the power he knows not - nom9de9plume

7/24/2019 The Power He Knows Not - Nom9de9Plume

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The Power He Knows Not

by Nom9de9Plume

Just before his fifth birthday Harry is visited by someone who reveals that he is notonly a Wizard but can also use something called the Force. Will be Independent

Harry/Hermione Chapter 12 now up

Rated: Fiction T - English - Adventure/Humor - Harry P., Hermione G. - Chapters: 12

- Words: 61,914 - Reviews: 1,192 - Favs: 1,791 - Follows: 2,317 - Updated:

7/14/2010 - Published: 6/1/2008 - id: 4292940

URL: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4292940
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4292940


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A Force of Mum

Chapter 1 " A Force of Mum

October 31, 1981

Lily heard James' warning and ran to the nursery to get Harry. Closing the door, shetook a cleansing breath and centered herself using her meditation techniques. She

quickly considered her options. If she fought Voldemort then stray curses could hit

Harry. She knew the prophecy and that no matter what she did it was Harry who had

to defeat the Dark Lord. Voldemort was here for one reason only " he was here to

'mark him as his equal' even though he thought he was here to kill Harry.

She knew that James was already dead. She felt the lack of his presence and knew

that her time had come as well. She hugged her son one final time and kissed his

forehead. Calming herself, she prepared for the next journey. Her sacrifice wouldsave her son and provide him with the chance to fulfill his destiny. Voldemort would

fail tonight, but the Horcruxes were still out there so she knew this would not be the

end.

She turned quickly as the door was blown open. There stood the so-called Dark

Lord. "Lily, step aside. I only came for the boy."

Lily stood in front of him defiantly, "Not a chance. I will give you some advice " Leave

now and prepare for the inevitable. You can not win."

He chuckled at this rare show of defiance. "No one can defeat me, let alone a

toddler. Now step aside or die."

"Die? If I must sacrifice this life for my son then I will, however I will not die. Physical

death is but a gateway to the next experience."

Voldemort was starting to cast but paused at these words. This mudblood was

standing in front of him defiantly and seemed to accept her fate. There was no

groveling, no crying, no pleading " she just stood calmly between him and her sonlooking him straight in the eyes. Something was disconcerting about it and it

bothered him. He shook the doubts out of his head and pointed his wand at Lily and

said "Avada Kaderva". The sickly green light shot out of his wand and hit the witch.

Voldemort was shocked. Instead of her body hitting the floor, her clothes crumpled

and her body disappeared. He was so shocked that he did not see the faint glow

surround the young boy.


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Voldemort paused for a moment. This was sonot going the way he thought. He

heard a sound and saw the boy staring at him. He turned to finish what he came

here for. He pointed his wand at the boy and cast the killing curse. The room flared

with a blinding green light. The curse hit Harry and he glowed as if his skin was

magic itself. The curse was modified and rebounded back on Voldemort before he

had a chance to move. As it struck him, there was a loud explosion as his body

literally ripped itself to shreds and the shockwave obliterated most of the secondfloor of the house. All that was left of the Dark Lord was something best described as

a spirit or life force which fled the scene quickly.

The magic which had protected harry from the curse also protected him from the

explosion. He settled back down to sleep as he heard his mother's voice singing to

him.

/Scene Break/

June 30, 1985

Four-year-old Harry Potter was tired. This day had been like most others in his short

life. He had spent most of the day cooking and cleaning for the Dursleys. His free

time was spent avoiding his cousin Dudley and his friends and their favourite game

of 'Harry Hunting'. He had just been locked in his cupboard under the stairs for the

night as he anticipated the best part of his day " ever since he could remember, a

voice sung him to sleep at night. He didn't remember his mother but somehow he

knew that it was her voice singing to him. Feeling his mother's presence around him

every night made him feel secure and loved no matter what the Dursleys told him or

called him.

Tonight was different though. Instead of singing, he heard someone calling his name

"Harry?"

He sat up in his bed quickly and just avoided banging it on the stairs. The woman's

voice sounded again, "Harry, don't be afraid."

Harry looked around his cupboard into the darkness. Shimmering light started to

appear at beside his cot. It grew brighter and brighter until Harry saw the ethereal

form of a woman sitting on the floor beside his cot.

"Got it," she happily said to herself. She turned to look at Harry with a big smile on

her face.

Harry wasn't sure what to make of this. I mean, a ghost had just appeared in his


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cupboard. He looked at the ghost. She looked familiar somehow and the way she

was smiling at him didn't seem threatening. He found his voice, "Hello?"

"Hello Harry."

"Who are you? What are you? How do you know my name?"

"Well, I know your name because I am " or rather was " or am a portion of " hmm I'mnot sure how to exactly tell you right now what I am, but let me say a mother always

remembers her son's name."

Harry's eyes widened, "Mum?"

The figure smiled broadly and nodded.

"How did you get here? How come I can see you? I thought you died in a car crash?

I ..."

"Harry, please calm down," Lily interrupted, "I'll answer all your questions but it will

take time. Yes, I am dead. No, your father and I did not die in a car crash, we were

murdered " I'll explain more of that later."

Harry settled down a bit as she continued speaking, "I've always been with you

Harry."

His face brightened, "So you have been singing to me?"

"Yes, that was all I was strong enough to do. Now that you are approaching your fifth

birthday, your Force abilities are starting to manifest themselves and I was able to

appear to you."

"Force abilities?"

"Yes, Harry. You are a very special boy. You have abilities beyond what normal

people have."

"But my Uncle Vernon calls me a freak. I'm nothing special."

Lily tried to contain her anger, "Harry, listen to me. You will be a very powerful

person. I never wanted you to live here with my sister and her husband and we are

going to change that now that I can talk to you."

Harry perked up at the thought of leaving the Dursleys. He listened intently as Lily

continued, "Harry, there is much hidden from the average person. Over the next


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month I will visit every night and whenever you are alone and explain to you as much

as I can. I left a gift for you before I died for your fifth birthday."

"I'll actually get a present this year? From my Mum?" Harry asked happily with tears

running down his face.

Lily very much wanted to give her little boy a hug, "Yes. But until then I will be

teaching you a few things you will need to know before you can get your present.

You will have to listen and take in everything I tell you and will have to work at some

things. Can you do that for me?'

Harry smiled and nodded so hard that he nearly gave himself whiplash. Lily chuckled

at his eagerness, "Good. Now I think you need to go to sleep but don't worry, now

that I can appear to you, I won't be going away for a very long time. Oh, and Harry?"

"Yes Mum?" He liked the sound of that.

"Only you can see me right now. People would not understand if you told them you

were talking to your mother. It has to be our secret until I say otherwise. OK?"

"OK Mum. I know this may sound selfish, but I'm kind of glad I can keep you to

myself."

Lily felt tears in her eyes " a strange feeling for an ethereal spirit. "Now lie down and

close your eyes."

Harry lay himself down and Lily started singing to him. It was so much better now

that he knew the voice was really his Mum's.

/Scene Break/

July 31, 1985

Harry woke up on his birthday morning more excited than he had ever been. His

Mum had told him that today would be his last day at the Dursleys.

Over the past month, his Mum had told him a lot about himself and his heritage.

First, he found out that there was a whole society built around the use of magic and

that he was a wizard. While she had not yet let him try any magic, she was teaching

him how to meditate and organize his mind. Harry had found that sitting in a dark

cupboard every night helped him clear his mind and organize his thoughts. She told

him about how some wizards could read minds and how he could work at defending

against that.


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She also told him that he had an ability that was even more rare than being a wizard.

He could use the Force. Lily had also been Force-sensitive and had passed the

ability on to him. She taught him through how through meditation he could connect

with the Force and feel it's presence. He remembered the night two weeks ago when

he finally felt his connection.

/Flashback/

Lily's voice floated through his head, "Remember how I taught you to relax and

breathe. Now listen " not with your ears but with your mind."

She had instructed him to do this for the past few days and while it seemed

impossible on the first day, the deeper he willed himself to relax, he began to

understand what she was trying to say.

He cleared his thoughts and focused on her words. Slowly it came to him. He began

to be aware of the world around him " not just the cupboard, but he seemed to feelthe area around the house and the neighborhood even.

Lily saw the change in his expression and felt his presence in the Force, "I can feel

your connection Harry, do you feel it?"

