Harry Potter & The Knights Of Merlin's Keep

Fan fiction: Harry Potter

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I own the original characters. Any similarities to persons living or dead are coincidental.

Rated R: For violence, some language, mature content, and eventual slash. Though I haven't decided how much, you have been warned.

AN: This is a revised version of the story. It is not complete and though I am working on completing it, I have many other things of higher priority (like school) that I must do first. Please read & review.

---

The beautiful morning did nothing to ease the weight on Albus Dumbledore's heart. Dark times were ahead and even he feared what may come. It didn't help that Harry Potter had seemed to be in another spot of trouble. Only this time it was not of his own doing.

Albus blamed himself for what happened. He had known that the Dursleys despised magic, but he never would have guessed that even Vernon would do such acts. Dumbledore was not naive. He had seen what despicable acts humans were capable of. Hitler, Grindelwald, Voldemort, it didn't matter if they were wizard or Muggle. But he had underestimated Vernon Dursley.

He had gotten an owl from Arabella Figg not fifteen minutes ago, telling him what she had witnessed. He strongly suspected that it would have been a howler if it hadn't been for the urgency of the situation. But it was out of his hands at the moment. Bill Weasley was already on his way to pick him up. If he needed assistance, he would call for it.

Minerva McGonagall broke his silent reverie.

"He'll be all right, Albus. He's faced Voldemort four times already. Surely not even Muggles like the Dursleys could really hurt him?" her voice was filled with a false hope. She knew, as he did, that Muggles could be extremely dangerous at times.

"If only that were true, Minerva." Albus sighed, "I am afraid that Harry is in far more danger than he has ever been. And it is all due to my short-sightedness."

"Professor Dumbledore! I will not stand here and listen to you blame yourself for something that you could not have foreseen. I..."

"But you saw it, did you not?" he interrupted.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Fourteen years ago, on Privet Drive. When we left him on the Dursley's doorstep. You said they were the worst sort of Muggles."

"I merely meant that they were as mundane as they could be. I didn't know that this would happen." Professor McGonagall explained, "Now I know you quite well, Albus Dumbledore. You are human like the rest of us, and like all humans, you make mistakes. What makes you the great man that everyone thinks you are is that you not only learn from your mistakes, you fix them.

"Now Bill Weasley is on his way to pick Harry up very shortly. He will need our help. I suggest you stop sulking and make preparations to visit The Burrow. Madam Pomfrey won't be back until mid-August and you are the second closest thing we have to a doctor here."

Minerva ushered the old professor out of his own office.

"I will be along to help shortly. I just need to finish this year's batch of acceptance letters. Now go before I'm tempted to curse you with a tickling charm."

The familiar twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes returned as he quickly and wisely followed McGonagall's orders.

Now that she could work in peace, Minerva went to the cabinet where the enrollment scroll was kept. She opened it with a sense of awe. Even though she had been doing this for decades, the experience was never lost on her.

The enrollment scroll itself was nothing spectacular. Just a standard scroll of parchment that had to be replaced every once and a while, but what was truly magnificent was the quill used to write the names of future students. It had one of the most powerful spells on it ever devised. Whenever a wizard child was born, either to a wizard or Muggle family, it wrote the name of that child down as a possible student.

Now this particular quill's charm only extended to Europe. Other schools, of course, had their own ways of selecting students. But regardless, the experience of just holding the quill was humbling.

Minerva took the scroll, already filled with names that, in eleven years, would more than likely be receiving their own Hogwarts acceptance letter. She replaced it with a fresh scroll. This was done once a year. The old scroll was kept for eleven years, when it was time to invite them to Hogwarts. During that time, if a student moved or more unfortunately, died, the name would be struck through automatically. This also would happen if the student had chosen to go to another Wizarding school. It sometimes happened.

She then placed the name filled scroll in another cabinet, which had a preservation charm on it. It would keep the scroll as fresh and whole as it had been when placed in the cabinet. After ten years, even magic scrolls sometimes deteriorated. Then she pulled out this year's list of new students and perused it. Only a few names were crossed off. Thankfully none of them were in the telltale red ink that indicated death.

Now was the time that she enjoyed the most. It was time to use the quill. Now the quill was, by definition, always in use as it would float up and write a new name on the scroll whenever it sensed the birth of a wizard or witch, but that was just one of its uses. She took the quill with reverence and placed it on the desk next to the stack of parchments that would be the acceptance letters.

