that you are so far above your peer's ability-wise. When you're mocked for doing something that comes as easy as breathing you start to wonder whether you're the freak they all say you are" not seeing Harry's wince at the word freak Albus continued "being gifted inspires envy. And it creates a distrust in people that you never quite get over. The expectations of people that don't deserve your recognition start to pile up and you begin to wonder is it worth it? Oh yes, I know exactly what you're going through Harry. I am sorry to say that it never gets any easier. Even now at 115 years old people still expect me to know all the answers, to solve every puzzle, to hold every hand as they make their way through life. Despite what people believe Harry I am not infallible. I am not omniscient. But you have to temper those frustrations because otherwise devastation is never far away"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked looking slightly confused. He was surprised to be agreeing with what Albus said. This was not the way he expected this meeting to go

Albus looked at Harry at several moments gathering his thoughts. With a sigh he pulled out the photograph he was looking at earlier and passed it to Harry.

"Who are these people?" Harry asked "They look somewhat familiar but I can't seem to place them"

"They are my brother Aberforth on the left, myself on the right and in the middle my sister Ariana" Albus said in a small voice

Looking up in surprise at the tone Harry noticed unshed tears in his mentors' eyes. Looking back down at the photograph to give Albus a moment to collect himself he said "You look happy. What happened to them?"

"Ah that is a tale I have never told anyone in nearly one hundred years Harry. I am willing to tell it if you're willing to listen? I will caution you that it isn't a happy tale" Albus asked. Seeing a nod and requesting the photo off Harry Albus continued "My sister Ariana was a beautiful child, full of life, full of vim and vigour as my father would say. She was the most inquisitive person I ever knew, always asking questions and never satisfied by incomplete answers. My brother Aberforth was the opposite. He never really cared about the whys, just the how's. As long as he was able to do it, he didn't care. And if he couldn't then he quickly gave it up as a bad job and moved on. I on the other hand was very gifted, everything came naturally to me, so much so that by the time I was eleven I could have skipped several years.

I was ten when it happened. Ariana was seen by several muggle boys doing magic. When she couldn't replicate what she did for them they attacked her leaving her scared of doing magic forever more. My father attacked the three muggles killing them in the process for what they did to my sister. I only wish I could have helped" he finished shocking Harry "surprised are you, Harry? That I would wish death on someone? Or perhaps it's because it's aimed at muggles? Ariana was the most innocent person I have ever known. She was destined for greatness. And she was destroyed by three filthy muggles that had no business being anywhere near her" Albus finished viciously "They broke her spirit, they broke her magic. Because of her refusal to do magic anymore it turned inwards on her, exploding outwards in fits. Have you come across the term Obscurial Harry?"

"That's what causes Obscurials?" Harry asked incredulously "Being scared of your own magic? I could have been one myself! There were times in my childhood where I was terrified about the mysterious happenings that always seemed to centre around me"

"Not quite Harry, but not so far off either" Albus replied grimly "while I have no doubts about how unhappy your formative years were there are a few factors that create an obscurial. A topic for another day perhaps. Continuing on, Ariana became one. My father was sent to Azkaban and my mother, desperate to hide Ariana lest the Ministry take her away for being dangerous moved to our ancestor's birthplace. Somewhere we both have in common actually, Godrics Hollow. Oh no I am not related to Godric himself" Albus said seeing Harry's face "I believe my ancestor was an apprentice of Godric. But as it was over one thousand years ago it's difficult to ascertain the validity of that. You may be interested to know that the Potters originated from the very same place so we may be distantly related.

Life was very peaceful there for a time, while Aberforth and I went to school my mother home-schooled Ariana. And so, it continued on until the very week I graduated from Hogwarts. I was due to leave for Europe on a Grand Tour, something that was very common at the time before you found your place in the world when Ariana had an outburst that my mother couldn't control and sadly she was too close to the blast and it killed her. Suddenly all my plans had disappeared. I was now the Head of the household, responsibilities I had no clue about were suddenly thrust upon me and I was stuck in a house with a sick sister and a brother who seemed to have no goals in life beyond looking after our goats.