Harry nodded but kept his eyes closed " this was just so cool he didn't want to let it

go. "I feel like I'm connected with the whole street. I can sense the animals outside

and the people sleeping in their homes. Yuck!" His eyes opened quickly and he

dropped out of the meditative state.

"What happened son?"

Harry's face was contorted as though he had just licked a mothball, "I sensed Uncle

Vernon and Aunt Petunia kissing."

Lily started to laugh and soon Harry joined in. She looked at him warmly, "I'm very

proud of you son. Tonight was a big step. You felt your connection to the Force for

the first time. Now you will never lose it and over time you will be able to strengthenthat connection so you can always feel it."

/End Flashback/

Since then Harry found it easier and easier to connect with the Force through

meditation and he was starting to feel it at the edge of his consciousness all the time.

The connection also helped him with organizing and protecting his mind. Once he

became comfortable with the sensations he felt from the connection, he was able to


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focus his mind more and his progress in what his mother called Occlumency was

progressing well.

While he had not said anything to them, the Dursleys had noticed a change in the

boy. He seemed to be more confident and held himself differently. He still did his

chores, but when they would call him a freak or try and put him down, he would just

look at them and shrug it off. Dudley was also having a tough time in his games of'Harry Hunting' " the boy just could not be caught. It seemed like Harry was able to

anticipate every move.

His Mum had already gone over the pans for the day. Harry would do his chores like

normal and this afternoon when he went out to play, he would not return.

The morning went as usual. No one wished Harry a Happy Birthday. He still had to

cook and clean. When he was finished his chores and his aunt kicked him out of the

house Harry, accompanied by his Mum, avoided Dudley and proceeded to make his

way out of Little Whinging. Midway through the afternoon, he found a deserted road,

raised his hand and concentrated as his mother had taught him. There was a loud

bang and a bus appeared.

The door opened and the driver said, "Welcome to the Knight Bus, how can I help

you today young man? Why are you alone way out here?"

Harry proceeded to sound scared just like his mother had told him, "Please sir, can

you help me. I was in Diagon Alley waiting for my parents when some other kids

started to tease me. I got so upset that I just wished to be somewhere else and I felta weird squeezing sensation and ended up here. I don't even know where 'here' is."

The driver smiled at Harry. "Don't worry. It's just a bit of accidental magic. Come on

in. We'll get you back to Diagon Alley " no charge."

Harry smiled and thanked the driver and made his way in. As he sat down, his

mother stayed beside him and congratulated him on a job well done.

A/N " Well that is the first chapter of a new story for me. I needed to get it out of myhead so I could continue on my other one. I'm interested to see what people think of

this chapter. Is this story worth continuing? Does anyone else out there like this type

of HP/Star Wars crossover?

Please let me know. I will be concentrating on getting the next two chapters of The

Pureblood Conspiracy out before I look at this one again so I value your comments,

suggestions and reviews. I know this chapter is kind of short but I wanted to get the

concept out there and see if anyone likes it.


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A Change of Address

A/N " Disclaimer: I do not own nor make an income from either the Harry Potter or

Star Wars universes.

Well, thank you for everyone who reviewed Chapter 1. I really enjoyed your

comments and suggestions and I will be moving ahead with this story. Now I alreadyhad some idea about just how far this would cross over and here is what I am

thinking:

This is first and foremost a Harry Potter story.

This story will for the most part be limited to Force powers. The force is supposed to

be everywhere so it makes sense that eventually Force-sensitive people on earth wil

find it.

It will be a Harry/Hermione tale. I'm still on the fence about making Hermione Force-

sensitive. I can see the benefits of making Harry unique, but I can also see the

benefits of Teamwork and them having different and complementary Force abilities.

For now, unless I can be persuaded otherwise (wink), I have no plans for lightsabers

So without further adieu,

Chapter 2 " A Change of Address

Harry stepped off the bus and thanked the driver, "Thank you sir, I'll be able to find

them from here."

With his mother at his side he walked into the Leaky Cauldron. The pub was quite

full at this time in the evening and Harry made it through without too many people

noticing. Out back he saw the wall that his mother had mentioned. He found a

secluded place to wait until someone opened up the wall.

He didn't have to wait long. The wall started to open and Harry got up but waswarned to hide by his mother " she sensed something. Once the wall was open, she

saw the one person she didn't want Harry to run into yet emerging from the Alley.

She watched as 'the great' Albus Dumbledore walked out of the alley and into the

pub. As soon as he was out of site she got harry to run and he went through the

opening just before it closed up again.

His Mum had told him about Diagon Alley many times over the past week, but he still

could not keep himself from stopping and staring at the scene before him. It was like


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he had just stepped back into the nineteenth century only without the horse-drawn

carriages.

Lily saw the look in her son's face and remembered her first visit to Diagon Alley

when she was eleven. Judging by her son's face, he was thinking many of the same

things. She let him stare for a few more moments before she got his attention again.

"Harry? I'm sorry but we need to move on. There is more of a chance you will bespotted and recognized if you stay out in the open too long. Don't worry, you will

have plenty of chances to come back here."

Harry was roused from his shock by his Mum's voice. He kept his head down and

set off for the large white building at the other end of the alley. If anyone took notice

of him, they kept it to themselves and he made it to the building called Gringotts in

short order.

Up until this moment he had not been scared. It had all proceeded like his Mum had

told him it would. But now it felt different " this huge building made him feel tiny and

insignificant and he also knew there were goblins inside. Harry was starting to Panic

when his mother told him to focus and collect himself. The sound of her voice

brought him back from the edge of panic and he allowed hi connection with the force

to bring his emotions back under control.

"Now do you remember what to do? Are you going to be OK?"

"Yes Mum," Harry still got a warm feeling every time he said that, "I remember. I can

do this."

With that he walked up the stairs and proceeded inside. There weren't many

customers in the bank at this time of the evening just as his mother had predicted so

he did not have to wait in queue. He walked up to the first teller he saw and looked

up to where he saw the gobbling perched on his chair glaring back down at him.

"What do you want here this evening child?" the goblin asked with a sneer.

"Well sir, I am here to see Master Griphook regarding my mother's will. Since today

is my fifth birthday he should be expecting me. Can you please let him know thatHarrison Evans is here?"

The teller grudgingly passed the message along and was surprised by the quick

response. His manner changed completely, "Mister Evans, if you would kindly wait in

the room through that door," he gestured to his left, "Master Griphook will be with

you shortly."

Harry moved to the door quickly and went through. After a minute an older goblin


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entered and introduced himself, "Mr. Evans I am Master Griphook. I have been

expecting you. Please follow me."

Harry followed the goblin down a long hallway. Lily " always at Harry's side "

remembered her last time in these halls.

/Flashback/

October 27, 1981

Lily Potter was waiting in the Gringotts waiting room for Master Griphook. He was

the manager of the Potter holdings at Gringotts and held a high position in the bank

for taking care of the financial matters of such and ancient and influential family.

Lily had managed to sneak out of the house while James, Remus and Sirius were

distracting Dumbledore. They had just found out about the prophecy and Lily had

approached James with a backup plan should things fail. Both of them knew thatHarry was destined to fight Voldemort and that he would want to kill the boy before

he got too strong.

Dumbledore used his relationship with the Potters to influence their lives " "For the

greater good," he always said. It took James an Lily a long time to figure out they

were being subtly manipulated and they wanted to make sure that if they died, they

would leave instructions to take care of Harry in a way that Albus didn't know about.

What Lily hadn't told James is that she was pretty sure they would both be deadwithin a week. She had been practicing looking into the future with the force and had

been able to see enough images of what would happen to Harry in the aftermath.

Griphook greeted her and she followed him to his office. "Now what brings you here

today Mrs. Potter?"

"I would like to open an account for my son Harry. However it is an account that

should be opened in the last name of Evans so that it is not tied to the Potter Estate."

"May I inquire why?"

"The vault and it's contents will be sealed when I leave today and should pass

directly to him when I die but no sooner than his fifth birthday. This list is the

requirements for the vault and the authorization from James and myself to

completed the work and pay you the appropriate fee. It just needs to be completed

today. "


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Griphook took the list and wrote out his own. He summoned an assistant to take the

new list and they were quickly alone again. He spoke up, "It will be ready before you

leave. Quite an interesting number of items for the vault though."

She ignored the last comment and continued. "When Harry receives the vault I

would like you to personally execute the stipulations in this will. Please read it over

and let me know if this Will can stand up to scrutiny."

