A/N: Before we begin this chapter, I want to tell you this is not a bashing story. I know that it will seem like I am coming down hard on certain characters in this chapter. I know that my version of Harry is more fiery than his canon counterpart. Remember, Harry does not trust Dumbledore in this story, he is looking for anything that might be wrong. Now, onto the story.
May 1977:
James was lazing about in his floating hammock, gently rocking in the late spring breeze, a moment of peace and rest after the final exams. His left foot was hanging as he wore a charmed pair of glasses that blocked the sun from his vision. He was dozing off as he basked in the moment.
"J … J … ames" gasped Peter as he ran over to James, drawing his attention
"Wormtail" greeted James before he noticed how panic he looked, "What's going on?"
"Snape and Sirius are having a fit" wheezed Peter
"How is that any different than normal?" asked James
"Snape is using those weird spells of his, he sliced several suits of armor in the Alchemy hall into ribbons" squealed Peter
Fear wrapped itself around James' heart, causing a tight uncomfortable feeling inside his chest and he dropped down to the ground, the hammock dispelling as his magic's intention faded from it and his mind traveled elsewhere.
A rumbling groan ripped through James' throat before he morphed into his Prongs form, the prideful desire to rush to his herd's aid crashed through his system like a tsunami. Peter was attempting to say something but the wind from James racing off covered the words up. The trek from the lake up to the main entrance hall door took less than 30 seconds. He hit the top step and morphed back into the Sixteen-Year-old human James Potter.
Fucking Peter though, who the hell knew where the Alchemy Hall is? They hadn't used that part of the castle since Dumbledore was attending the school. Thankfully the Map told James where it was and he sprints there as fast as he can.
As he arrives, James Potter found himself in a precarious situation. Sirius Black and Severus Snape both looked like absolute shit. Sirius' robes were gone, his sweater missing the entire right sleeve and his tie was burnt. Snape's face has a large gash that went from his forehead to his right cheekbone that was leaking pus already and his right eye was swollen shut.
With a quick burst of courage, James stepped between the two, his arms outstretched to keep them apart. "
Stop!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the dimly lit corridor. "This won't solve anything!"
Sirius, his wand still raised, glared at James. "Get out of the way, James. This is between Snivellus and me."
Severus, looking equally furious, nodded in agreement. "Yes, Potter. This is none of your business."
But James stood his ground.
"It is my business if it involves my friends," he said firmly, "This isn't what Lily would want Snape. If you continue fighting, you will be facing Sirius and myself"
For a moment, there was a tense silence as Sirius and Severus exchanged glances, both seemingly considering their next move.
Finally, Snape lowered his wand, a reluctant expression on his face.
"Fine," he muttered. "But this isn't over, Black."
Sirius, too, lowered his wand, though he continued to glare at Snape with more anger than James could remember him ever having towards the greasy haired git.
"Don't think you've won, Snivellus," he spat
Snape opened his mouth to say something before he saw James' hand on his wand already and instead turned on his heel and stalking away
James let out a sigh of relief, grateful that he had been able to prevent a potentially dangerous confrontation. He knew that the animosity between Sirius and Severus ran deep, but he hoped that his intervention had at least put a temporary halt to their feud.
Right before Severus disappeared around the corner, he said "You will both regret this moment"
James turned to Sirius, who was still standing there, looking somewhat sheepish.
"Thanks, James," Sirius said, his voice softer now. "I guess I owe you one."
James grinned. "Don't mention it, mate"
Sirius nodded as he dropped to the ground on his ass, causing both of them to laugh as James walked over to Sirius and dropped to the ground next to him
"What the hell started this fight in the first place?" asked James
"That fucking greasy haired bastard stole some of my fucking hair and has be using it to Polyjuice into me" snarled Sirius
"I thought he hated you, why would he do that?" questioned James
"He's been using my gorgeous good looks to shag women that would never give him a second glance let alone a shot at getting into their knickers" spat Sirius
James felt disgust bubble up inside his core, "He's a fucking loser"
"Not gonna hear me argue with you on that part mate" said Sirius
"If I had known that, Lily be damned, I would have hexed him as well" admitted James
"Yeah well, bastard is lucky that Lily has you so smitten or he would be in the "remembering their lives" section of the morning post" laughed Sirius
James gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes, Snape had clearly crossed a major line and would need to be put in his place
December 1977:
James stood at the edge of what used to be his home, the smoldering remains of the once cozy modest house were all that was left of his childhood. Sirius and Lily stood behind him, Sirius had tears falling freely from his eyes, crying just as hard as James was.