She then pulled out her wand and cast a spell.

"Quill of Hogwarts, wise and true,
Write us the names, of students anew,
Of all the young, within our reach,
Tell us please, who we will teach."

The words were completely unnecessary, but McGonagall couldn't help herself. It was one of the few childish pleasures she allowed herself, and that was only once a year. She pointed her wand at the quill and tapped it lightly.

The quill sprang to life and started writing out the acceptance letters. As it finished with one, the parchment flew off the stack by itself so the quill could continue. McGonagall folded and stuffed the parchment into envelopes as the quill continued to write. The envelopes would address themselves as they were sealed.

When the quill finished, it flew over to where the new enrollment scroll had been placed and wrote down several names. Obviously a few new wizards and witches were born as the letters were being written.

Minerva took the stack of now full envelopes and checked them against this year's scroll. The quill never made any mistakes, but Minerva always double-checked. In the magic world, strange things could happen and they usually did if one wasn't paying attention. As it turned out, she realized this was a good idea. There was an extra letter written, addressed to an S. Bergstead, nestled between Baxter and Bones. She double-checked the list to be absolutely sure. Sure enough there was Baxter, Laura and Bones, Geoffrey but no Bergstead.

One thing that Dumbledore had told her that he never let her forget, if the quill writes a letter that isn't on one list, it will be on another. She checked the previous year's lists. When she got to the current fifth year's scroll, she saw a name, Bergstead, Simon, crossed out in red. However, as she looked closer, the blood red line that indicated death slowly disappeared. She watched in shock until the name was completely whole once again.

After a brief moment of bewilderment, she shook her head clear and went to owl the letters. The odd one she would keep until she could speak to Dumbledore about it. And odd it was.

---

Not five miles from The Burrow, Darrin flagged them off to the side of the road. He lifted the shield on his helmet so he could talk to Bill.

"This is as far as I go."

"What? You said you were going to help us!"

"And I meant it. But it has to be my way or not at all. I'm not keen on You-Know-Who coming back and I'm willing to help where I can, but I've still got a business to run and people to bribe. Information isn't cheap and since you aren't offering up the cash, I need to cover costs somehow. Besides, if your father or brothers see me, we're both in trouble, and you know it."

Bill sighed though it couldn't be heard over the engines of their motorcycles. He gave Darrin a nod then offered his hand. Darrin shook it then handed him Harry's shrunken trunk.

"I suspect he'll be wanting that eventually. Take care of him, Bill, he's important." Darrin turned his bike to the opposite direction, "And tell your mum I miss her mince pies."

Darrin took off before Bill could give a reply. He shook his head and wasted no more time in getting back underway. Harry had been stabilized by their combined magics, but that wouldn't hold forever. He needed real medical attention and soon.

He couldn't get to Hogwarts in time and St. Mungo's would be too accessible for Voldemort, so The Burrow was the only likely choice. It had been decided that the Burrow would be a safe house for those who were fighting against Voldemort. Though it wasn't as fancy as a manor, it had the advantage of being almost out in the open. With the proper spells and provisions in place, The Burrow would be difficult to attack.

The first thing that Bill noticed as he pulled up was Albus Dumbledore, waiting for him. He didn't bother asking the professor how he knew to be here; just immediately rattled off everything he could about Harry's injuries and what they did to stabilize him.

Albus already had a stretcher floating by, waiting for Harry, and he was placed on it immediately and brought inside. Bill noticed the front room had been cleared of most of the furniture and there was a large examining table in the center of it. Apparently, Dumbledore knew most of what to expect.

This did not prevent the look of remorse on Albus' face, but he did not let his feelings get in the way of helping the boy. After a few examination spells, Dumbledore looked slightly relieved.

"He has a broken rib, but thankfully it has not punctured anything." His voice carried his age, but it still held hope, "The bruising can be mostly healed with a strong potion that Molly is brewing as we speak. He is very undernourished. Almost starving, but not quite. We should moderate his diet for the next week or so until he recovers. Physically, it looks much worse than it is."

Bill and Arthur let out a collective sigh along with a Great Merlin and Thank God respectively. Albus cast one more spell, which he used to repair Harry's broken rib.

"Now all he needs is the potion and rest."

Arthur took the initiative and motioned for Bill to help him carry Harry into the master bathroom.

"We can get him cleaned up in private. I sent the other kids over to the neighbors, but knowing them, they'll be here any minute asking questions. It'd be best if they didn't see him like this."

