~~Headmaster's Office, Hogwarts~~ (July 13th, 1994)
Albus returned to his office after meeting Sirius only a few minutes ago and decided to stand in front of the window with a morose look on his face… He was so disgusted at himself that he started to wonder if he could ever look into his mother's or sister's eyes after meeting them in his next great adventure. He was feeling so shameful that for a moment he considered giving up and running away…
Alas, it was only his wishful thinking… He knew he simply couldn't give up and leave. His conscience would never allow him to go down that road. If he gave up then Voldemort and his followers would win… He couldn't let that happen. So many innocents would lose their lives and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he simply rolled over and allowed that to happen.
It was a heavy burden but he knew that he was the only one who could shoulder this burden… He could never trust anyone else with such a heavy burden…
Albus sullenly shook his head as he turned around before making his way toward his chair. His mother and sister would understand. After all, everything he was doing was for the Greater Good… Albus grabbed a lemon drop from his bowl and popped one in his mouth as he started to review his plans. Everything was progressing according to his plans…
While he would have preferred if Pettigrew's escape was kept under wraps, it wasn't going to hinder his plans much… Though he couldn't help but wonder how Rita Skeeter was able to learn the truth… He stroked his beard as he started to contemplate. Her knack for digging out secrets along with her venomous quill was a really dangerous combination.
'A quill is mightier than a Wand' Albus mused internally as he started to devise some plans to deal with Rita Skeeter or at least, defang her…
Anyway, it wasn't going to matter in the long run. After all, as soon as Voldemort revealed himself to the rest of the World, everyone would be looking up to him to defeat Voldemort… Yes, some would be looking toward Harry to defeat the man, but anyone with a lick of common sense would be looking up to him to defeat Voldemort. So, even if Rita wrote something to ruin his image, it won't matter in the long run.
Back to the topic at hand, helping Peter escape wasn't that hard… Retrieving Peter's Wand was an extremely easy task for him, especially with his Chief Warlock position, and knocking out the guards during the transport was also quite easy. The hardest part was when he had to return some of the memories to Peter so that he could successfully locate Voldemort and help in his resurrection.
Thankfully, Peter decided not to kill any of the Aurors after he left… It would have been a useless loss of lives and Albus abhorred killing… Additionally, if Peter had killed any of them then the DMLE would have chased him to the end of the World, which would have ruined all of his plans. Thankfully, Peter knew how to be low profile…
Albus leaned back in his chair and released a tired sigh as he closed his eyes… Everything was already in motion, now he simply needed to wait for the rest of the dominos to fall…
~~Harry's Apartment~~ (July 13th. 1994)
After reading the Headlines, Harry decided to return to his apartment, saying that he needed some space. Jacklyn and Brittany understood where he was coming from and neither of them tried to tag along, but they did tell him that they would be there if he needed them. After that, Jacklyn dropped him outside his apartment building before Apparating away.
Jacklyn had agreed to teach him Apparition and how to create Portkeys, but Jacklyn wanted to wait until Wards were placed around her house before she started to teach him. Unfortunately, Harry's apartment was also not connected to the Floo network… Hence Jacklyn was the only option if he wanted to return to his apartment. He could have used her Floo to travel to any of the nearby shops, but Jacklyn express was simply way more faster…
What do you think, mom?| Harry asked as he leaned back in his chair. He finally finished reading all the articles related to Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.
...Albus is up to something| Lily answered after some pondering. |I believe he is going to try to use Sirius to take you back to Britain| Lily added thoughtfully.
...You never told me about Sirius… What is he like?| Harry asked curiously. He had heard a few things about the man from his mom here and there, but there was still a lot he needed to know since the man was going to try to take him back to Britain.
He was a Gryffindor, brave and foolish… He was a reckless fool and he was extremely vicious toward anyone he hated| Lily paused when she remembered how the man bullied Severus, not that it mattered anymore. She no longer cared for any of them. |He was like a brother to your father. Most of the time, he was being mischievous, but he was also a bully| Lily continued to tell Harry about Sirius.
He was a Black, but he was the black sheep of his Family… Hmm, a white sheep would be the correct term considering everything about the Blacks| Lily chuckled in amusement. |Though he was quite good in Defense| Lily added thoughtfully. |Oh… And he was a manwhore. Can't forget that| Lily added mischievously, making Harry choke.
Harry coughed a couple of times before he finally started to calm down… |Really? How is that relevant information?| Harry asked with a scowl and Lily simply clicked her tongue.
Tch. Tch. Tch… You still have a lot to learn, my son. Sirius is a horndog. Women are one of his weaknesses. If a woman bared herself in front of him then he will forget everything and start thinking with his other head| Lily explained with a hint of amusement in her voice. She was having a lot of fun making Harry uncomfortable.
For the next minute, Harry didn't say anything else… Yes, at first the topic made him somewhat uncomfortable as he didn't want to know anything about his Godfather's sexual escapades, but he quickly got over it… He quickly realized how that piece of information could be useful for him. It was a weakness and all weaknesses could be exploited. It also told him a lot about the man's character.
I see…| Harry muttered as he nodded his head in understanding.
Though he may not be the same man I knew… I am truly surprised that he is still sane after spending thirteen years in that hellhole. Most inmates go insane after spending only a couple of years in Azkaban| Lily pondered thoughtfully. |Even though he is sane, I don't expect him to be the same man| Lily added after a small pause.
So, is there a chance that he is still one of Dumbledore's yes men?| Harry asked after a minute of complete silence.
If it was Lupin then I would have said yes, but I can't be sure about Sirius. Before that Halloween night, I would have said yes, but now, after spending nearly a decade and a half in a hellhole like Azkaban? I don't know…| Lily answered while shaking her head.
Hmm… Then I will wait until I meet him. I just hope that he isn't one of Dumbledore's yes men…| Harry released a tired sigh. He was somewhat excited to meet his Godfather, but if his Godfather was in Dumbledore's pocket, then he would simply wash his hands with the man. Lily also knew that Harry was excited to meet his Godfather, but she didn't try to dissuade him.
Lily couldn't blame him for not being there, especially when he was thrown into a hellhole like Azkaban. She had already decided to give him a chance, but if it was Lupin, then it would have been a completely different matter. There was no way that she was ever going to give Lupin another chance… That man not only failed her, James, and Sirius, but he also failed her Hadrian, and the last was an unforgivable crime in her eyes.
So, what now?| Lily asked, finally breaking the silence.
We plan. He will be able to claim guardianship over me without any contest, so if he wants me back in Britain, then I would have to return| Harry said as he rubbed his chin. |Is there a way we can contest his claims?| Harry asked with a frown. He didn't want to return to Britain, at least, not yet…
He did have a copy of our Wills and if he presents it then there will be no contesting anything. After all, we named him your Godfather and we also named him your primary guardian in case we aren't there| Lily stated firmly. |Though you could claim that he lost his mind after spending thirteen years in Azkaban, but it may not work| Lily added thoughtfully after a small pause.
Alright| Harry said while nodding his head. He could either fight his Godfather by claiming that he is no longer sane and still lose the case as his Godfather could simply present a clear bill from a Mind Healer or he could ask for a Mind Healer check-up and he would lose the case, or he could at least wait to meet the man before deciding anything…
The former route might ruin his impression in front of his Godfather, so the latter route was probably the safest bet for him… Harry clutched his hands tightly with a determined look on his face. The noose around his neck was tightening as his enemies had already started to make their moves. He decided to wrap up his affairs as much as he could before the eventual meeting…
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