Chapter 2
'When was the last time someone lived here? The 1600s?!' Marvolo grumbles at the state of the castle.
"You're not that far off I think," he had forgotten how bad it was.
*pop*
"It is an honor to be of service to the heir of Lord and Lady Potter. Please, rest while the castle is put to rights," a house Elf appears, immediately bowing without looking at him.
"Thank you for your assistance. Are you the only one here," he ask.
"There are 6 of us young master." He still hasn't looked up. "We can hove your room ready in 5 minutes and dinner ready in 20, young master."
"Thank you, I much appreciate it." The elf vanishes.
'Sooooo, tell me a little about yourself, and what is the plan here because you don't be seeming to have one and I can't see memories unless you think about them.' Marvolo questions.
"I need to go to Gringotts tomorrow and buy supplies, clothes, and what not. And I am going to need my parents will." he says. The will...he was not going to be used and manipulated again. He did not want to be forced to love again. He knew why, actually why he had always felt something wrong in his marriage. He did not love her. And he was positive he never did. His job was the only reason he knew he was being love potioned. A mission gone wrong sent him to St Mungos and the potion they tried to give him was not reacting well to the potion in his body. They purged his body of it and he had been faking ever since not sure how to break the marriage bond without hurting his children.
'Wait...you have children? Concieved through the love potion? Are they like me? Well the original me? You know...I could have drank a potion to bring emotions back into my body but original me decided it wasn't needed...' Marvolo gets off track.
"No, just normal kids...that's good right?"
'Of course! Some lucky ass kids! or you know...the other possible reason. But I'm sure with all the work she put in to catch you in marriage that wouldn't be the case. So yes! definitely good Harry!'
"My bullshit meter is running high," he sighs "They weren't mine, were they? I know about the potion, been through a few missions involved in stuff like that.
Well. It is over with. I wasn't told who poisoned me but as I was leaving home when it happened, the options are 1. Hermione I had not seen in a while, distancing herself when Ginny turned a little crazed on her. And Ron I saw at work but he wasn't there so. Yup...staying away from the Weasleys, well Ron and Ginny and possibly Molly as Ginny was over there every day and was not a potions master by any means but her mother was. Damn...I'm going to miss Molly's cooking."
He felt stupid. Ron had been his first friend. He wasn't all that bad but he irritated him a lot and he never liked how Ron treated Hermione. How they got together he never quite understood but he did not want to interfere as he was also pining for Ginny when that started.
Maybe he was the bad friend. Hermione pushed away for him. She backed him up in school, got after him for being stupid, and left with him to destroy the Horcruxes. Wiped her parents memories for him. He hadn't even taken a moment to support her when she learned they would never remember her again. He hadn't been there for her when Crookshanks died.
This time, he will be a better friend. Maybe he could bump into her every now and then at the park or something. She hadn't had much of any friends at this age. It was why she was so earnest to prove herself.
Right...he also had not been there for her when she found out she had been adopted. She loved her parents so it hurt alot when she found out. She needs to find out now...
"Next week, we need to go visit an old friend.." he proclaims.
'How did she not know she was adopted for so long? Did she look like them or something? I mean...I was the spitting image of my father for the most part. Luckily.'
No...no she didn't actually. Her mother had dirty blonde straight hair while her father's was as black as his. Hermione had crazy curls in a pretty brown. With Whiskey colored eyes that reached into your soul. He was pretty sure her parent's eyes were blue. Wow...how did they miss that?
'Soooo...who are her real parents? Wizard and Witch?'
"Yes actually. She always thought she was a muggleborn." He struggled to remember through the fog of his memories...Severus Snape was her father. A Rosier was her mother, but she couldn't remember her name.
'I did not expect you to say Severus. I think I need more of this story, they are still cleaning up this place, so get to talking," Harry sighs with a chuckle. It was atleast a good distraction while they waited. The little food he ate before they left wasn't enough to make up for the magic he used to heal himself. His stomach was cramping with hunger and he desperately needed a bath.
"Well it was a whole thing, a case in the muggle and wizarding world. I wasn't involved in the case, but some aurors were talking about it. Her parents didn't know either. It was why their memories couldn't be repaired from Hermione's spell. They already had one on them. Who did it was never solved. They had their own child already. Who did it had placed the child in an orphanage and replaced their memories with Hermione. She was only 2 years old. Both of them were. Hermoine was able to track down the girl. She had died when she was 18. One of the muggles during random attacks on neighborhoods by Death Eaters during the 2nd war. She had never been adopted."
'That...is heartbreaking. So does that mean we need to let them know and break all their hearts with the truth?' It was a good question. The actual daughter did not deserve that life. It would hurt Hermione and her parents to know the truth. He wasn't sure how they would react. Keep both girls? Push Hermione away? Severus would need to be notified he has a daughter.
"I say we let the aurors do it. We can slip them a tip with all the information needed and let them handle the parents. Its only been 6 years, they might be able to do help the original swipe in some way. And they can unite Hermione with Severus. maybe her mother if she is alive but I don't think so.
I can do that during my run through Diagon Alley. I also want to report the abuse by the Dursleys. I'm not going to be forced back there. That blood ward of protection Dumbledore always spewed about was bullshit as it was a pretty weak protected. Petunia doesn't love me."
'Where would they send you then? We could just stay here and never tell anyone,' Marvolo suggested.
"That is the funny part. Severus was the 3rd person on the list to be my guardian. Frank and Alice Longbottom were first because they knew how to be parents and were close to my mother. Sirius Black was 2nd as my godfather but he's currently an innocent man in Azkaban, and the Severus was 3rd. People thought him and my mother had cut ties forever but he had been there for my birth after begging on his knees to be friends again. They were like siblings towards they end. It was how he knew she was in danger that dark day. He was too late of course. Probably would have been killed if he had anyways.