"They're gone" he croaked, his voice filled with pain and he felt Sirius' hand land on his shoulder before his cousin and best friend pulled him into a hug.
"I'm going to check to see if anything survived the attack" muttered Lily as she used that as an excuse to give them a moment alone.
James' great grandmother was Sirius' great aunt, because like most purebloods they were related in one form or another.
For James, this was a moment where it felt like his entire world had been ripped apart from him, his parents having been killed in a death eater's attack right as the Yule season break began, a strike against the people who were resisting against them publicly and politically.
For Sirius, this was almost equally as painful, he had run away from home when he was 13 before his third year. The Potters had taken him in, raised him, clothed him, … and had done what his mother had said was impossible, loved him.
The loss of them was something that hit both of them in the same manner, an endless ocean of agony and pain, misery crashing against the rocks that anchored them to the real world. Yet on the horizon of the endless dark abyss, there was a burning ball of anger and rage. A sun that burned due to nothing but fury.
"Guys over here" called out Lily, causing them to break the hug and look off to the right. Her voice had called out from them from the garden, the one that James' mom had spent countless hours tending to her, ushering away the house elf, taking pride in working on the garden herself.
Lily was standing over what had been a once healthy tomato patch, but was instead was now a burnt black patch of scorched earth.
Lily didn't say anything else, she simply pointed down at the ground, there was a message that had been carved into the ground, one that froze the blood in James.
"He told you that you would regret it"
The message was simple, yet James could remember where he had last heard it, the throw away phrase that the Slytherin prick had thrown over his shoulder. And this message carved into the garden had been a clear reference to that moment.
"That son of a bitch" hissed Sirius as he managed to remember and put together what this message was a reference to, "I am going to kill him"
Lily glanced at Sirius, "What do you mean? Do you know who did this?"
"Your little fucking friend told James and I that we would regret crossing him this past May after the finals week. I guess we know what the Death Eaters offered him to get him to join" snarled Sirius
Lily gasped and James closed his eyes, he would catch Severus Snape sooner than later, but for now, he had to do what no one in Hogwarts ever wanted to do before graduating, he had to bury his mom and dad.
Present Day: June 1993
Harry scribbled a sloppy rushed set of runes on his scrap of parchment, before he channeled magic into it and it disappeared before transporting over to Hermione who looked at him with a beaming smile before grabbing the parchment.
"That was absolutely brilliant Harry" exclaimed Hermione, "You really have a way with Runes"
"I try" replied Harry, he had been writing with Fleur all year, exchanging notes and tomes and research reports on the finer points of runes. There was a lot more studies on the subject outside of the island and on the continent from what Harry could tell. If he was being honest, he missed his French friend and he was hoping that Sirius and him would be able to remain in the Alley so that he could be close to her once more.
Was it due to a crush? Perhaps, but Harry liked hanging out with the intelligent older girl as well. His time spent studying with her over the summer had sparked something inside of him that had pushed him into a more academically inclined pathway.
"Mr. Potter, the headmaster would like to speak with you in his office" said one of the Prefects, the Sixth Year male Hufflepuff, "The password is Wiggly Piggly"
Harry rolled his eyes but hopped off the bench and left the Great Hall, he could always pop into the kitchen if he really wanted lunch. He made his way to the Headmaster's office, he had been there more than a couple times at this point, so he knew where to go. He gave the gargoyle the password and it leapt to the side and Harry marched up the long spiral staircase.
He was mentally preparing himself for this moment, the conversation where Dumbledore flexed his power as an adult, as a member of the local and national government, his power as part of the international government. He would certainly make some kind of demand from Harry, telling him that he needed to listen to him for reasons that he wasn't old enough to learn of yet.
As he reached the door at the top of the staircase, he could hear the sound of muffled shouting, the wards on the Headmaster's door were failing to keep the loud shouting from being heard from outside the door. Still did a good enough job that none of the words made any sense to Harry, so he did what he thought was best in the situation, he knocked on the door. The muffled noise on the other side of the door stopped almost at once and after a brief moment of silence, Harry heard the Headmaster say "Enter" in a rather polite tone compared to the previous shouting that had been spilling out through the door.