Griphook looked over the will and made a few notes on a notepad. He passed his

notes to Lily, "Mrs. Potter if you make the following minor corrections, this Will could

pass any objection."

Lily looked over the suggestions and made all the changes. "Thank you Master

Griphook. I trust you will keep this matter in utmost confidence."

"I will as I do with all your family's dealings with us Mrs. Potter. No one other than

Harry, and the two of us will know of this will until it's instructions are executed."

"Good day Master Griphook." With that Lily got up and left. She and James knew

Albus had an obsession with Harry ever since that damn prophecy was revealed.

This was their fallback to keep Harry out of his sphere of influence for as long as

possible. They knew that Albus was not evil " the problem was that he thought he

was always right and once he had his mind set on a course of action it was

impossible to change it.

/End Flashback/

Harry followed the Goblin into his office. Griphook sat down and motioned for Harry

to do the same. The young boy's eyes were barely above the level of the desk and

his feet did not touch the floor. Griphook cleared his throat.

"Well, young Mr. Potter there is a number of things we need to discuss. The first

being your parents' official will. Since you are not yet of the age of majority," Lily

whispered "Seventeen" into his ear as he continued to listen to the Goblin, "you are

not of age to yet see nor hear the contents of that will. It's executor AlbusDumbledore has reported that you were placed with guardians according to your

parents' wishes and I can give you this key to your Trust vault now that you had

identified yourself to the Bank. Are there any questions on this piece?"

Lily quickly suggested some questions to him. He started with, "Who currently has

access to the main Potter vaults?"

"Aside from myself and my assistants who are responsible for the Potter financial


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investments " no one."

"Who has access to my Trust vault?"

"Albus Dumbledore has access and your guardians receive three hundred galleons

a month. Professor Dumbledore has it converted into one thousand five hundred

pound sterling. All of the withdrawals are tightly monitored."

"I have no more questions. Thank you for your direct answers."

"Very well, let us move on to the next item of business, your mother's Will," Harry

was young, but the irony of having your mother's Will read to you while spending

with her ghost was not lost on him. Griphook continued, "Do you want me to read the

whole thing or just give you a summary?"

"The summary only please, Master Griphook."

"Very well. There is a vault that your mother had established for you under her

maiden name of Evans. It is not part of the Potter Estate so I can give you the key

for it right now." He produced a small gold key and gave it to Harry and continued,

"Your mother also left very detailed instruction on who should be your guardian. First

on the list is Sirius Black, your godfather, but he is currently in prison. Second on the

list is Remus Lupin. We will contact Mr. Lupin discretely and invite him here as soon

as possible. In the meantime you are free to stay in your new vault."

Harry was about to ask a million questions the first of which was why he would wantto be locked in a vault, but his mother told him she would answer his questions when

they were alone and he could speak to her freely.

Griphook led harry to the carts to go down to his vault. After a very exhilarating ride,

harry and Griphook got out in front of a rather plain looking door. Harry opened the

door with his key and stepped inside. There were a number of chests in the room

and a few doors that were all closed. It looked like a storage room.

Griphook cleared his throat as Harry stood there, "Mr. Potter, will you have any moreneed of my services? Do you want me to show you around the vault?"

Harry looked at his mother who shook her head and said, "Decline politely."

"No Master Griphook. I don't wish to take up any more of your valuable time. Thank

you for everything you have done for me today. I think I'll just explore this vault on

my own. I'm sure my mother will have thought of everything."


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"As you wish Mr. Potter. If you need any assistance or wish to leave the bank, simply

step outside the vault and loudly request a cart. Good Day to you." Griphook turned

and left with the door closing behind him.

Harry felt trapped and began to get very nervous. Lily saw that and told him to head

through the door on the opposite side of the vault. Harry walked through the door

and was in a brightly lit well-furnished flat. Harry looked at his mom and she noddedallowing him to go and explore. Harry found two bedrooms, a bathroom, the kitchen,

a library, a sitting room and a very large room that at the moment was very empty.

Once he was done looking around he found Lily waiting for him in the sitting room.

Lily smiled at the sense of wonder plastered across Harry's face. She simply said,

"Happy Birthday Harry."

Harry didn't know how to feel. "Mum, I'm not sure what to feel. You got me out of the

Dursley's and I don't have to stay in a cupboard anymore. But now I'm locked in a

vault underground ...", he looked around at the light streaming in through the

windows, "we arein a vault underground aren't we?"

Lily smiled a reassuring smile, "Yes honey, we are in a vault underground but let me

explain. I arranged for this vault for you shortly before I died. Pretty soon many

people will be looking for you to return you to the Dursley's. This place was designed

to keep you safe until we can find you a new place to live. You may have heard

Griphook mention Remus Lupin. He is one of you father and my closest friends and

one of the two people alive who we most trusted with your care. The other, Sirius

Black is in prison according to Griphook. We will need to ask Remus about that

when he arrives."

"You mean Mr. Lupin will be able to see you?"

"No, I will need you to relay what I say to him. Only someone who is Force Sensitive

can see and interact with me directly."

Harry looked at his mother, "How long will I be here?"

"Well, I want to get you settled as soon as possible. You need to start school in

September and a vault is not place to spend your childhood. In the meantime, we

can get to know each other better and we can focus on your learning more Force

abilities. But first, you must be hungry. I arranged for the goblins to provide us with

the services of a house elf while you are down here and whenever you decide to use

this vault."

After a good meal Harry sat back and yawned. Lily Made sure he took a bath and


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sent him off to bed.

Harry settled himself in the most comfortable and warm bed he had ever been in. As

his mother sang him to sleep, he realized that he was at home wherever he was with

his mother.

/Scene Break/

Albus Dumbledore was in his quarters when one of the wards he had in his office

namely the ward he set on the devices monitoring Privet Drive. He rushed to his

office and his worst fears were realized " the wards around number four Privet Drive

had fallen.

He floo'd directly to Arabella Figg's home and proceeded directly across to the

Dursley's. Despite the late hour he knocked on the door. He had to knock three

times before he woke Vernon. The door flew open as Vernon sputtered, "Where

have you been you little freak? Huh?" He had opened the door staring roughly wherethe Headmaster's pelvis was and once he noticed that his eyes quickly moved

upwards. However that did nothing to improve his mood, "What the hell are you

doing here?"

"Good evening Vernon. I'm here to look in on Harry."

"The little freak isn't here he never came back today. Good riddance as far as I can

say."

Albus was trying very hard not to hex this muggle. "It does not bother you that Harry

could be out there alone?"

"The only thing that bothers me is that Petunia had to cook dinner tonight and we will

need to start to do the freak's chores ourselves."

Dumbledore relied on his Occlumency to centre himself. "May I see Harry's room?"

"Whatever. Just do what you need to do and get out of here. I want to have all ofyour freakishness out of my house." He stepped away from the door.

Dumbledore walked into the house and proceeded to go up the stairs. Vernon looked

at him and barked, "Where do you think you're going. His room was here." He

gestured to the cupboard under the stairs.

Dumbledore looked in the cupboard and saw the small cot. His Occlumency didn't

seem to work anymore. He turned to the fat Muggle in front of him and put a full


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body bind on him. "You kept him in a cupboard? You received fifteen hundred pound

per month for Harry's care and you KEPT HIM IN A CUPBOARD? Merlin, no wonder

he ran away. This is not a home. No wonder the wards fell." He noticed Petunia

coming down the stairs to see who was arguing with Vernon. "And you, Petunia.

Treating your own blood, your sister's son no better than a slave! You should be

ashamed of yourself. Rest assured when I find Harry, he will need to be returned

here but I will be taking an active role in making sure that he is raised properly. Nowas much as I would like to stay and talk with you some more, I need to look for a five

year old boy who would rather be out on his own instead of here with you. But make

no mistake, I will be back."

With that he stormed out of the house and returned to Hogwarts. He floo-called

Minerva, "Minerva, can you please come to my office. This may be a long night."

A/N" I know it's a pretty boilerplate chapter but I needed to set up the first part of the

story. Harry will start his training in the Force in earnest.


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The Case of the Missing Potter

Chapter 3 " The Case of the Missing Potter

Minerva McGonagall arrived in Albus' office a few minutes after he floo-called her.

She stepped out of the fire to find him pacing around his office checking many of his

instruments. He seemed to be very agitated and it looked as though it hadsomething to do with the instruments he had set up around his office. She stood

there for several seconds until he noticed her. When he turned to face her she saw a

look in his face that she had not seen for four years.