I hated it. I despised it. Here I was, a lauded brilliant mind, someone who was constantly asked for an opinion on the things that mattered, stuck at home rotting away. I'm sorry to say I became very resentful of the situation"

The silence that followed seemed to last forever. What could Harry say to that? It seemed like hell to him. He could totally understand how Albus felt. To be forced to live an ordinary life when you were extraordinary was intolerable.

"So, what happened after that" Harry eventually asked

"I met someone who changed my outlook on life "Albus replied "He just turned up one day out of the blue and knocked on my door. He was the grand-nephew of a famous author who lived next door. He was expelled from Durmstrang for refusing to toe the party line as it were, he refused to be held back by those that were weaker than himself and had zero tolerance for stupidity which led to many duels, the last of which saw him expelled. He was also just as brilliant as I was. He was there to gather information about famous artifacts of immense power and believed one was said to originate in Godrics Hollow.

Oh, the topics we discussed Harry. We were going to revolutionise the Wizarding World. No longer would the weak get any say in what the powerful could and could not do, no longer was forbidden magic going to be illegal. We were making tentative plans to completely isolate ourselves from the muggle world. They had absolutely no business being involved in anything us wizards did. We would live in a meritocracy and if we had to use force to do so then we would. He is the very friend I told you about who can Dual-Wield wands"

"I would have loved to have met him Albus" Harry interjected "he sounds like he had a brilliant mind"

"Oh, he has Harry. He really has. You remind me a lot of him at times" Albus replied looking out at the window wistfully

"You fell in love with him, didn't you?" Harry asked "Not just his ideas"

"Does that disgust you, Harry?" Albus asked

"Not at all, I would be a bit of a hypocrite if I did given my own persuasions" Harry said matter of factly

"Truly Harry?" Albus asked "Like many I thought you and Miss Granger or perhaps Miss Weasley would make a fabulous couple"

"Hardly" Harry snorted "Hermione is the sister I never had and Ginny is the fan girl I never wanted. I don't have an Oedipus complex thank you very much either. No, I am not ashamed of my sexuality Albus. I am what I am. Love is love at the end of the day. I am of the opinion that you don't choose who to fall in love with. It's just something that happens to the lucky few. I do feel bad for you though knowing what minds were like back then concerning those kinds of topics. That can't have been easy for you or your friend"

"No, they weren't" Albus said shaking his head "I don't believe however he felt the same way I did towards him for quite some time though. I was infatuated from the beginning. I think it was that infatuation that blinkered me from his worst ideas. Sometimes we refuse to see the worst in someone when you know what their best can be. Everything quickly came to a head though when Aberforth overheard us talking about roaming the world hunting those artifacts and an argument ensued which resulted in wands being drawn and curses being thrown around. All three of us failed to see Ariana making her way into the kitchen to see what the commotion was. None of us knew whose curse it was that ended her life but my friend fled as he knew that his past history would make him the prime suspect. Aberforth however didn't talk to me for nearly sixty years, except for when necessary after her funeral because he blamed me for her death. The only reason he talks to me now is because he knows how upset Ariana would be to find her brothers feuding, which is a great shame"

"Did you ever find out who cast the curse?" Harry asked

"Yes" Albus said simply. Harry had heard that tone many times over the years. It meant that particular line of questioning was over and to move on

"So, you see Harry what misplaced power and delusions of grandeur can do to a person?" Albus continued "I swore an oath after my defeat of Grindelwald that if I could help it, I would never raise my wand first in anger again and I would do everything in my considerable power to not end someone's life. I fear in my zeal that I may have gone overboard with my influence on people and because of my own failings we lost too many good men and women in the first Voldemort war. So, I decided today Harry that that would change. Starting with this school. No longer will it be a breeding ground for death eater recruitment nor I will not sit idly by while good people suffer. Starting with you Harry"

"Me?" Harry asked perplexed "what do you mean?"

