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Part 16: Invitations

Narcissa Malfoy drew the gold locket up to her neck.

When she had found out that a few of the things left to her in the wills of some select family members were horcruxes belonging to the Dark Lord, she had almost destroyed them. However indirectly, the man was not only responsible for the deaths of many she felt close to, but also for the new, unfavorable political changes. People in high places had been investigated for ties to the Dark Lord, and bribes were no longer the currency of the Ministry. She herself had been investigated, and only by pleading innocence to her husband’s activities was she able to live her life without harassment.

She had set the horcruxes aside, however, until she could look more objectively at the situation. Along with the locket, two other artifacts had been passed to her that originated from the Dark Lord: a cup and a diary. The diary was in the basement, since her dearly departed husband had seen it fit to keep it there. The cup was currently in a Gringott’s vault under a pseudonym. A copy of the cup was in her vault to throw off anyone who might know what they were looking for.

After a house elf briefly misplaced the locket while dusting (he was punished severely) she felt that it would be safer on her person. It had only been within the last year that she had started wearing it, tucked under her robes so as not to be recognized.

Her reasoning behind keeping the horcruxes was a matter of leverage. She had powerful artifacts that might help in her quest to make Draco’s life safer. She was still studying the properties of the horcruxes, and had so far discovered that they had powerful protection spells and wards on them in order to protect the soul fragment inside. Currently, she was trying to duplicate some of the spells on objects that were not horcruxes, with varying degrees of success.

As for the problems with the Ministry, if she could find a way to enter back into that world of politics, she could regain the power the Malfoy name had lost with the death of the Dark Lord. Draco would have a better chance to make something of himself, and in the process, redeem the Malfoy name, returning it to its rightful position.

Her train of thought was halted when a house elf knocked on her door.

“What is it?” she questioned harshly as she finished putting up her hair.

“A firecall, Mistress,” the elf answered. “A Malfoy name.”

“I’ll answer in a moment,” Narcissa said as she turned from side to side, looking her face over in the mirror.

“Yes, Mistress,” the elf said. She backed out of the room.

Narcissa checked her reflection one last time and walked to the receiving room. “Ah, Anna, it’s a pleasure to see you.” She did not have to lie. Lucius’ cousin, Anna, was kind and forthright, a rare thing in her family. “Hello, Narcissa,” Anna said. “I was just checking on you before I go to work. How are things?”

Had anyone else asked, Narcissa would have been annoyed at their assumption that it was any of their business. “Things are going well,” she answered with a smile. “Draco is already reading, and he is growing so quickly. Why the sudden interest?”

“Well, did you read about what happened at the Ministry?” Anna questioned.

“Yes, I did,” Narcissa answered. “The Ministry has weakened drastically if such a thing could happen within its walls.” To be perfectly honest, she wasn’t that surprised that someone was after the Dumbledores with all they had done.

“Well, it made me think of Draco, since he and Harry are the same age, more or less,” Anna clarified. “And I wondered if perhaps you knew who could be behind such a deed.”

Narcissa was immediately on guard. This line of questioning she had not anticipated. Why would Anna want to know anyway? And why did she think Narcissa knew? “W-why would I know such a thing?”

Anna frowned. “I just thought that maybe you heard something, as you are more in touch with the family than I am. You know I’m always the last to know.” This was true. “I was just curious and thought I’d ask. Plus it gave me a reason to ask about you and Draco.”

Ah, it was just Anna’s mind randomly picking some piece of knowledge to find. This happened occasionally, and Anna would not be satisfied until she knew the answer. This made Narcissa feel a bit better about the questions, and she took a relieved breath. “I’m sorry, but I haven’t heard anything,”

“Oh,” Anna said, and now her frown was more of a puzzled look. “Well, I’m sorry to bother you, then.”

“Not at all,” Narcissa said.

“We really should catch up on everything, though,” Anna suddenly seemed happier, her puzzled look fading. “Why don’t you come over for dinner sometime this week? You haven’t been to my new house yet.”

Narcissa thought it over. She wanted to go. Bragging on Draco was always an acceptable pastime. “Of course,” she answered. “Would Thursday be alright?”

“Thursday it is,” Anna answered. “See you then.”

After a few more pleasantries, Anna left for work, and Narcissa went to wake Draco up and really start the day.