"Albus, what's wrong?"

"It's Harry Potter. He's disappeared from his family."

"When? How? Why?" Minerva asked quickly even though she assumed that shealready knew the answer to the last question. She had told Albus it was a bad idea

to leave Harry with those Muggles. Lily Potter had been one of her favourite students

and had remained friends after Lily graduated from Hogwarts. Lily had confided in

her that her sister had all but severed their relationship when their family found out

Lily was a witch.

Albus gestured to the instruments around his office, "These were monitoring the

wards around the Dursley residence. Earlier today the wards collapsed completely."

"Harry leaving caused them to collapse?"

"No, if he simply left, they would have started to drain slowly and would be

recharged as long as he returned for at least one month per year. I had intended that

they would continue to protect him until he became of age. There are only two things

that would make the wards collapse as quickly as they did today " either Harry is

dead, or he no longer considers the Dursley residence his home."

"Albus, what do you think happened? Do you think he's ... dead? If he's not, whey

would he leave?"

"Minerva, do remember what you told me when we left Harry with the Dursleys?'

Minerva remembered all too well. That conversation had gone through her head

many times in the intervening years. She had kicked herself many times for not

giving into the impulse she had after her and Albus had left the young child at the

Dursley's doorstep. She had fought the overwhelming urge to head back and take


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Harry into her own care and either raise him or ensure that he went to Sirius or

Remus. She was only held back by the fact that she feared what Albus' reaction

would be.

Getting back to reality, Minerva looked at Albus with a stern face that made her lips

all but disappear, "I recall describing his relatives as the worst sort of Muggles."

"Once I saw that the wards had collapsed, I went to Little Whinging immediately. I

was told by Harry's uncle that Harry had not returned home this evening. What

disturbed me is that he did not seemed concerned at all. I asked to see Harry's room

to see if he had left any clues behind but when I went to climb the stairs Vernon told

me Harry did not have a proper bedroom. He showed me where Harry slept.

Minerva, it was ..." he paused for a moment.

"What is it Albus? What did those Muggles do to him?"

"I would have never expected this from Harry's own family. Vernon led me to thecupboard underneath the stairs. There was a small cot and not much else. Minerva,

they had been receiving three hundred galleons a month for his care. I have never

come as close to hurting a muggle as I did tonight. Vernon just did not care and

neither did Petunia. Minerva, what have I done?"

Minerva was fighting her own urge to hurt the Dursleys " however both knew that

dealing with them was secondary to finding what happened to Harry. "Albus, how are

we going to find him?"

"Let's get some of the old crowd together as soon as possible. Can you make the

appropriate floo calls? There is one person I need to contact in person."

"Remus?"

Albus nodded somberly and prepared to leave immediately. He knew that they

needed Remus' special abilities to try and track the boy. However Albus was not

looking forward to the meeting since Remus had tried for the past three years to see

Harry but Dumbledore would not allow it.

He created a portkey and felt the tug behind his navel as Minerva started making a

number of floo calls.

/Scene Break/

Remus Lupin sat alone in his residence with an open bottle of Fire Whiskey. This

was a little ritual of his on the last day of July and October every year beginning with


20/164

Harry's second birthday. As he drank he remembered his friends James and Lily and

their son Harry. He felt a responsibility to take care of Harry but Albus would not let

him near the boy.

Remus didn't believe that James and Lily wanted their son raised without any

knowledge of the magical world and he was pretty sure that Lily would have never

consented to having Petunia raise her son. Dumbledore had used his position asSupreme Mugwump to appoint the guardians and seal the Will before anyone could

question it.

About halfway through the bottle, his thoughts would turn to Sirius who was sitting in

Azkaban for betraying the Potters and for the murder of a number of Muggles and

Peter. Remus was still not convinced Sirius was guilty. His own attempts to look at

the court records had been stymied by the Ministry bureaucracy. His status as a

werewolf allowed them to refuse his repeated requests. He had taken his concerns

to Dumbledore and had been politely told to drop it. Dumbledore explained that hedid not believe that Sirius had betrayed the Potters, but the team of Aurors had seen

the end of his duel with Peter, which culminated in the death of Peter and the

Muggles.

He had just slipped into the familiar melancholy feeling when he heard the knock at

the door. Swearing to himself, he got up and opened the door to find none other than

Albus Dumbledore. "Albus," Remus greeted the man, "it been a long time. I was just

uh ... reminiscing. Won't you come in? Would you like a drink?"

Albus looked at the bottle on the table and politely declined. The two men sat down.

"Remus, I find myself in need of your assistance."

Remus was about to tell him where he could stick his request when he continued

with, "Harry has gone missing."

Those four words sobered him up faster than any potion, "What do you mean he's

gone missing?"

"The protective wards around his guardian's residence fell. When I went to

investigate, his guardians told me he had not returned home today."

"Albus, do you remember what day it is?"

"Of course, it is his fifth birthday."

"Why would a child run away from home on their birthday?"


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Albus looked at the man uncomfortably, "It appears as though his family did not treat

Harry as well as they should have."

Remus felt his inner werewolf trying to get out. "So you are telling me that the

guardians YOU took upon YOURSELF to appoint were not suitable? Did you never

go back and check on Harry?"

Albus stared at the floor avoiding the other man's gaze, "I had never suspected his

last remaining family would treat him that way. I wanted to shelter him from his fame

in the magical world so that he could have a normal and happy childhood. Also, the

blood wards protecting him required that he live with a blood relative."

Remus held off berating the man further " there were more important things to do.

"We need to find him. I can be ready in half an hour."

"Minerva is calling members of the Order and we are meeting in my office at

Hogwarts." Albus picked up a spoon from the table and tapped his wand to it. Itbriefly glowed a bright blue; "This portkey will take you there."

Remus nodded and excused himself while he went and got ready. Albus created

another portkey and disappeared.

Fifteen minutes later, Remus was almost ready to go when there was another knock

at the door. Not having many visitors at all, this surprised Remus that he would get

tow in one night. He opened the door to find a goblin.

"Mr. Remus Lupin?"

Remus nodded.

"I am Griphook from Gringotts. I need to speak with you about a sensitive and highly

confidential matter."

"I'm sorry but this is not the right time. A child has gone missing and I need to try and

find him."

"Mr. Lupin, it is imperative that we talk right now. I will only take a few minutes of

your time." Griphook knew that Lupin would change his plans once he heard what

the goblin had to say.

Remus invited the Goblin in to hear what he had to say.

/Scene Break/


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Albus arrived back at his office to find Minerva drawing up plans for a search. She

looked up at him and said, "I've managed to contact the Weasleys, Mundungus

Fletcher, Emmeline Vance, Hagrid and Alastor Moody. Are you sure you don't want

to contact the DMLE or the muggle police?"

Albus shook his head, "No. We have to keep this quiet. There would be a great

public outcry if the DMLE went public with this news and I'm not sure Harry'srelatives would survive the week. If we involved the muggle police, then they would

investigate the Dursleys and Child Services would get involved."

"Don't you think Child Services should be involved?"

"No. Harry will have to go back to the Dursleys if I can reestablish the blood wards

around the house," he saw the look on her face and continued, "I will talk with the

Dursleys to ensure that Harry is treated properly from now on."

"Albus, you failed at that the first time around. Why do you think you will succeed thesecond time?"

"I must try. It is the best protection we can offer the boy."

Minerva shook her head. Sometimes Albus could be very stubborn and set in his

ways. She looked up at him, "You realize Molly will be here soon."

Albus nodded and prepared himself mentally for the 'live howler'.

/Scene Break/

"So let me get this straight, Harry is currently at Gringotts and I have been named his

guardian by a Will which Lily left with you days before she died?" Griphook had just

told Remus about the Will.

"That is correct. Remember the Will is very clear that this information is confidential

and cannot be revealed to anyone " especially Albus Dumbledore. The only other

person specifically mentioned in the will is Sirius Black."

"Thank you for coming so quickly Griphook. Will Harry be OK tonight?"

"Mrs. Potter arranged for the vault to have a furnished two bedroom flat. He has the

services of a house elf and is quite secure where he is. There are no spells which

can detect him and nothing which can harm him."

"Very well. I will be around first thing in the morning. Until then, I need to so some


23/164

misdirection of my own."