Bill didn't argue. Harry was a sight, and his smell was worse. He held his breath as they peeled the soiled clothing off his body. Twice he had to leave the room for a bit of air. Arthur seemed un-phased.

"You would think after seven years in the tombs of Egypt I would be used to foul odors. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but how can you stand it?"

"Well I may work for the ministry, and your mother may be a housewife, but make no mistake. With seven children, I changed my share of diapers. You learn to ignore it."

Bill couldn't help but chuckle. Soon they had him stripped and laying in the bathtub. Arthur turned on and adjusted the water to a good warm temperature, but not scalding. With Bill's help holding Harry upright, Arthur gently and painstakingly cleaned the boy. The blood and other matter were soon washed away leaving only bruised skin.

Bill marveled at how easily and expertly he had handled all of this. It dawned on him that he wanted to do that himself. He wanted to be a father. He sighed, knowing that it wasn't practical for a curse breaker or even professor to be a father, but still, it gnawed at his stomach a little bit.

He turned back to his father, who was now gently drying Harry.

"How do you do it?"

"Well as I said before, you learn to ignore it."

"No, how do you go from Ministry official to nanny so easily?"

"I hate to disillusion you, Bill," Arthur spoke in an unusual seriousness, "But for a father, there is no difference. I am a father first and one thing a father does is take care of his children. Even when it gets messy. If I left this kind of thing for just your mother to take care of, then I wouldn't be a great father." He then added quickly, "Never mind the fact that she would hex me into the next life."

"I sometimes wonder who wears the pants in our family." Bill said teasingly as they carried the still unconscious boy into the master bedroom.

"That makes two of us. I'll admit that your mother and I tend to fall in the old cliché roles, but that is only because it's who we are. But if Molly were to walk in here right now and tell me she was going to get a job of her own, I'd support her completely. I doubt she would do the same if I were to up and quit, but then, if I were her, I wouldn't support that decision either."

"I hope I can be a father someday." Bill said wistfully as the two put pajamas on Harry.

They soon had him tucked in the large bed. Despite the purple marks blemishing his face, Harry looked at peace. Arthur gently brushed the wild hair out of the boys face. He then turned and looked Bill straight in the eye, looking deadly serious.

"I hope you can too, son. But know this, once you are, seeing a sight like this is all the more painful. Because no matter how hard you try not too, you will always see the face of your own child lying there. Always."

Bill could see his father's eyes water slightly. He thought his father a gentle and kind man. Never prone to the stereotypical machismo front that most men put forth. But even still, he'd never actually seen his father cry. The gnawing feeling in his stomach was back in force. He pulled his father into a tight hug.

"I love you, dad."

"And I love you, son."

---

Things don't always go as planned. This is true in the wizarding world as much as it is in the Muggle world. Aaron found this out the moment they arrived in Hogsmeade. He and Percy Weasley were supposed to take a horseless carriage up to Hogwarts, but Professor McGonagall, whom Aaron had not seen for twenty years, met them as they exited the Hogsmeade Transit Service. The look on her face was tell tale that something was seriously wrong.

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Devlin," She said with a slight break in her voice, "There's been an emergency. Someone's been seriously injured and Professor Dumbledore is at The Burrow handling the situation however I do not think he will want to return here anytime soon."

"What happened, Professor?" Percy asked, starting to worry. What if it was one of his siblings, or his parents? "Who's hurt?"

"Harry Potter," McGonagall said, her voice breaking a little more, "Albus will have the situation in hand by now, but I do not think he will want to leave until he's absolutely sure Harry will be okay. Mr. Devlin, he wants to apologize for this disruption, and he asks that you bear with it for the time being and meet with him at The Burrow."

"That will be fine, Professor McGonagall." Aaron said impassively. He was annoyed that he was being drug all over the countryside, but he suppressed it, given the situation. It was not lost to him either that the one who was hurt was Harry Potter. Now all that remained was getting there. "Will we be portkeying?"

Percy shook his head. "Custom portkeys are extremely expensive. We'll have to go by floo powder. Professor, if you would please Apparate ahead of us and make sure the fire is clear, I would appreciate it."

"Of course, Mr. Weasley. I shall see you both again shortly." And with a pop, she was gone.

"I'm really sorry this happened." Percy apologized. His voice was steady but his face betrayed his worry.

