Author's Note:

Enjoy this chapter, see you below!

Translator's Note:

Hey everyone! I hope you're hyped for this chapter, because I sure as hell was when I translated it! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did!

Original Author: Jin Ginkaku

Disclaimer: The characters belong to the amazing J.K. Rowling. (except a few though)

Chapter 4: Ladislas and Sheshir

Harry was very surprised when he discovered his new face when he woke up. He even thought a stranger stood next to him as he saw his reflection in the bathroom's mirror, already flooded by the late morning light, and preparing himself to take a shower before going to eat, however the sight of his new appearance rid him of any idea of bathing.

Like his sister, he now had pale skin, whose colour reminded that of Scandinavian countries inhabitants. His eyes were of the same blue-purple as Selena and had a similar twinkle to Dumbledore's. However, his hair wasn't the same auburn, but was lighter, between ginger and blond. His features reminded those of his grandfather at some places, however his nose was thinner and didn't look broken. But the biggest difference with his previous appearance to him was his forehead: smoothed from all imperfections. His scar had completely vanished. The Survivor was no more.

He was light-hearted when he went downstairs to the kitchen. His grandfather, who was reading the newspapers, lifted his head towards him and had a surprised look, tinged with sadness. His lips were pursed in a smile which hid a nostalgia Harry had never seen in him, while he bent his head on the side to observe his grandson.

"You're Wilhem's spit image," he ended up saying while getting closer to scrutinize him closely. His eyes shone under a veil of tears as he softly ran his hand in his grandson's now strawberry blond hair.

"And do I have my mother's eyes?" Harry tried with an amused smile, though he was still embarrassed by his grandfather's emotion. He had heard that so many times he now found the sentence meaningless and hoped he wouldn't hear it ever again.

"No..." Albus replied, and his eyes twinkled again like usual. "You have... her complexion, her nose, but not her eyes… Your sister looks more like her."

"Could I see a photo?" Harry asked while taking a seat. He started to eat, marvelling once more at Skeeny's cooking skills. He knew perfectly he should have found this normal, however he still had memories of mornings without breakfast because he had burnt Uncle Vernon's bacon. Moreover, Skeeny was the best cook in the world, even though Mrs Weasley's cooking was as delicious.

"Of course, I must have this in a box somewhere… And your sister has one or two photos of Will and Alisa in her bedroom. Speaking of your sister," Albus carried on, "could you wake her up? I have to talk to her, and as I must go back to Hogwarts this afternoon… By the way, I think I won't eat with you tonight, I have a meeting with the House Headmasters which is likely to take longer than expected..."

"Okay," Harry accepted, quickly finishing his breakfast before going back up to the second floor. He waited a few moments in front of his sister's bedroom, then opened it softly. It slid soundlessly, which surprised the young Dumbledore.

His sister's room was filled with darkness. Only the windows covered by the long curtains allowed rays of sunshine to pass through, and were bright enough for Harry to see the shape of a king sized bed. The walls were covered by posters or pictures, so much that one could hardly tell the original paint colour.

A faint scent of orange and lemon floated in the ambient air.

Harry walked in a few steps. His bare feet met a soft and cosy carpet. He reached a curtain fold he spread so he could see better in the dark. The ray of light lit a bookcase which ran along a wall. A few shelves were occupied by figures which weren't without reminding those Albus kept in his office. Finally, in a corner of the room, stood a piece of furniture Harry couldn't recognize. It seemed to have a cubic base and rose the way a slimmer wardrobe would.

"Selena..." the young wizard whispered while getting closer to the bed. He received no reply and repeated his call, careful not to bump into the furniture.

"I would speak louder if I were you..." spoke a rather low and mocking voice which certainly wasn't Selena's. He scrutinized the darkness, but didn't see anyone. His pulse beat faster while the room which previously seemed warm became oppressive. Could it be that the voice he had been the only one to hear at Hogwarts...

"I told you to speak louder, not to shut it..." the voice added, still scoffing.

"Mhhh," whispered Selena from her bed, "shut up… I'm trying to sleep..."

"Um... Selena... " Harry stammered, "I think there's somebody in your room..."

"How sharp, my friend… anything else?" the voice mocked before bursting out in laughter.

This finished to wake Selena up who switched positions, again and again until she managed to get out of bed. She scratched her head while searching a jumper on the floor which she quickly put on. The voice had vanished, but Harry could hear its heavy breathing in the room.