Griphook got up and Remus saw him to the door. "Please ask for me when you

arrive in the morning Mr. Lupin. I am the only one who can grant you access to the

vault other than Mr. Evans." Remus could have sworn the goblin just winked.

After seeing Griphook off, Remus walked back to his room. He finished getting ready

to join the search party but first he waved his wand and his few possessions flew

across the room and were packed in his trunk. He shrunk it and put it in his pocket.

He had the feeling he would be the next to disappear.

As he grabbed the portkey, he paused for a moment. Remus had a huge grin on his

face and nearly burst out laughing. He hadn't felt like this since the Marauders were

together. Imagine after all these years, with Lily's help he was going to prank the

Headmaster once more.

He focused on his Occlumency skills and clamed his expression. Using his wand hetapped the portkey and set off for Hogwarts.

/Scene Break/

Far underneath London, a small boy was resting peacefully for the first time in years.

He was in a warm, comfortable bed, he had his mother near him and his birthday

was the most exciting one he could remember.

As he slept a deep and relaxing sleep he had no idea how many people would notsleep this night because of him.

/Scene Break/

Remus arrived at the Headmasters office and immediately wished someone had

turned down the volume. Molly was in full Weasley matriarch mode and was berating

Albus for leaving Harry with such horrid people.

Seeing Remus, Albus managed to distract Molly as he spoke to the new arrival,"Remus, I'm glad you arrived, you remember Molly and Arthur?"

The old friends greeted each other warmly.

Albus continued, "Remus, we need your tracking abilities tonight before the trail

goes cold. We are all going to floo to a house close to Harry's relatives. Mrs.

Arabella Figg has been watching the neighbourhood for me. She is a squib."


24/164

As they came out of the floo and walked towards number four, Albus explained to

Remus how other members of the order were checking the muggle police

departments and hospitals as well as keeping an eye on Diagon Alley and St.

Mungo's.

Remus immediately picked up a slight trace of Harry's aura and proceeded to follow

it. It led them through Little Whinging and out to a road just outside of town and itended. Remus also felt the very slight trace of magical transportation. His condition

mad him more sensitive to the traces people left behind including magical traces.

"It's disappeared," he said to the group. "He came this far and now the trail runs

cold. I've never experienced anything like it. How could he just disappear? Albus,

would he know how to apparate?"

"No, he was raised outside the magical world."

Molly looked, "He doesn't even know he's a wizard? In Merlin's name Albus, whynot?" She looked like she had another 'live' howler coming on.

Albus put up his hands, "Molly I wanted him to have a normal childhood. He would

have not had a chance at having that if he was exposed to the magical world and his

place in it."

Remus put on a quizzical face, "What if he came out here and was so scared that he

apparated accidentally? I mean, it's not unheard of and I remember he had some

powerful bouts of accidental magic when he was a baby."

Albus thought for a moment, "Yes, that is a possibility and one that we can work on.

It will be next to impossible to find where he went, however. Remus, you look tired,

perhaps you should go home. I will contact you in the morning."

Remus was used to this. He didn't need to be a Legilimens to understand that he

had now served his useful purpose and Dumbledore wanted him out of the way.

There was not way Albus wanted the last of the Marauders to find Harry first. "The

old man is right about one thing," he thought, "Once I get to Harry, he will be out ofDumbledore's influence until he has to go to school."

Remus nodded silently to the man and apparated home. One he had left, Albus

turned to the Weasleys and said, "Now, if he didn't apparate, where would he have

gone?"

/Scene Break/


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Remus arrived back at his front door. He'd get some sleep and get leave around

nine. Albus would undoubtedly have a spy watching the house and Remus could not

break his routine. Leaving too early would be suspicious.

/Scene Break/

The next morning Harry got up bright and early. He felt more refreshed than he ever

had. He was able to wake up on his own and he didn't have Uncle Vernon screaming

for breakfast. He got up and experienced the freedom of being able to go to the

bathroom without someone unlocking his 'room' for him first.

He put on a dressing gown he found in the washroom and walked into the kitchen.

Calling the house elf, he politely asked for some breakfast and his offers of help

were declined. Breakfast was pancakes with real maple syrup (Harry had read about

it but had never tried it. It was very good), bacon, orange juice and milk. He ate more

than he had ever been allowed in one day " let alone one sitting.

Harry was excited. His mother said they would try some more Force exercises this

morning before Mr. Lupin arrived.

Lily had Harry sit cross-legged on the couch in the sitting room and begin his

meditation exercises. His breathing slowed and he reached out with the force.

"Now Harry I want you to let your mind reach out into Diagon Alley and tell me what

you see."

"I, I see the people in the Alley. There aren't to many of them. But they feel different

than the people on Privet drive."

"Honey, how do they feel different? I want you to explain what you mean."

"It's hard to describe. The best word I can think of is pressure. They feel like there is

a pressure inside them trying to get out. Some feel like they have more pressure

than others."

"Very good Harry. You've just sensed the magic inside witches or wizards. The more

powerful the magic inside the wizard or witch, the more powerful the feeling will be.

Practice this as much as you can. If you can sense the magical auras you will be

able to tell if a wizard is sneaking up on you."

Harry came out of his meditation and smiled at his Mum. The Force was really cool.

He could hardly wait to learn more.


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"Now Harry, meditate some more." She winked at him; "you picked up that quickly so

let's try something new."

Harry once again fell into his meditative state. He started to reach out again but his

mother stopped him. "Harry, I want you to concentrate on the vase on the table.

Visualize it. Remember keep your eyes closed. Do you see it?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now I want you to think about the vase, every bit of it. Now try reaching out

with your mind to the vase and lifting it off the table. And holding it there."

Harry tried to do exactly as his mother told him. This was hard. Lily said, "Harry you

are trying to hard honey. Let the Force do it for you. I know that sounds a lot simpler

than it actually is but it's the best way I know to tell you. You have to find the feeling

for yourself through your own connection with the Force."

Harry stopped trying and fell back into his breathing. He reached out to the vase

once more and tried to figure out how to follow his mother's advice. He felt the force

around him. Suddenly he felt it flowing around him.

Lily watched and felt as her son discovered the Force around him. After a while she

knew he found what he was looking for. The vase shook and slowly lifted up in the

air. It rose about a half meter and stayed there. Lily was overjoyed.

"Very good Harry. Now try and lower it back to the table slowly."

Harry concentrated on his mother's voice and slowly lowered the vase. As soon as it

touched the table he jumped up yelling, "I did it!"

Lily looked at him proudly, "Yes Harry you did very well. I'm pleased and a little

surprised that you would be able to do it that well on the first try. You showed a lot of

determination and concentration."

"Well, I didn't want to disappoint you."

"Harry," Lily looked at her son and for the thousandth time wished that she could

give him a hug, "as long as you try your best you will never disappoint me. You will

always be my son and I will always love you."

Harry had tears in his eyes. He wasn't used to being loved. "Mum?"

"Yes honey?"


27/164

"I just wanted to say that yesterday was the best birthday I ever had. I'm living with

my Mum again and I'm away from Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley. Thank

you."

"Harry, you don't need to thank me. I'm your mum and I would do anything for my

little boy."

Their moment was interrupted by an announcement from the house elf, "Mr. Evans,

a Mr. Lupin is here to see you."

A/N " First of all, thanks again to everyone who took the time to review this story. As

always, I appreciate your comments and suggestions.


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Nature or Nurture

A/N " Sorry for the long wait. My summer's been pretty busy and I had to get some

chapters done for my other story.

Chapter 4 " Nature or Nurture

Harry prepared himself and walked out of the flat and into the main room of the vault

He looked at his mum and she smiled and nodded her head at him. When he

opened the vault door he saw Master Griphook and a man dressed in worn clothing.

The man had an overall tired appearance, but his eyes sprung to life when he saw

Harry.

Lupin for his part still wasn't sure about this whole thing until the vault opened and

he saw a small version of James with Lily's eyes. He made a silent vow to his friends

that he would be there to protect Harry from now on.

Both the boy and the man stared at each other for a few seconds. Remus broke the

silence, "Harry?"

"Yes sir. Are you Mr. Remus Lupin?"

"Yes I am. And please call me Remus or Moony."

Harry thought Moony was a very strange name but he would ask about that later.

"Please come in. It may not look like much here, but there is a flat through that door."Harry pointed to the far side of the room and continued, "Master Griphook, you are

welcome to join us if you wish."

