Harry Potter And The Prince Of Darkness

It was a little more than one year since his rebirth in the world of Harry Potter. Alex initially had some trouble adapting to his new situation. Despite what others thought, it wasn't easy being a baby. The feeling of vulnerability and dependence was something he had issues with accepting. As an a.d.u.l.t with a fully developed consciousness, it was quite embarrassing to remember being b.r.e.a.s.tfed and uncontrollably evacuating his bowels. The latter had been the most uncomfortable feeling he had ever experienced. During his first four months, with limited development in his vocal cords, he couldn't express his frustration in anything but screaming and wailing. Lily and James were both excellent about changing his nappy, so he never had to suffer for long. Having both parents at home while growing up had its advantages.

Since his first night with Harry, he had developed a close relationship with him. He had found that he and Harry shared a bond, for want of a better word. It wasn't one of those "soul bonds", like in those trashy romantic fanfics. It was mainly a link between their minds, that allowed them to feel the emotions of each other. While disappointed that he wasn't a natural Legilimens, Alex was nonetheless thankful for being able to experience Harry's emotions. As they grew up, the link also changed its nature slightly, allowing simple thoughts to be transferred between them. Alex had taken to teaching Harry basic words like "mama" and "dada", typical first words. He had waited for 3 months, once Harry could send coherent thoughts through the link. After that, it had taken almost 2 months of effort, but he had eventually been able to teach Harry a few words.

It was surprising to him how quickly they were both able to speak. There must have been something about magic that made magical children m.a.t.u.r.e early because unlike Muggle babies, he was able to start speaking by 5 months. James and Lily had gone crazy when the word "mama" had slipped out of his mouth while they were playing. James had instantly reached for his camera, which he had taken to keeping close by at all times. Lily had praised him to high heavens, going on and on about what a smart boy he was. Harry had followed closely behind him, saying his first words 3 days later. Both of them were hailed as geniuses who had inherited their mother's intellect (according to Lily and Sirius, much to James' chagrin).

Speaking of Sirius, he had officially gone through the Godfather Ritual with Harry and established the godfather bond. It was a Pureblood custom that he and James had been raised with, and one of the few they wanted to follow. With the ritual, he had been technically made a second father to Harry. In the case of anything happening to James and Lily, he would be in charge of Harry's wellbeing. By being the godfather of the Heir Potter, this also brought Alex under his care if the worst happened. The Death Eaters and Voldemort had learned of their birth through a rather small but crucial mistake that Sirius had made. In preparation for their first birthday, Sirius had gone to Quality Quidditch Supplies to get training brooms for the twins. He had mentioned that he wanted it wrapped, as it would be a birthday gift.

Unfortunately, a spy planted in the store had overheard his conversation and reported it to one of the information brokers. The broker had then pieced together the information to make some accurate conclusions. Sirius Black was a close friend of James Potter, and a confirmed bachelor, so it was assumed that the brooms were a present for Potter's children. Seeing as he had bought two brooms, it would mean that there were two children. Seeing as they were brooms, both children were most likely male. With him getting it roughly a week or so before the end of July, it meant that the Potter children's birth fit the timeline specified by the Death Eaters. That information had been sold to an Inner Circle Death Eater who had brought it straight to Voldemort. The hunt for the Potter's location had intensified since then. Dumbledore had notified them about the increase in search activities and cautioned them to be safe. Sirius had come to celebrate the twins' birthdays but had spent most of the time beating himself up for making such an elementary mistake. Lily and James had forgiven him almost immediately, but he still blamed himself for putting his friends and godchildren in more danger.

Harry's godmother had been Alice Longbottom, the same as in the books. It hadn't been clear in the books what measures the Longbottoms had taken to protect themselves. In this world, they had chosen to go under the Fidelius like the Potter family. Their Secret Keeper had been Frank's mother Augusta Longbottom. With both families going under the charm, it was decided that it would be beneficial for the Secret Keepers to share the locations with both families. Lily had developed a Portkey that only worked for the Longbottom's magical signature, which allowed them to visit each other conveniently. This had been a godsend for Lily and James as they now had friends they could talk to that understood the situation. Both families benefited from the frequent interaction and it also allowed their children to play together.

