~~Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts~~
"Albus, you there?" The Floo flared and Alastor's face appeared in the flames. His voice boomed through the room. Albus jerked up from his seat and made his way toward the Floo. Albus placed his head in the fireplace so that he could speak with Alastor.
"Of course, Alastor. Please step through" Albus said as he flicked his Wand at the Floo, opening the connection. Alastor simply grunted as he gave Albus a stiff nod. Albus backed away from the Floo so that Alastor could step through. Alastor's face also disappeared from the flames and moments later, flames spewed out of the Floo, and Alastor stepped out of the fireplace.
"How have you been, Alastor?" Albus asked softly as he returned to his seat.
"Busy" Alastor sniffed as he sat down on the opposite side of the table.
"I see…" Albus mumbled thoughtfully. "So, what did you find my friend?" Albus asked in a solemn tone as the sparkle from his eyes disappeared.
"Yes, the boy was somehow able to make contact with his house elf. I decided to check the Potter manor and the boy is way smarter than you think. He stripped it bare… He took everything with him, for Merlin's sake, the boy even took the lamps and curtains!" Alastor scowled as he took a large swig from his hip flask.
Albus steepled his fingers as he placed his elbows on the desk, looking extremely grave. 'How was Harry able to summon his house elf? It should have been impossible… Harry was only a baby when he left the Potter manor and the Blood Wards I placed around the Dursleys' house should have made it impossible for the house elf to find Harry…' Albus wondered internally…
Albus had so many questions, but he didn't have any of the answers he needed…
"I see… So, what about the Russel farmhouse?" Albus asked sombrely.
"From the dust I noticed inside the Potter manor, nobody has been there for years… My guess?" Alastor asked and after getting a nod from Albus, Alastor decided to continue. "The boy moved out of Potter manor as soon as he could and moved into Russel farmhouse and after some digging, I finally found who owns the Russel farmhouse" Alastor said and Albus couldn't help but lean forward in interest.
"The Russel farmhouse is owned by Lily Potter neé Evans" Alastor revealed with a grunt.
Meanwhile, Albus lost all color from his face and for the first time since the start of this meeting, Albus lost his composure. 'How?! How did the boy come to know about the Russel farmhouse? Did the boy somehow find his mother's journal? But I still have her journal with me and I didn't find any mention of the Russel farmhouse… Did she have another journal?' Albus couldn't help but wonder inside his mind.
Alastor noticed the gobsmacked look on his century-old friend and snorted in amusement. "Yeah… That is the reaction I was expecting from you" Alastor nodded his head with a satisfied look on his face.
Albus' so-called well-thought-out plans were falling apart like a house of cards and Alastor couldn't help but feel a bit of vindictive pleasure from his friend's plight. Alastor didn't have any problems with the fact that Albus decided not to involve him in his so-called grand plans, but Alastor hated the man for all of his secrets. Albus always kept all of his cards close to his chest and he never trusted anyone with secrets.
After a couple of minutes, Albus finally regained his bearings. "Did you find anything about the Dursleys?" Albus asked, changing the topic.
There was not much he could do about Harry running away from the Dursleys. He desperately wanted the answers, but he was quite aware of the fact that he would receive none. There was only one person who could give him all the answers, and the boy was nowhere to be found. Albus didn't need to be a genius to realize that the boy wasn't going to show up with the other first years.
"Aye… I found a lot" Alastor sighed tiredly. "I did find some traces of Magic around the house. My guess… Muggle Repelling Wards or something similar, and I also found some subtle signs of Magic on the adult Dursleys. Though not enough to raise any flags" Alastor griped as he took another sip from his flask.
Albus took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes… This is what he was worried about. This is exactly what he feared. Someone Magical with a grudge against Dursleys killed them… A name readily popped into his mind. Harry Potter. If the boy took everything from the Potter manor, then he had the means to learn Magic to enact his vengeance on the Dursleys.