"What time is it?" Selena asked as she yawned, and walked towards the windows to open the curtains. The room was lit by the pale winter light. The posters on the walls were mostly of the Weird Sisters. There were also watercolours representing landscapes, as well as photos of Selena and her grandfather, and young girls wearing the Beauxbatons uniform.

"It's about eleven…" Harry replied, his eyes still searching for the intruder. "Albus asked me to wake you up, he wants to talk to you before he leaves for Hogwarts."

"Probably about Beauxbatons..."

"He didn't tell me the details..." Harry acknowledged before continuing while wondering if the sinister voice from Hogwarts hadn't followed him here. "Say, the talking voice… what is it?"

"A talking voice..." mimicked the said voice, "Selena, you didn't tell me your brother was so clever..."

"Stop that, it's not nice!" the Beauxbatons student replied while turning to the strange piece of furniture Harry still didn't recognize despite the daylight. "Ladislas, this is Sheshir, my cat. Sheshir, show yourself instead of making fun of him..."

From the box forming the furniture's base got out a strangely coloured feline. He was a fat striped cat whose stripes were blue, just like his eyes, abnormally big/huge. He jumped on a shelf's platform - which was in reality a cat tree - until he was at the two young wizards level. Harry raised an eyebrow in front of that more than strange animal. But it was those eyes that got his attention the most.

"So, you are Ladislas?" he asked, as if it was completely natural for a cat to speak.

"You… Speak..." Harry articulated, frowning. He didn't recall having heard of such a phenomenon when Hagrid gave him Hedwig, or even during lessons about magical creatures.

"Yes, that happens," replied the cat whose eyes shone with fun. "Selena, are you sure this is your brother? He doesn't seem too quick-witted."

"On the other hand, a talking cat is rather baffling," Selena defended him, rolling her eyes. "Stop annoying him. Come on Ladislas, let's go downstairs..."

She led her brother out of the room, away from her cat whose low laugh accompanied them as they went down.

"Forgive him, he can't talk to a lot of people, so he takes it on the few people living here… meaning grandpa and me… and you now!"

"How come he can talk?" Harry whispered as he wondered if he was well awake.

"Grandpa told you about our magic which is too powerful, and about the bond with a non magical thing so our body doesn't suffer the pressure, right? Well," Selena explained, "I chose Sheshir, and because at the time we created the bond he was still just a kitten, he started developing a few gifts thanks to my magic, such as speech..."

"So it's normal that he talks..." Harry repeated for the third time, still as shocked.

"Yes," Selena confirmed, "you'll see he's not mean, he just needs to get used to you. Trust isn't natural for him."

Harry nodded, but was still not fully convinced. Albus was still in the kitchen when they got in. He neatly folded the paper and placed it next to him and crossed his hands.

"Selena, before I leave, I would like to talk about Beauxbatons," he said reservedly, as if he apprehended what would come next.

"I bet Maxime wasn't really gentle towards me during your meeting," Selena winced while pouring herself a cup of hot chocolate.

"Madame Maxime," Albus corrected her, "told me about some fights with a few students… less childish than there might have been in first and second year."

"I only replied to their provocations..." the young girl muttered while lowering her gaze to her cup. She wasn't shameful, she was angry.

"This is not the right solution. You have to talk to your teachers."

"My teachers are as terrified as the students, if not more," Selena started lashing out as her hands squeezed around a toast, "after all, you imagine, I'm a descendant of Grindelwald, the biggest dark wizard of the twentieth century… Though they don't know what my link with him is, they know I have one, as I bear his name. After all, be I his daughter, his niece or his third degree distant cousin, they don't care! All they remember is that my name is Grindelwald!"

There was a tense silence in the kitchen, while Albus was finding his words.

"I understand your situation is delicate, however you musn't lower yourself to their level. But I..." he sighed heavily and wearily, "I'll give the word to Madame Maxime."

He stood up and left to go in his office. On his way, he stroked his granddaughter's hair in an affectionate movement, which softened Selena's gaze. She sighed once, then raised her head, meeting her brother's eyes.

"Cool appearance," she said while smiling again, "we look more alike now."

"Yes," Harry agreed, secretly glad for the change of topic, Albus told me I looked a lot like Dad."

Selena tilted her head and examined him thoroughly. Her mouth curved into a pleased smile while her eyes shone the same way her grandfather's did.