Their first meeting with Neville was when they were roughly 3 months old. It was around the time they could all sit upright without any support. That was when toys had become a major part of their playtime. Lily had included all sorts of Muggle learning toys that improved cognition and pattern recognition. It was a Pureblood tradition to give one magical toy that encouraged children to express their magic, so their grandparents had taken out some of James' old toys and given it to them. There was a specific toy that drew his fancy. The toy in question was an enchanted ball that responded to the magical aura of a child by floating around them. His first interaction with the ball had surprised nearly all the a.d.u.l.ts in the room. Neville had rolled it around before getting bored and moving on. The moment he had touched it, the ball had lightly glowed before soaring into the air and hitting the ceiling before dropping back down. Harry had been ecstatic at the spectacle and tried to make it respond in the same way, which it did.

All the a.d.u.l.ts were stunned as the ball reacted to the strength of the magical aura of the child playing with it. Most often, it would float a couple of feet high while encircling the child. The fact that it had reacted that dramatically to both him and Harry was something that demonstrated a powerful magical aura. Lily had squealed with excitement as she connected the dots. James was also beside himself with joy. Their sons seemed to be exceptionally powerful and would only grow stronger. Frank and Alice had been genuinely happy for his parents, as far as he could tell.

However, the event had interesting consequences for Lily and James. They were aware of the prophecy, as Albus had told shown them his memory, but had hoped that it wouldn't apply to their children. Now that it turned out they were magically powerful, it only deepened their worry that one of their boys would be the "Chosen One". Lily was proud of their strength but paranoid about what fate would have in store for the one mentioned in the prophecy. Fighting a Dark Lord as strong as Voldemort would be a daunting venture. They had fought the monster enough times to never wish it on their worst enemies. Every time, they had barely gotten away with their lives. Their sons' strength gave them limited comfort, as Voldemort was someone even the great Albus Dumbledore could not openly defeat. What right did they have to try and burden either Harry or Alex with the fate of the entire British Wizarding World?

Though hesitant, they had written a letter to Dumbledore the following evening about what had happened during the boys' playdate with Neville. He had immediately responded and asked for permission to come over. Giving their acceptance to Fawkes, it took a mere 5 minutes before Albus Dumbledore flashed into their living room. "Good evening James. Lily. Thank you for accepting my request. How are you two holding up?" Lily had a dark look on her face. Several of her friends had died in the interim. Now, she had to deal with one of her sons possibly fulfilling some prophecy uttered by a drunken Seer. A prophecy that had trapped her husband and their kids inside the cottage and had the Death Eaters spending tens of thousands of galleons trying to locate them. The boys, along with the Longbottoms, had made it easier, but it was a very stressful and trying time for her and James.

"We're tired, Albus. So tired of all the death and destruction going on outside these walls. Tired of all the lost friends, whose funerals we couldn't even attend. When will it end, Albus?" James had a similar look of weariness on his face as he heard his wife ask Albus the question that was on his mind. He looked at the Leader of the Light with a minuscule amount of hope for an answer. Unfortunately, Dumbledore's solemn look dashed all his hopes. "I am so sorry that you and your family are going through this ordeal. Every day I wake up, I try to fight against the evil that is infecting our society. Sadly, many who are in the position to help us do not want to do so. They rest safe in the knowledge that their interests will be protected, no matter which side wins. When I was younger, I used to have so much hope in the Ministry and how it could become a force for good in our world. Now, I can only be disappointed with what it has become. Rampant corruption, endless greed, and lack of compassion towards their fellow magicals have reduced it to an ineffectual mouthpiece. The prophecy came at a time when we needed hope. Though I am loath to subject a child to such a task, who are we to question the workings of Fate?"