"Thank you Mr. Potter but my duties call me elsewhere. Perhaps another time."

"Thank you for bringing Mr. Lupin and handling these matters with the utmost

discretion." Griphook turned and left and Harry closed the vault door. He led Remus

to the flat. The elves had prepared tea and light snacks and put them in the sitting

room. Harry had an orange juice.

The two sat across from each other in awkward silence. Remus had no idea what to

say to the young boy and Harry was a little uncomfortable talking to strangers.

Remus finally broke the silence, "It is so good to see you. I last saw you a couple of

days before that Halloween. I've tried to see you many times, but I wasn't able to get

past Dumbledore " you probably don't even know who he is."


29/164

"He's the wizard who kept me from you and Sirius and put me in with the Dursleys."

"How did you know that? For that matter, how did you know how to come to

Gringotts on your fifth birthday? How did you get here?"

Harry looked nervously at Lily. She looked at him and nodded, "Go ahead you can

tell him."

"Moony you are going to find this hard to believe but my mum told me."

/Scene Break/

Albus Dumbledore returned to his office around mid-morning. He had been out all

night with members of the Order looking for Harry to no avail. Minerva and Molly had

been with him all night while they had been searching for the boy. Both of the women

were steadfastly against Harry being placed back in the 'care' of his relatives.

"They just don't understand," thought Albus, "no one does." Only Albus understood

why Harry had to go back to the Dursleys because only Albus carried the weight of

doubt as to whether he was to blame for the rise of the worst Dark Lord since

Grindelwald.

Albus had been troubled by the metamorphosis of Tom Riddle to Lord Voldemort and

the part he may have inadvertently played in it. The question that caused Albus more

sleepless nights than he could remember was whether Tom Riddle had been born

evil or if learnedit through his upbringing.

This distinction was very important to Albus. He knew of Tom Riddle's birth when it

was recorded in the school register of future students. When he first visited Tom at

the orphanage, he briefly considered raising his case to the Magical children's

authority to have him placed in a magical home, as was the custom at the time. He

made a split second decision against it since Tom seemed to be comfortable at the

orphanage. Throughout Tom's school years, Albus had insisted that Tom continue to

go back to the orphanage even though the boy wanted a different home.

Looking back years later in the midst of people dying and darkness sweeping across

magical England, Albus wondered if he had made the right decisions when it came

to Tom Riddle.

The prophecy and the subsequent death of the Potters and the rise of the legend of

the boy-who-lived provided Albus with the 'Golden Opportunity' he was looking for.

He would do everything he could to put Harry in a non-magical home where he

would not necessarily be loved but not abused. He would control Harry's access to


30/164

the magical world and place many of the same restrictions on this orphan as he did

with another so many years ago.

Harry was prophesized as the one to kill Voldemort so he had to fight for the side of

the light. If he had a similar upbringing to Tom and turned out to be a light wizard

then Albus would be redeemed. If Harry turned out to be dark after fifth year (the

same year Tom really started delving in the dark arts) then Albus would take steps toeliminate the threat before a new dark lord became too powerful.

Harry had to go back to his relatives in order for this to work. Albus did not want to

see the boy physically abused, but it was paramount that Harry grew up in a

household devoid of love.

He knew this was not fair to the young boy. However the in order to defeat evil,

certain sacrifices had to be made for the 'Greater Good'. No one else knew of this

plan " for it to work no one else could.

It was important that he be found before the variables in this little experiment

changed too much to completely ruin it.

"This is too important to me," thought Albus anxiously, "I just need to know."

/Scene Break/

Remus looked at Harry with a worried expression. He had just mentioned that Lily

had talked to him but that was impossible. Maybe the conditions at his relatives wereso bad that Harry had imagined his mother to be real. However that did not explain

how Harry ended up in London and finding his way to Diagon Alley and Gringotts

and that he knew to ask for Griphook.

"Harry," Remus started in what he hoped was his kindest, most gentle voice, "What

did you mean when you said your mum told you? You do know that she has been

dead for close to four years?"

"Mr. Lupin, I know my mother is dead," Harry started his explanation getting tipsalong the way from Lily, "But just because her body is dead, it doesn't mean her

spirit is."

"What do you mean Harry?"

"Do you remember my mum having 'special' powers that made her different from

other witches and wizards?"


31/164

"Yes," Remus said in a very hesitant way. Lily had shared her force powers with him

and James and swore them to secrecy. Not even Sirius or Peter knew about them.

Sirius didn't because Lily wanted him to keep guessing on how she always got the

better of him and Peter because she didn't trust him. But how would Harry know?

"Well, when that mean Mr. Voldemort attacked our house that Halloween, mum knew

she was going to die as soon as she felt dad die. She started meditating andopening up her connection to the Force. Let me ask you a question, they never

found her body did they?"

"No, we searched for a few days but there was not trace of her. We even found parts

of Voldemort's body, but nothing of Lily."

"Well, the reason you didn't find anything was that when the killing curse hit her, she

used her connection with the force to become a part of it. She is like a spirit or ghost

right now. I can see her and talk to her because I am Force-sensitive like she was.

She's already started training me."

"Lily?" Remus asked without even thinking. He was in shock that one of his dear

friends could still be around. "Can you hear me?"

"She can hear you Mr. Lupin, but unfortunately you can't hear or see her."

"This is very strange. I lost all my close friends that Halloween. To know that one of

them is still around ..." he paused, unable to continue.

"Mr. Lupin? My mum doesn't want you to be sad. She says she has so many

questions, but I think I'll ask one of my own first. Why do you want me to call you

Moony? It seems like a funny name."

Remus shook himself out of his melancholy and looked at the inquisitive boy in front

of him. Without a doubt those eyes were Lily's " they could bore right through him

ust like hers could. "Well Harry, I was part of a group of four friends at Hogwarts.

There was your father, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and myself. We were

inseparable and called our group 'The Marauders'. We all had nicknames " your dadwas Prongs, Sirius was Padfoot, Peter was Wormtail and I was Moony. You see, my

three friends became Animagii " wizards who can transform themselves into

animals. Prongs was a stag, Padfoot was a dog and Wormtail was a rat. I got the

name Moony because I have a special condition." Remus tensed up and was about

to continue when Harry spoke up.

"Mum already explained to me that you are a werewolf. Don't worry about it Mr. " um,

I mean Moony," Harry got a grin on his face, "if mum trusts you then I do too. I guess


32/164

"Moony" comes from the full moon then."

Remus relaxed " this polite boy was starting to grow on him. "Yes, that's where it

comes from."

Harry proceeded to relay Lily's questions to Moony. Moony explained about Sirius

going after Peter and his imprisonment and that Peter was most likely killed along

with the muggles. He was shocked to learn from her that Peter was their secret

keeper and he had to have been the one who betrayed them. Moony told them of his

failed attempts at getting information on Sirius' trial and imprisonment because of the

werewolf laws. He finished with his frustration with Albus keeping him away from

Harry since that night. They ended up talking for about three hours as Lily and

Remus caught up and Harry learned a lot about his parents, their friends and the

magical world in general.

Remus got over the initial awkwardness quickly as he realized that he was actually

talking to Lily. He could tell the difference between a question Harry would ask on his

own and one his mother asked " they sounded just so much like they came from his

old friend that it had to be her.

Over lunch the conversation started to die down and Harry asked the question he

had been patiently waiting to ask. In spite of everything he learned this morning he

was very nervous. "Um, Moony. There are a couple of questions I want to ask you."

Moony looked up at him and smiled a warm smile. His werewolf senses picked up

the boy's nervousness. "Harry, you can ask me anything."

"Well, first I really like you. Even though you are not related to me, can I call you

Uncle Moony? My other uncle doesn't like me and I kind of want an uncle who does."

Remus was speechless. This was more than he was expecting from his first meeting

with Harry. Instead of answering he got up and walked over to Harry and enveloped

him in a big hug. "Yes, I would be very proud to be your Uncle Moony."

Harry was overcome with unfamiliar emotions. He could not remember ever beinggiven a loving hug. It was a weird feeling but he decided that he kind of liked it. He

tentatively wrapped his arms around Moony and found himself hugged even tighter.

By the time they broke off, both had tears freely running down their cheeks.

Wiping his face Remus asked, "Harry did you have another question?"

Harry looked at his new uncle. This was the tough one and the one he was most

scared about. "Well, I really don't like Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Mum's will


33/164

said I should be living with you or Sirius. I know Sirius can't take me in, and I was

wondering, ..." His question drifted off. He was scared of finishing in case Moony

said no.

