---Two Weeks Later. August 27th, 1988 ---
Grandpa Dumbledore's probe slipped past Harry's outer barrier, only to find another wall waiting. Harry tracked the mental attack with his Inner Eye while maintaining three other defenses, each protecting different sections of his mind. A second probe, more subtle than the first, tried to curve around his defenses - but Harry had anticipated this. The memory of last week's breakfast lay exactly where Dumbledore expected to find information about Harry's breakfast earlier today.
"Well done," Dumbledore said, blue eyes twinkling as he sent a third probe toward Harry's deepest barriers. "Your defenses have improved considerably."
Harry didn't respond, focusing on maintaining his walls while tracking the movements of each probe. The third attack pressed against his innermost shield, searching for weakness. Harry let it brush against another irrelevant memory, this one about going through the fifth-year books in the library.
A fourth probe appeared, heading straight for Harry's memories of St. Mungo's. Harry had prepared for this - the moment Dumbledore's probe touched the barrier, it found memories of Harry reading medical texts. The real memories lay deeper, protected by layers of more irrelevant thoughts.
"Your technique has become quite refined." Dumbledore withdrew two probes while maintaining the other two. "But what happens when the attack comes from an unexpected direction?"
The remaining probes suddenly changed course, aiming for memories Harry hadn't specifically protected. His Inner Eye showed him the trajectory two seconds ahead - they would hit an undefended section containing memories of his latest visit at St. Mungo's.
Harry frowned. Something felt wrong about the prediction, the probes were too bold. He pushed his Inner Eye harder, drawing on the power of virtue. His prediction extended just beyond two seconds, just in time.
The probes weren't heading where they appeared to be going. They would curve at the last moment, targeting his memories of the failed healing case instead.
Harry smiled and shifted his defenses, presenting memories of studying curse theory while moving the real memories deeper. The probes hit exactly where he'd predicted, finding nothing of value.
"Very impressive." Dumbledore withdrew all mental contact. "You saw through my misdirection."
"I can see a bit further ahead now," Harry said, relaxing his mental barriers. "The virtue energy helps."
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, reaching for a yellow tin on his desk. "I believe you've gone far in the Active Defense Phase, Harry. Not many wizards could maintain such barriers against multiple attacks."
"We'll keep meeting weekly to sharpen your skills," Dumbledore continued. "But you've become a skilled Occlumens, Harry. And with that comes certain responsibilities... and certain truths. Lemon drop?"
Harry frowned but accepted the candy. After unwrapping it, he popped it in his mouth. "When the Dementor attacked," Harry said, "I heard my 'older self' mention the 'broken Prophecy'."
"Yes." Dumbledore's eyes lost their usual twinkle. "Now that you have learned Occlumency, I feel that you have a right to know of the prophecy that spoke of you and Voldemort. Even if it's supposedly broken."
Harry gripped the arms of his chair. "What exactly did the prophecy say?"
"Perhaps it would be better if I showed you." Dumbledore stood and walked to a tall black cabinet. He returned with a shallow stone basin covered in decorative runes. "This is a Pensieve. It allows us to view memories."
Silvery light spilled from the basin as Dumbledore placed it on the desk between them. Harry leaned forward, watching the strange substance that wasn't quite liquid and wasn't quite gas.
"The memory I'm about to share," Dumbledore explained, "is from my interview with Sybill Trelawney for the position of Divination Professor." He pressed his wand to his temple and drew out a long, silver strand. "It was during this meeting that she made a true prophecy."
The silver strand fell into the Pensieve, swirling in the basin. Harry's hands clenched tighter on the chair.
"Are you ready?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry nodded, his throat too tight to speak. Together, they leaned forward until their faces touched the surface of the memory.
Harry fell through swirling silver until his feet landed in a small, dusty room at the Hog's Head Inn. A slightly younger Dumbledore sat across from Professor Trelawney, who looked different without all the shawls and beads she usually wore. The present-day Dumbledore appeared next to Harry.
"I must say, your credentials are..." The younger Dumbledore paused as Trelawney went rigid in her chair. Her eyes rolled back, and when she spoke, her voice came out harsh and deep.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…"
Harry stepped closer, unable to look away from Trelawney's blank eyes. The crazy woman who spent most days predicting student deaths over tea leaves now spoke with an authority that reminded him of the seer Alexandros in Greece whom had similarly made a prophecy about him.
"And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the dark lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"
"Do you think this power refers to the offers?" Harry whispered to the present-day Dumbledore.
Before Dumbledore could answer, the memory shifted. The door to the private room burst open, and Aberforth Dumbledore dragged someone away. The prophecy ended abruptly as Trelawney slumped in her chair.
