A/N:

This chapter took SO LONG. However, it is the longest one so far and things are starting to get interesting...

Also, from now on, we will be putting answers to reviews at the end of the chapters as we think that some people aren't seeing our responses when we privately message them.

Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and please continue to share ideas for pairings, future chapters and mistakes we can fix.

26/10/23

xXxDoubleKxXx

DavidoDaVinci

Chapter 8: Two brothers, one secret, everything to lose

To anyone watching, it seemed two brothers finally learnt of each other after years of separation. To Dumbledore, it looked like one had finally learnt what was due. Both were told, and both seemed surprised. One through truth, the other through lies.

xxx

Harry knocked on the door.

"Enter." came a heavy voice.

It was the voice of an old man who was not affected by his age, but had lived through a lot nonetheless.

As he walked in, Harry realised how pretty Dumbledore's office truly was. It was a tall, circular room, lined with portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses, all, apparently, asleep.

"Hello, Harry."

It was just as Lily had described. He looked almost exactly like James, but he had Lily's green eyes. So why was it that the person who seemed to be looking out at him through those emerald eyes was, quite clearly, Tom Riddle?

"Hello, professor." The boy was perfectly polite, but there was a hidden malice to the way he spoke. Not the voice of someone who had only recently found out about magic.

But that was just the thing. He had only recently found out about magic.

The story was that he was raised in an orphanage, told that his parents were killed in a car crash, and he had shown immense surprise at being told that he had been taken away from his parents at the age of one. This also made perfect sense. Lord Voldemort may have seen a… possibility in Harry but decided against it.

There was also the matter of Harry's snake. He had written to him especially to ask if there was a possibility to bring Ebony. But that lined up too. Had Harry had Parseltongue, as Dumbledore highly expected after that encounter, he would have a strong sense of security around snakes.

There was nothing about Harry's story that Dumbledore could point at and say, 'Well, that disproves that.'

However, as Lily had pointed out, he had an air of something evil.

But as this was purely speculation, Dumbledore had been forced to conclude that Harry had been raised by muggles, and had found out about magic only much later.

Even this was eerily reminiscent of Lord Voldemort.

Dumbledore realised his mind was wandering and pushed the thought from his mind.

"Please, sit down, Harry."

Harry sat down almost immediately.

"Sorry I'm late, sir."

"Not at all, Harry," He did look genuinely concerned. He was clearly a good person… but Tom Riddle had been a good person too at first.

"Do you know why you're here, Harry?"

"No." He did not look affronted, but he had nothing to say other than no. Dumbledore thought for a moment.

"What was your favourite lesson today, Harry?"

"Potions," Harry lied easily. Harry knew that would be the ideal answer as the teacher was-

"Your mother," Dumbledore started, "Informed me of how well you did." he nodded to himself. That made sense. There was a long and awkward silence.

After a while, Dumbledore spoke with a heavy voice.

"How are you settling into school, Harry?"

Harry thought for a moment.

"OK, I suppose."

Harry wasn't enjoying this. He wanted it to be over so he could- He felt Dumbledore staring at him. In an instant, he redirected his thoughts -talk to Hermione about their… Defence Against the Dark Arts homework.

Dumbledore looked puzzled. He had been expecting something else, perhaps something slightly more violent. But then again, that could just be the uncanny resemblance to a young Voldemort messing up his thoughts. Anyhow, a first year student had every right to think about their homework. An idea otherwise was absurd. Maybe the resemblance was purely coincidental. But that, Dumbledore thought, was a very unsatisfactory answer.

He suddenly realised he had invaded the privacy of a first year student, and instantly felt ashamed. Eventually it was Harry who broke the silence, fully aware of the dirty trick Dumbledore had used.

"Why did you want to see me, sir?"

"Ah, yes. That. Well."

Harry raised his occlumency shields subtly, conscious that he was going to need them for what was next.

xxx

Liam shut the book he was reading and heaved a sigh. He felt wretched.

His mum, Lily, had left for Hogwarts yesterday and he was already missing her. Like last year.

She had accepted the post of potions professor last year, and Liam could not see why. He considered the possibilities for the billionth time.

By going to Hogwarts, Lily cut herself off from her son for nearly all the time. Was this because she cared about other children more? He couldn't see why. Unless… she didn't want to… No. No, no, no, no. But what then? Then again, he was going to go to Hogwarts in two years time.