"Harry I've been trying to see you for close to four years. We've finally met and I for

one do not want to lose you again. I want to be your new guardian as directed in

your mother's will but only if you want to live with me from now on."

Harry had started pacing nervously during this time looked up at Remus with pure

oy spread across his face. He ran the few steps to the old Marauder and jumped

into his arms. "Of course I want to live with you."

Lily looked at the two with a huge smile on her face. She was so happy for her son.

He would soon have a new home and he would be with one of the few people she

would trust with his care.

Once Harry and Remus had calmed down they went back to the sitting room. "WellHarry," Remus started, "the first thing we need to do is find a place to live. My

current place is a bit ... sparse and I don't have a lot of money."

Harry listened to what his mum told him to answer. Remus had noticed these short

pauses and had worked out the Harry was getting information from Lily.

"Uncle Moony, my mum says not to worry about that. Once the goblins process the

change of guardianship, you will start receiving the three hundred galleons per

month from the Potter Family that my former guardians were receiving. In addition,the Evans vault which my guardian and myself and have access to has more than

enough money for us to buy a nice place to live. Mum also told me that you could

purchase all the Wolfsbane potion you need. Before you protest, this is not just my

money " this is our money. Mum and dad set this up for either you or Sirius to take

care of me and for us to be able to use the money for what we need." He paused

again and giggled, "Oh, mum says that you will withdraw some money and buy

yourself a new wardrobe. She will not have her son's guardian dressing in old worm

out robes."

Remus took this all in and started laughing. Harry certainly inherited a lot from his

mother. "OK, OK, you win. Now let's talk about where we want to live."

/Scene Break/

Minerva McGonagall sat in her office at Hogwarts stewing in her own thoughts. Just

what was Albus thinking leaving Harry with those pathetic excuses for a family? He

had never checked up on Harry and was still insistent that Harry was going back


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there once he was found.

Minerva shuddered and thought about the future carefully. She had never openly

defied Dumbledore on anything. While his plans were sometimes very obscure, they

almost always ended up with the right result but that was also one of Albus' greatest

failings " he focused too much on the result and not enough on the cost of getting

there.

But the thought of returning the boy to that environment after he had already been

through so much was abhorrent to her. In the end it wasn't really a tough decision "

she would do whatever it took to ensure Harry Potter has a safe and loving home.

He would not be a simple statistic in the quest for the 'Greater Good' that Albus

always defended his actions with.

/Scene Break/

Harry and Remus talked through the afternoon deciding on where to look for a newhome for the two of them. Remus and Harry (with the approval of Lily, of course) had

decided to check out a number of muggle and magical neighbourhoods around

England and choose whatever 'felt right' to them. They would be starting their search

tomorrow since Remus agreed with Lily and wanted to be sure Harry was settled

and enrolled for school in September.

Lily wanted her son to spend at least a few years in public school to get used to

being around other kids and how to get along with different types of people. She was

going to continue her training of Harry in the use of the force and Remus would giveHarry an introduction to the magical world and get started on certain areas of study

that did not require the use of magic. With the exception of accidental magic, a

child's magic is too chaotic to really be controlled until they reach their first magical

maturity between the ages of seven and nine. Lily thought that with the meditation

and control the Force would bring to Harry, he would start to be able to control his

magic a bit sooner.

Both Lily and Remus had the same thought as they discussed these arrangements

both with and through Harry " Harry was not going to have his whole life run by aschedule. His education would occur at his own pace and he would be given every

chance just to be a kid and experience childhood. Therefore things like parks;

playgrounds, schools and other children his age were going to be an important part

of deciding where they lived. At the same time, Harry would be given access to

whatever he wanted to learn and be encouraged to exploit his strengths and excel in

areas he had talent. Lily had already noticed that her little boy was a very serious

and motivated student and she was not going to slow him down unnecessarily.


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It was late afternoon by the time they had finished their discussions. Remus excused

himself and told Harry that he had to finalize his guardianship with the Goblins and

run a few errands but he would be back later. When he said he might not be back in

time for dinner, Harry told him that he would wait for his Uncle Moony to come back.

He had never been invited to the table for dinner (or any meal for that matter) at the

Dursleys and loved having the opportunity to share a meal with his new uncle.

Remus gave him another hug and left the flat. Stepping outside the vault he now had

access to, he called for a cart to take him up to Griphook.

/Scene Break/

Lily looked across at Harry and noticed that he looked a little sad. "Honey, is

anything wrong?"

"Mum, I really like Uncle Moony. What if he changes his mind and doesn't come

back? I'll have to go back to the Dursleys."

"Harrison James Potter," Harry looked up in surprise at the stern tone his mother

was using, "Remus Lupin is a very good friend of ours. The Marauders were

inseparable throughout their school years and even though Peter drifted off, your

father, Sirius and Remus remained very close up until our deaths. Your 'Uncle

Moony' will be coming back," her voice softened as she was speaking, "I saw it in his

eyes, heard it in his voice and noticed it in his body language. He will not abandon

you. Use your Force sense, where is he now?"

Harry slipped into his meditative state and reached out for Moony's presence. "I, I

sense him mum, I think he's with Griphook."

"It means he's accepting his guardianship of you. Now, let's practice on that vase

once more if you want." Still in his meditative position she saw him smile and nod, "I

want to see how long you can hold it this time."

/Scene Break/

Remus settled down in Griphook's office. The Goblin had several forms in front of

him. He began, "Mr. Lupin, according to Lily Potter's " nee Evans " will, you are the

designated guardian of Harry James Potter since his godfather Sirius Orion Black

can not fulfill those duties at this time. Do you accept these responsibilities?"

"Yes, I do. Before I formally do so, however may I ask a few questions?"

"Yes, I will try to answer them to the best of my abilities."


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"I know of people who will object to this guardianship once it is officially registered

with the Ministry of Magic. Can this will be challenged on a legal basis?"

"I talked this over when Mrs. Potter came to me to complete it. I assure you that the

Will does not contravene any Ministry laws including those pertaining to people

suffering from lycanthropy."

"You know about that?"

"Mr. Lupin, Mrs. Potter specifically addressed it in the will so that your eligibility could

not be contested based on the presumption that she did not know her son was going

to a person with your condition. The laws may forbid a werewolf from adopting an

orphan from an institution, but there is a loophole where one or the other of the

parents willingly allow the adoption or guardianship and the other parent has not

specifically forbidden it."

"Thank you. What about certain interested parties who may contest this on the basisthat the Will left behind by James and Lily Potter specified the Dursleys as Harry's

current guardians."

"The Potter will was never officially read and Albus Dumbledore convinced the

Wizengamot to approve his magical guardianship and he gave Harry to the

Dursleys. In order for him to contest this will he would have to unseal the Potter will

and show that both Parents specified a different guardian for Harry. Wizarding Law

and custom is very clear " the wishes of a parent be they living or deceased

supersede any other appointed guardian even if the Wizengamot appointed thatguardian. If you think about it, would Mrs. Potter knowingly specify a different list of

guardians than those mentioned in the Potter will? She was very adamant that Albus

Dumbledore not know of this will until its wishes were executed."

Remus was floored by this revelation, "Mr. Griphook, do you mean that Albus had

the Potter will sealed and ignored the instructions of James and Lily Potter?"

Griphook smiled and nodded in the affirmative while simultaneously saying, "I can

neither confirm nor deny this accusation Mr. Lupin as the Potter has been sealed byorder of the Wizengamot until Harry reached the legal age of seventeen or becomes

recognized as an adult under by the Ministry of Magic through an emancipation

proclamation."

Remus nodded once in Griphook's direction showing that he got the message loud

and clear. "Very well then," he said signing the papers, "I will accept the

responsibility of becoming the guardian of Harry Potter until such time that Sirius

Orion Black can assume the responsibility as his Godfather."


37/164

Griphook watched Remus sign the papers and then countersigned as a witness to

the transaction. "Very good Mr. Lupin, Gringotts now recognizes you as the legal and

magical guardian of Harrison James Potter. You now have full access " along with

young Mr. Potter " to all of the money and assets tied to the Evans vault. In addition,

the three hundred galleons per month allowance that had been transferred by Mr.