"I guess you do look like him," she said after a while. "I take it you've never seen him? If you want, I can show you the pictures I have of him and Mum."

"I would love that," Harry agreed.

He stayed with his sister while she was eating breakfast, then they parted for the remaining of the morning. Harry used this time to study while his sister finished unpacking her stuff. During lunch, no one mentioned Beauxbatons, each chatting about lighter topics, such as Christmas presents. As Harry and Selena didn't know each other well yet, Albus offered them to visit Cologne's shopping centre in the next few days so they could buy their gifts consulting each other.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts left them at the end of the meal, and the two young people spent the afternoon playing Exploding Snap and Gobstones in the second floor's living room, which was by far the warmest room of the house. At around four o'clock, Skeeny brought them a cake with hot chocolate, and ended up agreeing to play with them, after the two Grindelwald had begged him several times.

"How is Hogwarts?" asked Selena at some point during their game of Wizard's Chess they had started when Skeeny went to prepare dinner.

"It's wonderful," Harry answered, a smile painted on his face. "There are stairs that move on their own accord, frames at each corridor… The Great Hall is huge, with four long tables, one for each house. For Halloween, it's filled with pumpkins, with a candy feast… The parc is ginormous, and there is the Quidditch field…"

"You play Quidditch?"

"Yes, as a Seeker," the ex-Gryffindor smiled. "And you?"

"No, not really," his sister admitted, "I got a broom for my eighth birthday, but as grandpa can't play… I never really practiced. And at school, I'd rather let those who are really passionate play instead of me."

"If you want, we can fly together when it gets warmer?" Harry offered with a large smile, already imagining what it would be like to chase the snitch across the Domain in summer.

"When it gets warmer, then," Selena insisted while laughing. She looked through one of the living room's windows and shivered slightly. Outside, snow had fallen all through the afternoon such that a blanket now covered the entire Domain.

The door of the living room opened in a slight creak, which didn't distract the two young people from their game. Sheshir, whom Harry hadn't seen all day, crossed the room and hopped onto his owner's lap, and she proceeded to distractedly pet his head while thinking about her next move.

The second floor's living room was used only by the members of the family, so it was smaller than the one on the ground floor. A fireplace decorated with the Dumbledore's arms warmed up the room of which the floor creaked imperceptibly. A round table sat next to one of the windows, which gave a view down the lake. As the room was into the house's angle, its second window gave on the back of the Domain, as well as the greenhouse. In one of the room's angles was a sofa so big and large one could slouch in it. Finally, a cabinet and a small bookshelf were in the wall recess.

"Hum, I wouldn't do that if I were you," advised Sheshir's low voice before Harry could take Selena's pawn.

"That's cheating!" she pouted, however her smile showed her amusement.

"We have to make it even," Harry defended before explaining under his sister's interrogating gaze, "you're thirteen, and I'm only twelve ! I'm younger, so I need assistance."

"From my cat?" Selena mocked, though she bowed before her brother's argument. "Enjoy it while you can, soon we'll be the same age…"

"Albus told me I'd more or less get my height back by the end of summer. So, Sheshir, what do you advise?"

"First of all, get your hands off the board so I can see clearly," the car commanded, his blue eyes scrutinizing the game with great interest. "Can you really play? It looks like you've randomly moved your pieces…"

"Hum…"

"That's what I thought," the feline smiled resignedly. "Rook in D4."

The rook came to life under the feline's deep voice's orders, without complaining, while Harry had to fight before finally surrendering before the pieces he ended up moving manually, tired of hearing their outrage. The young wizard rose an eyebrow and waited for his sister's next move. He didn't wait long.

The game ended with a lively competition between Sheshir and his owner. Harry, on the other hand, was pleased; it was the first time he ever won a game of chess, and although he had been helped by a cat, he felt wiser. Moreover, past his keen sarcasm, Sheshir was actually very likeable, and, even if he had kept on insulting Harry on his stupidity, the game had been quite fun to watch.

They had even started a new one before eating. As previously planned, Albus didn't come home from his meeting at Hogwarts, so the two young wizards spent their evening together, and with Sheshir too, who, just like them, enjoyed the warmth of the small living room. Thus began Harry's most exciting week.

