The lost child
Lily had almost immediately rounded upon one Sirius black who to Takami's surprise almost immediately shifted into a large black dog and fled the area. He was quickly followed by an enraged lily who had somehow gotten her hands upon a large paper fan and was chasing after the hound much to the amusement of the younger generations.
The members of the order were split. There were those who despite the headmaster having a reasonable explanation for the things that had been revealed so far had a niggling at the back of their minds that something was not quite right. Something they could not explain. It overall had little effect however as this was the head master, The leader of the light. However it did not mean that they would not be watching for other revelations.
The other group of the order was Who were the next best thing to blindly loyal to the headmaster. Obviously what the headmaster said and did was for the greater good of the magical community at large. He was the head master, the leader of the light, the greatest wizard since merlin. The fact that he had been doing atrocious things meant that of course that was the best option and was for the good of those around him.
Albus had been growing steadily more and more annoyed by this event. His plans and motivations were steadily being revealed and whilst he had been able to brush them off, people were getting more and more pointed with their questions. He was just glad that he had the many years within the wizengamot as it was being put to dividends in that he was being able to smooth talk his way out of the corners that this event was putting him into.
08
The Potters and Dumbledore
Things had calmed down and the viewing had restarted. The title showed itself to the shock of those that were within the room. The potters were worried as they had already seen how blind they had become. They had already resolved to fix their mistakes. Albus however was worried about what new scheme or plan was going to be revealed.
Far from Japan, almost on the other side of the planet where a certain ashen-haired wizard lived, a family of four was eating their breakfast. These people, the Potters, were well-known in wizardry society, even if most of their fame came from their relation to Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. Despite that, the two adults had their own reputation among wizardry folks, they may not be as famous as their son, but they were still well-known on their own.
The Grangers looked at the now conflicted family. It was clear that they were having major regrets as well as wanting to fix their errors. Whilst the Grangers could sympathize with their position they could not quite relate with it. This was due to them not having been in that position themselves not that they would want to be.
James Potter, a man in his early thirties, with short, messy hair, was known for several things, the first of them being that he was the Head of the Potter family, a very old and respectable House in Britain. His word was one of the few that held weight in the Wizenmagot, the magical government of England, with those of people like Amelia Bones, the Head of the DMLE, or Sirius Black, the Head of House Black, and one of James' oldest friends. He was also known for his skills as an Auror, as he had one of the highest Death Eater arrest count, the only one having more to his name being Alastor Moody, who was by all means a paranoid and crazy man, but was still far more skilled than anyone else in his field.
This caused a grunt from the old auror. He himself would be the first to admit that he was paranoid, the only difference was that whilst others thought him as being crazy he knew that he had ample justification due to his long history against the dark wizards that were within their society.
While the Head of the Potter House was busy eating his breakfast as if there was no tomorrow, his wife was finishing feeding the twin siblings of the Boy-Who-Lived. Lily Potter, a rather beautiful woman in her early thirties, with long, red hair that reached the middle of her back, had the same deep green eyes than her son, and they shone with intelligence. She was one of the most well-known witches of Britain, as she was not only hailed as a prodigy, having mastered several types of magic at a young age and knowing more about them than most, but had also wed the infamous James Potter. It was no surprise that her name was well-known, as muggle borns marrying into pure blood families were exceedingly rare, the pure bloods barely even tolerating half-bloods. The fact that she had managed to curb her husband's womanizing tendencies had also added to her reputation, giving many witches a role-model. If her son was the symbol of the Light's victory over the Dark, she was the symbol of a muggle born witch's success.
Finally, the last two people were eating while bickering, a sight that made their mother smile. Ivy Iris Potter had inherited her mother's hair and eyes, as well as her intelligence and, unfortunately, her father's pranking tendencies. At least in her case, she knew what moderation meant, and they weren't pranked every single hour of every single day. That, and at least she spent time to learn about how to enact her little jokes, meaning that Lily could accept her pranks, knowing that she had put a good deal of research behind them.
This caused Ivy to blush. She had always wondered why her mother was not as angry about her little escapades as she was when her brother when he got into trouble. She now had her answer and was pointedly ignoring the twinkle in her mothers eye as well as the small smile that was tugging on her lips.
Next to Ivy was her twin brother, Sirius Charlus Potter. Unlike his sister, who was a carbon copy of her mother, Sirius wasn't exactly like his father. He had the same eyes than his mother, with his father's hair, though unlike James' mop, which was an ungodly mess, he wore them long, and as thus, his own hair could only be qualified as wild. While Ivy liked to prank people, Sirius wasn't like his namesake, and didn't see the point of pranking people. He was more of a Quid-ditch fan, and James had made sure that he would be a good player by spending much of his free time teaching him tricks.