"Mr. Weasley, let me get one thing straight. You should never apologize to me for something that is one, not your fault, and two, not in your control. Emergencies happen and we have to deal with them. Other things can wait."

Percy nodded, "Then we should get back inside. They'll have a fireplace that's hooked up to the floo network."

"That reminds me," Aaron said nervously, "I've never been able to travel by floo powder before. How do I do it?"

"You just throw some of the powder into the fire, step into it and say where you are going in a loud clear voice. In this case, it's The Burrow."

"Loud clear voice? And it's pronounced The Burrow?" Aaron kept practicing, putting emphasis on each syllable.

The line for the floo network was quicker than those traveling by portkey. In no time, it was their turn. Percy went first. He threw in the powder, stepped in and shouted "The Burrow!" and in a spinning poof of smoke, he was gone.

Aaron took a deep breath, threw in the powder and followed suit. As soon as he yelled "The Burrow!" he started spinning around really fast. He instinctively pulled his arms in tight, which only made the spinning seem faster. After a few short moments but what he felt was long minutes, he was ejected out of the fireplace at a great velocity.

His eyes were closed, he was horizontal, and something living was underneath him. It was a human sized living thing. Aaron opened his eyes to look at this human sized living thing that broke his fall.

Aaron gasped. He had landed on one of the most handsome men he'd seen in a long time. He had long fire-red hair, which instantly told Aaron he was related to Percy, but he had a slight tan and a rugged look to his face. And those eyes. Those piercing baby blue eyes...

"Hello." Aaron could feel the deep reverberations of this god's voice through their pressed together chests.

"Um... Hi."

"I'm Bill. I'd offer you my hand but it appears to be lodged between us."

Aaron blushed slightly as he pulled himself up.

"I'm embarrassed, er.. Aaron. Aaron Devlin." He said as he offered to help Bill up. Bill accepted and Aaron thought a jolt of electricity had shot through his entire body. But it felt good. Very good. He couldn't help but smile. He just hoped that he didn't look like a grinning idiot, cause he certainly was acting like one.

Bill smiled warmly back at him. It was almost painful to let go of his firm grip, but he wasn't sure how Bill might react to not getting his hand back.

"Mr. Devlin," Percy had touched Aaron on the shoulder to get his attention, "Why don't you come into the front room and sit down. Professor Dumbledore is currently speaking to Professor McGonagall but he will be with you in a few moments."

"Sure," Aaron didn't object. He would have loved to continue to stare at Bill and his handsome physique but didn't dare for fear of his own body betraying him.

---

"This is quite odd, indeed, but not entirely unheard of." Professor Dumbledore looked at the letter that Professor McGonagall had given him. "And considering who this is, I am not surprised really."

"Professor?" McGonagall was obviously confused.

"This young gentleman was never dead to begin with. If I am not mistaken, his grandfather performed the Fidelius charm for him. That would explain why the scroll thought he was dead. It could not find him, which means that now, either his secret keeper has passed away or has willingly given up the secret. Knowing Claudius Bergstead's paranoia, he would have used himself as secret keeper. I doubt that he would willingly give up the secret without a very good reason."

"But why would the quill write out the letter? The boy must be fifteen years old now."

"He is still young enough to teach, Minerva." Albus replied softly so as not to disturb the sleeping Harry, "He will have to begin as a first year. There are no exceptions to that, I am afraid. That alone may keep him from accepting. Send the letter and then look into his family situation. If his caretakers are Muggles, I want to be sure they can be trusted."

Albus' voice had a definite edge as he looked upon Harry.

---

Aaron walked into the front room and had to blink several times to make sure his vision hadn't gone. He saw lots of red hair about the front room. Each person looking remarkably like their relatives but unique in their own way. Except for the twin boys. Aaron had to shake his head when he saw those two.

"Yes, those two are quite hard on the eyes but what can you do, they're family." Percy joked at Aaron's double take.

Aaron gave Percy a quizzical look, "Are you sure this isn't Grand Wizard Station?"

Percy shrugged, "It's just The Burrow."

He met each of the Weasley children in turn, and for some reason wasn't surprised to hear that there was one of theirs missing, currently in Romania studying dragons.

The talk was light and forced. Aaron could all see that they were very upset about what had happened to Harry. They were also upset because the adults hadn't been forthcoming with all the details. Aaron wasn't sure he wanted to know. It wasn't that he didn't care; only that he'd seen his share of abused people in his life.

