The Art of Preparation

July of 1991 started out as a pretty normal one. His plans were all in place and he was feeling proud of what he had managed to accomplish over the last ten years. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, a name of power. It conjured fear in the hearts of his enemies and peace in the hearts of his favored.

He always had a plan. After almost 150 years on the earth, he had learned to trust only himself. If he shared his plans and ideas with others, they may steal it and gained recognition for it. That just wouldn’t do. This meant that he kept his own counsel. He however believed that all major decisions should be passed by him, and if he was against it, then it should be vetoed. He was a man of many contradictions. But that could not be helped, he was human after all.

His plans for young Harry started with a prophecy. After it was told to him, he decided that all the candidates should be under his control so that he could guide them into their destiny and share in their glory. He therefore, bound both candidates’ magics during their blessing. He convinced Alice and Lily that his seniority made him the perfect candidate to conduct the blessings. He also convinced them that he found a ritual that could heighten the children’s chances of survival if they encountered Voldemort. The blessings went as planned and both boys had their magical cores bound. It was too easy to.

The first disruption in his plan was after the death of Lily and James. He had hurried to the ministry to prevent their will from being read. He tried to use his non-existing power as Chief Warlock to seal their wills until Harry was of age. Not that that would ever happen. He had discovered on the night of his parents’ death that young Harry carried with him a fragment of Voldemort’s soul in his scar. Instead of exorcising it, he healed the scar trapping it in the boy and began making plans for his death. With Harry’s death he would cease the Potter’s vast fortune for himself. In the meantime he could use the vaults as Harry’s magical guardian.

This came to a crashing stand still, when David Kent revealed himself as the Potter Estate Steward. David vetoed his actions on the wills and hand him fined 4000G for his tampering of a Nobel’s Will. He also tried to gain control of the Potter’s Heir, but was stymied by the Wizengamot who placed the safety of the Boy-who-lived in the hands of the most powerful Sorcerer in England. They however could not make Albus the boy’s magical guardian due to fear of retaliation from the infamous Potter Family Magics. This meant that Albus could not access the boy’s Trust Vault without him being there, even if he had the boy’s vault key.

David Kent, from that time forward, became a pain in Albus’ ass. He took control of the Potter’s and Black’s Wizengamot seat after the death of the Black Heir, Sirius Black. He then became the de facto leader of the Magically Ambiguous members (grey) in the Wizengamot, and stopped many of Albus’ proposals (through one of his lackeys), from becoming law. He also fought for werewolf equality with great success. He set up many sanctuaries for werewolves to live without fear of discrimination. He used his power as the Potter and Black Steward, to open up Pottermore Castle and turned it into a learning institution for persons with parents, who are Magical beings (vampyres, werewolves, vela, half giants etc). The biggest losses for Albus were the resignation of Filius Flitwick from Hogwarts to become Headmaster of Avalon School for Magical Beings, and Remus Lupin becoming his Deputy at the same school.

Through these actions, there was a sharp decrease in werewolf attacks which appeased the ministry, and Frenir Greyback turned up dead one day after a full moon in 1985. Try as he might Albus could not gain footing in this new school or its staff. The most he could do was prevent Hagrid from attending by confiscating his acceptance letters.

He tried to meet with Lord Kent on several occasion to try and impress upon him that it was for the greater good that the Potter and Black seat be given to him to manage, as he was more knowledgeable and virtuous than Lord Kent was. Another reason was that as Chief Warlock, he had no voting rights, and seeing that the Dumbledore Family was neither Ancient nor Noble, he could only impress his wishes on his followers in the Wizengamot. If he acquired those seats though, he would be able to be the High and mighty Chief warlock and have a literal say in the politics. All on Harry’s behalf of course.