The memory dissolved around them, and Harry found himself back in Dumbledore's office. He sank into his own chair, and crossed his arms in deep thought.
"That man Uncle Abe dragged away," Harry looked up at Dumbledore. "He told Voldemort about the prophecy?"
"Only part of it." Dumbledore returned to his seat. "He heard the first half - about a child born at the end of July to parents who defied Voldemort three times. He never learned about the marking or the power."
Harry rubbed his forehead. "But my... 'older self' prevented the marking?"
"Yes, I suspect that is the case." Dumbledore poured them both tea. "What that mark would have been, I cannot say. That intervention changed many things that night." He paused, stirring his tea. "What concerns me more is that Voldemort may still be alive."
"What?" Harry straightened in his chair. "But the killing curse rebounded, and his body fell to the ground-"
"And yet no body was found at the house." Dumbledore's voice grew grave. "Only his robes remained. There are ways, Harry, terrible ways, to prevent death. You are well aware of that, and I believe Voldemort found such methods."
Harry frowned. "Like what the Oracle tried to do? Taking over bodies?"
"Similar, perhaps." Dumbledore gazed at the Pensieve. "But Voldemort went further. I'm not certain, but I suspect that he split apart a piece of his soul to anchor his existence to this world."
The temperature in the office seemed to drop. Harry remembered the feeling of the Oracle trying to possess him, how wrong and twisted it felt. "That's why you wanted me to learn Occlumency first. In case anyone tries to..."
"Yes." Dumbledore met Harry's eyes. "Your mental defenses are now strong enough to resist such attempts. But there's something else you should know." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Over the years, my sources have told me of whispers of a dark presence in Albania's forests. They suspect Voldemort is hiding there."
Harry uncrossed his arms and gripped the edges of his chair. "You think that's him? Just... existing as some kind of spirit?"
"Looking for a way back." Dumbledore nodded. "The prophecy speaks of neither being able to live while the other survives. Even if your 'older self' prevented the marking, even if the original prophecy was broken... Voldemort believes in it. And that makes it dangerous."
Harry leaned forward. "Why can't we go to Albania and find him? If we know where he is..."
"The forests of Albania span thousands of square miles." Dumbledore shook his head. "Parts of it filled with dangerous magical creatures that would attack any search party. Dragons nest in the northern mountains, while vampire clans claim the deeper woods, and much more besides."
"But surely the Albanian Ministry-"
"Would not appreciate British wizards conducting operations on their soil." Dumbledore picked up another lemon drop. "Even if I went through the ICW, and they granted permission, we have no solid evidence. Only rumors of a dark presence. The Albanian Aurors investigated twice already and found nothing."
Harry sighed deeply. "…so we just wait for him to come back?"
"We prepare." Dumbledore unwrapped the candy. "We stay vigilant. And we remember that prophecies are tricky things - they rarely mean what we first assume." He popped the lemon drop in his mouth. "Speaking of family connections, there is something else I've been meaning to discuss with-"
Harry's green eyes darkened. He held up a hand, stopping Dumbledore mid-sentence. "Wait. Another offer just appeared."
[Just An Old Painter - I Shall Seal The Heavens] – Costs 200CP, 250CP available to spend.
How could anyone ever imagine that your seniority was anything but the failing life force of an elderly mortal? Not a shred of power, cultivation, or profundity could be found. And yet... that's not true at all, is it? You can completely control any and all traces or signs of power and significance that you might emanate. Even before mighty Immortals and Paragons, you get to choose exactly how you will appear, be it as nothing but a mortal man completely devoid of any power or relevance, as your true strength, or as something in between.
"Oh?" Dumbledore leaned forward, setting aside the candy wrapping.
"It's about... hiding power." Harry frowned. "Being able to appear as nothing but a regular person even before mighty Immortals and Paragons." He paused. "Which reminds me of something I never told you about the Oracle incident."
"What do you mean?"
"When she tried to resonate with me, she touched something in my soul. Hidden memories." Harry shifted in his chair. "From another world, where I grew up eating Diremonster meat. It seems that the Healthy Eating offer didn't strengthen my body directly, but it had another version of me grow up there. That's why I'm so strong now - those benefits transferred over."
Dumbledore's eyebrows rose. "Another world?"
"A world without wizards." Harry stared at the fireplace. "They had Ki Refiners and Fiendgods instead. Cultivators who focused on either ki or their physical body. They had different realms of power, like my virtue cultivation has different stages and layers."
"And these... Immortals?"
"Beings of immense power. Nothing like Uncle Nick's immortality through the Stone." Harry met Dumbledore's eyes. "Nobody in Swallow Mountain knew any Immortals personally, but they existed."