The three Dumbledore spent their days together, to eat, visit Cologne, play chess and gobstones, chat, and even to study. Albus' eyes often twinkled seeing his two grandchildren getting along so well. Selena was delighted to finally get to know her twin brother, who, even if he kept quiet about his previous life, was everything she could have hoped for. She also took her role of temporary big sister to heart, and deeply insisted to help Harry in his studies. Although the latter was now reluctant to get to work, rather wanting to play or talk with his twin.

For his part, Harry had finally found a family in them. A grandfather somewhat eccentric, who probably wouldn't be present for the next few months, and who, knowing it perfectly well, made the most of his moments. A wonderful sister, who mothered him more than he had ever been those past few years in just a week spent together. An adorable house elf, who tended to his every needs and cried once thanked. And finally, a cat with sharp humour and astonishing wisdom.

It seemed to the former Gryffindor that he had always had his place at the Domain, and that his life at Privet Drive had only been one of his nightmares which faded now that he had found his true place.

On Christmas day, after Albus had been to Hogwarts to speak to the teachers who had stayed, they ate a feast prepared by Skeeny, Selena and Harry who had spent all day cooking.

"I think it is time we open the presents," announced Albus once the clock struck midnight.

In one swipe of the wand, he summoned a pile of packets and first took a yellow one he shoved into Skeeny's hands, whose eyes teared up:

"But… I cannot accept… I…" the creature stammered, starting to vigorously tear the wrapping paper.

Selena rolled her eyes, and whispered to her brother's ear that each year, the elf nearly had a heart attack when receiving his gift. This year, it seemed to be a book from an author Skeeny admired. He skipped up and down for about ten minutes, crying warm tears from the kindness of "Master Albus". At that moment, he looked very much like Dobby when Harry had offered him to sit down.

"There, there," smiled the white mage, "don't get so worked up."

"Yes, sorry, forgive me," the elf sobbed before blowing his nose in his cloth, and - finally - calming down.

"My turn now," said Selena, taking a packet from the pile and handing it to Harry. "For you, it's… er," the young witch explained, "it's not much, but I thought you would like it…"

Harry unwrapped the present, and saw with an overwhelming feeling a picture frame of the ones who seemed to be his parents. Just like Albus and Selena had told him, his father looked a lot like him. He was a man with a charming face although his features were a bit harsher, with purplish-blue eyes, and blond hair with ginger strands. He was smiling at a blue-eyed woman with long ginger hair, a broad smile enlightening her face. Several strands were kept out of the ribbon the same colour as her gaze, and came falling onto her face, so pale it seemed she hadn't seen the sunlight very often. They were both radiant.

"They're beautiful," murmured Harry, gently putting the frame down next to him. "Thank you so much."

"I'm glad you like it," smiled Selena, taking one of his hands in her own and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Silence floated for a short while, shortly cut by Sheshir asking for his own present in such a cheeky way the three Dumbledore burst out laughing.

"Here, the treats you love so much." His owner took out the packet she had bought in Paris with Harry and handed it out to him.

The feline smiled, content, and ate one right away. Harry grabbed a present and gave it shyly to his sister. Fortunately, she liked her gift, and they smiled at each other - he was glad as he didn't know if she would like it. Albus too received a little something from his grandchildren. It was Harry who had found it during their trip Cologne, while they passed by a clothes store; he had remembered what his grandfather had said the previous year about the Mirror of Erised. Thus, Hogwarts' Headmaster found himself with several pairs of socks, each very eccentric-looking, and that he loved very much. The latter ended up taking the biggest present and presented it to both his grandchildren.

"It's a pensieve," he explained after it was unwrapped, revealing a sort of silver basin which seemed to be filled with water, although it surely wasn't. "You can see important memories with it, but it's not the reason I bought it…"

He showed the last two presents and the two wizards jumped on them to open them with haste. Each had got a box containing vials, Harry's were memories from his grandfather from the time he taught Transfiguration.

"With this you can study with resources other than books," Albus explained with a light smile. "For you, Selena, you already know what they are…"

"Phialms!" the Beauxbatons student exclaimed, pulling one by one the vials out to read their labels. "Thank you, grandpa!"

"Erm… what are those?" asked Harry, at a loss.

"Phialms. They're just like Muggle films, except they're made by wizards," Selena explained, letting her excitement show. "So they're not made with Muggle technology, but with actors who play the actions, and whose memories have been copied. Every actors' memories are grouped together, and we get a sort of film, except they're phialms!"

"It's a Muggle-born who invented the concept," Albus added for Harry. "He came up with the name by contracting the words phial and film together."