In the last decade, he spent his time fine tuning his plan. As Harry’s childhood left him desperate for approval, Albus would offer that approval and become the boy’s primary source of guidance. This guidance would lead Harry to his death, but only after he will all his earthly possessions to his poor old mentor, Albus. To guide Harry to his feet, Albus sent the always loyal Hagrid to retrieve him from his relatives and take him to Diagon Alley. This had a two-fold benefit. First it meant that Harry’s first interaction with a kind person would be with someone who worshipped Albus. The second benefit was that due to his isolation from the rest of the Wizarding World, Hagrid often forgot that not everyone knows everything about this world. He would then neglect to inform Harry about his station and family history while ensuring Harry adopted some of his prejudices.

This came back to him void. He had forgotten how manipulative goblins could be. When Hagrid reported back to him before he was expected back, he inquired about how it went. He was then informed of what took place at the bank. And even worse, Harry was left in the care of Lord Kent. Albus knew that David would not leave Harry ignorant of his duties. He later received a letter for the Department of Children Welfare, that Harry’s physical guardian was changed to Lord David Kent, and that he was being fined 10,000G for the physical neglect of the Potter Heir.

This led to his second disruption. He woke up on the second of August to Hagrid informing him of his resignation as Groundskeeper and Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts. In front of the entire staff at breakfast! When Professor McGonagall inquired why this sudden change, he told them he was going to be re-educated at Avalon School, until he achieved a Mastery or two in Magizoology. He then proceeded to ask Albus if when he was through he could teach at Hogwarts. All he could do was say ‘Yes’ with a smiling face, with no intention to follow through. He asked Hagrid to visit him before he left.

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When Hagrid left his office, Dumbledore felt confident that he would now have a person inside that school to report all the illegal studies taking place. He then took out on of Hagrids past acceptance letter to read it. What he saw left him beyond nervous and troubled:
Avalon School for Magical Beings
Pottermore Castle
Isle of Potter
Headmaster: Sage Filius Flitwick, Grand Warlock, Master of Transfiguration, Ward crafting, Charms, Ancient Magic and Duelling
Dear Mr. Rubeus Hagrid,
You are being invited to join us at Avalon School of Magical Beings to be re-educating in the ways of Magic. Please note that upon your acceptance and admittance to our school, you are require to submit to a full magical medical to ensure that your potential is not hindered or your health is not at risk.
We await your response.
Respectfully,
Sage Remus Lupin, Arch Sorcerer
Master of Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Defensive Magic, Spell creafting and Enchanting
Please note that your basic (up to NEWT) education will be done under a timed flux due to your advanced age. Mastery/Masteries will be done during the regular school term.
The pages that follow showed the recipient where to receive their supplies which were already paid for by the school’s Trust. This included custom made item from the most affluent of merchandizers. The entire experience left Dumbledore stumped. All the charms he had taken the last hour and a half, discreetly applying was for naught.

He sat back with a sigh wondering just what else could go wrong.

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Moduline Weasley nee Prewitt was a dream socialite. When she had married Arthur Weasley, he had been Heir to the Ancient and Loyal House of Weasley, and his father was almost dead. She had dreams of becoming Lady Weasley and having a vast fortune at her disposal, to rub in the face of all those who sneered at her because of the Prewitt’s fall from grace.

What she did not expect was for Lord Spetimus Weasley to make a surprise recovery. He then proceeded to object to the union of his heir to a destitute witch. The Prewitts, though a pureblood House was left penniless after they tried to extort monies from a joint venture with the House of Greengrass. This marriage was an opportunity for her to become the Pureblood Lady her mother was not. Spetimus on the other hand had other plans. When he realized that Arthur was serious about Moduline (Molly), he used Arthur’s trust fund to buy out of his Marriage contract with the House of Lovegood, and cut him off from the Family coffers. He then insisted that he could choose four children to be raised by himself and his wife Lucretia Weasley nee Black. When Molly protested, he threatened to fully disown Arthur and call for restitution from the House of Prewitt for the loss of his Heir. She finally conceded to his wishes.