However, for two of the people present, namely Lily and James, someone was missing. They knew they had taken the good decision by giving Harry to Dumbledore, after all they themselves had been targeted several times during the years after Voldemort's "death", and James had only been able to keep his two eyes thanks to Madam Pomfrey expert skills in Healing, while Lily had come very close to die from poisoning, having survived only thanks to her quick thinking. They dreaded to think what would have happened if Harry had stayed with them, the attacks would have been far more numerous, and they couldn't bear the thought of having their son killed. So, even if it broke their hearts, they had given him away to Dumbledore, convinced that the man could help them, though Lily had been rather sceptical, and James had had to spend long hours convincing her that it was for the best. They were sad that they weren't even allowed to write to him, but Dumbledore had stressed the importance of keeping themselves as far from him as they could. If only one letter was intercepted, then Harry would be in mortal danger. So they bore with it, making sure to tell their younger children about their older brother, the real one, not the one those awful books portrayed him as, the perfect hero, but told them instead of someone just like them. They knew they would soon be able to see Harry again, as Dumbledore had told them that Harry was coming to Hogwarts for his first year.
"Hey Mom!"suddenly asked Ivy, as she finished her breakfast.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Do...do you think Harry'll like me?" she asked hesitantly.
It was no secret amongst the Potters that Ivy had looked up to her older brother ever since she had heard of him. She had conjured the image of a perfect brother in her mind, and despite her parents telling her that Harry may be very different from what she imagined, she had clung to the idea that her brother could do no wrong.
Sirius had sniggered at this as his sister had created such an idealised image of their brother. True she knew that her idea was probably wrong and was fully expecting it to be wrong, the only really important part in her mind was that he loved her. Whilst Sirius poked fun at her for this he knew how important it was for his sister, thus he tended to avoid the subject as he did not want to hurt her.
That caused both Lily and James to smile, at least they knew that there wouldn't be any trouble between their children when they met.
"Of course, Ivy. I'm sure he'll be very proud of you. You know, maybe you should show him some of your pranks, maybe he'll want to help you." suggested James, who was then swatted by his wife.
"James Charlus Potter! Don't give bad ideas to your children, or so help me I'll let Sirius cook for you next time you're sick!"
That caused the man to immediately shut up. While he loved Sirius like a brother, his skills in a kitchen were abysmal at best, and Remus had often joked that if anyone wanted to discover new magical species, they only had to enter the kitchen after Sirius's attempts at French cuisine. Just remembering the oddly moving pudding from the time he had tried to cook something exotic was enough to give him nightmares.
This caused the black to bury his head in his hands at the memory whilst the rest burst out laughing at the thought.
"Sweetheart, I'm sure your brother will love you very much. But you'll have to be patient, only a few more months, okay?"
"Yup! I can't wait to see Big Bro!" squealed the little redhead.
At that, the elder Potters smiled. They too missed their baby boy, they missed the green-eyed little miracle that had ended the war, their first child. They had spent nearly a decade waiting to see him again, and to know that they were only a few months away from getting their child back was making them all the more impatient.
They had already prepared his room, and while they didn't know anything about their son, much to their shame and anger, James had made sure that the room was covered in posters from Quid ditch teams, while Lily had made sure there was a decent amount of books in the room's library. They had tried to ask Dumbledore about their son's tastes, but the old man had told them, patiently but firmly, that they should wait to see Harry themselves instead of asking him. They knew the Headmaster wanted the best for them, but that didn't mean they liked the idea to meet their son as complete strangers, they wanted to know at least a little about him, to show him that despite leaving him at the age of one, they still cared enough to want to know about him.
Only a few more months... was their thoughts as they finished their breakfast.
The potters were frowning at this as this was the same as what they were going through. The old man would give them answers but they were all vague enough that they did not relay any proper information other than that their son was healthy. This was the end of that. Once this was done they were going to retrieve him as soon as they could.
-Break-
Far from Potter Manor, somewhere in Scotland, in a patch of land hidden from the sight of Muggles by extremely powerful wards, unplottability and several other magic tricks, stood Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To many, it was one of the most renowned schools of magic in the world, and to British Wizards, it was simply THE best, be it because of some nationalist pride, or because the people had unwavering trust and admiration for the Headmaster of the school.
Albus Percival Wulfrik Brian Dumbledore, one of the most famous wizards alive, was currently sitting in his office, writing and trying to finish the bane of any school's Headmaster's existence: paperwork. He was, surprisingly, not very imposing, as one would expect from the only wizard known to have been able to induce fear in Voldemort's heart, but instead looked like a normal, if a bit lunatic, old man.
This comment made Albus angry, Not that he showed it due to his formidable mental shields. He was not a lunatic, he was just able to perceive things differently to others his ability to disassociate himself and look at them in a dissociated lens helped him make decisions that others could not. The fact that few of these decisions directly affected him in any way was naturally beside the point.
