When they entered the bearded Headmaster's office, Harry's inquisitive nature was immediately peaked by the various trinkets that could be found there. He was about to take off from Daphne's shoulder to investigate a device that was rhythmically sending puffs of smoke in the air, when he noticed another bird sitting on a perch in the room. It was a rather old, sad looking thing below which lay several red and yellow feathers, apparently the strange bird was shedding. Red plumage, what a show off Harry thought as he stared at the bird.
"Ah Dread, I see you met Fawkes?" Headmaster Dumbledore said to the crow, "He is usually a lot livelier, but it is almost time for his burning day. You should fly by another time to meet him proper."
"Headmaster Dumbledore, could you please tell me why you wanted to speak with me?" Daphne asked. She would normally take a more careful approach, but the worrying message from her father had made her nervous.
"Well, Miss Greengrass, please sit down. As a wizard with a bird familiar I was wondering if you could tell me more about your own familiar. For example, when did you find your crow?" Dumbledore said as he focussed his twinkling eyes on her.
What a strange question, Daphne thought as she sat down in the large, decorated chair in front of his desk, why would he call her in his office so insistently to talk about that and why was he staring so intensely? Let's think, her first meeting with Dread. She remembered her garden and the wand from her mother and smiled back as she remembered how relieved she felt when the wand was returned. Which made her think of the first time Dread ate some of the food from her hand, the evening when Astoria had been allowed to pet him, her sister had been so happy, the happiness she felt the moment Dread landed on her shoulder in the great hall, the prank which they pulled on the Weasley twins, the mission they planned to monitor the stone,…
Wait! What stone? I don't know any stone? And why are my thoughts drifting in these directions? And why have I not spoken in a minute? Then she felt it, the strange prickle in her mind. Alarmed she used the occlumency techniques which she had practiced over the last months, she could detect it clearly now and she managed to close her eyes and break the mental intrusion which she felt.
She kept her eyes closed and took a few breaths to regain her composure. Just then, noise could be heard on the spiralling stairway leading up to the office. A loud knock was heard on the door and the Headmaster said, "Lord Greengrass, what a pleasant surprise, why are you visiting us this morning?" Daphne let out a relieved sigh, her father was here, everything would be all right now.
"I am her to collect my daughter Dumbledore, I am afraid we must leave immediately." Her father answered curtly.
"Oh? A family emergency? I hope nothing bad has happened?"
"An emergency indeed, but I would like to keep our reasons private. Daphne, did you collect your belongings? Why are you sitting there with your eyes closed?" her father asked as he noticed his daughter.
"He, he was reading my thoughts." Daphne managed to stammer.
Her Father stared at her and then shifted his gaze to Dumbledore. "What is the meaning of this, Dumbledore? You cannot practice legilimency on a student!"
"I would normally never do such a thing, however in this occasion it was critical in determining how to handle some new information that has come to my attention. Seeing how you are here collecting your daughter, I have no doubt similar stories have reached your ears? About a certain dark lord returning and making inquiries about Miss Greengrass?" Dumbledore answered calmly.
The normally composed Cyrus Greengrass became quite angry after these questions. "What do you know about this? Are you going to threaten me as well? Is it not enough that last night Lucius Malfoy and his tugs came by my house? Ordering me to comply to the Dark Lord's wishes and hand over my daughter? This is the last time you'll see us at Hogwarts Dumbledore, we are taking her to Beauxbatons next term! Daphne, call Dread and let us leave this place."
Leaving Hogwarts forever? Daphne looked confused at her father. Leaving Tracey? Going of to a French-speaking school? Why would Lucius Malfoy be interested in her and were they talking about you-know-who? Surely he had died when she was still very young?
"I am afraid I cannot allow that, Lord Greengrass." Dumbledore interjected.
"Oh, I don't have the right to collect my own daughter? Know your place Dumbledore, you may be supreme Mugwump, but that does not make you king of the magical world."
"You are right, I will off course not deny you the right to take your own daughter with you, however, I must draw the line at other students." Dumbledore replied.
"Other students? What are you talking about? I am only here to collect my daughter and her belongings."
"Ah, allow me to enlighten you", Dumbledore said as he took out his wand.