Dumbledore's little speech brought about a silence that the three of them stewed in. They were all weary and hoping for the end of this damned war. They had fought their enemies honorably, only to be killed through despicable means. They had all lost so much, and now they were trying to pin all their hopes on a child. Breaking the moody atmosphere, Dumbledore lightly smiled and moved on to the topic at hand. "I understand that you wanted to talk to me about the twins and the magic they displayed the other day?" Lily looked at James, as he gave a small sigh before answering. "Yes, Albus. They were given a traditional Pureblood toy that responds to their magical aura. When Alex touched the toy, it reacted rather violently by shooting into the ceiling. Harry then tried to recreate it and it responded in kind. It became rather obvious to us that they were exceptionally powerful children. While a toy is no substitute for an actual potential test, Lily and I figured that it would be best to get them tested as soon as possible. To confirm whether our worst fears are coming true."

Dumbledore looked at his two favorite students with a sense of profound sadness. As an educator, he was not supposed to be biased or have favorites, but the two in front of him gave him hope for the future. Lily's compassion and willingness to stand up for others, James' humor and will to fight against evil were traits he wished others had. Too many witches and wizards had become disillusioned and left the Wizarding World altogether. So many brilliant Muggleborns and Half-Bloods who had much to contribute were driven away by those in power.

He had noticed the steady lowering of the magical population a couple of decades ago and tried to solve the problem. He was met with opposition from almost every faction not in the Light. The Neutrals so greedily hung on to their power while the Dark faction was all for ejecting those they deemed "unworthy" from their society. If only more people were willing to see the damage that such views were causing, they would realize that without fresh blood and new ideas, their society would eventually die out. Tradition had its place, but time was merciless. It would forge forward regardless and their society would perish due to their foolish decisions. All of their vast knowledge and magical talents would disappear forevermore, and it would be their own fault.

Frankly, this war had long been fomenting in Britain and he had hoped that it wouldn't occur for a long time. Surprisingly, all it had taken was an opportunist like Tom Marvolo Riddle to encourage them to fight for such an ignoble cause. It was disheartening to see their vile actions whenever he came to the scene of an attack. The heinous actions of his followers had sickened him. Every time he received the briefing as Chief Warlock, he would almost shed tears at the cruelty the woman and children experienced at the hands of those beasts.

His policy of second chances and forgiveness had stemmed from the fact that all these people were once his students. He had seen the light in their eyes when they learned about magic. The wonder and excitement of learning new spells and concepts was something he had enjoyed watching on their faces. To think that those same students had gone out into the world and turned into these beasts was something he couldn't comprehend. The bestial nature of these men who paraded around, killing and torturing innocent people was so incongruous with how they had been as students. Was it really only Voldemort that gave them the courage to act in this manner? Or had they always been capable and willing to commit such evil and he never realized it?

While a lot of his students had gone on to become Death Eaters, he was still reminded of the good within every person. When he saw James Potter and Lily Evans fight for their beliefs. When they willingly joined the Order even though they could have fled the country for greener pastures, his hope in the future of British Wizarding society was partially restored. They had saved the lives of many human and non-human magical beings. They had never discriminated against the origins of others. They fought because of their belief in him, and here he was, hoping one of their children was the answer. He had felt sickened by his elation when he received their letter. How desperate must he be that he was pinning his hopes on a baby that couldn't even properly talk yet? Had he really fallen this far?

"Well then. I will need you to fetch the boys here so that I may conduct the test. Know this, though. Should one of your children be the Chosen One, I will stop at nothing to teach them everything I know and I will keep fighting Voldemort and his forces. Prophecies are usually vague. Hopefully, we can vanquish Voldemort once and for all without the need for involving a child. That would be my sincere hope." He tried to convey his sincerity as much as possible. He truly did not want to use a child as a shield, but sometimes, Fate's decree was final. One did not get to his age and not realize that the will of Magic could not be ignored.

