"No, no dear boy, you are not dead." Albus was at a loss. Where did this
stranger come from? How did he get into the castle? Why his heart telling
him to trust that this person was no danger?
"I have to be dead. I watched you die, Headmaster. If you are talking to me, then we both must be dead, right?"
"Come with me, um.. Do you have a name sir?" Albus asked, wanting to get away from the prying eyes of the students and this stranger into clothing before continuing this surreal conversation.
The man chuckled. "Alright, alright, Professor. I'll humor you. My name is Harry. Harry Potter." Harry made a move to stand, tucking the blanket around his waist like a towel to hide his personal effects before hand, and as he stood ran a hand through his hair to get it out of his face. There was an audible intake of air as every female student and most of the female teachers gasped at his highly muscled frame. The effect was not lost on Albus, but Harry seemed not to notice it at all.
There were also gasps heard from Professor Potter, Professor McGonagall, and Albus himself at the mention of his name.
"Let's continue this in my office, shall we? James, would you kindly gather a set of robes for Harry? And Minerva, I'd like to see you and James in my office with young Mr. Potter as soon as possible."
"Of course, Albus" James replied, before hurrying, no RUNNING off to gather some robes.
"Minerva, do you think you could help me steady this young man on the way to my office? I am afraid he is rather.. Heavy, for lack of a better word."
Professor McGonagall didn't even reply, just moving to the other side of Harry from Albus as he reached his arms over their shoulders, using them as human crutches as he stumbled away from the now lively chattering students and towards the headmaster's office.
Harry caught little snippets of conversation as they slowly made their way.
"..my god look at HIM!"
".he is gorgeus incarnate, I swear it."
".I never thought I'd see an Adonis at Hogwart's"
Harry looked over to where he heard this from, wondering what an 'Adonis' was, but when he made eye contact with the girl who had said it, she began blushing furiously, dropped her bookbag, and knocked over her goblet of pumpkin juice.
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Harry was just getting himself comfortable in his usual chair in Dumbledore's office when James came running in, carrying a bundle of black cloth in his arms.
"This is all I could find, Albus, but I don't think it will fit him."
Albus smiled somewhat senile-ish at him and stated "We'll just have to magic them up to his size then, won't we?"
James, in all his confusion over what the implications of Harry's name meant, had completely lost all sense of thought. 'Of course you can magic clothes to fit a person. I can't believe I forgot that!'
Harry, in a state of shock after remembering what happened to all his loved ones, didn't hear a word of the exchange. Tears, one by one, made their way down his face at the thought of all those he had just lost. His best friends. His teachers who were more like the parents he never had. His Uncle in everything but name. The love of his life.
He didn't respond when the newly-sized clothing was held out to him, and he felt a hand gently grasp him under his jaw and tilt his head upwards to meet the Headmaster's gaze.
"What's wrong, Harry?"
"I... I couldn't d-do anything. I'm so sorry, Professor. It's all my fault. You w-would all still be alive if it weren't for me." At his expression of guilt, the man-child erupted into grief stricken, heart wrenching sobs, falling out of the chair to his knees as his emotional pain racked his body to the core. One could not hear it without being affected, and though the other three had no idea what was so terrible, all were openly weeping. Albus moved to try to comfort the boy, and Harry clung onto his robes as a life-line.
Albus did the only thing he knew how to in a situation like this, and did the grandfatherly duty. He pulled the boy close to his chest, (On his knees, Harry's head came up a little higher than the neck of Albus's robes) and stroked the boy's hair, murmuring meaningless condolences, calming the boy as best he could.
When the sobs had finally abated, if you strained you could hear Harry whisper. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Child, what are you sorry for?" He gently asked.
"For getting you all killed. I only wish I got to say good-bye to Hermione."
"Ms. Granger? You know her?"
Harry nodded, a bit confused. "Why wouldn't I know her? Why are you acting so strange Professor?"
Harry looked around the room, noting that Professor McGonagall was looking at him with curiosity, not a hint of recognition on her face. He continued his scanning until he reached the only other occupant of the room, who looked somewhat familiar to Harry.
