A Rider's Legacy

Chapter 1:
 
On a warm summer day in early July, a teenaged boy walked down a street in London. He wore a hat low on his head, covering his face so he would not be easily recognized.
This boy was Harry Potter.
Just a day ago, he had received a letter from his most recent, (and best), defence against the dark arts teacher, Professor Remus Lupin. The letter said to meet him at 10:00 a.m. on this day in the Leaky Cauldron. Which was where he was headed.
Finally, he reached the pub which was magically concealed from the Muggle eye. Quietly he walked in, hoping no one would recognize him. The wizarding world had the nasty habit of mobbing him as soon as he stepped foot in public.
Looking around the dingy pub, he finally spotted the scruffy looking werewolf sitting at a table in a shadowed corner. He approached the table, his eyes darting around to make sure no one had recognized him. Finally, he reached the table.
"Harry." The older wizard said, smiling.
"Morning professor." Harry replied. "What's with the dark corner? People would think we're up to no good."
Chuckling, Lupin pulled out his wand and waved it around, casting a silent spell.
"Says the one who was looking around as if he were afraid to be caught doing something he shouldn't be. And you don't have to call me Professor anymore Harry. Remus will do just fine."
"Thanks... Remus." Harry replied. "And I was only looking around like that because... Well, the first time I came into the Leaky Caldron, everyone came up to me several times to shake my hand. It took a while for Hagrid to get us out of there."
Remus chuckled.
"Yes, the public can get a little... Enthusiastic when meeting famous people. Especially those who defeat dark wizards at the age of one."
"Don't remind me." Harry muttered.
"Well, you don't have to worry about people shaking your hand. I've just put privacy wards around our table, so no one will bother us when I tell you why I asked for you to come here."
Harry took his hat off in relief.
"So why did you ask me to come here?" He asked.
Remus seemed to become suddenly nervous, as if he was afraid of how Harry would react to what he had to say.
"Well," He began. "Since the end of term, Sirius and I have been keeping in contact through exchanging letters. In the most recent letter, he... He informed me of something... A secret which he had kept for a while... Something which concerns you."
Harry groaned.
"Another secret? Great. Just great." He muttered.
Remus put his hand on Harry's and squeezed it reassuringly. He took a deep breath and continued.
"You see, during our seventh year, your parents were in a very... unexpected relationship. James had been attempting to gain Lily's affection for years. Finally, she accepted his advances and for nine months they were in a relationship."
Remus smiled at this. Then the smile faded.
"As soon as we left Hogwarts, we all, James, Lily, Sirius, Peter and I, joined an organization founded by Professor Dumbledore, intent on fighting Voldemort and his forces. We mostly just attempted to capture Death Eaters, the supporters of Voldemort, during raids they had on civilians. On one of these raids, something happened... Don't ask me what, no one knows... Which caused James and Lily to have a fight that ended with Lily walking out on him. This was the end of their relationship. However, this did not prevent them from becoming close friends."
Harry's brows furrowed. He thought over the timeline. Last time he checked, he was born when his parents were twenty. If their fight happened just after they left Hogwarts, then they would have both been eighteen. But this did not make sense. He highly doubted that witches had 2 year pregnancies. So how?
"Wait, if my parents weren't even dating... Then how do you explain me?" He said, gesturing to himself.
Remus took a deep breath.
"It is a long story. I feel as if this would be better explained by Sirius. He knows more about it than I do. I also believe he told me that your mother wrote a letter explaining this... But what I am saying is... James Potter is not your biological father."
Harry froze. His eyes widened. He could not believe what he had just heard. It couldn't be.
James Potter, not his father?
Remus put his hand on Harry's again.
"I am sorry Harry. I have only just found out about this myself. If you wish, we could go try to find this letter from your mother. Sirius said that he would be waiting for us, as he thought you might want to go looking for it."
"Where are we going?" Harry asked weakly.
"We will be going to Godric's Hollow, where the three of you lived before Voldemort's attack. Will you... Will you be alright going there?"
"I... I think so." Harry replied, standing shakily.
"It will be alright." Remus said gently while leading Harry out of the Leaky Cauldron.
"How are we getting there?" Harry asked.
Remus grasped Harry's arm.
"Side-along apparition. It may feel strange the first time, but don't worry."
"Okay." Harry said. "I think I'm ready."
Remus smiled. He grasped Harry's arm a little tighter.
Harry suddenly felt as if he was being squeezed through a tube. Then, thankfully, it was over. He and Remus now stood in what appeared to be a country village.
"Come on Harry." Said Remus.
The teen followed the werewolf as he was led past the many houses. Godric's Hollow was a quaint and peaceful village, the ideal place to raise children and start a family. He briefly wondered what his life would have been like if he had grown up here with his parents. Then he shook his head as he remembered what Remus had just told him.