Lily had gone upstairs to fetch the boys while he and James sat in silence. His declaration notwithstanding, he could see James' anxiety. As a father, he would never wish such a fate upon his children. It showed that he was a loving father who would not let the status of the Chosen One get to his head. Seeing James now brought up so many memories for him. He had been good friends with his father Charlus Potter after their meeting in Berlin upon his victory against Gellert. He had seen James grow from a mischievous young boy into the caring, strong father he was right now. He felt a close connection to the twins as if they were the grandchildren he never had. It was going to be a difficult task to choose one over the other. He hoped it wouldn't affect the other child and the family, but it would ultimately be up to them.

Lily came down the stairs with the twins in her arms. They had been woken up a few moments ago by the tired look in their eyes. He took the one on her right arm, which he knew to be Harry, the older twin. "Hello Harry, my name is Albus Dumbledore, but you can call me Grandpa Albus." Harry looked at him curiously as he replied. "Grampa Albus? Like Grampa Charlus?" Albus smiled as he heard him speak. "Yes, Harry. I'm a good friend of your Grandpa Charlus and I am here to test your magic." Harry seemed to have some idea about magic, but not what a test was. "Just relax, my boy. I will cast a spell and some numbers will light up. All you need to do is stay still. Can you do that for me, Harry?" The little boy nodded and sat perfectly still on his knee.

Fl.i.c.k.i.n.g out his wand, Albus started to make some complex wand movements that formed into the runes that analyzed the test subject. The Unspeakables had access to a measuring stick that had the runes engraved onto it, but he didn't want to borrow it in case it reported measurements to the Department of Mysteries. He knew that they had been compromised by Voldemort, but the leadership wanted to clean house personally. He also could not let such crucial information fall into enemy hands, so he had decided to do it manually. It would take a lot of magic and effort, but it would be worth it for the security. Finishing up the runic circle he carefully guided it until it settled around Harry's head, like a halo. The child in question was marveling at the revolving circle around him in wonder.

With a quick check to make sure it was secure, he cast the spell. "Ostende potentiam tuam." As soon as he cast the spell, a number had appeared atop Harry's head. Starting from 0 it started to climb. As it reached 150, he was mildly impressed. This meant that Harry would be one of the more powerful wizards of his generation. As it hit 179 and went further, he went from impressed to amazed. A grand sorcerer coming from Britain was rare, especially with the noticeable decrease in magical power among Pureblood children from the current generation. Much to his surprise, the numbers did not stop there, rising all the way to the limit of 200. He was stunned by the result. A natural-born magus!

They were not unheard of, but they were exceedingly rare. Historically, they were known to be born in times of great turmoil. The legends said that Merlin had been born as one, as had the Four Founders of Hogwarts. Since their time, several more were speculated to have been born, but there hadn't been a method of obtaining a quantitative measurement at the time. This was beyond his expectations, as he was a member of the Mage Association and knew exactly how hard it was to become a full-fledged magus. To be born as one could possibly be construed as a gift from Magic itself. Lily and James had also been floored by the result. They were both categorized as a high-level sorcerer and low-level grand sorcerer respectively. They had expected their children to be powerful, but even they hadn't thought that one of them would be a natural-born magus.

Albus had difficulty keeping the excitement off his face. Harry was most likely the child of prophecy. He had jovially thanked Harry for being a good boy and gifted him with some chocolate he had brought. Handing Harry back to Lily, he took Alex from her and introduced himself the same way. Contrary to Harry, Alex did not warm up to him. He had a rather cold and detached look when Albus had addressed him, which gave him the idea that Alex possibly didn't like him. It was odd, seeing as he had never met the boy formally until now but he nonetheless carried on with the test. Alex was quiet as he watched him make the runic circle. The wonder was there in his eyes, but there was also a spark of intelligence and dare he say, mistrust? Finishing up the circle and settling it onto Alex's head, he cast the spell for the second time, feeling a slight drain on his magic.