Before Daphne or her father could react, Harry felt magic surrounding him as he was pulled towards the bearded Headmaster. He was held mid-air and unable to fly away, an unpleasant pain started to spread through his body and he felt his claws stretch. He heard Daphne shout, "What are you doing? Stop that, he is hurting Dread!" and he saw Cyrus Greengrass reaching for his own wand. But his claws continued to stretch, his skin was itching, his wings deforming and his body growing. Until finally it was no longer a crow hanging in the air, but a small boy with old worn clothes that were too big for him. With a small thump Harry landed on the floor of the office as Dumbledore released his spell.
Harry found two pairs of surprised blue Greengrass eyes staring at him. After all these months he had been discovered, this would be the end of this life. He was a boy again, he would be send back to the Dursleys, his room would be a cupboard and he would be alone, scared, hunted,…
"Allow me to introduce to you, Mister Harry Potter.", the Headmaster said.
"Harry Potter?" Cyrus Greengrass mumbled as Daphne could only gaze in disbelief.
After months and months living as a crow, Harry found it hard to control his human body. He clumsily crawled over to Daphne and grabbed her hand. "Please Daphne, do not let them take me. I can still be your familiar." he pleaded with a hoarse voice.
But when he looked in her eyes, he saw the confusion and the distrust. Things would never be the same again. He let go of her hand and crawled around her chair, hiding from the looks of the other persons and the portraits in the room. He grabbed his knees and started rocking back and forth, hoping that maybe still Daphne would protect him.
"Harry Potter?" Daphne's father repeated a little louder. "How is that possible? He was lost by everyone."
"You are quite right, approximately a year ago, little Harry did run away from his muggle guardians. We have been looking for him ever since. However last December, I discovered him, sitting in his animagus form on the shoulder of your daughter." Dumbledore explained.
"Why did you not tell us?" Cyrus asked angrily.
"I had to consider this discovery and find out how this fitted in the greater plan. Why was he in the possession of your daughter? Was she aware that he was in fact a boy? He did seem quite safe and well cared for. Was he placed there by somebody with bad intentions? You see, I was already aware that Voldemort was attempting to return, he had tried to steal a valuable artefact that summer that would have allowed him to return in a healthy physical form."
Daphne was stunned and scared, the dark lord returning? Her father asked: "What kind of artifact has such power?"
"That would be the philosopher's stone, after somebody attempted to rob it from my good friend Nicholas Flammel, we came to the conclusion that better protection was in order. Which is why I had it hidden in the safest place imaginable, the hidden vaults of Hogwarts. Unfortunately my protection was insufficient, last night Voldemort managed to break in and steal the stone."
"So, the Dark Lord will return in full force?" Cyrus shuddered, "I thought he would be gone forever, me and my family will leave the country at the soonest moment."
"He might be back, but far from his full strength. "Dumbledore said, "because apparently last night the thief was robbed himself, by a certain bird in this room. Our spies in the dark camp report that Voldemort has returned, but did not have the stone in his possession anymore. Without this stone he will be unable to return to his previous strength completely."
"Dread took the philosopher's stone from you-know-who?" Daphne mumbled.
Her father said louder: "It does not matter Dumbledore, even a Dark Lord at half his strength is still a frightening thought. He also has the support of a lot of powerful figures in our society. The safety of my family takes precedent, meanwhile you hide the philosopher's stone in a school? The boy can stay here with you, but I am taking my daughter."
Behind Daphne's chair, Harry had heard this conversation and had slowly started sobbing. He did not understand half of what was happening, he was confused and frightened by the shouting. But he knew one thing, he could not be send back to his previous life.
Throughout the conversation he had felt the power of the spell the old Headmaster had cast over him diminish. When he heard Cyrus last statement, he felt his desperation rise and he overcame it. He closed his eyes and before he could hear the protest that Daphne was starting to formulate to her father, he turned back into a crow and took off. He circled the office as Daphne shouted, Fawkes shrieked and the two men reached for their wands. He quickly formed the most powerful stinging hex which he could manage and fired it at one of the ornamental windows. The glass shattered and before anyone could do anything, Harry escaped to freedom. He took the wind under his wings and flew, flew away as hard and fast as he could manage.