Chapter 10
Reg took a deep breath and pasted a warm, slightly awed smile on his face. Then he knocked.
"Enter," said the stupid old fool.
Reg opened the door and glanced around the office with half-faked interest, avoiding the gaze of the old man. Then he shut the door, blinked at the man's blinding, neon green robes with yellow polka-dots, and said, "Well met, Mr. Dumbledore."
Dumbledore's lips thinned ever so slightly, but he responded merrily, "Well met, Mr. Black. Please, call me Albus -- I am your boss, after all."
"Call me Hunter, then," Reg replied.
"Please sit," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. Reg discreetly checked the chair out and, when he didn't find any spells, took a seat. "I took a look at your papers. You have impressive scores for being homeschooled by a Muggleborn."
"My mother went to Ilvermorny and graduated with fourteen Outstandings," Reg said patiently, letting a flicker of sadness cross his face.
Dumbledore nodded, expression grave. "I am sorry for your loss," he said gently. "It must be difficult, losing your mother with your father not in the picture."
Reg inwardly rolled his eyes; Dumbledore was discreetly asking who his father was. "Thank you," he said quietly. "What did you need to talk to me about, Albus?"
A flicker of anger flashed across Dumbledore's face, but his eyes soon twinkled again. "I was simply wondering why you applied to the Board instead of myself," he said.
"You don't trust Dark Purebloods, and the only reason Lord Sirius Black was an exception was because he basically rejected his family," Reg sighed. "I only ever met cousin Andi, I wasn't sure how you would react to me."
Dumbledore smiled kindly. "You will find I am more accepting than the rumors portray. And you are a Half-blood, not a Pureblood."
"The Americans don't hold the same stipulations for Dark wizards that Britain does," Reg pointed out.
"Are you Dark?" Dumbledore asked.
Reg raised an eyebrow. "Why does that matter, as long as I am kind and protective over my students?"
"All Dark wizards I have encountered are evil, and seek to harm children," Dumbledore explained.
"However, that doesn't mean all Dark wizards are evil," Reg pointed out. "Merlin wasn't evil."
"Times have changed," Dumbledore said gravely.
"Magic hasn't," Reg replied.
Dumbledore looked slightly wary now. "You may be correct, Hunter," he said finally. "However, with the existence of Voldemort-" Reg kept still "-and Grindelwald, many witches and wizards believe that all Dark wizards are evil."
"Wasn't Grindelwald Grey?" Hunter asked with an eyeroll. "And Britain's most recent Dark Lord was only one man. From my research, a lot of his followers were Grey, with only a few Dark."
"Are you neutral?" Dumbledore asked in surprise.
"I came to Britain only a few weeks before the war ended," Reg said, pretending to be puzzled. "There's no sides anymore."
Would Dumbledore lie, and say the war was over, or would he hint at Voldemort being alive?
"Voldemort may be gone-" so he was going with a lie "-but his followers are still at large, and angry that their master is defeated."
Reg bristled in alarm. "Does this mean my fawn is in danger?!" he cried.
He knew he wasn't going to hide the fact he was Harry's parent chosen by Magic, so he was going to tell Dumbledore right away.
"'Your fawn?'" Dumbledore repeated with a frown.
Reg pinched his nose. "Over the summer, I received a missive from the goblins. Apparently, Magic chose me as a parent for a child I knew as a baby." He pulled a (fake) letter from his pocket and handed it to Dumbledore.
Fair Morn, Mr. Hunter Orion Black,
We at Gringotts have recently discovered that Magic has chosen you to be Heir Harry James Peverell-Slytherin-Gryffindor-Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw-Gaunt-Black's parent. His parents, as you most likely know, are dead, and the guardians he has now are unfit by Magic's standards to care for him.
If you wish to take in Heir Harry James Peverell-Slytherin-Gryffindor-Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw-Gaunt-Black, please come in to Gringotts to sign a few papers.
May the rivers run red with the blood of your enemies,
Bloodfang
Hunter Orion Black Accountant
Gringotts Bank
"How did you know Harry?" Dumbledore asked with a frown. "He was under the Fidelius Charm."
"Sirius tracked me down after he'd finished with school, introduced me to his friends," Reg said quietly, taking the letter back. "James didn't particularly like me, prejudiced prat, but Lily and Remus enjoyed spending time with me. I babysat Fawn -- Harry a few times while Sirius went off to fight cousin Bellabitch -- er, Bellatrix."
Dumbledore's beard twitched. "Sirius told you the secret of Potter Cottage?" he asked.
"Yes," Reg replied simply. "Albus, who would I tell? As I was homeschooled, I didn't have any friends. I consider Remus and Sirius to be my friends, and I thought of Lily as my friend."
"Did you take custody of Harry?" Dumbledore asked cautiously.
"Yes," Reg said incredulously. "Of course I did. Not only was it Lady Mage's will, but I have been looking for my Fawn for a very long time. I considered him a son before I knew Magic had chosen me to be his parent, but now he actually is my son."
"There is something you must know, then, about Harry's relatives," Dumbledore sighed. "When Lily died, she used powerful magic to save her son. That magic transferred to Petunia, her sister. Her house is now protected by that magic."
"If it really were protected," Reg said coldly, and Dumbledore looked startled at the change of address, "then Harry wouldn't have been abused."
"I hardly think Petunia-"
"I saw Harry's Medical History Charm, Albus," Reg said icily. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, you didn't know they were hurting him, I shouldn't direct my anger at you."
"How bad was it?" Dumbledore asked.
"Bad enough that, although I follow the law to the letter, it makes me want to use the Cruciatus Curse on them until they end up like Heir Longbottom's parents," Reg said bluntly. Dumbledore's eyes widened. "As you can see, I am very protective over children, especially my own son, and any children being abused."
Dumbledore nodded cautiously. Suddenly, the man's watch chimed, and he exclaimed, "Oh, dear, the students are arriving. Perhaps we should head down to the Great Hall?"
-------
"Before we begin our feast," McGonagall said, "we have a student that has requested a resort." Whispers spread through the Great Hall; from what Harry could tell, no one had been resorted since the late 1500s. "Harry Potter-Black."
Gasps and shouts of protest. Harry didn't dare look in Dumbledore's direction.
"Good luck, Harry," Ron said, clapping a hand on Harry's shoulder. Hermione squeezed his hand.
"You're okay with this?!" Seamus demanded.
"I don't belong to Gryffindor," Harry said icily, and everyone within earshot went silent with shock. "I am not an object. SHUT UP!" he bellowed.
The noise ceased, but a lot of people were glaring. Harry glared back, making a lot of them pale, and he walked up to the stool.
Well, well, well, the Hat chuckled. Back again, Potter-Black?
Yes.
Well, good luck.
"SLYTHERIN!"
"WHAT THE BLOODY FUCKING-"
"Mr. Finnigan!"