O o O o O

Harry took Dumbledore’s hand as they made their way to the RDHPIT facility. Of course, he was well acquainted with it now, as he had undergone many tests there over the years. He was looking forward to the day, and was especially curious about what they would be covering considering recent events.

Over the past month (before the attack at the Ministry), they had started having him move and ‘shift’ his magic. Primarily, it was Jess who worked with him on it. She started by teaching him how to call magic to and away from his hands, before moving on to his feet, chest, and finally, his head. They didn’t say why, of course, but he had figured it out, even before Dumbledore had told him why they were doing this. It was in preparation to the removal of the horcrux. They still hadn’t discussed the horcrux with him, understandably assuming he was too young to understand and that it would only frighten him.

Being told you have a chunk of a psychopath’s soul inside your forehead and that this same loony-bin could come back by using his unplanned ‘gift’ to you is sure to cause most anyone major issues.

While he understood their position and was even touched by their thoughtfulness, it was bothersome and rather annoying. He had had to stop himself, several times, from mentioning the problem with his scar or pointblank asking them if they had come up with any ways of safely removing it. However, it had been his decision to not let them know he knew. It was only logical. What sort of guardian would let their heir know something like this at his current age? If they learned Dumbledore had told him, that might bring Dumbledore’s child rearing abilities into question, and they couldn’t have that. No matter how mature Harry was, he, regrettably, had to, at least moderately, play child.

Part of him, of course, was a child, but a large part of him, for lack of more fancy words, was not. He was almost thirty, after all, had collected an amount of knowledge Madame Ravenclaw herself would respect, knew how to duel with/against the best (and most evil) of them, and fully understood how frail life was.

Harry shook his head.

“Alright there, Harry?” Albus asked, feeling his churning emotions.

“Just thinking,” he answered as they came to the RDHPIT door and opened it.

“And here, within the majestic center of RDHPIT, enter the Dumbledores in all of their magnificence and mightiness!” David proclaimed, sitting on the couch with a donut in his hand.

“Hi, David!” Harry chirped.

David smiled, turning to the side table to take hold of the donut box. “Would either of you want one?”

“Is there one with sprinkles?” Albus asked. “I’m partial to those.”

“I never would have guessed,” David said, sounding completely honest and intrigued before becoming businesslike. “Most of the others are already in the Pit. We have a great deal to discuss and do today.”

“What are we going to discuss?” Harry asked, innocently.

“I’m not sure exactly, though I’m sure it’ll cover what happened at the Ministry.”

Harry’s shoulders slumped. “Oh.”

“It’s not every day that someone has the guts to outright attack your papa, not to mention yourself, like that, and in the middle of a large event at the Ministry with aurors all about. Surely you understand that what happened deserves our attention?” David asked.

“Yeah, but surely you’d be tired of hearing everyone talk about it if it were you?”

“I suppose, but aren’t you a little curious about why and how things happened the way they did?” David asked, glancing ever so slightly at Harry’s right hand.

Harry noticed, but didn’t make any motion to show that he had, except regain eye contact with David.

Harry shrugged. “Sometimes it is best to just accept certain events or occurrences and ask no questions.”

“Why?”

Harry tilted his head, as if in wonderment at such a question.

“Seeking truth is a good thing, but bogging yourself down with the hunt of it all the time can distract you,” Harry said, a stray thought going to Albus in the original timeline.

What would have been different if Albus, during Harry’s later student years, had focused on the there and then instead of what would or might be? How much more would Harry and his peers have learned and understood? Rather than devoting so much time and effort to saving the future, would Albus have improved the future and prevented it from needing to be saved if he had focused his full attention to the present instead?

Would they be here now? Or would Harry be a man with a family, instead of a man trapped in a child’s body?

But if he had been Albus, would he have acted any differently? The only reason the present was what it was now was because of their careful planning, but the big difference now was the fact they were acting in and for the present, being mindful of the future but not dwelling on it.

If they dwelled on the possible future, the future they had escaped from, they would not be able to function.

In the end, Harry realized one particular thing. The future didn’t matter, because it hadn’t come and was forever changing. What did matter was the present, for without the present, what good was the future? Without a purposeful now, how could a fulfilling future develop?