Harry stood abruptly at his realization, and turned to face the previously unknown man open-mouthed and tears ready to fall from his eyes.
"...Dad?..."
"I have to be dead. I watched you die, Headmaster. If you are talking to me, then we both must be dead, right?"
"Come with me, um.. Do you have a name sir?" Albus asked, wanting to get away from the prying eyes of the students and this stranger into clothing before continuing this surreal conversation.
The man chuckled. "Alright, alright, Professor. I'll humor you. My name is Harry. Harry Potter." Harry made a move to stand, tucking the blanket around his waist like a towel to hide his personal effects before hand, and as he stood ran a hand through his hair to get it out of his face. There was an audible intake of air as every female student and most of the female teachers gasped at his highly muscled frame. The effect was not lost on Albus, but Harry seemed not to notice it at all.
There were also gasps heard from Professor Potter, Professor McGonagall, and Albus himself at the mention of his name.
"Let's continue this in my office, shall we? James, would you kindly gather a set of robes for Harry? And Minerva, I'd like to see you and James in my office with young Mr. Potter as soon as possible."
"Of course, Albus" James replied, before hurrying, no RUNNING off to gather some robes.
"Minerva, do you think you could help me steady this young man on the way to my office? I am afraid he is rather.. Heavy, for lack of a better word."
Professor McGonagall didn't even reply, just moving to the other side of Harry from Albus as he reached his arms over their shoulders, using them as human crutches as he stumbled away from the now lively chattering students and towards the headmaster's office.
Harry caught little snippets of conversation as they slowly made their way.
"..my god look at HIM!"
".he is gorgeus incarnate, I swear it."
".I never thought I'd see an Adonis at Hogwart's"
Harry looked over to where he heard this from, wondering what an 'Adonis' was, but when he made eye contact with the girl who had said it, she began blushing furiously, dropped her bookbag, and knocked over her goblet of pumpkin juice.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
Harry was just getting himself comfortable in his usual chair in Dumbledore's office when James came running in, carrying a bundle of black cloth in his arms.
"This is all I could find, Albus, but I don't think it will fit him."
Albus smiled somewhat senile-ish at him and stated "We'll just have to magic them up to his size then, won't we?"
James, in all his confusion over what the implications of Harry's name meant, had completely lost all sense of thought. 'Of course you can magic clothes to fit a person. I can't believe I forgot that!'
Harry, in a state of shock after remembering what happened to all his loved ones, didn't hear a word of the exchange. Tears, one by one, made their way down his face at the thought of all those he had just lost. His best friends. His teachers who were more like the parents he never had. His Uncle in everything but name. The love of his life.
He didn't respond when the newly-sized clothing was held out to him, and he felt a hand gently grasp him under his jaw and tilt his head upwards to meet the Headmaster's gaze.
"What's wrong, Harry?"
"I... I couldn't d-do anything. I'm so sorry, Professor. It's all my fault. You w-would all still be alive if it weren't for me." At his expression of guilt, the man-child erupted into grief stricken, heart wrenching sobs, falling out of the chair to his knees as his emotional pain racked his body to the core. One could not hear it without being affected, and though the other three had no idea what was so terrible, all were openly weeping. Albus moved to try to comfort the boy, and Harry clung onto his robes as a life-line.
Albus did the only thing he knew how to in a situation like this, and did the grandfatherly duty. He pulled the boy close to his chest, (On his knees, Harry's head came up a little higher than the neck of Albus's robes) and stroked the boy's hair, murmuring meaningless condolences, calming the boy as best he could.
When the sobs had finally abated, if you strained you could hear Harry whisper. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Child, what are you sorry for?" He gently asked.
"For getting you all killed. I only wish I got to say good-bye to Hermione."
"Ms. Granger? You know her?"
Harry nodded, a bit confused. "Why wouldn't I know her? Why are you acting so strange Professor?"
Harry looked around the room, noting that Professor McGonagall was looking at him with curiosity, not a hint of recognition on her face. He continued his scanning until he reached the only other occupant of the room, who looked somewhat familiar to Harry.
Harry stood abruptly at his realization, and turned to face the previously unknown man open-mouthed and tears ready to fall from his eyes.
"...Dad?..."