He also noticed that Bill and his parents were trying to keep the conversation as far away from that subject as possible. When he saw an opportunity to help out in that respect he would interject a comment or two, prompting a slew of questions about himself. Aaron was a little self-conscious about revealing his past to these strangers, but it seemed important to do so, and he mentioned nothing about his previous stint at Hogwarts, just his Muggle life. It fascinated Arthur to no end and Molly traded cleaning secrets, cooking tricks and craft ideas with him.

"And it really works? I'll have to try that sometime. We can make a stain removing potion that is very effective, but the ingredients can be quite expensive."

"Well it works most of the time. Often enough to consider it."

At that moment, Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore stepped out of the master bedroom. Almost instantly they were assaulted with questions from practically all the younger members of the Weasley clan. Albus held up a hand and they silenced themselves quickly. Aaron couldn't help but be amused. Even in their own house, he commanded their respect. He ducked into the kitchen while the rest were paying attention to the Headmaster.

"Harry will be just fine in a few days. The potion that Molly has prepared is working much better than I expected and most of the visible bruising is gone. But he is still not well and at the risk of sounding a little too much like Madam Pomfrey, he needs his rest.

"He is asleep for now. He will probably wake up sometime this evening. I will not prohibit you from visiting him but I must insist that you keep your visits short."

The Weasley's all nodded their assent to Dumbledore's instructions. Albus nodded to Professor McGonagall and she Disapparated with a pop. Albus walked into the kitchen, knowing that Aaron had separated himself so that they could talk in private.

"Good afternoon, Professor." Aaron said passively. His anger with the Headmaster had slowly been returning, but the old man had been through a lot today, and Aaron wasn't the type to kick a man when he's down.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Devlin." Albus replied, keeping eye contact with him, "I am glad you came."

"Well I had nothing better to do, and I felt it was about time I had a decent vacation. Though to tell the truth, the fact that it's on your tab is really the only reason I'm here."

"Then you have made up your mind?" Dumbledore looked disapprovingly at Aaron.

"No, I haven't as a matter of fact. I thought I had but then I remembered how hard it was for me. To confuse the matter further, Percy told me something that I had never really thought of. The type of specialist that you need isn't found in the wizarding world. That really struck a cord with me.

"At first I wanted to shout out 'Why the hell not?' but then common sense prevailed. People like me don't exist in your world."

"Not yet." Dumbledore walked over to a chair and sat, "But with your help, that will change."

"No," Aaron narrowed his eyes in anger, "It won't, and you damn well know it. People like this new student of yours and myself are less than human in the wizarding world. It's bad enough that Muggles are treated with derision. I was loathed and despised just for existing. And in my own Household! At least in the Muggle world I am human. Odd, maybe, but still human."

"You still blame me for what happened twenty years ago?" Dumbledore looked and sounded every year of his existence.

"I used to, but not anymore. I eventually came to realize that you weren't directly responsible." Aaron glared hard into the old professor's eyes, "No, I don't blame you for my parents death. I blame you for filling my head with noble ideals that only your precious Gryffindors would follow and even then only when you or McGonagall were around to enforce it. I blame you for not bothering to warn my parents or I about what was out there. I blame you for not warning me what exactly I was getting into. I blame you for telling me that everything would be just fine. But worst of all, I blame myself for believing you."

Dumbledore breathed in deeply. Aaron's words stung, filling him with anger, frustration, remorse and sadness.

"You misjudge me, Mr. Devlin." Albus kept his voice calm but gave Aaron a steeled glare, "I did everything I could to protect you and your parents. Unfortunately, as Professor McGonagall was only to quick to remind me of this morning, I am still only human. I could not have predicted nor prevented your parents murders as much as I could not have predicted or prevented you leaving Hogwarts."

Aaron snorted and then turned away. Albus sighed even further, his frustration becoming more evident.

"And look what became of that," he muttered, "You are more obstinate than ever!"

"That's because I've had twenty years to think about it," Aaron said, still not facing him, "How many of those years did you think about it, Professor, or did you just go out and find yourself a new charity case?"

Albus couldn't believe what he had just heard. He could only stare at Aaron, shocked and speechless. Aaron did not look back.

"It sounds to me, Professor Dumbledore, that it is you who has misjudged me. More accurately, underestimated me."

"It would appear that I have." Albus managed to find his voice. He was about to say more but Aaron interrupted him.