The number 0 appeared and started rising, just like it had for Harry. The numbers increased at a similar pace, breezing through the lower hundreds and 150 onward. Once they passed 179, Albus was impressed by the boy's potential. While he may not be as strong as his brother, he would no doubt also be able to reach the level of a magus if he worked hard. His genial smile dropped as the numbers reached 190 and kept increasing. A deep look of concentration replaced his previous expression as he stared at the numbers unblinkingly. They went up all the way to 199 and hit 200, for the second time in 20 minutes. Now, he was absolutely dumbfounded by the circ.u.mstances. Two natural-born magi who were twins?! That was something that had no historical precedence whatsoever. He had been confident that the Chosen One had been found, but now the situation had gotten much more complicated. Which one of them was the child of prophecy? Or was the prophecy referring to them both in some way? Would young Neville Longbottom also show such amazing potential? The questions flooded his mind as he processed the implications of the test results.

James and Lily were staring at the result, unsure of what to think. Both of their sons were natural-born magi, which was mind-boggling to them. Although happy, their anxiety about the prophecy increased at the same time. With both Harry and Alex being so powerful, one of them had to be the Chosen One. This was an added stress on top of the threat of Voldemort hanging over their heads. Lily's eyes started tearing up as she tightly grasped James' hand. James could feel her concern as she held Harry close.

Albus gently thanked Alex for being a good boy and offered him chocolate. The boy promptly accepted it and called for James. James went and picked him up as he settled back down next to Lily on the couch. The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. Albus turned to Lily and spoke. "Lily, my dear. Could I please get a cup of tea? My magic is slightly drained right now and we need to discuss the results and what they mean." Lily set Harry down on the floor and went to prepare some tea. James summoned some toys from upstairs and placed Alex down next to Harry for some playtime. Alex immediately went over to the enchanted ball as he made it levitate in front of him. Harry had gravitated towards a wooden car as he rolled it around making "vroom vroom" noises.

Lily came back with a tray that had a pot of tea and a plate of biscuits. Handing Albus and James a cup, she took one for herself and settled down on the couch. Her worried eyes were fixated on the boys innocently playing at their feet. Albus took a couple of sips to wet his throat before speaking. "This has been a very enlightening evening for us all. I would never have thought that both young Harry and Alex were natural-born magi. I'm sure that if I were to report their Merlinian scores to the Mage Association, there would be several high-level magi lining up to take them as apprentices. Natural-born magi are extremely rare, as you may know. That the twins have such astounding potential is both a blessing and a curse. It could severely endanger your family if their scores were leaked to Voldemort. It would paint a bigger target on you four than you already have. At the same time, with potential like theirs, I would be remiss if I didn't teach them to become the best wizards they can be. I have no doubt that even without the prophecy, they would go on to have a lasting impact on the British Wizarding World and possibly beyond. With your permission, I would like to teach them some basic exercises to control their magic. As magi, their power would far exceed their peers, and it could potentially be dangerous if not managed properly. Their accidental magic would be powerful enough to cause serious harm if they cannot control their outbursts. As of right now, both of you can teach them the basics of magical theory as they seem to be smart enough to understand. I have several children's books I can recommend so they can get started."

Unknown to both parties, Alex had been listening to their conversation. He had been half-heartedly playing around with the ball so they wouldn't realize he could understand what they were talking about. It seems like the test results showed that both he and Harry were powerful. Their results had stopped at 200, so whatever had been measured had obviously topped out the scale. After this, Dumbledore had referred to them as "natural-born magi". The term "magus" was probably some rank that was achieved past a 200 reading on whatever that test gauged. He had felt weird during the test as if his body was undergoing a scan of some sort, kind of like a less noisy MRI. The feeling had started at the bottom of his feet and worked its way up to the magic circle on his head. Hearing that Merlin and the Four Founders had been natural-born magi was something that surprised him. The books always spoke of them like they were legendary figures of immense power and knowledge.