Harry opened the door and found a much healthier looking Sirius standing before the Headmaster's desk, both of them were standing. Sirius was slightly red in the face and Harry noticed that they both had their wands out. Clearly this had not been the friendliest conversation in the world based on the situation that Harry had walked into. He was not the best judge of a social interaction, but there was an awkward weight that hung in the air as he closed the door behind him.
"Harry, my boy, take a seat" said Dumbledore as he gestured to the seat beside the one that Sirius was standing in front of. More than likely, before their shouting match, Sirius had been sitting in the chair in front of the headmaster like any student would have.
Harry took the seat after a moment of hesitation, Sirius was quick to take a seat beside him and Dumbledore let out a tired sigh.
"Why did you call me here Professor?" asked Harry when neither of the adults in the room said anything after moment of silence
"Summer break is quickly approaching and I wanted to discuss with you about where you should be staying" said Dumbledore
"Why does that matter?" asked Harry, "Sirius is my Godfather, I should be staying with him. My parents trusted him to take care of me if anything happened to them"
"I understand that Harry, but you will find that – " started Dumbledore
Sirius cut him off though, "Frankly Professor, do you ask every other student where they plan to stay for summer break or is it just Harry?"
Dumbledore kissed his teeth at the question, "I am trying to do what is best for all parties"
"And what exactly is that?" asked Sirius, his tone growing heated
"Giving Mr. Potter the protection that he needs" insisted Dumbledore. "I have been keeping him safe since he was young"
"You've done a terrible job then Professor" blurted out Harry, causing both set of eyes to drift to him
Harry felt his mouth dry up as he took a sharp intake of air, "Do you know what I thought my name was when I little professor?"
Dumbledore shook his head in the negative
"I thought my name was Freak" answered Harry and the old headmaster flinched at the word as if he had been physically threatened, "I didn't know until I was in primary school that my name was not that word, but actually Harry James Potter. I was shoved in the cardboard under the stairs and fed little to nothing.
I lived off of scraps that they didn't want, often shifting through the trash for anything edible to eat after my so called 'family' went off to bed. I didn't know what new clothes felt like until I came to Hogwarts, I didn't know what it was like to make a friend until I came to Hogwarts. I was physically bullied by my whale of a cousin, smacked around by my uncle, verbally berated for my raggedy appearance as if I had a choice in the matter by my aunt.
All while I did all the cooking, all the cleaning. I tended to the garden in the blistering summer heat, shoved the snow in the chilly winters with not enough layers. Anyone else would have been given the shaft by the law, but nobody ever came to help me. Is this what you call keeping me 'safe' sir? Because you've done the worst possible job imaginable"
Dumbledore had grown pale and paler with each word and by the time Harry was finished, Dumbledore looked decades older than he really was. He looked defeated, he looked like a man who had suffered failure for the first time in recent memory.
"Last year, I sat here and I begged you not to send me back to them. I begged you just like he did and you told me that it didn't matter what I said, it didn't matter what they did to me" continued Harry as he recalled the moment he had lost all trust in the headmaster
"Is it true that you didn't let Tom stay here over the summers? He said you always told him no and forced him to return to the muggle world" questioned Harry
"He told you that?' mused Dumbledore with a soft twitch of his lips, he was quick to hide the frown that had threatened to appear on his face, "Harry, it would have been unfair to Tom not to return him every year"
"Why?" asked Harry
This time Dumbledore could not hide the frown from his face, "Because it was for the greater good of everyone. Tom came from the orphanage, he belonged there"
"Even if they abused him?" asked Harry
Dumbledore winced, "There is more to the story Harry. One day you will understand that I do everything for a reason. I sent Tom back because it was the best option available at the time"
"Even if they abused him?" repeated Harry
"Again, my dear child, one day you will understand that certain things need to be done for the greater good" replied Dumbledore
Sirius's body shook with anger before he said in a low volume, "I've had enough of you sticking that extremely long nose in matters that don't concern you. Harry is MY godson, he is coming to live with me and that is final. I will allow the Order to use Number 12, but my apartment in the Alley will be placed under the charm and only Harry and I will be able to ever see it"
"I know that I have seemingly failed both of you in one way or another, but you both will understand in due time. Harry, you were placed with your relatives due to the blood bond you share with your aunt. I had used the blood relation between the two of you to cast a powerful ward that would protect you from all outside threats" explained Dumbledore, "However, I had never once thought that the threats to you would come from inside. I might seem like a man who has their eye on everything, a man with their hand in every aspect of the world at large. But you will find that I am simply a man like everyone else. I have made a mistake in my life from time to time.