"Twenty years, Professor. That's a long time to brood." Aaron's facial expression had softened, as did his voice as he turned to face the headmaster, "Far too long, I'll admit. I won't lie to you, I still hold serious resentment towards you. Hell, the word 'bitter' would be an understatement, but I am willing to hear your plan. If you can prove to me that you've done everything within your capability to prevent history from repeating itself," he sighed heavily, "then I would have no choice but to accept."

"You will always have a choice, Aaron."

"Maybe, but the alternative would be to let a child go through unnecessary hardship, or worse. I would be guilty of most everything that I accused you of. Worse yet, I'd be a hypocrite." Aaron added with a pained grin, "I don't like the sound of that."

"I am glad to hear that," Dumbledore said with a soft smile of his own, "Your duty would be that of a tutor and mentor. Someone he can relate to. I realize the age difference may cause some difficulty, but I am hoping that you will both be able to work around that. You will also attend his classes with him. I would like for him to do as much without your help as possible. After all, the point is for him to learn."

"That sounds reasonable. The teachers are aware of his situation?"

"Most of them are and have already come up with some ideas that may make things easier on everyone. I would also like you to work with them in that regard as well. You will be teaching us as we teach him."

"I can accept that as well, though I must admit, I've never done this before."

"Not true, Aaron. You have just never been on this side of the desk. You have more experience than we do, and that in itself is priceless."

"Okay." Aaron grew serious again, "So far you've got me hooked, but here's where you either reel me in or lose me for good. I haven't kept myself completely out of the loop. I had heard about You-Know-Who's downfall, but I have also heard rumors that he's back. I want to know, is this true?"

Albus paused for a moment, deciding on what exactly to say.

"It is true. The Ministry denies it, but it is true. Harry Potter, the boy who is now healing from injuries inflicted by his uncle, was there to witness his revival."

Aaron paled slightly, but he kept his voice calm, almost, "Here is my demand. You will tell this new student about him. You will tell his parents about him. You will tell them about what dangers they face for being this boy's parents. I will not stand by and let what happened to me, happen to him."

Dumbledore slowly shook his head, "I do not think it would be appropriate for me to tell them this-"

"Then the answer is no."

"-however, I don't see any logical reason why you can not. In fact, I think that everyone would benefit if you did explain it to them. It would help build a rapport between you and the student."

Aaron stood silent for a moment. Then he nodded.

"Then I grudgingly accept your offer. I do not need to go back to the States for anything. I can have my landlord send all my personal items over. I was subletting so none of the furniture was mine anyway. My living needs are small and I won't need you to do anything special. As for payment, well I trust that you will make it a fair wage. Does that about cover everything?"

"That it does," Dumbledore stood and offered his hand. Aaron paused for a moment, and then shook it quickly. "Are you willing to meet with the boy and his parents today? The sooner they get to know you, the better."

"Absolutely. Oh, I just remembered, will I be moving into Hogwarts immediately or staying out my reservation at the Leaky Caldron?"

"I will have your things brought over to Hogwarts. Argus Filch will have your room ready by the time you return. Arthur Weasley has already met the boy's parents so he will escort you."

"Very well. Until this evening, Professor." Aaron bowed slightly before he headed for the door.

"Until this evening, Mr. Devlin."

---

Aaron Devlin and Arthur Weasley exited the Ministry vehicle. Aaron looked around at the neighborhood and felt a pang of mourning for his parents once more. They had lived in a neighborhood similar to this one. But he didn't let it last. He was here to do a job, and he wanted to be in top form.

He had let his earlier spell lapse once he'd finished speaking with Dumbledore. Though it had been amusing to hear Dumbledore's loss for words, he had held it far longer than he should have. But that was over an hour ago and now his head was clear.

Arthur led him up the path and rang the doorbell. He smiled with childish delight at the Muggle electrical device. Aaron couldn't help but smile as well.

The door opened and a well-developed man with short brown hair greeted them. Arthur knew this man to be the boy's father.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley," He said with obvious delight and a bit of relief as he invited them in, "We had wondered when you would be coming back. Kim was getting very nervous. It's almost September first and we haven't gotten his school supplies yet."

"Yes, I must apologize for that, but we have been quite busy at the Ministry lately. Mr. Vermont, I would like to introduce to you Aaron Devlin. Aaron was hired on specifically to assist your son's education while at Hogwarts."