Harry didn’t know why his thoughts had strayed so far, or why he was suddenly feeling this way, all philosophical and what-have-you. Perhaps it was the subtle looks he and Albus had received that evening from the professors, or maybe, just maybe, he wanted a break. A break from the stares, whispers, sympathetic glances, and awe-filled looks. A break from the attention, concern and organized chaos.

He wanted peace, however little or minute it was. Just a moment of peace.

“Harry?” Albus asked, giving his hand a comforting, though slightly worried, squeeze.

Evidently he had paused for a bit too long after his reply. He continued, deciding there was no reason not to share some ‘child wisdom’.

“What goes on here is important, but know there’s more to understanding than just the comprehension of why and how. It’s the comprehension of your purpose,” Harry said, not bothering to hide his vocabulary or grammar.

The Unspeakables were used to his bursts of long words and sentences anyway.

“Purpose?”

“You can’t have much of a future without one, or rather, you can’t have much of one without discovering or deciding what your purpose is and doing something about it in time.”

“Interesting,” a voice said. It was Jess, who had just recently come out of her office. “I’m curious, Harry. Have you discovered or decided your purpose?”

Before he could stop himself, he answered. “Yes.”

That obviously caught David and Jess by surprise. They glanced at each other, both of their thoughts going to the prophesy as well as their theory of Harry being magic incarnate.

“Oh?” David asked, hoping his nonchalant curiosity would coax something more out of Harry.

Harry’s posture shifted, as if he was internally stepping back, before he met David’s eyes. “Do you think the Wizarding World will ever see me as just Harry?”

“—Eh…” David managed, before managing to cover up his momentary start. “Well, I suppose it’ll depend on a few things, despite how unfair that is.”

Harry’s shoulders slouched just enough to convey acceptance. “I thought that’s what you’d say, but I suppose people will always look at me differently, no matter what. I haven’t exactly been normal and probably never will be.”

“Harry, you’re more than ‘the Next Merlin’ or whatever title the public gives you,” David said simply. “Besides, the world won’t always be the way it is now. Things change.”

Harry nodded, almost to himself. “It also takes time for people to accept change, understand variety, and grow accustomed to a new branch of thought,” he said, his voice growing quiet. “But that’s why we’re here. The world will not spiral into darkness, but rise — instilled with a renewed sense of purpose.”

“Hey, what’s taking you guys so long?” Seth asked, just now entering the room before suddenly pausing at the odd silence. “Ooh…kay. Everything good?”

“Yup, we were just on our way,” Jess said, deciding it best to just end the conversation right there.

Jess was certain after this session of testing and discussion she and her team would be having a very long, in depth, conversation. There were clues dropping all over the place, or rather, more and more things that possibly verified some of their theories, one in particular.

The thing now was, what to do about it.

O o O o O

Miss Rita Skeeter, former employee of the Daily Prophet, had had a rough week. She had been prisoner in an unidentified place, force-fed Veritaserum, stressed, strained, and put through every conceivable magical test. (As well as many inconceivable ones.)

It was all worth it, though. Rita Skeeter was now a member of the most highly secretive group in the Wizarding World. The Unspeakables.

Of course, at first she hadn’t known that she was still in the Ministry. The last thing she had remembered was observing the super-secret meeting of the Ministry Department Heads about the attack on the Dumbledores.

However, it made sense for her to be in the Ministry, especially since she was caught in her animagus form. While useful for observation, her beetle was not much of a fighter if things went awry. So she had sat in a cell, without even a pen and parchment to pass the time. When someone had finally come to her, they had given her Veritaserum and asked her questions she didn’t now remember. They must have been satisfied with her answers, however, because the next question she did remember was one asking if she wanted to become a real contributing member of society.

Sensing a story, she agreed, and the next week had been one of grueling tests. She had passed, though, and by the end was excited to be a part of what seemed like a secret club. She no longer cared about exposing them to the Prophet. She was one of them.

Now, a day into her new profession as seeker of truth, she was told she should keep her job with the Prophet so that she could keep the press from releasing gross overstatements when they saw a tiny piece of what the Unspeakables actually did.

It was a complete reversal of her former job description, which was to make those gross overstatements.

Having only been there for a day, she had met the rest of her group, but didn’t really know them. After all, she had just graduated from Hogwarts a few years ago, and they were much older. It was a bit intimidating, but she wouldn’t let that stop her. She had been a Slytherin, after all.