"And this offer would let you hide from such beings?" Dumbledore stroked his beard. "Even if none exist in our world..."
"That's just it." Harry's voice grew quiet. "These offers always have a point, don't they? Being able to hide before beings of such power... what if I need it someday?"
"Tell me more about this other world," Dumbledore stroked his beard, eyes shining with curiosity. "These memories you gained..."
Harry rubbed his temples. "I grew up in Snowdragon Mountain, one of the top clans in the Swallow Mountain region. The elders there..." He shook his head. "They could destroy mountains without much effort. Some lived longer than any wizard."
"How much longer?"
"It depended on their stage of cultivation." Harry counted off on his fingers. "Houtian cultivators lived about a hundred years without special medicines. Xiantian reached two hundred. Zifu Disciples made it to five hundred, and Wanxiang Adepts lived eight hundred years." He paused. "Primal Daoists... it's unclear, but rumours say millions of years, maybe more."
Dumbledore's eyes widened. "Millions?"
"The culture there was brutal." Harry stared at his hands. "Rival clans and tribes fought constantly. Even the monsters, the diremonsters, could take human form after reaching the Xiantian realm." He looked up at Dumbledore. "Most of the memories are fuzzy. But I remember enough to know that hiding power could mean survival."
Dumbledore sat back in his chair, face pale. He opened and closed his mouth several times before speaking. "Other worlds... millions of years... Harry, this is..." He shook his head. "The implications are staggering."
"I know." Harry watched Fawkes preen on his perch. "The Oracle saw these memories in my soul."
"And now this offer appears." Dumbledore rubbed his temples. "To hide power from beings that could live for millions of years..."
"I should accept it." Harry straightened in his chair. "We don't know what's out there. What if-"
"Yes." Dumbledore cut him off, still looking shaken. "Yes, you should accept it. The ability to hide your strength..." He trailed off, lost in thought.
Harry closed his eyes and accepted the offer. A strange sensation flowed through him as his Hun and Po souls shifted, expanding to encompass something new. He could feel how his existence resonated with the world - the magic, the virtue energy, his enhanced strength, everything that made him different.
And now he could control it all. Hide it completely, show only parts of it, or let everything shine through. Like adjusting the flame of a candle, but with his entire being.
"Grandpa?" Harry opened his eyes. "Are you alright? You look..."
"…I'll be fine." Dumbledore drew his wand. "May I?"
Harry nodded. He concentrated, pulling everything inward through his Hun and Po until none of his power resonated outwards.
Dumbledore cast several detection spells. His eyebrows shot up. "How odd. You register as a Muggle." He lowered his wand. "Perhaps we should move on to other matters for now. This... information about other worlds needs time to process."
"Of course." Harry let his existence resonate naturally again.
"Now, about what I mentioned earlier." Dumbledore adjusted his glasses. "Your mother's family..."
Harry perked up. "My mother had family?" The words came out faster than he intended. He knew about the Potter side, but his mother's family...
"Yes. Your aunt Petunia lives in Surrey with her husband Vernon and their son." Dumbledore pulled a photograph from his desk drawer. "This was taken at your mother's wedding."
Harry leaned forward to look. A thin woman with blonde hair stood next to his mother, wearing a blue dress and a strained smile. His mother beamed at the camera, radiant in her wedding gown.
"That's my aunt?" Harry touched the photo. "Why haven't I met her before?"
"After that Halloween night, there was discussion about sending you to live with them." Dumbledore placed the photo on his desk. "But circumstances changed when you… transformed into an eagle and tried to flee from Hagrid. Would you like to meet them now?"
Harry picked up the photo again, studying his aunt's face. "Yes. I want to meet them." He glanced at Dumbledore. "Do they know about magic? About what happened to Mum?"
"I wrote to your aunt after that night." Dumbledore folded his hands. "She knew about magic already - your mother received her Hogwarts letter while living at home, after all."
"What are they like?" Harry set down the photo. "My cousin would be about my age, right?"
"I've never met them personally." Dumbledore smiled. "If you'd like, we could pay them a visit this Saturday? A surprise visit might be best – families often put up unnecessary formalities when given time to prepare."
Harry nodded, still looking at the photograph. His mother waved at him, green eyes sparkling. The aunt beside her kept glancing at something off-camera, smile never reaching her eyes.
"This Saturday." Harry smiled. The idea of meeting his mother's sister, of having more family... "Should I bring anything?"
"Just yourself." Dumbledore stood up. "Now, I believe you wanted to go stretch your wings?"
Harry nodded and got up, still thinking about his aunt. When he reached the door, he turned back. "Grandpa? Thank you. For everything today."