Daddy issues
Marcus Thomas liked to think of himself as a levelheaded and openminded man - he had been raised to always consider how others were affected by his actions, to always be mindful of the feelings of others, and as a result, he had made it a point to be the equivalent of a calm, serene pond.
Of course, he had his moments; if someone talked shite about football (nevermind Arsenal, his favourite club), he'd retaliate in kind, and he did not appreciate it when people insulted Michelle - he had ended more than one friendship in college when he'd started dating his now wife, after those now former friends ran their mouths about him dating a single mother (and one guy in particular was introduced to Marcus' left hook after he made some unsavory comments on the colour of Michelle's skin). But in general, he had always managed to keep himself from any outbursts, to the point where some of his colleagues actively questioned if he even had a temper.
The closest he'd gotten to an outburst of any kind had been when Dean had received that Hogwarts Letter, initially because he'd thought it to be a bad joke, later because Michelle admitted that her apparently deceased ex may have been a wizard - the latter had irked him more than he cared to admit, mainly because she had never really spoken on said ex before beyond the fact that he'd been Dean's biological father and had just vanished one day, before Dean had even been born. He could understand it though; if that teacher, Professor McGonagall, hadn't turned their coffee table into a pig and back before their eyes, he'd probably have suggested that Michelle get her head checked.
With that knowledge in mind though, he had settled into this new reality - the boy who was his son in all but blood was a wizard and would attend a school to learn magic, there was an entire society of mages that secretly coexisted in what had to at least in part be pocket dimensions, and apparently, some wizards were racist pricks and blood purists and had waged a war of terror based on those principles before their leader got himself blasted to oblivion.
Marcus could very well live with all that - what he struggled with was the fact that Michelle's ex for some goddamned reason had just appeared outside their apartment door, looking like he'd just come from the 1920s and had asked to talk with them.
He eyed the intruder in question; Randolph Darius Carter was shorter than he was, and slimmer, and generally looked like an incredibly boring man at first glance, but Marcus had his doubts on whether or not he could toss the wanker out if need arose. The massive scar was a key indicator that the other man had had some dangerous brushes, as was the silver right ring finger that served as a replacement, and in general, there was something threatening about the way the man simply moved.
Oh, and he clearly was a wizard, which was another potential issue.
"Well?", Michelle suddenly said, her voice filled with venom. "We're waiting here."
Carter sighed and folded his hands. "You must understand that what I'm about to tell you will sound insane, even by the standards of the wizarding world", he began.
"Crazier than some lunatic getting blasted by a baby, or a troll walking around in a castle?", Dean snarked.
"Yes", Carter said, unimpressed. "In fact, it has to do with that very same lunatic. I suspect Voldemort is attempting to fix his cock-ups with those Horcruxes he created, and that attempt may end up laying waste to the world."
Marcus blinked. "What the hell is a whorecrux?"
"Language, dad", Dean snickered, and Marcus rolled his eyes, even though he still swelled with pride just a bit at hearing Dean refer to him as such. 'Don't even try it, Yankee', he thought to himself. 'You'll just embarass yourself.'
"It's a vessel for a soulshard - in essence, a mage splits his soul in two pieces and copies his life's essence until that point from one half onto the other, thus creating a copy of his soul that will tether the original soul to this world, even after the body dies", Carter explained, seemingly oblivious to Dean's comment. "It's a means of achieving something resembling immortality, and it's how Voldemort has managed to survive that fateful night in 1981."
"That sounds... useful", Michelle offered. "What's the catch?"
"It's incredibly dark magic - I'll spare you the details, but at least one murder is required to even begin the creation process, and that's the least gruesome part", Carter answered. "Nevertheless, every few centuries, someone decides it's a good idea to create one or two in order to survive the innevitable. The problem is, the procedure will damage the soul irreperably, and destabalize the entire essence of the mage in question. It's in part why Voldemort turned out the way he did, and he has been trying to fix that problem for the better part of a decade now."
"Alright, so a madman is trying to piece his soul back together - what's this have to do with Hogwarts?", Marcus asked.
"Everything", Carter answered grimly. "During the past year, he was trying to steal an artifact from the castle - the Philosopher's Stone, as I think you call it here in England - that could have not only restored his body, but also stabilized his soul. The attempt was thwarted, and Voldemort was driven off, but..."
"Hang on", Dean spoke up. "Did that happen near the end of the term?"
"As far as I'm aware", Carter answered, slightly puzzled.
"So that's what the headmaster awarded them the points for!", his son exclaimed. "I knew there was something going on!"