Today, they were testing a very important individual, one she had been wanting to do a story on for years. Harry Dumbledore. Apparently, he had been coming to the Unspeakables for some time, specifically, her branch, RDHPIT.

Sitting in the conference room with her coworkers, she watched as the two most famous wizards of her time entered. She would not be in charge of any testing or questioning, but she would watch. She tried not to show her enthusiasm, not wanting to appear like an eager child to these formidable people. A transcription quill hovered just above a piece of parchment, ready to take down word for word the discussion that would soon occur.

“Hello, Albus, Harry,” the redhead, Colin, said. “How’s Hogwarts?”

Rita peeked at her parchment to make sure the charms she had placed on her quill were working. Yes, they were not only copying the speech perfectly, but were copying it like a script. Good, she would be able to recall later who said what. For now, she would be able to get impressions of all involved rather than have to pay attention to every word spoken.

“Hogwarts is fine,” Harry answered. “But she’s not happy with what happened.”

“Well, neither are we,” another colleague, Anna, said.

Anna was sitting at the opposite end of the table from Rita, and had seemingly avoided her all day. Rita wasn’t sure whether she should ask her boss about it or wait to see what happened. “I mean, we’re happy that you’re all right, but not with the other stuff,” Anna added with a frown. Rita allowed herself a smile at the woman’s slip up.

Then Harry glanced in Rita’s direction. For a moment, Rita thought his eyes were blazing with anger, then he calmed himself. “Who are you?” he asked. Somehow, she got the impression he knew exactly who she was.

“My name is Rita, Rita Skeeter,” Rita answered.

“I was just about to introduce you,” her boss, Jess said. “Rita’s the newest member of our group. Actually, Albus, you were the one who recruited her.” Jess seemed like a good person, just a bit detached occasionally from what was going on around her. It was like she saw the world in a completely different way than everyone else.

Albus looked at her and gave a slight nod. He didn’t seem to be happy to see her either. “Yes, I do seem to remember something of the sort,” he said.

“I’m delighted to meet you,” Rita said. She did not have to fake that delight, either. Although, she wondered what she had done to put the Dumbledores on edge. Maybe they thought she was here to do a story on them for the Prophet.

“She’s signed all of the same agreements we have,” David said. David always knew what to do or say and when. “Anything given to the Prophet will first be approved by you and Jess.”

“Well, that sets me somewhat at ease,” Albus said as he sat in one of the empty chairs near the center of the long table. He relaxed a bit. “I am glad to see you putting your skills to good use, Rita.”

“Why thank you, Headmaster,” Rita said. She hadn’t forgotten the speech he had given her at the end of her seventh year. He had told her that she had a nose for a good story, and that she shouldn’t spoil it by digging up lies. The truth was better, and often more interesting. “I look forward to working with both of you.”

“Now that introductions have been made,” Jess, said, “we were hoping to talk to you and Albus about the attack.”

“Okay,” Harry answered as he took the chair next to the Headmaster. He seemed hesitant, like he didn’t want to talk about what happened. Perhaps he just didn’t want to talk in front of someone he didn’t know. Rita smelled a story here, something perhaps not covered by the Prophet. Was Harry a reluctant hero? She would know soon.

“First of all,” Jess began, “I want to tell you I was quite pleased with how well you handled yourself, Harry. You reacted better than most aurors, actually. It's clear you've learned how to center yourself despite what's around and within you.”

Harry smiled. “You taught me that.”

Jess waved her hand dismissively. “You already knew it. It was simply a matter of applying it to your chaotic magic.”

Rita remembered reading what she had been given about the child, and how he could utilize that rare form of magic. It was beyond remarkable.

“Now, I’m going to ask you to describe what you felt just before you brought up that wall,” Jess said.

Harry thought for a moment. “I felt like something bad was there. My magic knew what to do. I just had to let it.” Rita was impressed. He was very articulate for a soon to be five year old.

“What do you mean your magic knew what to do?” Seth asked. Seth was an okay guy, for a Gryffindor.

“Don’t you ever listen to Jess?” Harry asked.

“Uhhh,” Seth said.

“Most wizards teach that you are supposed to control your magic, but really, you’re supposed to channel it,” Harry responded. “We can’t let it completely rule us, but we have to let it guide.”