The fact that he and Harry had the potential to be as strong as them was something that amazed him. He had expected to be more of a background character that helped Harry and his friends out. When he became Harry's younger twin brother, that had been a pleasant surprise. Finding out that they were both immensely powerful for their age and could go on to compete with the Founders in power made him ecstatic. This way, he could really help Harry with the quest to destroy Voldemort. He made a promise to work hard and push Harry to achieve their full potential.

He heard Dumbledore mentioning some exercises for magic control and barely resisted scowling. The man pretended to be everyone's grandfather and that was how he got away with most of his crimes. Nobody other than the Dark faction thought he had a devious bone in his body. Alex knew, though. This was a man who would happily martyr a young child for his Greater Good. With his power and influence, he looked down on British magical society as his personal chessboard. He was always thinking several moves ahead, and extended contact with the man was something he didn't really want. Lord knows what would happen if Dumbledore went rooting around inside his head and found foreign memories there. He would probably be Obliviated to the point he actually became a slobbering baby. Of course, none but the great and all-knowing Albus Dumbledore would know what to do with the information. God forbid anyone decides to object to his master plan for the "betterment" of the British Wizarding World. He honestly felt worried about his parents, as he didn't know how to properly prevent their deaths. The sound of shuffling broke him out of his deep thoughts as he saw Dumbledore get up from the chair.

"Thank you once again for taking the time to invite me to your home. I will send the details of the exercises and the memory of how to perform and teach them. While the situation is rather tenuous, worry not, for the Order is working on a plan to put a big dent in Voldemort's forces. Hopefully, we will secure the help of the Aurors and be able to take out most of the Inner Circle during the operation. Should we succeed, the war will definitely turn in our favor. I have a suspicion that we might have a traitor in our ranks, so I have not revealed any information about the boys and have instructed Sirius to do the same. As of right now the only people in the Order who even know their names, not counting the Longbottoms, are myself and Sirius. I plan on using some misinformation to force a confrontation with Voldemort, so we will not be able to see each other for a while. The operation carries some significant risks on my part, so I must tell you this in advance. Should I fall in battle, Fawkes will help you flee England and take your family to the Headquarters of the Mage Association, where you can request sanctuary. With your children being natural-born magi, they will not deny your request. You will be safer with them than you will ever be here. Voldemort would be foolhardy to even attempt attacking you while under their protection, and your boys would receive the best possible education they could get. Please promise me you will do this. The children of prophecy must be protected at all costs, or else all hope will be lost for Britain. Promise me, both of you."

That impassioned plea from Dumbledore had thrown Alex for a loop. Telling them to run and protect him and Harry was something quite out of character. Could it be that this Dumbledore was different from the book? After all, he was the brother of Harry Potter, maybe people were much different in this world. Shit. Had he been cluelessly hating the man due to his preconceived notion about his manipulative, sinister nature? This would take some serious research. He didn't want to foolishly not take advantage of the knowledge of a man like Albus Dumbledore. He stared at the man as his parents tearfully promised to follow his instructions. He bade them goodbye and turned towards where they were playing. He gave a jovial smile as he waved and said: "Goodbye, Harry and Alex! I hope to see you soon." Harry gave a bright smile as he waved his chubby hand in response. "Buh-bye Grampa Albus!" Alex also gave a slightly forced grin as he mimicked Harry while saying "Bye, Grampa Albus!" Cheerfully waving back, he summoned Fawkes and left in a flash of fire that left Harry staring in wonder.

Alex stared at the spot he had disappeared and wondered just how different the world was to what he had read and seen. Was Voldemort more powerful? If so, would his family survive the war? He came to a swift conclusion. 'Of course, they will. I'll make sure of it, one way or another.'