Finally, they reached their destination. On first arriving, it looked just like any other house. However, when they got closer to it, they could see the extremely tall lawn, the overgrown garden, and the half destroyed house. Harry knew it had to be the house where his parents had lived... Where they had died and where Harry had become famous. Sitting right in front of the gate was a large black dog.
"Sirius." He whispered as the dog walked towards them.
Sirius whimpered as Harry greeted him with a scratch behind his ears.
"Come." Remus said, gesturing toward the house. "Let us go into the house where we can all talk privately."
Both Harry and Remus stepped over the fence as Sirius jumped over it. They walked to the front door, where the house was still intact. To be honest, the only part of the house that was completely damaged was the nursery, where you could actually see the room inside.
Sirius led them into the living room, where there was only a small amount of rubble. As soon as they were in a place where they could not be seen from the outside, Sirius turned into his human form.
"Hello, Harry." He said, grinning. His grin melted once he saw Harry's expression. "Well," He continued. "I'm sure you have questions."
Harry took a moment to figure out what to say next. Finally, he found what he wanted to ask first.
"Why did they lie?"
Sirius winced.
"It's complicated. I don't have all of the facts. He, your biological father... Was very secretive. I think the only reason why he trusted me was because of Lily. And even then, his primary objective was to make sure you were safe."
Harry laughed.
"Yeah, cause I was really safe when Voldemort attacked us."
Sirius sighed.
"None of us knew that Voldemort would come after you until he was long gone. If we did, I bet he would have taken both you and Lily as far away from England as possible."
Harry scowled.
"So he's still alive?"
"As far as I know?" Sirius replied.
"Then why didn't he try to take me when my parents... Errr..."
He frowned. How was he now supposed to refer to James Potter? Could he still think of the man as his father?
"In fact, how did I end up with the Dursleys? Didn't anyone know that my Mum's sister hated magic? Or did they just not care?"
"It's not that we didn't care." Sirius replied. "It's just that, I made the mistake of going after wormtail. You know the outcome of that."
"But wasn't there anyone else?" Harry asked, looking at Remus.
The werewolf sighed.
"At first, I did want to be the one to take care of you. But then I thought that it would be better if I didn't, considering my little furry problem. I thought it wouldn't be safe with a baby around."
"What about now?" Harry asked.
"What?" Remus asked in shock.
"Why don't I move in with you now?" Harry said.
"You would rather live with me than with your relatives?"
Harry scoffed.
"To be honest, half the time I would rather live with the Malfoys than with the Dursleys. At least they never tried to lock me in a cupboard."
"What do you mean, "tried to lock you in a cupboard."?" Sirius practically growled.
Harry shrugged.
"Not important. Lets just say that they treated me more like a house-elf than a human being."
At the two men's dark expressions, Harry quickly put the conversation back on track.
"Anyway, so do you know if Mum left anything explaining this situation?"
They both snapped out of whatever dark thoughts they were in. Sirius cleared his throat.
"Yes, well. While you and Lily were staying here, she slept in the guest bedroom. All of her stuff is still there, last time I checked. If there is any letter, it would be there."
So the three of them walked up the mostly intact stairs to the floor above, where there was even more rubble strewn about. They carefully walked to the guest bedroom and stopped at the door. Harry looked at the two men.
"Can I... Can I have a moment in there... You know."
Sirius nodded and Remus gestured to the door.
"Go ahead." He said gently.
So Harry gingerly opened the door and walked into the room where his mother used to sleep.
He looked around. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. There was a bed, a desk beside that, and a wardrobe in one corner.
He walked over to the wardrobe. He didn't think that any letter would be in there. He only wished to get a feel of the woman that had been his mother.
He opened it to see a mix of wizarding robes and muggle clothing, obviously preserved by a multitude of preserving and statis charms. He blushed when he saw what looked like a bra in one corner.
He felt one of the muggle shirts. The material felt nice against his skin. Impulsively, he sniffed it. The scent was so strange, and yet, so familiar. He decided he should stop before he got too distracted.
He needed to find that letter. He knew that if it was anywhere, it would be in the desk beside the bed. So he walked over to it and rummaged through the drawers.
There were papers, newspaper clippings, old opened letters... Finally, he found it. An envelope that was unopened and had his name on it. It was heavy, as if it contained more than just a letter.
He walked over to the bed and sat down. With trembling hands, he opened the letter. A glowing red stone fell into his lap. He examined it cautiously and remembering the last time he had been involved with a magical red stone. He hoped that this one didn't hold a magical power which could bring Voldemort back to life.
He placed the stone on the bed beside him and turned his attention to the letter.
 
Dear Harry,
If you are reading this, it means that I am unable to tell you the truth in person. I am truly sorry that I am unable to be there for you, for I know that this may be hard. Hopefully you have been raised right. And I hope Alice and Remus were sensible enough to keep Sirius from turning you into too much of a trouble maker.