Rita had never heard that before. The professors at Hogwarts had taught her that you had to control your magic, not the other way around. However, maybe this was specific to chaotic magic.

“Well then, I think Curt had some questions,” Jess said as she leaned back in her chair, the smile of a teacher overlooking her star pupil on her face. Albus’ had a similar expression.

“Yeah, actually, my question is for you, Albus,” Curt said. This meeting was the first time Rita had seen Curt other than her initial introduction. He seemed very easy-going, especially for a Slytherin. “I wanted to know more about the spell you cast on the vampire that was controlling the fiendfyre. That was holy water, right?”

“Yes, it was,” Albus answered. “Created from the juice I vanished from the party cups.” Rita noticed he’d dropped the ‘mysteriously eccentric grandfather’ persona he normally had up. Here, he was forthright with his answers, not cryptic like she remembered from school.

“It takes a priest to bless holy water,” Colin said knowledgably. “How did you just make it out of juice?” Rita wouldn’t have questioned it. After all, this was the great Albus Dumbledore. Colin did have a point, though.

“Well, now, you pose an interesting question,” Albus said. His eyes began to twinkle. There was the persona Rita remembered. What came next would most likely be cryptic and less than helpful. “I will simply say that I have travelled to many interesting places, met several fascinating people, and learned much that is hidden.” Yes, it was as she thought. Exasperating old man.

As she glanced around the table, however, the faces of the others showed anticipation and determination rather than exasperation. They looked as if a puzzle had been given to them to solve. Rita felt like she’d been given a piece to a puzzle, but didn’t even know what the picture was supposed to be.

“What kind of people?” David asked.

“Well, for instance,” Albus answered, his twinkle still apparent, “I once met a charming young mage priest while searching for information. Apparently, in Ireland, vampires are more of a problem than they are here.”

Everyone glanced at Colin, who nodded in confirmation. “Speaking of vampires, did you get a chance to see this?” he asked. He pulled a sword from a scabbard Rita had seen him wearing earlier and put it on the table.

“Is that one of the swords from the attack?” Harry asked as he moved to his knees in order to see better.

“Actually, it’s both of them,” Colin answered. “They pull apart.”

“Where did you get this?” Albus asked as he adjusted his glasses.

“It was given to us to study,” Jess answered. “I assigned it to Colin since he knows the most about fiendfyre.”

“Is it safe to touch?” Albus asked.

Colin nodded. “As long as you’re not trying to cast anything involving fire.”

Albus picked it up, testing the balance then focusing on the hilt. He ran his finger over a small, red gem. “This doesn’t seem to be a ruby,” he commented. “It looks almost like a philosopher’s stone.”

“Well, it’s kind of like that,” Colin said. “It works on the same principle, except that it enhances the wielder’s magic instead of life.”

“This explains why the vampires were able to cast spells,” Albus said as he set the sword down.

“Wouldn’t the caster already have to have an affinity for fire spells in order for that to work?” Harry asked. Again, Rita was impressed.

“For this particular sword, yes,” Colin answered, seemingly unperturbed by Harry’s vocabulary and knowledge of magic.

“As for fire spells,” Albus said after a short silence, “that was some display you gave, Colin. I have never seen fiendfyre so controlled.”

“Thank you,” Colin responded.

“I am curious as to where you learned to control fiendfyre that way,” Albus said.

“It’s a gift,” Colin answered. Rita was surprised at the succinctness of his answer. From what she had noticed, he tended to expound on any answer that he was made to give.

“How do you mean?” Albus asked.

“I don’t remember much of it,” Colin answered, “but when I was very young, most of my accidental magic had to do with fire. My parents are catholic muggles, so they took me to a priest, who attempted to exorcise what he believed to be a demon. Rather than going away, my connection with fire grew, and even became purer. Finally, my parents and our priest decided it must be God giving me a gift with the devil’s element, so that I could better fight him and his minions.”

Rita noticed the shocked and/or confused looks he got from the rest of the table. She herself did not know what ‘exorcise’ or ‘catholic’ were, since she was a pureblood and knew very little of muggle ways.

“So anyway, like I said, it’s a gift,” Colin reiterated.

“I see.” Albus looked intrigued. “We will have to speak at a later date about this.”

“Does anyone else have questions?” Jess asked.

“Actually, I wanted to ask your opinion on the vampires that attacked you,” Seth said. “Do you think they were rogue or representatives of the nation?”