Two years. Two years and then he could go to Hogwarts and get a real wizard's education. He would be sorted into Gryffindor and his parents would be super proud of him and it would all be perfect. Just in two… long… boring… years…

Somewhere downstairs, there was a knock on the door.

'It must be dad, or Sirius,' Liam thought. Back from their meeting. He grunted and did not register the fact that James had only left ten minutes before. As he walked down the stairs, he had an odd feeling that something, soon was going to change his life. As is often the case with these things, he was correct.

Odd, that.

As he walked towards the door, which always seemed as if it had been replaced, they knocked again.

"Alright! Alright, Daaaaaa…"

He opened the door onto Lily.

"What? Bi-, Bu- I… you left yesterday, Mum."

She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and sighed. Then she stepped inside.

"Liam, there's something I should have told you a long time ago." and she closed the door behind her.

xxx

"Harry, I need to ask you something."

Harry nodded. He had nodded so much. He felt like a machine.

"Could you, Harry, tell me about… the events that have led to this?"

Dumbledore already knew his cover. There was something in his eyes which trusted him now. He believed his cover was true. He need ask no questions. He was prepping him. But for what? He kept the shield up, well aware that Dumbledore was no longer trying to penetrate it.

"Well, er, sir…"

Harry faked a hesitation. Dumbledore smiled warmly.

"Please, take your time, Harry."

He hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth, and started to talk.

xxx

Liam sat down on the green armchair. It looked like it had been replaced, replaced years ago, but replaced nevertheless.

That was the thing about the house.

Everything about it looked replaced. The fireplace was weathered, true, but there was something about it that did not match the basic architecture. Nothing did. It always looked as if it had been attacked, but, try as he might, he could not remember it ever looking any differently.

"Tea?"

He jumped.

"Oh, uh, no thanks Mum!"

She walked in and poured herself a drink.

"Liam,"

"Yes?"

He was keen to know more about this.

"Do you remember when I told you about Lord Voldemort?"

He flinched.

"Yes."

He wanted to be matter-of-fact about this. He failed epically.

"Ten years ago, before you were born, he attacked this house."

Liam's jaw fell open.

"What!? But he surely would have killed you! He always does! R-right?"

Lily nodded. "I thought I was dead. I probably would have been, only he hadn't come for me."

Liam thought about this. Whenever he'd been told about Lord Voldemort, throughout all the stories and accounts and whatever else, he'd heard that it didn't matter what he had come for. If you got in his way, you were dead. Straight up. No coming back for you. A war was happening. People had been born and had died in it. And Voldemort took no prisoners.

Probably.

"Hang on a second, you said that he hadn't come for you… and Dad isn't dead… so…"

Lily smiled.

"You were always one to jump ahead. Just like your father. He was after something very special to me. Something that in the perfect world, you would have known about your entire life."

xxx

"Well, I was raised in a muggle orphanage called Wool's orphanage… I had been told I was left there by a man who said my parents were killed in a car crash and he was going to die soon. They always called him rather kind. He had a missing finger, they always said. And he was also really very unwashed."

"I didn't have any friends there. No one ever talked to me. One kid was always bullying me but I can't remember his name now."

"When I was about five, I did some accidental magic and Mr. Brown, the head of the orphanage, explained what it was. He told me that he could do magic too and that there were witches and wizards all over the world. He even taught me some wandless magic."

"No one ever adopted me. At one point, the only ones there were me, the bully, and a girl who collected seashells. And then I'm sent a letter by owl telling me I've been invited to a school in Scotland, and I was taken away from my parents (who are, in fact, still alive) by this Lord Voldemort guy when I was one, and my whole life turns upside down." Harry smiled. "And I met Ebony. Then I get here and I make new friends and learn magic and there are owls everywhere and… and…"

He looked thoughtful. "... and now I'm here I s'pose."

Dumbledore smiled. "Are there any gaps you wish me to fill in for you?"

"No, not really," Harry said. He thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, I wanted to know… who was it who had the missing finger?"

Dumbledore replied, "I suspect it was Peter Pettigrew."

When Harry did not reply, Dumbledore realised that Harry was not going to ask him anything more. He sat back and closed his eyes.

"Harry," said Dumbledore.

"Liam," said Lily.

They both breathed in. They should have known this years before.

"You have a brother."