You once asked me why I didn't allow Tom to remain in the wizarding world, Harry. The truth of the matter is that he harbored too much hate in his heart. His hatred of muggles grew every single time he stepped into Hogwarts, I had hoped that by sending him back to the world that he grew up in, he would learn to love and appreciate it. I was wrong as it turns out.
The world has changed so much from when I was a young man, sometimes I find that I don't know what to do anymore. Sirius, I will see you at the first Order meeting in three weeks. As for you Harry, please forgive an old man for being stuck in his ways"
Sirius nodded, and Harry felt a crashing wave of emptiness flood inside of his body. He had assumed that Dumbledore had been in charge of much more than he really was. Maybe he had judged the old headmaster much too harshly.
"Oh, and next year Harry, the TriWizard Tournament will be coming to Hogwarts. I had requested an age line to be put up to protect the younger students, but the Minister shot it down. With the shift in the winds coming, I want you to be as prepared as you can be for what I can only assume will be another plot on you. I do not know how, and I do not know when, but Tom surely has his eye on you since you brought about his original defeat" said Dumbledore as he pulled a tome from his desk and slide it across the desk.
Harry grabbed it and read the title: A Master's Guide to Defensive Dueling by Albus Dumbledore
Sirius stood up and led Harry out of the office
"He's going to fire Remus, somehow" muttered Sirius
"How do you know that?" asked Harry
"We didn't agree to his demands, meaning that one of us will get the shaft from the old man. My parents would do that to my brother and I, punish one of us if they couldn't break the other. It's a classic manipulative tactic used by the old people, you have much to learn Harry" explained Sirius
With the forewarned sense by Sirius, Harry was not overly shocked when in the next couple of days, it was leaked to the entire wizarding world that Remus Lupin, Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts, was in fact a werewolf. The calls of his head were loud and seemingly everyone was scared of him.
Lupin's office door was open. He had already packed most of his things. The grindylow's empty tank stood next to his battered old suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Lupin was bending over something on his desk and looked up only when Harry knocked on the door.
"I saw you coming," said Lupin, smiling. He pointed to the parchment he had been poring over. It was the Marauder's Map.
"Sirius had said something like this would happen" said Harry. "And he said you'd be fired because we didn't give in to what Dumbledore wanted. It's not true, is it?"
"I'm afraid it is," said Lupin. He started opening his desk drawers and taking out the contents.
"Why?" said Harry. "You're the best professor we've had in ages at this post, surely that must matter to someone?"
Remus sighed before he put on a brave face and gave Harry a sad smile, "Severus. I think the thought of either of us being awarded that of the Order of Merlin was a knife to the gut to him. So, he - er -accidentally let slip that I am a werewolf several days ago at breakfast."\
"Snape?" questioned Harry
"Oh, you were unaware" muttered Remus, "Severus Snape is a man who has one foot on both sides of the war Harry. A man with two masters is loyal to neither, remember that"
Harry nodded, "Dumbledore always says he trust him"
"Snape was a key part of the end of the war, he was the one who told Dumbledore that You-Know-Who was aware of the something important that caused your parents to go into hiding" said Remus, before he licked his lips, "However none of us are aware of how he even learned of that or why he told Dumbledore"
"So, he just turned sides right before the attack on my parents?" asked Harry
Remus shrugged, "I'm sure there is more to it than that, but as far as I know? Yeah that's what happened"
He changed topics rather quickly, "Tell me about your Patronus"
"Oh, I've been practicing" said Harry before he drew his wand and thought about the fact that Sirius had been willing to duel Dumbledore for the right to keep him.
"Expecto Patronum" muttered Harry as a brilliant bright silvery large Stag erupted out of the end of his wand and Remus got a faraway look in his eyes as he smiled. For a brief moment, Harry could see a tired teenager instead of the wore thirty-year-old in front of him.
"Yes, your father was always a stag when he transformed," he said. "That's why we called him Prongs. You mentioned not having any memory of your father, while Sirius or I could fill your head with stories, know that your inner guardian is your father"
Harry smiled brightly, but that faded as Lupin threw his last few books into his case, closed the desk drawers, and turned to look at Harry.
"And..." He hesitated, then held out the Marauder's Map too. "I am no longer your teacher, so I don't feel guilty about giving you back this as well. It's no use to me, and I daresay you, Ron, and Hermione will find uses for it."
Harry took the map and grinned.