"What do you mean?", Michelle asked, utterly confused.
"I'll explain later, mum", Dean answered. "But, if he failed, what's your worry, man?"
"My concern is that the Stone is not the only artifact that could theoretically restore that petty little bastard", Carter said in turn. "And a large number of them are contained within Hogwarts." He grimaced. "You can likely guess where I'm going with that."
"Unbelievable", Michelle groaned. "I'm starting to think that headmaster might actually be senile, if he runs a school in a castle filled with artifacts that could resurrect a madman."
"Albus always fancied himself to be smarter than most other people, and I know first hand that he always liked his grand schemes", Carter mused. "Although in all fairness, I doubt he's even fully aware of their presence - the castle's magic has caused it to develop some quirks over the centuries, and many of these artifacts are considered lost in part for that very reason. I only know of them due to my... peculiar interests."
'Golly, that bloke sure is a riot', Marcus thought to himself. 'Rich, talks like a novel, looks like he walked from the set of a 'Great Gatsby' movie, has an interest in dangerous magic artifacts, walked out on his pregnant wife...'
Michelle meanwhile snorted. "Right", she muttered. "Your 'interests'."
"So... Voldemort's gonna try to break into the castle again?", Dean asked, suddenly unsure.
Carter sighed. "He... may not have to", he said in response. "You mentioned that Albus awarded someone House Points for apparently thwarting the attempted theft of the Stone - was that someone Harry Potter?"
"Yeah, him, Hermione and Neville", Dean answered. "They're in my house, actually, and we get along well."
Carter narrowed his eyes, and Marcus could practically hear the gears inside his mind turning as he thought. "Curious", he finally muttered, more to himself. "Most curious indeed."
"Mind sharing with the class?", Marcus asked with just a bit of venom in his voice.
"Yes, I mind", Carter retorted in kind, with a look that made Marcus want to flinch. "As it stands, I only have wild suspicions to go on. Still..." He turned to Dean. "You said you know Harry Potter - what can you tell me about him?"
Dean shrugged. "I mean, he's a good guy. He's one of the smartest students in our year, he's pretty diligent in his homework... he is a bit reckless, I guess - there was that whole thing with the troll that ended up dead, and he got himself into a nic of trouble in flying class for breaking the rules, but that landed him a spot on the House Quidditch team, so I guess it was fine." He thought for a moment. "I think he tends to get lost in his thoughts a bit, and he doesn't like it when most people touch him. I think only Hermione gets away with that, but..."
Carter leaned forward. "What do you know about that troll incident?", he asked.
"On halloween, someone let a troll into the castle", Dean said with a shrug. "Dunno the details, but it somehow cornered Harry and Hermione in a girl's bathroom and ended up dead. They were both admitted to the Hospital Wing and stayed there for a few days - Hermione was upset about something Ron had said beforehand, and I think Harry tried to warn her about the troll, but..." He shrugged again. "No clue how the troll ended up dead, though."
Carter pursed his lips, and Marcus narrowed his eyes. "You know something", he stated.
"Like I said - I have suspicions", Carter responded. "The fact that a troll and two first years were in a room together and that somehow, the troll was the one to die, only fuels these suspicions." He looked at Dean again. "Just to be clear - the boy did not show any tendencies for violence?"
"I mean, I saw him blow up at Ron shortly before that whole mess with the troll, and he said some pretty nasty stuff, but that's it", Dean answered. "Come to think of it, this was the only time I really saw him lose his cool like that, and honestly, Ron kinda had it coming."
Carter pursed his lips again, but said nothing else. Just as well, Marcus figured.
Finally, the other man spoke up again. "Dean, if anything strange happens at Hogwarts, I want you to send me a message - especially if it involves Harry Potter."
Dean crossed his arms. "Why?", he challenged. "Why would you care?"
"For one", Carter began, "you're still my son. Second, I suspect things will become incredibly dangerous incredibly soon, and the more I can prepare for that, the better - and I know Harry Potter will be at the center of it all."
Dean scoffed. "I'm not your son", he said in turn. "You didn't give a damn about me the past ten years, and even now that you're here, all you do is ask questions that don't have anything to do with me and make demands that I contact you if stuff happens."
Marcus had to admit that he was impressed with Dean in this moment, and he certainly didn't mind seeing Carter knocked down just a bit, if his posture deflating upon hearing what his son had to say was any indicator.