So he is will probably be my guadian until Sirius can be taken out of prison. I'll need to catch a certain rat for that. I'll need to unite father and daughter first."
The elf came back to take him to his room. He showered and dressed in clothes that had to be shrunk but they were in better condition that the hand me downs. Dinner was Soup and sandwiches but he was completely fine with that. And then he slipped into bed.
"Goodnight Marvolo, this is weird but I agree. let's be friends," Harry whispers as sleep takes over.
---
It was as heartbreaking as they had expected. The next morning he took the time to write down a note for all 3 situations to just hand over at once. He just wantted to see what happened. If they did nothing, then he could always make a new plan. He was disalusioned in the Auror office after his visit to the bank and some shopping. Everything was shrunk and put in his pocket. He considered buying a new wand but turned away not ready to answer questions nor did he need it right now.
he watched as the aurors split up teams. The vials of his memories of how he was treated, was attached to the paper about the Dursleys that also had a tip to check Lily and James Potter's will.
The Aurors assigned to Sirius were grabbing a cage to grab Scabbers from the Weasleys home to check him out and see if the tip was true.
It was Hermione's case that was heartbreaking. They located the Granger's biological daughter first. She was doing okay, if a little shy. They left her there for now while they went to the home of th Grangers, with mind healers in tow. Their memories were fixable and there was plenty of crying. Sadly they wanted nothing to do with Hermione. She cried as she didn't understand why they wouldn't look at her. She was allowed to pack her some stuff. An Auror went upstairs with her and went ahead and packed the whole room, including the furniture, not liking how they were trating the innocent child before them. Everything was shrunk and placed in a backpack. The Grangers got their child back which was hearwarming to see but their dismissal of Hermione was like a stab to the core. She was taken to St Mungos for a legacy potion to find her biological parents.
So say Severus Snape was shocked was an understatement. Aurors questioned him but as he hadn't seen the mother since she left after being with him only a month.
The healers gave the father and daughter some privacy to meet before he could take her home. Harry went home himself after that. He was glad Hermione's situation was dealt with first as there were children involved and a mind block. The Grangers minds had been obliviated of Hermione and magic.
The other 2 situations were probably going to take longer. The Dursleys was more because he was technically missing.
The whole next week he watched through reading the prophet as the drama unfolded. Hermione's story was only 3rd page but it was more because they asked if anyone had info to share to find the person who did it, to come talk to them.
The Dursley's abuse of the Boy Who Lived was front page along with The Boy Who Lived is Missing!
Apparently his aunt and uncle didn't protest their treatment of him. In fact, they were clear they were trying to beat the Freak out of him. They were in trouble with both the Wizarding ministry and with Muggle law. The Muggled took away Dudley and placed in a foster home that helped him with his weight and how he treated others thanks to his parents. His aunt and Uncle went to prison, lucky for them, regular prison as they were muggles.
He stayed in hiding until he read the all clear for Sirius. Severus had been notified he was his current guardian but Harry wanted to make sure Sirius was okay first. It was also front cover news about his innocence and release. As soon as he read Sirius was placed in St Mungos to be treated and would be there for a few months, he packed up what he wanted and let his elves know to care for the place that he will be gone for a few months, he took himself to Diagon Alley to be seen.
---
To say it was weird to see Severus Snape happy to see him... well Harry wasn't sure how to react to that but he did his best to go with the flow. Sadly his body was fresh of abuse so he tended to flinch when people got near him.
He told no one where he had been and kept him mind shields up. No one needed to know what he knew and that he had a Horcrux in his mind that he communicated with.
Hermione was the first one to touch him without him panicking. He felt stupid he was acting this way, as he was technically a grown man in a boys body but as the days went on, his mind balanced the old memories with the current of 8 year old Harry. He had to accept the child in him will have him thinking and acting like a child sometimes.
St Mungos kept him for a few days as his body was very malnourished and bruised. He hadn't had the energy yet to heal them on his own, his body too weak to let his magic do it. It had to conserve itself. Being at the Castle eating everyday for a week helped some though.
'This is a nice change. I got to say though, for all you've told me of Dumbledore's involvement in your live, directing it. I'm surprised he hasn't shown up.' Marvolo points out.
'Maybe where he goes when school is out doesn't recieve mail or the newspaper.' He learned after the first night in the hospital that he needed to talk to Marvolo inside his head instead of outloud for now on. He looked crazy otherwise.
'Man is so full of himself, he is sure no one would do anything of importance without his permission. Even if it has nothing to do with him.' He feels the smirk coming off the Horcrux. He tried not to laugh.
'Dumbledore isn't evil but he is used to being his way and thinking his way is the only way. He had multiple positions in wizard society, he had worshippers, followers, people asking his opinion and then doing it. He had connections, people in his pocket. He thinks it will always be this way. He treats everything like a piece on a chess board."
'I'm pretty sure this sounds pretty close to Voldy. A dark lord with worshippers, followers. Connecting and people in his pocket. He says sit, the purebloods sit. He thought it was always be that way and treated everything like a piece on a chess board. He just didn't keep it subtle like he did in the beginning.' Harry frowns on the hospital bed, realizing he was right. Dumbledore got away with it because he *defeated* Grindlwald.
'And purebloods followed Voldy because he's the descendant of Salazar Slytherin. Whatever their reasons. This is about power. Control. And sorry my friend, but you are in the middle of it.'