Anyway, that is not the point of this letter. By now, you would have probably found out that James is not your birth father. However, I would like you to know that even if you are not his by blood, he still loves you regardless of anything else.
James and I dated for nine months during our seventh year. However, we broke up just after we left Hogwarts, due to a horrible disagreement which went too far.
After the fight, I went to a Muggle park to calm myself down. In this park I was attacked by Death Eaters. They greatly outnumbered me. I would have been done for if not for a mysterious stranger.
He saved me from the Death Eaters using a magic sword, and we ended up talking.
His name was Murtagh. At first he was secretive about his origins. However, once we became closer, he revealed some surprising things to me.
He came from a hidden magical land, still stuck in the middle ages, called Alagaësia. While he was human, he was what is known as a Dragon Rider. The Dragons of Alagaësia are far more intelligent than other species of dragon. Murtagh had a mental link with a dragon called Thorn. It was very surprising when Thorn communicated with me in my head.
Murtagh's story is quite a long and complicated one. He didn't tell me the full extent of it until over a year and a half after we met, when I revealed to him that I was pregnant.
When I told him that I was pregnant, he was terrified. Not because he did not want to be a father, but because he didn't think he was suitable to being a father. You see, for all of his life he was hated for his father's crimes. His father, according to Murtagh's description, was a truly horrible person. And Murtagh was burdened by everyone's hatred of him.
Both Murtagh and Thorn were magically enslaved by a cruel tyrant. They were forced to do horrific things and even fight against Murtagh's own brother. This caused them both to be hated by the people of Alagaësia. When I met him, he and Thorn were attempting to deal with the psychological trauma of what they had been forced to do. He did not participate in the war against Voldemort, not because he feared him, but because he was tired of fighting. No one besides a select few knew of his existence. James agreed to help me cover up my pregnancy by claiming that we had secretly gotten back together and that the baby was his.
Murtagh knew that eventually, he would have to return to Alagaësia. He feared you would suffer the same fate as he did. He did not want your childhood to be filled with hatred and scorn for something you had no control over. He did not wish for you to suffer as he had.
Murtagh truly cares for you, Harry. I can still remember how he smiled whenever he would feel you kick inside my womb. And when you were born, I could tell that it hurt him to leave you, us.
He enchanted this stone to lead you to him when the time comes. Please, do not be angry at him for leaving. He was doing what he thought was best. He wanted you to grow up with the love you deserve.
Know that no matter what, no matter who you have grown up to become, I will always love you. James loved you. Murtagh, loves you.
I hope that you find love and happiness in whatever you choose in life.
Love, Your Mother.
 
Harry had to fight back tears. His mum had loved him. His dad... Both his dads, loved him?
He knew the letter had asked him not to be angry at his birth father. But he couldn't help it. The man had just ran away and never even tried to check on them.
Then Harry remembered that the letter had said he didn't want Harry to grow up being hated for his family's mistakes. For things he couldn't control. Harry scoffed. Well, that didn't go to plan. The Dursleys hated him for being a wizard, something that not even he knew until he was eleven. Snape constantly bullied him for being a Potter. For reminding him of his father, and having his mother’s eyes. The entire school had turned on him during second year, just because he could talk to snakes.
Harry shook his head. He picked up the glowing red stone. Should he? Should he try to find his birth father?
Harry did not know what to think of him now. On one hand, he had just abandoned the woman and child he claimed to love. On the other hand, he claimed to be attempting to protect Harry from suffering for his own past mistakes. Yes, Harry still suffered a horrible childhood under the Dursleys' tender care. But how was he to know this would happen? He had apparently left before Voldemort targeted Harry. It's the thought that counted, right? But why didn't he come to check in almost 14 years?
Harry shook his head. He got up from the bed and, with one final glance, left the room.
 
When he met Sirius and Remus, he explained the contents of the letter.
"I've just got one question." Harry said. "Who exactly was Alice?"
The two men exchanged a look.
"Alice was one of Lily's closest friends from Hogwarts." Remus replied. "Soon after graduating, she married Frank Longbottom."
"Longbottom?" Harry asked. "Does that mean... That they were Neville's parents?"
The two men nodded.
"They were also on the list of potential candidates for your guardianship." Sirius said. "That is until..."
"Don't tell me." Harry said quickly. At the men's strange looks, Harry elaborated. "This is Neville's private business. I don't want to pry."
There was a few seconds of silence.
"So," Sirius said slowly. "What are you going to do?"
Harry thought over it for a few seconds.
"Well," He began. "First I'm going to attempt to find this Murtagh. If things go well, I might see if I could live with him."
"And if they don't?" Sirius asked.
Harry shrugged and turned to Remus.
"Still willing to let me move in with you?"
Remus nodded.