Albus thought for a moment before answering. “I don’t believe they represented the nation as a whole, but I also doubt that they were operating completely by themselves.”

“Those were our thoughts as well,” Anna said. “I asked a contact if they knew who might be working with vampires, and she said she didn’t. I think she may have known more than she was saying, though.” She frowned, as if it wasn’t often that she couldn’t tell exactly what someone knew. Rita wondered who her contact was.

“Do you have any idea who they might be allied with, if anyone?” Curt asked.

“I have thought about this quite a bit since the attack,” Albus answered, “but I don’t know why vampires would agree to attack me. I have nothing to do with the legislature binding them, nor have I ever come into contact with their nation. I do know that Voldemort was not officially allied with them, so I doubt it is because of his defeat that they attacked.”

“Well, I’ve done some work with the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures,” Curt said. “Mostly mapping out the areas where the creatures are allowed to live. I did some work with, well, I suppose you’d call him the head vampire; he was well respected. Through that work, I noticed that while the vampires don’t love the ministry and wizards, they don’t hate them either. To be perfectly honest, they see us as mostly beneath their notice. Any vampires who would directly attack a specific wizard are either young enough to still hold grudges against those they knew before turning, or are young and looking for the thrills that immortality can bring. Either way, we probably aren’t looking at experienced vampires.”

Everyone at the table, including young Harry, nodded in agreement. After a short silence, Jess again asked if anyone had more questions. When no one responded, she offered to take Harry to the testing room, the Pit. Harry nodded and followed her, having obviously done this many times before. Albus and the rest went to a large observation room.

“So, Albus,” Colin began once everyone had sat in front of the window to watch, “I was wondering if you had thought anymore about removing Harry’s horcrux.” Rita remembered reading the notes on Harry’s horcrux, but still wasn’t sure exactly what it was, other than bad. She listened intently, her quill and parchment once again ready to take notes.

“Yes,” Albus answered slowly, “but nothing has come to mind.”

“Well, I now have a sword that controls fire,” Colin said. “Perhaps you would reconsider one of our earlier proposals to burn out the horcrux. If it would help any, I could demonstrate my control on a test subject.”

O o O

Albus couldn’t help but flinch slightly as the bond was suddenly cut off. He looked to the window to see Jess leading Harry into the pit and thought about what Colin had asked. He was not only taken aback by Colin’s bluntness, but also by what he was proposing. To willingly bring Harry into contact with fiendfyre reeked of madness, but what if it was the only way?

However, Colin had offered a demonstration. “What kind of demonstration?”

“Well, I could cast the fire and control it even with another person in the room,” Colin answered. “I’m sure pretty much anyone here would agree to demonstrate.”

“Let me think on it,” Albus said. He wanted to see the demonstration, but didn’t want to put anyone else in danger. Looking back to the pit, he saw Jess examining Harry’s hand. They were talking quietly, and he couldn’t hear them, but both seemed happy enough. In fact, Jess was already walking Harry back out of the room.

O o O

Harry was happy that Jess had examined his hand. It wasn’t that he distrusted the healers at St. Mungo’s or Madame Pomfrey, but he knew Jess was better suited to see if anything was magically wrong with his hand. She told him that although he still had traces of the AK that had been shot at him, it wasn’t harming him or his magic. In fact, the chaotic magic seemed to be breaking it down into simpler magic components, storing the nasty stuff, perhaps for expulsion later, and absorbing the raw power.

As she held his right hand, he could feel all sorts of magical information about Jess pass to him. He felt the chaos of her magic, and the power that throbbed behind it. If he didn’t know she was a good person dedicated to the light, it would have scared him. Even so, it was intimidating. He could feel a touch of Don’s magic as well, since they were married. Their magic combined and complimented each other. Then, much like when he had touched Mr. Longbottom, he saw a glimpse of an animal. It wasn’t one he recognized off hand, although it was possibly some type of gryphon. Whatever it was, it prompted him to ask, “When can I learn to be an animagus like you?”

Becoming an animagus would have been a great tool to have during the war, but by the time he saw what good it would do, he was too busy and didn’t have the right materials. The ritual itself took almost ten hours of uninterrupted time and two complex potions. He didn’t want to miss out this time around.