"You told me Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs would've wanted to lure me out of school... you said they'd have thought it was funny" said Harry, neglecting to mention their fourth member, something that Remus understood.
"And so, we would have," said Lupin, now reaching down to close his case. "I have no hesitation in saying that James would have been highly disappointed if his son had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle."
There was a knock on the door. Harry hastily stuffed the Marauder's Map into his pocket, no reason to give anyone another reason to target him.
It was Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look surprised to see Harry there.
"Your carriage is at the gates, Remus," he said.
"Thank You, Headmaster."
Lupin picked up his old suitcase and the empty grindylow tank.
"Well - good-bye, Harry," he said, smiling. "It has been a real pleasure teaching you. I feel sure we'll meet again sometime, perhaps this summer with Sirius. Headmaster, there is no need to see me to the gates, I can manage"
Harry had the impression that Lupin wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
"Good-bye, then, Remus," said Dumbledore soberly. Lupin shifted the grindylow tank slightly so that he and Dumbledore could shake hands. Then, with a final nod to Harry and a swift smile, Lupin left the office.
"You know Professor, what did Snape tell you that made you believe him?" asked Harry as suddenly it was just him and Dumbledore alone in the room.
"That is a personal matter" said Dumbledore, his tone was rather shy as if he didn't want to talk about the topic.
"I think, it was whatever made Voldemort target my parents" said Harry, "After all, his very soul is stained with the magic of Tom Riddle"
Dumbledore frowned, "We all make mistakes in our youth Harry"
"Is that what you call being a man in your thirties who openly leaks that a man is a werewolf?" asked Harry feeling disgust bubble up inside of him.
"Something that I will have to have a word with Severus about" said Dumbledore
"Do you know how good I've gotten with Runes" said Harry, "They can do all sorts of things. I can use them to teleport things but they also can be used to make things explode with ease if written correctly"
Dumbledore's back stiffened and the elderly man towered over Harry. "You would do well not to threaten my professors in my presence"
"You have given Snape too much of a leash" said Harry, "I wonder what Sirius and Remus would say if I told them that he's the reason Voldemort targeted my parents"
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes, "Harry, you are testing my patience. Everyone is entitled to have their past, their secrets, their youthful mistakes"
"Is that what you said when you let them lock up Sirius and throw away the key?" challenged Harry, "Is that why you had my parents' will sealed? To stop people from knowing that you let an innocent man rot in prison. Meanwhile the man who is responsible for my parents death gets tO TELL ME THAT I'M A SPOILED BRAT WHEN I GREW UP IN A BLOODY CUPBOARD BECAUSE OF HIM!"
Harry's rage exploded and Dumbledore took a step back as the desk in the room exploded into a spray of splinters
"Harry, you need to calm down" said Dumbledore as he put his hands up, trying to get the young man to come to reason
"Why should I believe you" snarled Harry as his nose started to slowly leak blood, his body shaking as his rage grew and Dumbledore's wand slipped into his hand, his eyes locked on to the form of Harry, the scene before him reminded him of something he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Why are you so angry Harry?" asked Dumbledore
"You have ruined my life. You let that man berate me everyday" replied Harry as more blood leaked from his nose as his magic rebelled against his body, his anger causing wave after wave of magic to flee his body
"Forgive me, Harry" said Dumbledore before he jabbed his wand at Harry, causing the young boy to freeze, trapped by the magic that blanketed his body.
Harry's eyes were filled with so much rage and the blood was starting to leak from his eyes and ears as well. Dumbledore could feel it, the darkness inside of the magic that was begging to be unleashed, whether by harming someone or harming Harry himself.
"I really am so sorry that you found out that Snape delivered the information about the prophecy to Voldemort that put the target on their back. But you are not well my boy and I will do what is needed to make sure that you and every other is safe. Everyone is going to say that this is wrong, that this is too drastic of a reaction to this outburst, but I cannot allow this to fester" said Dumbledore
Dumbledore made eye contact with Harry before he muttered, "Legilimens"
Harry's mind as stubborn as the young man was, did not have any mental walls or barriers to stop Dumbledore from ripping directly into his mind. He couldn't change anything drastic in the boy, it would be noticed especially with Sirius and Remus most likely going to be spending the entire summer with Harry.
The bright side is that Dumbledore wasn't trying to change the young man, he was simply drawing up all memories of Snape that made Harry hold such a strong dislike for the man. As Dumbledore shifted through the memories, he was taken back by the sickening disgust that Harry felt merely from being in the man's presence. The manner in which Snape berated the young boy, the lack of actually teaching potions, the way that he targeted Harry and his friends was all seen through Harry's point of view.