Dumbledore to Harry's former guardians will now be transferred directly from theHarry's Trust vault to one of your choosing. In accordance with Mrs. Potter's wishes

and her payment of the required fee to Gringotts, the wards have been modified to

accept your magical signature and allow you to apparate directly to the flat within the

vault only. You may side-along apparate others to the flat but only you can apparate

there yourself. We goblins will have a record of when you do so as this will be

recorded as you pass through the wards."

Griphook paused for a moment and continued, "I can also inform you that Harry has

a trust vault which you also have access to in order to pay for any of Harry's learningor extraordinary living expenses. The trust vault is automatically funded by the Potter

Family vault."

"Can you please arrange for the monthly allowance to be deposited to the Evans

vault? When will others find out about these changes?"

Griphook nodded at the request for the transfer and added, "The changes in

Gringotts are immediate and have already happened. However," Griphook gave that

goblin smile again and winked, "it can sometimes take up to a week before the

paperwork gets through to the Ministry. They may not even notice for a while after

that if it is included with a large amount of correspondence."

Remus smiled and bowed his head once more in understanding while Griphook

continued, "The last transfer for the Dursley's was made this morning and it is the

first of the month. I can try and retrieve it if you wish."

"Does Albus Dumbledore only access the vault once per month?"

"Yes."

"Then let it go. If the filing goes unnoticed at the Ministry it will give us another month

before Albus finds out."

Griphook continued his smile, "A wise choice if I do say so myself. Oh, account

statements are sent to account holder or their guardians on the last day of each

month. I assume you now want those sent to you? In addition, you will receive the

annual statement of the Potter Family account holdings."


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"Thank you Mr. Griphook that will be perfect."

"Is there any other business you wish to discuss today?"

"No. I have used up enough of your valuable time Mr. Griphook. I am pleased that

the Potter Family finances are in such shrewd financial hands. May your gold always

flow." He bowed his head again and left the office. It was about time he talked to

Dumbledore. He went to the leaky cauldron and used the fireplace reserved for floo

calls."

/Scene Break/

Albus Dumbledore was trying to plan his next move to find Harry when the one of the

last voices he wanted to hear today. "Albus, may I come through?" Remus Lupin's

voice came out of the fireplace.

Albus sighed. He really didn't want to get Remus any more involved in finding Harry.In fact he was regretting approaching him in the first place last night. "I'm very busy

right now Remus."

"Albus, you just can't ignore me when it comes to Harry. Now do I have your

permission to come through?"

"Yes, I only have a few minutes though."

One minute later the fire flared and Remus stepped through. At the same time,Minerva came into Albus' office as well to find out about the boy.

Remus looked at her and went to give her a light hug, "Hello Minerva. It's nice to see

you. It's been what " three years now?"

She returned the hug, "Far too long Remus. How have you been?"

"Well, recently I've been worried about Harry." He turned to Albus, "Is there any word

on his location yet? I've just been to Diagon Alley and Gringotts. I didn't see him In

the Alley or the main lobby of the bank."

Albus replied, "None of the people I have looking have found him. Discrete inquiries

at muggle police stations and hospitals have proven fruitless."

Minerva spoke up, "What if he's hiding? What if he ran away from those muggles

and does not want to go back. Albus, if he doesn't want to be found, he could put

himself into a lot of danger. Has anyone tried sending him an owl? Maybe if you


39/164

promised he would not have to go back he would reveal himself."

"Minerva, we have already discussed this. Harry must go back to the Dursley's.

However the owl idea does sound very good. I will write him a letter letting him know

that many people are worried for his safety and we just want him to be safe and

happy. I can even put a tracking charm on the note or turn it into a portkey."

Minerva beat Remus with a response by a fraction of a second but she was saying

ust what he wanted to, "Albus Dumbledore! How could you do something like that?

The boy is probably scared and does not know anything about the magical world

thanks to you. If he did perform an accidental apparition he'll be in an unfamiliar area

scared and lonely. And now you want to introduce him to the magical world by

sending him a portkey that will whisk him off to another place? I could go along with

the tracking charm, but portkeying him to another unfamiliar place would be

reprehensible."

"I would make the portkey take him back to somewhere he is comfortable " the

Dursleys."

This time Remus beat Minerva to the punch, but she too noticed he had the same

feelings as her. "Albus, the boy ran away from there for Merlin knows what reason!

Dropping him back in their house unannounced would traumatize him for life. Don't

you see what you are doing?"

"He must go back to Privet Drive. I am his Magical Guardian and the Dursleys are

his muggle guardians. Unless you want to petition Wizengamot to change that thenthis discussion is over. Good day." Albus was in no mood to justify himself and went

back to work steadfastly ignoring the two people in his office.

Remus turned to Minerva and said, "I'm not sure I would like to stay here anymore.

May I use the floo in your office Minerva?"

"Yes, of course Remus." The two of them walked out of the Headmaster's office.

As they got into her office, Remus looked at Minerva, "Minerva, I see it in your eyes.What are you planning to do?"

"Remus, I don't want that boy to have to go back to those horrible muggles. I'm

planning on going over there and building a case for to take to the Wizengamot the

Ministry of Magic child services. I know I've always followed Albus lead, but Lily

wasn't just another student, she was my friend and I can't bear to know that her son

is growing up under these conditions and I didn't do everything I could to change it. If

it means setting myself against Albus Dumbledore then so be it."


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Remus thought very hard and then seemed to come to a decision. He looked at his

former teacher with a certain glint in his eye, "Minerva, are you busy tomorrow?"

"Remus, I know that look. I used to have headaches and sleepless nights when I

saw that look in yours, James' or Sirius' eyes. You know something or you are

planning something. What is it? Maybe I don't want to know. In answer to your

question, I think I can clear my calendar." She finished with a hint of a smirk.

"Can you meet me at the Gringotts tomorrow at 8 am? Breakfast is on me."

"I'm not sure whether I should be looking forward to this meeting or dreading it, but I

will see you there."

Remus smiled his Marauder smile and winked at the older woman, "It's a date." He

walked over to the floo and announced "The Three Broomsticks" and stepped into

the flames and was gone.

Minerva watched the fire for several seconds after he disappeared, "What is that

Marauder up to now?"

/Scene Break/

Remus scared Harry as he popped back into existence in the flat with a loud crack. It

took both Remus and Lily to calm Harry down and explain apparition and that only

Remus was allowed to apparate to this particular vault. After about twenty minutes of

hugs and reassurances Harry settled down and they asked the house elf for dinner.

Over dinner Remus explained his meeting with Griphook and informed Harry that he

was now his guardian " both magical and muggle and it would be extremely difficult if

not impossible for anyone to change that. Harry's reaction was not what Remus

expected " the young boy sat there very still as tears started to flow and his body

started to tremble. Remus got us and hugged him and asked, "What's wrong Harry?

Why are you upset?"

Harry held back the sobs and said, "I was so scared you weren't coming back ordidn't want to be my guardian like my parents wanted you to be. I was so worried

that I'd have to go back to ... to" but that was all he got out before the sobs won the

battle.

Remus hugged him and spoke to him quietly, "Harry, I am not going anywhere. As

long as you want me around I will be here for you. I'm going to make you a promise "

As long as I am your guardian I will do everything in my power to make sure you

never have to see those people again unless you decide you want to."


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Beside his ear between sobs he heard a small voice whisper, "Thanks Uncle Moony.

You are what I always hoped an uncle would be."

They sat there for a few minutes and both calmed down. Lily watched both of them

and they began to form a bond and a trust in each other. She knew from observing

Harry that this was what he lacked in his life. He never had an authority figure to rely

on and trust up until now. She knew Remus Lupin and he would defend Harry withhis life if he had to. She had purposely stayed out of this situation and let Harry deal

with Remus without her involvement. He needed Moony more than he knew. She

could only provide moral support and advice on top of the Force training. He needed

a responsible guardian to protect him and allow him a chance to grow up at his own

pace.

When everything had finally calmed down they resumed dinner and Remus said,

"Harry, I need to speak to your Mum, is she around?"

"She's always around. What is it that you want?"

Remus explained his meeting with Dumbledore and subsequent discussion with

Minerva. He found out that Lily had told Minerva about her special powers when she

first discovered them. Minerva was a mentor to Lily Evans and the two developed a

close relationship during and after school. Minerva had promised not to tell anyone

about these powers and as far as Lily knew she never did.

Remus then explained that he had invited Minerva to Gringotts and to have

the power he knows not - nom9de9plume

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