“Well, we’ll have to wait a few years for that,” Jess answered as she stood to lead him out of the Pit. “It’s best to wait until the body stops growing, or at least not as quickly. Otherwise the ritual you would have to perform might stunt your growth, which isn’t good.”

Harry agreed, although he wished he could start now. “Can you come to my birthday party?” he asked, while he was thinking of growth. “Actually, it’s mine and Neville’s.”

“Who’s Neville?” Jess asked.

“My best friend,” Harry answered. “Well, and Luna.”

“I’d love to come,” Jess answered. “Is it on your birthday?”

“No, it’s the day before, since that’s a Saturday.”

“I’ll be there,” Jess said.

“Everyone else is invited, too,” Harry added. He really didn’t want Rita there, though. Even if she hadn’t yet done anything to him in this timeline, he didn’t know her at all. He could probably get away with playing kid here. “I don’t know Rita, though.”

“You don’t want to invite her?” Jess asked.

“Not really,” Harry answered. He managed to look bashful, as if the fact embarrassed him.

“All right, I’ll let everyone else know, then,” Jess said, “unless you wanted to invite them yourself.”

“Kind of,” Harry answered. He had a sudden thought. “Maybe you could ask Rita to talk to you outside and I could ask then?”

"Sure, there's something I need to talk to her about anyway,” Jess answered with a shrug. Harry was surprised she agreed so easily, but was glad she did. They had now reached the door to the observation room. Jess opened the door. “Rita, I need to ask you something, can you come outside, please?”

“Sure,” Rita responded, looking surprised. “It was a pleasure to meet both of you.” She smiled and directed the comment at Harry and Albus. She picked up her quill and parchment and followed Jess out.

“So what did you want to ask us?” David asked.

Harry smiled. He hadn’t yet told Albus what he was going to do. “I wanted to invite all of you to my birthday party on July 30th.” Albus raised his brows with surprise, but his eyes were twinkling.

Harry got a chorus of affirmatives as his answer. His smile widened. He was happy to finally be able to see these people outside his tests.

“I’d like to ask you something, Albus,” Anna said.

“Alone, I assume?” Albus answered as he took a step toward her, his eyes still twinkling.

“Yes,” Anna said as she held the door open. “To my office?”

O o O

Albus followed Anna as she opened her office door with her wand. He had never been in anyone’s office, and was quite curious as to what one looked like. His first impression was a very clean, almost bare office. She had one framed picture on her desk, but it was turned away from the door, so he couldn’t see who it was. A curtain was hiding the back half of the office, just behind the desk chair, and it wasn’t quite closed. Through the crack, he caught a glimpse of a giant stack of books and an overflowing wastebasket and smiled. One could tell so much about a person by their office.

“What did you want to ask me?” Albus asked.

Anna seemed hesitant to start. She reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned against her desk.

“Headache?” Albus asked. He had never seen her look so tired.

Anna nodded. “We’ve got a new coworker, as you saw, and right now, she’s not an occlumens. It hurts to be too near her.”

Albus was immediately alarmed. “So at any moment, she could unknowingly share secrets with any legilimens?”

“She has a pendant she wears outside of work,” Anna answered, “and she’s learning, but right now, it hurts. I’m sure she thinks I’m avoiding her because I don’t like her or something, which isn’t true.”

Albus hadn’t seen her look so vulnerable since her Hogwarts days. “Did you want me to do something?” he asked, wondering how he could help.

Anna waved her hand dismissively. “No, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. Actually, I was hoping to ask you a favor, since Harry invited us to his birthday.”

“What is it?” Albus asked.

“I have a cousin, second cousin, actually, who is Harry’s age. He doesn’t get to interact much with other kids, and I think it’d be good for him to meet some more people his own age.”

“And you want to bring him to Harry’s birthday?” Albus had a feeling he knew who she was talking about.

“If that would be acceptable,” Anna answered. “His name is Draco Malfoy.”

Albus took a moment to think. Draco had lost his father this time around, and while Narcissa hadn’t exactly been a good influence, it was likely she had changed. In fact, Albus knew that Narcissa donated money to some very worthwhile causes, and actually stayed out of politics, at least publicly. It seemed she was trying to erase the blot on the Malfoy name. “Before I agree, what kind of child is he?”