Frankly, it made Dumbledore sick to his stomach to experience things the way that Harry had as well. Harry James Potter was not some Tom Riddle Jr clone, he was a rather good spirited young man. Thus, Dumbledore was going to take away these memories that were tainting his mental state and magic. And in return, Dumbledore would leave some memories of a couple complex rune arrays and some advanced transfiguration theory behind in the young man's mind.
"Obliviate"
He levitated Harry to the hospital wing and had a letter sent to Sirius, having the man return to the castle for the second time in less than a month.
"So, what exactly happened?" asked Sirius
"This is something that you might have never heard of, but I believe that an ancestor of yours assisted me in dealing with this once upon a time. This hasn't been seen in a long time, almost unthought of in our current times" said Dumbledore as he decided to go with a version of the truth, "But before wizards went underground, when we were still being hunted by muggles, young wizards and witches sometimes tried to suppress their magic to avoid persecution. So instead of learning to harness or to control their powers, they developed what was called an Obscurus"
"I've never heard of it" admitted Sirius, "What exactly is it?"
Sirius was not overly fond of his former headmaster, but even he knew that the old man had forgotten more things than most of the population would ever learn.
"An Obscurial was a young wizard or witch who had developed a dark parasitical magical force, known as an Obscurus, as a result of their magic being suppressed through psychological or physical abuse" said Dumbledore, "Perhaps with the loss of Remus from the school combined with a home life that is much worse than I had previously thought, Harry's rage and misery had caused his magic to revolt against his body"
"And you think he should go back to the muggles who clearly hate him?" questioned Sirius
"No, he is to remain in your care" dismissed Dumbledore, "I had thought that Harry needed the protection that the blood wards offered, but he's clearly better off removed from that place and I can assure you, he is never to return to that house"
Sirius' anger deflated, "Is there a way to fix him? To fix this?"
"Based on my past encounters with victims of this situation, you can resolve this type of condition with love and compassion. Hate and anger cause it, the opposite will be the cure of it" said Dumbledore, "which is why I leave it in your hands, you can show him the love and care that none of us would be able to. Pick him up where I have dropped the ball so to say"
Sirius nodded.
Little Whinging: Privet Drive
The trio of the inner circle popped into the street in the cover of darkness. The quiet little muggle neighborhood was something different from what they were used to. Midas looked at the perfectly square houses, each one the same two story home.
"It's as if each home is a poorly cast duplicate charm of the last one" said Midas with a drawl that was filled with boredom and thinly covered disgust
"It doesn't matter what the houses look like, it matters only that we get what we came to get" cut in Orion, his large axe hanging from his back
"This place hasn't changed all that much" commented Mercury
"Cute" muttered Midas, "We didn't bring you here because you had fond memories. Which one of these places belongs to the muggle relatives of Potter?"
"They live in number 4" answered Mercury as he pointed his hand at the correct house, the lack of an index finger not surprising anyone there
Orion nodded as he extended his magical sensory and nodded as if it was obvious that this house was the correct one. The faded magic that arched over the house was more powerful than anything he had felt since the fall of his master. He licked his lips as he homed in on the nature of the wards, they were not the kind that the ministry would put up for a young man like Potter.
"Orion, do you feel that?" asked Midas
"No, what do you feel?" asked Orion
"Those are powerful blood wards over this home, most likely tied to Potter and his aunt through his mother's side" replied Midas
"Never took you for the type to be big on ward Midas" commented Orion as the could feel the ripple of the former wards trying to softly push them away, but he poured his magic into the faded wards, slowly unraveling them.
"My wife's family was particularly skilled in blood wards, it's how they kept people who were not of Black blood out of their libraries, kept people from stealing things from their house as well" admitted Midas as Orion finished shattered the pathetic remains of what was probably once powerful wards.
"To think the biggest opponent to the Dark Lord grew up in such a quaint little place like this, makes you wonder" said Orion
"Makes you think what?" questioned Midas
"The Dark Lord also grew up outside the wizarding world, there seems to be some level of desire to be magically great if you happen be from a pureblood family yet raised outside of the influence of that family" replied Orion
"You can think that if you want to, but blood purity is a sign of power and I will not hear anything else on the matter" tsk'd Midas
Orion shrugged as they finally started to walk towards Number 4, all three of them despite their different shapes fell in line with one another. Midas drew his wand and he cast a small muggle repellent ward around the home as they approached it. It would do them not all that well if they happened to draw the attention of any of these other filthy creatures out here that were wondering about.