"Mr. Devlin, good to meet you." Mr. Vermont extended his hand, which Aaron gladly accepted. "James Vermont, let me go get my son so you can meet him."

James wandered off into the depths of the house, looking for his son, taking a quick detour to inform his wife of their guests. Athena soon brought out some refreshments, which both Mr. Weasley and Aaron accepted. Soon they could feel as much as hear thumping down the stairs, and none to soon after it had started, a young boy with hair the same color of his father's had appeared, grinning from ear to ear. He was a bit taken aback by the presence of Aaron, but his excitement rapidly overcame that and he offered his hand to Mr. Weasley.

"Ah, young Kim. I want you to meet some one special. He is a special tutor for you while you are at Hogwarts."

Kim looked at him confused. Why would he need a special tutor? He was just as smart as other kids. The other man waved to get his attention, he then formed shapes and figures in his hands. He knew sign language!

[Good afternoon, Kim. My name is Aaron Devlin. I don't think tutor is entirely accurate though I will occasionally be doing that for you when you need it. My job is to help teach you magic. One of the challenges you will face in becoming a wizard is the ability to cast spells. Mr. Weasley told me that he showed you a spell when he first met you. Do you remember everything that he did?]

Kim signed back, [He waved his wand and the coaster was as good as new.]

[Did he do anything else when he waved his wand?]

Kim blushed slightly, [I don't remember, I was a little scared.]

Aaron smiled warmly, [That's understandable. Well when he cast that spell, he also said a word to help him cast it.]

It took Kim a few seconds to fully realize what Aaron was saying. [But I can't hear or talk! How am I going to do magic if I can't talk?]

Aaron quickly signed back, [That's why they hired me. I will help you overcome that problem. I have to warn you though, it is much more difficult to cast a spell without words than it is with words. You will have to work twice as hard as your fellow students in some areas. But there is a good side.

[Even though it will be difficult, once you have properly learned a spell, you will be able to cast it a lot faster than the others will. There are other long-term benefits as well but to truly make use of those would require decades of study and practice.]

Kim seemed to accept that, but then something struck him as odd, [How come you can teach me this and the other teachers can't?]

Aaron smiled, [Because like you, I can't hear. And when I was your age, I couldn't talk very well.]

Kim paused a moment to digest all this information. His parents were "watching" their conversation and his mother was doing an ongoing dialogue for Mr. Weasley's benefit. Kim shrugged.

[Well, as long as it will help me to become a wizard, then I won't complain.]

[I'm glad. Now I have a few things that I need to discuss in private with your parents. However, Mr. Weasley has expressed interest in learning a few signs. Would you be willing to show Mr. Weasley the basics so he doesn't look so lost next time?"

Mr. Weasley was obviously amused when Kim's mother translated for him and nodded his willingness. Kim knew that the only reason he was asked to leave the room was so he couldn't "accidentally" read their lips. Not that it mattered, he wasn't very good at it yet, but it was usually an adult thing and he had no interest in that. He nodded eagerly and drug Mr. Weasley off into the kitchen.

Aaron smiled as the two left the living room. The boy's parents were looking at him expectantly, so he decided not to beat around the bush. He signed and spoke simultaneously. He explained everything about Voldemort, including his downfall and alleged revival. They were obviously very shaken by the time he was finished.

"Now I didn't tell you this to frighten you or make you want to go into hiding, and the odds are it might not happen, but I won't lie to you. If Kim attends Hogwarts, there is the possibility that you will become targets."

"How do you know this?" Athena asked nervously.

"Because it happened to me. My parents were murdered by one of Voldemort's followers. I wasn't the only one that year who lost his parents, several Muggle-born children did. But as a calling card, so that I would know that I would never be accepted as a wizard to them, they had..." Aaron's chest had tightened in grief. His eyes watered slightly and he tried to regain his breath, "They had cut off my parents ears."

Athena gasped. James looked sick.

"Why are you telling us this?" James choked.

"Because you should know what could happen. Your son has a remarkable gift. If properly trained, he could do a world of good. But there is a risk. It would not be fair to you or him to try and hide it."

"And you plan to tell our son all this?" Athena snapped.

Aaron shook his head, "No, I won't. That's not my place. I would hope you could find a way to explain it without the gory details. But if you do, it'd better be before September first. Once he's at Hogwarts, he'll find out about these things eventually. It's probably best if he heard it from you."

James looked at Athena and she nodded.

"We will. Not today, but we will."