The Dursleys didn't have any connection with the Magical world except for Harry… Yes, Severus knew about them but Severus didn't know where they lived. Yes, Severus could have easily discovered them if he really wanted, but he knew for sure that Severus wasn't responsible for this travesty. So, it must have been Harry who killed them.
'Did I doom the Magical world by placing the boy at the Dursleys?'
'Was I responsible for creating another Dark Lord?'
'Voldemort will rise again and only Harry can defeat him… Is it going to be a fight between Light and Dark or is it going to be two forces of Dark?'
'Can I still save Harry?'
'Can I still guide Harry to become the next Light Lord?'
So many questions sprang inside his mind, but once again he received no answer… Once again, Albus started to wonder what he was going to do… He wished he wouldn't have to carry so much burden on his own. So many plans… All destroyed. The Philosopher's Stone was still inside vault 713 at Gringotts Bank. Albus was planning to use the Stone to lure Voldemort out in the open and at the same time, test Harry.
The plan was ruined as soon as Harry pulled the disappearing act… He could have still carried through the plan to lure Voldemort out of his hidey hole, but he ultimately decided against it. Albus realized that if he used the Philosopher's Stone to lure Voldemort out, then he would end up revealing his hand too soon in the game and he didn't even have all the players on board, to begin with.
Albus knew for sure that Voldemort was out there somewhere, so he decided to wait… Now that all of his plans have been ruined, he will wait for the others to make their move. Harry was half-blood, so the Ministry won't stop him from learning Magic even if the boy decided against attending Hogwarts, so Albus decided to wait and play the long game.
There was also a chance that the boy might pop up in some other country… Albus was quite aware of the fact that right now, he wasn't well-liked in the International Magical Community, so a lot of people will counter him just out of spite…
"What is going on in that twisted mind of yours, hmm?" Albus was brought out of his musings when Alastor spoke up with a nasty look on his face.
Albus simply sighed and gave his friend a tired look… "You are fixed on making me look like the bad man" It wasn't a question and both of them knew that.
"Aye" Alastor immediately nodded his head. "If it fits…" He added with a growl. "The boy wouldn't have become a murderer if you didn't place him at the Dursleys" Alastor griped as he glared at Albus.
"I realize that now…" Albus mumbled solemnly. "But I didn't have any other choice… There are bigger things at play here, my friend. Things I cannot reveal to you at this moment, my friend. I wished I could, I really do… but I can't" Albus said as tears started to fill his eyes.
Alastor snarled at Albus and swiped a stack of parchment from his table on the floor. "Always with the secrets! Always with the secrets!! Bloody hell! Who the fuck do you think you are? Are you God?!" Alastor snarled in anger as he pointed his Wand at Albus. The tip of his Wand glowing eerily… "You will tell me what you are…" Alastor went on to threaten Albus, but he was cut off when he was disarmed before he could even realize that his Wand was gone from his hand.
Alastor stared at his Wand which was resting in Albus' other hand while Albus' own Wand was pointed at him. "Do not take my reluctance as my weakness" Albus said in a hard tone while glaring at Alastor. Albus slowly stood up and his eyes started to glow as he released his Magic. Alastor almost choked at the pressure, but he didn't show any outward reaction.
"As I said, there are bigger things at play… Magic you simply cannot fathom or understand. I wish I could reveal everything to you… I truly do, but I cannot" Albus said while shaking his head, regret clear in his voice. The next few seconds passed in complete silence until Albus finally decided to return the Wand to his friend.
Alastor sneered at Albus and snatched the Wand from Albus' extended hand. "We are done, Albus. The next time you need my help, you better be in a revealing mood… I also want to know about the Magic I can't fathom" Alastor sneered mockingly as he turned around on his heel and made his way toward the Floo without looking back.
For a moment, Albus considered Obliviating the man, but he wasn't able to bring himself to do the deed. His sins were already weighing heavy on his conscience, he didn't want to add another one. Alastor disappeared into a burst of flames and Albus slumped down in his seat, looking extremely tired and broken, and after a few moments of silence, he finally started to sob…