"I had planned this year to have several meetings with you going over Voldemorts history to try and help you understand just who the man is, what makes him tick and why he is so dangerous" Albus replied "I had originally planned to space these meetings out over the course of the year but given what you started this morning we may not have a year. Before you ask yes, I know full well you could beat the five boys you challenged this morning without even trying. But this situation presents us with an opportunity to eradicate many of Voldemorts support base at the same time. While I abhor killing, I also know that in war deaths will happen. They have already started to happen over the past year. Now, I had a meeting with the new Minister for Magic this morning. He informed me of several issues which have come about due to you declaring Blood Feud on the five boys. You didn't just declare it on them, but their entire families too. Which means that to end their lines you need to kill their mothers' and fathers as well"

"Well, shit" Harry said quietly "I didn't think of that. How is that going to happen with their fathers being in Azkaban?"

"I am going to try and arrange something with the Minister tomorrow" Albus replied "I will try and arrange an early release for the fathers in question and to replace their bodies with golems. I am going to arrange those particular duels to take place Wednesday afternoon after your meeting with Rufus in the morning. Do you think you can duel them all one after another?"

"Yes, I do" came the reply "won't the families receive notices though upon their deaths from Gringotts?"

"I can use my influence as Chief Warlock to delay them several days" Albus replied "I want this understood though Harry that these are the only premeditated deaths that will happen. I am only doing this to rob Voldemort of valuable resources and capable fighters. Is this understood?"

"Yes, but mind yourself Albus" Harry said warningly "you started off this meeting claiming you were going to treat me like an adult. That sounded almost like a threat"

"It was, Harry, I have already seen the rise of two Dark Lords in my lifetime. I will not suffer a third if I have the capabilities to stop you" Albus said

"Oh, have no fear on that one Albus" Harry said chuckling relieving the tension somewhat "do you have any idea how much nagging I will get off Hermione just over Blood Feud, never mind planning world domination. No, I have no such nefarious designs"

Relaxing in his chair Albus released a deep breath. While he had no doubts that he would win against Harry he knew the likelihood of coming away unscathed was virtually nil.

"Incidentally" Harry asked "did you ever see your friend again?"

"Yes, I did" Albus replied "I didn't see him for a long time after the incident at Godrics Hollow, but I met him nearly forty years later a long way away from here on the continent and I continue to see him at least once a year on the anniversary of when we first met"

Nodding Harry asked ""You had other topics Albus? As informative as your trip down memory lane was, I suspect that wasn't the intended conversation?"

Looking at his pocket watch he saw that it was now six o'clock. Standing up he picked up his wand and the ring and said "You are correct Harry but time seems to have slipped away from us today. It is already tea time so we'll carry on this conversation 10am tomorrow if that's ok with you?"

"Yeah sure, I bid you a good night then sir" Harry said standing up and taking out his invisibility cloak.

The moment he did so the world went dark. The silence was absolute until voices started whispering. The crescendo of whispering became so loud until a bell tolled and the voices stopped immediately. Silence reigned until the bell tolled again. Ten more times they tolled. Upon the twelfth toll the darkness was lifted and the oppressive air disappeared.

Sitting back down Harry stared at the wall in silence. For a good ten minutes there was complete silence until Harry looked over at Albus and asked in a shaky voice "Albus what was that?"

"I do not know Harry. Whatever it was I hope to never witness it again" Albus replied

A flash of fire startled them both again, each of them releasing their wands at the intruder. A dark phoenix looked at them from where the flash appeared, pitch black but with golden feet and emerald green eyes, its wings steadily beating as it proffered its leg out to Albus giving him a letter

"Athena? Has something happened? Is he ok?" Albus asked tentatively as he began to read

Athena chirped back at Albus before flying over to Fawkes and began preening him while they happily chirped at each other

"Erm, what's going on" Harry asked "and is she a Royal phoenix?"

"Yes, she is. She's Fawkes mother" Albus replied "she also belongs to my friend I was telling you about" looking at Harry thoughtfully he pondered his next question before ultimately biting the bullet and asking "would you like to come with me and visit him"

"Yes!" came the emphatic reply "where are we going?"

Albus pulled out his wand and sent a patronus to Professor McGonagall "an urgent matter has arisen Minerva, I shall be gone from the school for several hours. Only contact me in an emergency"

With that both Fawkes and Athena came and landed on them

"Nurmengard Harry" and with a flash they disappeared