When her first born William Weasley was found to have the family gift of seeing magic, he was taken by Septimus at age 5 to be raised as the Weasley Heir. The same happened with her second child Charles Septimus Weasley. He was taken to be raised as the Prewitt Heir. The next child was not chosen, despite Percival being above average in mind and magical power. The twins, Fredrick Gideon and George Fabian, were taken by Lord Weasley as they both had the family gift and were both sorcerer level in power like their older brothers. Her final two children Ronald Bilius and Ginerva Molly we above average in power with Ginny being the most powerful of the remaining three children. She knew Septimus was disappointed that he did not acquire the first female Weasley in 8 centuries.

Molly then decided that her remaining children will be raised as she saw fit. Arthur did not have the heart to dispute this seeing as four of her seven children were no longer in their custody because of his lack of control.

When Molly tried to cease the Prewitt’s remaining assets, the foul goblins told her that they were already claimed in the Name of Charles Septimus Prewitt. Molly was fuming mad. All her dreams were crushed and there was nothing she could do about it. The only plus side to this was that with the loss of custody for 4 of her children meant that Arthur’s salary as a Senior Auror allowed them some freedom.

She was glad that she talked Arthur out of resigning as an Auror after the war ended. She quickly began to manipulate him to live up to her expectation in the Ministry. When he finally peaked, he became one of the most experienced Auror and Head of the Training School.

Her lost children were by this time foreign to her. The oldest William went to Hogwarts and became Headboy and was now studying with goblins as a curse breaker and wardsmith according to her regular updates from Lucretia. Charles had just graduated and was to begin training as Magizoologist with emphasis in Dragonology. She also knew that they both had Masteries in History according to the Weasley Edicts (and the revised Prewitt Edicts), Healing (Charles), and Runic Casting (William), from the Switzerland International School of the Magical Arts. The twins were to begin their third year at Hogwarts (and she guessed the foreign school also) and were at the top of their classes. Molly guessed she could be proud, but not until her goal was achieved. She wanted the vast wealth of a Pureblood house and the prestige that accompanies it.

When Albus Dumbledore asked her to meet with him at Hogwarts (in1985), her curiosity was picked. She remember the Magical and Political powerhouse as one of those her brothers emulated and that he was someone who should be given absolute respect for all he has done for Wizarding England. When he told her about the Potter Heir being an orphan with no knowledge of the wizarding world, and that when it was time he needed to be reintroduced into the right circles, she was intrigued. She began to plan with Albus on how he should be groomed. When she realized that Albus had plans for the boy to die, she figured that the boy’s fortune would be up for grabs. The person, who would succeed, was the one with the greatest claim. From that point forward, she began to groom her remaining children to be the best companions for young Harry. Percival would be the big brother and confident steering him away from areas of the wizarding world that would be detrimental to their plan with talks of dark and dangerous magics. Ronald would be his best friend and secret holder. Being in this position would allow him to be propelled into the heights of wizarding society through association. And her ace in the hole was Ginny. She knew that her little girl would gain the Weasley women fabled beauty in its entirety and planned on her becoming Lady Potter. Even if she bore him no heirs, the position alone would be enough for her to secure the Potter fortune for her mother. All these plans were made without the go ahead of either Albus or Arthur and were categorized as ‘family’ secrets according to Molly.

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Dumbledore decided that there was need to regroup and doctor his plans to fit the new situation. The stone he was trying to pass off as the Philosophers Stone was now obsolete due to Harry’s lack of knowledge of what happened in Gringotts. He got on his knees before the fireplace and tossed ina bit of floo powder before sticking his head in.

“Molly, are you there.”

“Oh hello Albus, I was not expecting you. Is there a particular reason you called?” Molly answered.

“Step through into my office where we can speak privately.”

When they had settled around his desk, Albus began to inform molly of the disruptions in their plans. The scowl that appeared on her face was slightly concerning and off-putting. He then began to outline his new plan to her while Molly formulated anew plan in her head.