"Good. Because as soon as I've gotten all of my stuff out of that house, I'm never returning to the Dursleys. After what happened last summer with blowing up Aunt Marge, I’m pretty sure the only thing keeping them from seriously hurting me is the threat of my mass murdering Godfather. But I'm not sure how long that will last for."
Sirius chuckled.
"If you want, I could blow up their door and threaten them with a few sparks."
Harry chuckled.
"No. As I said, after I've got my stuff, I'm never going back there."
"But how are you even going to find Murtagh?" Remus asked.
"With the stone." Harry replied.
"Yes, but how are you going to get to where he is?"
"With my broom." Harry replied. "I'll just tie my trunk to the end of it... Errr, do you think one of you could put a featherweight charm on it so it doesn't way me down...?” At their nod he continued. “And follow the stone."
The two men looked at each other.
"Fine then." Sirius replied. "When are you going to do this?"
"Tonight." Harry said. "That way, I'll have the cover of darkness to start off with. Meet me at the corner of Privet Drive. Or you could wait outside the kitchen window if you want to see me throw a few choice words in their faces."
 
Harry checked his trunk. He had managed to pack all of his meagre belonging in just a few hours. He was now almost ready to leave Number 4, Privet Drive, forever. All he needed to do now was say his farewells to the Dursleys.
He turned to look at Hedwig, his ever faithful snowy owl. He took her out of the cage he was forced to keep her in during the summer and smiled at her.
"We're leaving Hedwig." He said gently. "No more Uncle Vernon yelling for you to shut up. And no more stupid cages."
To emphasize his point, Harry walked to the window, opened it, and threw the cage out.
"Go find Sirius and Remus. I'll be out in a minute."
Hedwig hooted in delight and flew out of the window. Harry smiled and closed it. He knew that Hedwig would find Sirius and Remus.
Harry grabbed his trunk in one hand and his broom in the other. He then proceeded to drag his trunk down the stairs. He stopped at the door to the kitchen, where the Dursleys were having dinner. Harry cleared his throat and they all looked up.
"What do you want?" Snarled Uncle Vernon through a mouthful of food.
Harry grinned.
"Oh, I've just come to inform you that I'm leaving."
All three Dursleys looked shocked.
"What do you mean, leaving?" Aunt Petunia finally asked.
"I mean, I will no longer be living here." Harry replied slowly.
"Just like that, you're just leaving?" Aunt Petunia asked.
"I would have thought you'd be happy." Harry said. "After all, you clearly hate me. And believe me, the feeling is mutual. So, I will be leaving and I won't have to see you ever again. It's not that I don't love living here, it's just... I don't love living with you."
Harry had to suppress a laugh as Uncle Vernon's face became a very deep shade of purple. He had always been afraid, when the man would become such a colour. Now that he was leaving... He thought he might as well enjoy angering the man who had caused him so much pain, one last time.
"Why you... You little... How dare you... After all we've done..."
Harry adopted a pensive expression.
"After all that you have done. What have you done? Lets see... You have starved me, beaten me, made me live in a cupboard for ten years... The only clothes you ever gave me were Dudley's old worn out hand-me-downs... I've been forced to do all the house work like cooking, cleaning and gardening since I was five... Oh, and lets not forget that every time something went wrong in your lives, you would lock me in my cupboard without food for days. You constantly called me names like freak, to the extent that I didn't even know my own name until I started school and I didn't answer when the teacher called my name out. Not to mention that you told me my parents were drunks who died in a car crash, when really they died protecting me from basically magic Hitler. So yeah, I feel justified in what I say."
"You.. You can't leave." Squeaked Aunt Petunia.
Harry cocked his head in confusion.
"Why not?" He asked.
"Because... Because Dumbledore told us..."
Harry laughed.
"Since when do you answer to the "Crackpot old fool"?"
Harry turned to leave.
"I best be leaving. My wanted Godfather and my Werewolf friend are waiting for me. Goodbye. I'd say it was nice to know you, but it wasn't."
And with that, Harry left the house he had been forced to call home for almost 13 years. Hedwig flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Sirius and Remus standing outside of the kitchen window.
"Well, what did you think?" He asked.
Sirius whistled.
"That was more dramatic than when I left my parent's house. And in that there were flying curses and everything."
"Was all that you said true?" Remus asked. "About how you were treated growing up."
Harry merely shrugged.
"It doesn't matter. All of that is in the past. Now is one of you going to help me with my trunk or not?"
After Remus applied a featherweight charm to Harry's trunk he tied it to the broom with enchanted ropes, so that the knots did not untie themselves or break during the flight.
Harry said his goodbyes to the two men and mounted his broom. He kicked off the ground and Hedwig began to fly beside him.
With the stone securely in his pocket where he could still feel it's warmth, he followed where it led him. For the first time in his life, Harry felt free.