"I wasn't absent by choice", he quietly said. "But... even if I wanted to bemoan your stance, I couldn't. I am mainly pressed for time right now, and I needed to address these issues in a timely manner. Still... I am sorry I wasn't there, and I do want to know... I want to get to know you."
"Yeah, well, if you're looking to finally be a dad, you're too late", Dean said. "I already have one."
Okay, Marcus actually swelled with pride at that, and he had to blink to get something out of his eye.
Damn dust, always getting everywhere.
"I can see that", Carter admitted. "Nevertheless... I would still like to get to know you." He looked at Marcus and Michelle. "And no offense, but I know my way around the wizarding world, and I know from experience that the transition can be quite jarring."
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out something - a golden signet ring, with a coat of arms on a strange greenish stone. "My name still carries some weight, and I have enough money to finance your schooling - and that of your siblings, should need arise."
"What's the catch?", Michelle asked as she crossed her arms.
"No catch", Carter said. "I know you have no reason to trust me, or even to like me - but I still care for both of you."
The man leaned back. "It has been ten years for you, I know that - but for me, it's only been a few months", he explained. "I was... trapped, in a way, and time flowed differently for me."
"What, were you trapped in another dimension?", Marcus scoffed.
"Not the words I'd have chosen", Carter said, "but in essence. I only managed to return here during winter solstice."
"That was months ago", Michelle grumbled. "What kept you?"
"For one, my return occured in the Dyatlov Pass in the Ural mountains - during winter, no less", Carter answered with a pained smile. "With my magical reserves nearly depleted, I found myself trapped until I was recovered to apparate away in early february. After that, I spent the months trying to recover and catch up on events since my disappearance. Returning beforehand was inadvisable, especially since I wanted to make sure the people responsible for my situation were not aware I had survived."
"Sounds like you have some enemies", Marcus said, mentally adding: 'I can't say I'm surprised.'
"An old student of mine has yet to get over our differences", Carter responded, his pained smile turning just a bit vicious. "Considering it's been sixty-three years since we parted ways, she clearly holds a grudge."
"Wait, how old are you?", Dean blurted out.
"Don't ask", Michelle sighed.
Carter simply grinned and leaned back. "I was born on May 4th in the year 1875", he said. "Though considering I swapped bodies twice since then, and spent a considerable amount of time in places where time flows differently, it is rather hard to calculate my actual age."
Marcus blinked.
"I warned you", Michelle sighed again. "Now you probably also understand why I never really brought up Randy before."
"No kidding", Marcus muttered as he rubbed his temples.
"You know", Michelle said in turn, "this is the only reason why I'm even willing to believe your story about your absence."
"Yes, well, at least this time it wasn't my own arrogance that led me into that situation", Carter chuckled. "Regardless, I am willing to offer my assistance in whatever way I can provide it."
Marcus and Michelle looked at each other, and then at Dean. Marcus pursed his lips - he didn't like Carter, and he would've preferred if the bloke had stayed in whatever dimension he'd gotten stuck in. But... he did believe that Carter believed what he said, and he'd be lying if he said that he knew how to navigate the damn wizarding world. If nothing else, the man's bank account could be useful.
Dean didn't say anything, and simply looked at his parents, though he didn't look too thrilled. Marcus could understand why.
Finally, Michelle spoke up. "You and I are over, Randy", she stated. "This is not going to change. I believe you when you say that you didn't leave on purpose, but I've moved on years ago."
"I understand", Carter said. "I'd be lying if I said that I didn't hope for a different response, but... I understand. And for it's worth", he looked at Marcus, "I think you chose well."
"Wasn't looking for your approval", Marcus grunted.
"Look, I appreciate you... being here and everything, but... we need to think about all this", Michelle said. "So..."
"Yes, I believe my hour is up, anyway", Carter said, examining a heavy golden pocket watch as he stood up. "For what it's worth, Michelle, it's good to see you again, and I'm glad you and Dean are doing well."
Michelle pursed her lips. "Yeah, well, it has been a while."
"Indeed it has", the other man said. "And I am sorry for being gone for so long." He turned to Marcus. "It was good to meet you, Mister Thomas", he said and extended his hand - the one with the silver finger.
Marcus simply grunted and shook it, squeezing just a bit more than he would've normally.
Was it petty?
Maybe.
Did he care?
Not at all - aside from the obvious fact that this was his wife's ex who had apparently tried to rekindle whatever romance he'd cocked up, the man was genuinely weird.
'He is a wizard, after all', Marcus mused as he watched Carter leave the flat. 'They don't mix well with logic.'