“Well,” Anna began, “he’s a very obedient child. He’s smart and picks up quite a bit more than the average child from adult conversation. The problem as I see it, however, is that he is mostly around his mother and a few adult family members. I’ll admit that my cousin-in-law Narcissa is somewhat timid when it comes to letting him be a normal kid. She’s very protective of him.”

Albus nodded. “If Narcissa agrees, then I would be happy to add more guests to the list.” Maybe he would have a chance to head off Draco’s actions this time around. In the former timeline, he had become a Death Eater as soon as he had come of age. If even one less person were around to fight alongside Voldemort this time around, then traveling back was worth it.

“Good, I will talk to Narcissa and let you know,” Anna answered. She straightened away from the desk and added, “By the way, when do you want that demonstration?”

O o O o O

“I have a proposition,” Anna said. She had floo-called Narcissa in order to ask about Draco’s participation in Harry’s party.

“What is that?” Narcissa seemed amused.

“I was talking to Albus Dumbledore at work today, and he invited Draco to his son’s birthday party,” Anna answered. It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was close enough. Narcissa was more likely to agree if she thought the invitation came straight from Albus.

Narcissa raised one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows. “How did this come about?”

“Well, my boss is working on some top secret project with him, and I have had the chance to watch Harry on several occasions. He invited me to his party, and Albus knew about Draco, so he invited him as well.” It was true, Anna could sense that Albus knew she was talking about Draco even before she mentioned his name. Even considering his prodigious memory, it was a bit unusual. Perhaps he had done some research on who would be entering Hogwarts with Harry? “I think this would be a good opportunity for both boys, as it could mean that Draco is already friendly with house Dumbledore when school begins,” she added.

Narcissa leaned back and thought for a moment. “I’d like to see the blot over house Malfoy erased,” Narcissa said contemplatively. There seemed to be more, and Anna knew that Narcissa had a mind for politics. To be truthful, even though her ability could make for a perfect politician, it wasn’t Anna’s thing. People just didn’t make sense a lot of the time, and often, the best thing to do was smile and nod. “On behalf of Draco, I accept.” She smiled. “I will write a formal response at once and ask for details.”

Anna nodded, relieved. It would be good for Draco to be introduced to a different sort of people, the type of people who thought fun was something to be had for all, and regularly engaged in it.

O o O o O

Dumbledore eased himself into his chair. He had just tucked Harry in for bed, after an in depth reading of Dragon Rangers and Their Friends (a gift from Hagrid the previous year).

Their time at the Unspeakables had been more productive than other sessions, and that was saying a lot. He hoped their curious glances were a good thing, rather than something ominous to come. He and Harry had discussed whether or not they should tell them the truth about having time traveled, but every time they did, they decided against it.

What did it matter now? If they hadn’t figured it out by now, they probably never would, and if they did, oh well. It’s not like they could prove it or force him or Harry to reveal the truth, even with Veritaserum. They were both master legilimens.

They could lie about whatever they wished if they wanted to.

Albus looked down at his desk, wondering what things had been mailed to him now. Granted, they now went through an intensive inspection — provided by the house elves of Hogwarts, so he didn’t need to worry about that part of the mailing service, but still . . . no earthly being was perfect. . . .

He checked each and every one just in case while hoping no house elf would take offense.

Coming to the last letter and ensuring it was safe, he read who it was from.

Remus Lupin

“Ah, I had wondered when we would hear from you again,” Albus whispered as he opened the muddied envelope.

Taking out the yellowed page, Albus unfolded it and read.

Dear Headmaster,

I just received the Daily Prophet. How is Harry? How are you? Are you both alright? And what did the article mean Harry ‘blocked another killing curse’?! Did he?! Are you both safe? If you feel Harry would be safer in an unknown location, my door is open. America is a long way away, after all. Or do you need me to return? Tell me what to do. I would be more than willing to act as a form of security, if not full bodyguard for my best friend’s son. I cannot stand the thought of another attacker, let alone a vampire, getting anywhere near him again.

Please contact me as soon as you can.

Sincerely,

Remus Lupin

Albus put the paper down and glanced to Fawkes. “Well, my friend, would you be up to delivering a message for me in America?”

He got a pleased and eager trill for his answer, prompting him to summon a quill and some parchment. With a smile, he nodded to himself and began writing.

It was time to gather allies. Old and new.

A/N: Well, there it is....