Mercury morphed into his rat form and he slipped through a small gap near the window above the garden, less than a minute later, he was back in his human form unlocking the door and letting them in. Sometimes, the sneaky yet simple method was the best way to get into a location. They all looked around the home, finding various photos lining the walls. Yet, despite the seemingly surplus amount of still images that they saw, none of them could spot an image of the young Potter boy. No, all they saw was those disgustingly obese muggle men and that skinny muggle woman with the weirdly long neck.
There was no sign of a fourth member living here at all if you went by the photos. But Orion was one of the best magical sensors that lived in England. He sniffed the air as if he was a blood hound before making his way over to the cupboard under the stairs. He frowned as he arrived at that spot, that was not quite the spot he was expecting to sense a large residue of magical energy. Yet that area was saturated with magic, as if someone of magical nature had lived in the area for a long time. But that made no sense, surely they wouldn't stick the Potter boy under the stairs.
"You okay?" asked Mercury as he noticed Orion staring at the cupboard door for a seemingly ever-growing amount of time, a moment too long in his opinion.
"Potter is the only Wizard to live here?" asked Orion
"The ministry's record tell us that he is the only magical being for almost 500 meters" answered Midas
"Then these fucking muggles really did it, they did the impossible" muttered Orion, "There is a thick stain of magical energy coming from this cupboard door. I can only imagine how much stronger it's going to grow when we open the door"
Midas frowned, "Is that important?"
"Think of how much you hold your cane Midas" said Orion
Midas nodded, his cane was part of his everyday life at this point, it was something that he took with him everywhere.
"The magical energy that you've stained the cane with is almost the same as the magical energy that stains this door. The muggles who live here, they must have kept Harry fucking Potter stuck in the cupboard under the stairs" continued Orion
Midas hissed,
Muggles mistreating a young wizard who couldn't defend themselves?
It was the stuff of nightmares that all witches and wizards were told growing up. Stories about the witch trials, the burning of young magical children upon the public displays of accidental magic. None of the men here particularly cared about Harry Potter all that much, but the thought of any magical child suffering to the hands of muggles didn't sit right with them.
"Open the door" ordered Midas
Orion ripped the door open, breaking the small metal bolt that was used to keep it sealed shut. He immediately covered his nose as the scent of magic washed over him. It was a thick strong odor, the sign of a powerful wizard. And yet, it was coming from a tiny cot that wouldn't be fit for a house elf, let alone a wizarding child.
"Is that blood?" asked Mercury as he pointed at a brown faded stain on the back wall of the cupboard, a small brown toddler hand sized stain.
Orion sniffed and snarled as he confirmed that it was blood. Midas gripped his cane much tighter and he looked at the pattern of small faded brown stains that lined the back wall. It was the pattern of a tiny human handprint. Either that or a house elf, but given their current location, it was quite clear to Midas which of the two it was.
"These savages" muttered Midas and Orion found himself nodding in agreement without thinking, these muggles had no idea who they had been mistreating.
Midas waved his wand and his revealing charm told him that there was a trio of people upstairs, all three of them were fast asleep it seemed to.
"They're upstairs. Orion, go wake them up" ordered Midas as he and Mercury banished all of the furniture to the corners of the room. Creating a large area for which the rather fat family would be able to huddle up. The stairs whined as Orion forced the three muggles down the stairs at wand point.
He shoved the son forward into the cleared out living room area and both of the parents raced after him, doting over him in a caring fashion.
"Just who do you think you?" asked the elder fat man, his tiny eyes narrowing in anger as they bounced from Orion to Midas to Mercury
The woman gasped when her eyes fell on Mercury, "You're alive?"
Her shocked question drew a soft smile from Mercury, as if he was greeting an old friend. And in a way he was, because even if he was no longer Peter, he still wore his face.
"Petunia, you've really slimmed down" greeted Mercury, "You were such a chubby little girl and teenager, quite shocking that you let your own son put on so much weight when you worked so hard to get rid of your own weight"
"My son is perfect" spat Petunia as she hugged her large obese son
"I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder" said Orion
"Then maybe she's blind" joked Midas drawing a laugh from both of his fellow death eaters and a glare from the parents before them.