He had a long, pure white, beard, and he was currently wearing cyan robes with golden snitches imprints, something that many would have considered a crime as the overall picture was incredibly disturbing, and spoke of an awful fashion sense. His blue eyes were sharp as he wrote, the only sign that despite his rather unassuming appearance, he was far from average.
Truth to be told, the papers he was currently finishing were related to the next year's organization. He had already planned to use the Philosopher's Stone to lure Voldemort in the castle, as a way to test young Harry's abilities. While he could have simply relied on the boy's grades, he knew that they unfortunately didn't show the true measure of a person, as someone could have excellent grades but not be very reactive in a fight, and that was precisely what he wanted to prepare the boy for, a fight, or rather a war.
Unlike most of his fellow wizards, Dumbledore was not so blind as to think that there wouldn't be another war soon, Voldemort hadn't disappeared yet, and while he had a few ideas on how he had managed to cheat death, he hadn't been able to find any clues yet, and as such couldn't hope to get rid of what remained of the Dark Lord. Therefore, and as much as it pained him, he had to prepare Harry for the burden of being a symbol for the Light. This was why he had sent him to the Dursley's. The Blood Wards fuelled by his mother's blood would protect him, and he knew that the Dursley's disliked magic, which made the situation even better, as it would allow Harry to grow up as a humble young man, since he knew they would be harsh with him. It didn't sit well with him to basically manipulate a boy by sending him to people that didn't love him and wouldn't treat him right, but he couldn't risk him growing prejudiced, or too arrogant because of his fame. That was why placing him with Petunia was perfect. By doing that, he ensured that Harry would grow up as a decent young man, and would be able to approach the Wizardry World with fresh eyes, something that he would need as the Chosen One.
The potters and those not associated with the order were glaring at the old man who was pointedly ignoring the glares as yet another of his plans was unveiled to the world. The fact that the headmaster could not see the glaring holes in his plan was more than worrying to those who were no longer blinded by the veil of loyalty and mysticism that tended to blind those who surrounded the old man. No none of them were happy with this revelation.
Of course, he knew the Potters wouldn't be happy with his choice, but he was fairly sure that he could bring them to see that it was for the Greater Good. He could understand that as parents, they wanted their son to be happy, but sometimes the needs of the many superseded the needs of the few. Besides, it wasn't as if Harry would be growing up abused, he had made sure that the Dursley's weren't that sort of people beforehand, and he had even bound Harry's magic to ensure that he wouldn't accidentally harm them and reveal his location, or give them reasons to hate him. He had even sent Arabella Figgs to live in the neighbourhood, just to ensure the boy was properly treated, though it had been almost four years since he had heard of the woman. He supposed that there was nothing noteworthy to report, so she must have been silent to ensure that nobody noticed her. It wasn't as if she had many friends anyway, and since he had sent her to ensure Harry's safety, none of them had heard of her, as he had explained the need for secrecy.
This was why, now that it was time to bring Harry Potter back into the Wizardry World, he needed to check the boy's personality, his temper and abilities. So he made sure to hide the Stone in the castle, while ensuring that Voldemort would hear of it. If he was right, then the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Quirrel, was one of his servants, so he was fairly sure that if he played his cards rights, he would be able to push Harry towards a confrontation with the man. He wasn't so stupid as to openly manipulate people like Lucius Malfoy did, as at the slightest mistake it would cost him dearly, but compulsions, subtle trust potions could subtly change the balance of emotions, and make someone who already trusted him just a bit more open to suggestions. He knew it was despicable, but at least the people retained their free will, and it wasn't as if he was using them for nefarious reasons, he only had the Greater Good in mind.
Unfortunately for him, he didn't know that Arabella Figgs had died four years ago, and that since she hadn't contacted anyone of the magical world since she had been sent to keep an eye on Harry Potter, nobody had noticed her disappearance. That meant that Dumbledore didn't know about the fact that Harry Potter no longer lived with the Dursley's, as the Blood Wards, which had been leeching off Harry's magic, would still hold for a bit before collapsing. By the time he noticed something was wrong, nobody would be able to track down Harry Potter, as MBI had made sure to cover up their tracks in the Muggle world, while the Japanese government wasn't going to let the English learn of the fact that the most famous wizard of the time was now a Japanese citizen.
So, ignorant of the fact that his plans had already crumbled down to dust, Dumbledore plotted.
Two red heads almost flew out of their chairs only to be caught by there respective partners. For lily it was James who caught her before she could assault the old head master and for Ivy it was her brother. To say that the potters were livid was quite the under statement. This meant that the old fool had been consistently lying to them about their sons condition for years and had never bothered to even go and check on his well being.
This was the last straw, any loyalties that had once been there for the old man had now been completely destroyed thoroughly. All that was left was rage. Now all that they could hope was that they could retrieve their son before to much damage was done as had happened with this version of their son.