"But… memory manipulation is very delicate, and phialms are extremely rare. How did you get so many?" Selena asked without letting go of her pleased smile.

"Contacts." Albus answered mysteriously as his eyes shone with amusement.

They stayed in the living room for about twenty more minutes before they went to bed. The following day, Selena showed her brother how to use the pensieve and they watched one of the phialms together.

One simply had to empty the phial inside the basin and sink their head inside. They felt like they were falling for a while, then they arrived in the memory they wished to live or relive like an invisible ghost: their body was immaterial and went through any objects, and nobody notice any undesired presence. It seemed way wore realistic than any Muggle film as they were able to move around freely in the memory, follow this or that character, and thus watch the same phialm several times, discovering each time a new element they might have missed previously.

Finally, a few days after New Year's Eve, Albus summoned Harry in his office while Selena prepared for her journey back to Beauxbatons.

"Ladislas, I wish to talk to you," greeted Albus with a broad smile. "I received word from the Embassy of Russia. I am pleased to inform you that you are officially Russian under the name Ladislas Alexei Grindelwald."

"Oh…they were quick," noticed Harry, surprised. He had thought it would take several months.

"It's partly thanks to your mother," smiled Albus. "Now, we can think about your future school, so we know where to enroll you next September. I believe it's not impossible for you to catch up with the year you are lacking, and thus to ask for an admission in your fourth year."

"I think so too," agreed Harry while scratching his head. "But I still don't know exactly which school I'll choose. Selena told me about Koldovstoretz, but apparently the entry exams are difficult."

"Koldovstoretz would be fitting for you," approved Albus whose eyes dropped on a letter placed on his desk. The seal affixed on the envelope represented a circle in which was engraved a stylized hourglass, that could also remind one of the Yin and the Yang symbol. "And I think the level is affordable for you," the white mage added, after a short time for reflexion.

"Really? I could go to Durmstrang otherwise, but…"

"You are free, Ladislas," Albus reassured him. "We could always send a request to both schools and and then see if you meet the requirements for Koldovstoretz."

"Yes please, let's do this," replied Harry, relieved.

While studying the History of Magic, he had researched about Grindelwald, and the more he learned about him, the more it seemed to him that his grandfather was very much like Voldemort. For the time being, he didn't want to have anything in common with him, so going to the same school he went to repulsed him. Wearing the same name was more than enough, and didn't seem easy given Selena's problems at her school…

"Well. I'll go through the necessary procedures," said Albus, his eyes drifting once again towards the envelope. "Ladislas," he started again, "I must be away for two days. Skeeny already knows, and Selena is going back to Beauxbatons, so you'll be alone… I'll try to come by before going back to Hogwarts, but if my trip takes longer than expected… I can't promise you anything."

"Oh… Okay." Harry nodded and gave his grandfather a last smile before leaving his office.

With Selena at Beauxbatons and Albus at Hogwarts, he already knew he would be particularly alone during the following months. He didn't mind it though, because he would be with Skeeny, and his sister had promised him she would write him often. As for Albus, he would try, to some extent, to be back for the weekends.

Ladislas closed his eyes, his smile still in place.

He was happy.

Author's Note:

Here you go…

How do you find our dear Harry's new appearance? And Sheshir, what do you think? (For those of you wondering, I've been greatly inspired by the Cheshire Cat, mainly the one by Tim Burton for the physical appearance).

Translator's Note:

So sorry it took this long to update! I personally apologize to narakunohime whom I told I would publish this chapter nearly four months ago, but Uni started and I was busy with assignments and society. Don't worry though, there's no way I'm giving up on this amazing fic, both for the sake of you readers and for the sake of Jin, who also takes time and effort to bring it to life.

In her note, she asked about the phialms (I translated the name so it made more sense to you guys and gals), she wanted to know if they were a good or a bad idea, but she hasn't really mentioned them again nearly forty chapters later. But I would like to know what you thought about them! Were the descriptions clear enough? Please talk to me! At least I won't feel like I'm translating just for myself…

Anyway, I really don't know when I'll be able to post the next chapter, so bear with me a little. You can entertain yourselves with The Crimes of Grindelwald for the time being, and make up theories about that ending we were given…

Also Harry will be called Ladislas in all future chapters, even in the descriptions, so don't be surprised when you don't see his name anymore, he's still the same person!