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With Hagrid
When his portkey activated, it took him all the way to Sweden to acquire his schooling material. It took him the better part of six hours to gather everything for 9 years’ worth of schooling under a timed flux. There were materials that he was curious about and those he wanted to protest about getting. He read his list and was surprised to find Dark Arts as one of the courses required for graduation. He almost rejected the offer, but the thought of finally owning a wand again caused him to give it a try.

At the end of the day, the final stop was the wand crafters shop. It took a further 30 minutes for him to receive his wand. The crafter described it to him with relish. It was 17 inches in length, made from a mixture of Vine and Pine woods. For the core he had two. One from an Ancient Hungarian Horntail soaked in the blood of a Hippogriff from Africa. It was a wand that was attuned to dealing with magical creatures whether it was combating wild untamable creatures or healing hurt creatures. It was ideal for Hagrid.

The next time he used the portkey, it took him to Pottermore Castle. It was a sight to behold. There were tall towers and battlements, white ivory walls that seemed impenetrable, and many, many students milling around. He met with Remus and was escorted to his room for the rest of his basic training. The room was pretty basic. There was a large bed, a large desk and a large bookcase to hold all his books. There was no shower however due to a communal system being used. The room however was outfitted perfectly for him. Hagrid decided to tour the castle. On his walk he realized that all the students were half humans and intelligent magical beings. He saw goblins (1/2 goblins too), werewolves, vampyres, incubus, veela, ½ merpeople, sirens, ½ giants and many more. The next two hours were spent talking to schoolmates and finding out they were all above school age and were playing ‘catch-up’. He realized also, that there were no resentments between the different species. When it was finally time for dinner and the official opening of the program, he had yet to see half of the castle.

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The next nine years were both torturous and liberating for Hagrid. He made many friends and did a lot of school and changed drastically. Most of his prejudices had been debated and let go. His use of language and the number of them he knew increased dramatically with him learning French, Gobbledegook, Latin, Greek, and elfin. His English was refined to perfection (even his accent disappeared). He had completed his International Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations (OWLs) in Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Charms, Transfiguration, Defensive and Offensive magics, Dark Arts, Healing, Magical Creatures and their Care, History, Herbology, Potions and Muggle Affairs. He also completed his Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (NEWTs) in Ancient Runes, Charms, Transfiguration, Defensive and Offensive magics, Healing, Magical Creatures and their Care, Herbology, Potions, Ancient Magics and Ward Crafting and Breaking.

His career options had opened up a great deal. He however decided to use the last two years of his education to conduct research and complete Masteries in three areas. His goals were Magizoology (Dragonology), Education and Teaching and finally Defensive Magics.

Over the seven years Hagrid had decided to carry himself with an attitude of respect. He had trimmed his hair and groomed his beard. He also began to train as a duelist in order to gain Mastery in that area. He had turned his bulk into pure muscles that aided him in dealing with the magical creatures he loved.

Now, at the end of his basic training and the summer, he was looking forward to being a Teaching Assistant for the next two years before returning to Hogwarts. He had decided to forgive Dumbledore for almost having him expelled for the large amounts of spying spells detected by the scans. Not because he worshipped Dumbledore (not after all the debates he had been in that opened his eyes), but because he wanted to move forward in his life. Now that his record was expunged with the aid of Lord Kent, he could live up to his dead father’s expectation and claim what was left of the Hagrid Estate.

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The summer was almost over and he was hoping to hear from Hagrid even though he was no longer enchanted. When he received word from Gringotts that the Hagrid Estate was turned over to the Heir Rubeus, he was disappointed. He had hoped that Hagrid would talk to him before such a major step.

He put all that behind him and focused on the upcoming school year. He had plans to make Harry into the perfect hero and martyr for the greater good and Albus Dumbledore would not be denied.