"What do you people want?" asked the elder male once more, his face turning a nasty shade of purple as his anger built up at being ignored
"Vernon, please" pleaded the woman, "They have wands, clearly they are from that lot"
Midas blinked at the manner in which she had finished that sentence, 'lot' was not something that he had ever heard used to reference the death eaters before. It was a very unique experience for him, probably one that Mercury and Orion shared as well.
Vernon growled, "What are you freaks doing here? I haven't seen that boy since I dropped him off in London last summer"
Midas felt his chest filled with a bubbling burning sensation at those words.
Who were these pathetic muggles to address him or any wizard by such a word. That was a word that should be reserved from their kind, they were the ones without magic. They were the ones who were the lower creatures, missing something … anything that made them special
"Watch your tongue you filthy muggle" snarled Midas as he brandished his wand and he turned to Orion, "Let's have some fun"
Orion was unsure of what Midas meant when he said that, but when Midas pointed his wand at the young male and said "Imperio" he felt like maybe he was starting to understand a bit. Midas had underpowered the spell, putting just enough magic to get the spell to work but not enough to ruthlessly overpower the young muggle male's mind.
With any magic in his body, the young man was powerless to stop the spell from putting him under the control of Midas, yet due to the spell being underpowered, Dudley was still mentally aware of what he was doing.
The young man ripped himself free of this parents' grasp and cried out "Dad … Mom, I can't control my body"
"Orion hand him the axe on your back" said Midas with glee
Orion handed over the large axe he used to kill magical creatures to the young boy who was sobbing loudly as he grabbed the axe with both hands
"Please, you don't have to do this" pleaded Petunia
"We aren't doing anything" chuckled Midas before he mentally commanded the boy to attack his father and the boy lunged forward immediately.
The axe sliced into the fat man's arm, cutting through the bone with ease before sliding into the floor as the boy couldn't keep balance with the weight of the large axe.
"AAAAGHHHH" screamed Vernon as his arm dropped to the ground, blood squirting from the wound and Petunia started screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Scream all you want" taunted Mercury, "Nobody can hear you"
Dudley picked up the axe, ripping up the carpet as he did so, before swinging it with all his might at his father's stomach. The blade was sharp enough to cut through anything, yet Vernon was so thick that Dudley didn't have the strength to push the blade through his father.
Petunia was sobbing on the ground in ball as Vernon collapsed forward and the blade of the axe that was embedded into his stomach was pushed all the way through by the force of him landing on the blade, cutting him in half.
Dudley was crying, his nose running before he matched over to the kitchen and grabbed the biggest and sharpest knife he could find in the kitchen and promptly put the blade in his mouth. The blade cut into the right side of his mouth and with the handle sticking out, he slammed his head down and pushed the knife's through the back of his own throat.
Petunia's bawling was renewed and Midas walked over to her to stand over her, "Please, don't cry, I haven't even begone to torture you yet"
"W .. h… why?" stammered Petunia
"Because a disgusting creature such as yourself should have never wrong a magical child" answered Midas, "We don't even like Harry Potter, but you think that you're better than him? You're a mistake that shouldn't be allowed to walk this earth, all muggles are"
Orion summoned his axe back to his hand with the runes inscribed on the handle, "I think I will send Potter his uncle's head"
Petunia yelped at those words and Midas nodded in agreement, "Now, let's get you out of here, you and your blood can't be risked in the fire"
Midas's wand pointed at Petunia before ropes shot out and encircled her body as she started to float in the air. Orion sliced off Vernon's head and put it in a wooden box that he conjured.
"Mercury, dispose of the shit stain of a house please" said Midas as he walked out of the house, Petunia's body floating behind him. Orion followed him before they placed one hand on either side of Petunia's floating body, the last sight before they popped away was the start of a massive fire that consumed the house.
A/N: Wow, would you look at that? 7700+ words minus the A/N's. I hope you guys liked this chapter, again not trying to bash any of the characters. Some of the characters are not good people such as Midas, Snape, and even Harry. They are all doing things to try and get the best results for themselves.
Dumbledore IS A GOOD PERSON in this story, he is just making mistakes. He had a need for Snape that will be revealed at some point down the line. Fleur will be back in the story starting this chapter as we will cover the summer break and the return to Hogwarts hopefully in the next chapter, it might be one long summer chapter and then a chapter for the return to Hogwarts until the end of the first task.
Anyway, I got nothing else to say. Please consider joining my discord, using invite code: GrrZYtd2
Until Next Time, HighKey_Mars out