Harry Potter and the Return to Youth

Chapter 5: The Headmaster and Aileen Coine

o ------ o ------ o

Harry Potter opened his bleary eyes to find himself covered in cotton blue blankets in a medium sized bed. He raised a hand to wipe his eyes and froze. Memories of the night before flashed through him and he tentatively moved his trembling hands to his stomach and softly touched it to find smooth skin above his very tender belly.

"You are 'ealed from ze gunshot," said a deep womanly voice. Harry looked up towards the voice and found he was in a nice looking room with a barely middle-aged woman who was waiting on him.

"How...Where am I? I'm not dead, am I?" Harry tried to sit up but fell back with a groan as a rush of pain surged through his stomach. "Ugh." The arrows of pain faded slowly as he tentatively rubbed his stomach.

"You are at 'ogwartz. Zis is Professor Dumbly-dorr's guest chamber. 'e rescued you from ze Dursleys' 'ouse," the woman said soothingly as she took a seat before him and reached to take his hand. "Ze stomach will be sore as it 'eals. You are not to leave ze bed for three days and you will 'urt for at least a week."

Harry tried to nod but ended up whimpering in pain instead. "I 'ave restoring potions for you. You must be drinking zem once a day for ze next week," the woman counseled. She leaned over him and placed a hand on his forehead and Harry felt a very faint pulse of what could only be magic surge through her hand and into him. He looked up at her curiously. "You are 'ot but not fevered." She withdrew her hand and stood looking down at him. She produced a potion vial from a pocket in her elegant blue robes and offered it to him.

Harry took the vial from her and looked up at her speculatively. "Why are you treating me instead of Madam Pomfrey? Who are you, anyway?"

"Ze Weezarding papers say zat you are dead." She pursed her lips and regarded him pityingly, "I sink only Professor Dumbly-dorr and I know zat you live. I am not sure what Dumbly-dorr 'as planned next. As for who I am... my name is Aileen Coine. I am employed at Beauxbatons as ze Mediwitch zair." She folded her hands expectantly in her lap.

Harry grunted an acknowledgement. "Is Professor Dumbledore here? Did they catch the Dursleys?"

The woman smiled, and distracted though he was, Harry noted that she was quite pretty. "Professor Dumbly-dorr is out. 'e will be back soon, I zink. Ze Dursleys were caught by Aurors. You need more sleep if you are to 'eal well. Drink zis dreamless sleep, 'Arry. I promise ze 'eadmaster will speak with you soon."

Harry thought over Madame Coine's words as she lifted a black leather bag into her lap and sifted through it. His eyes widened and he gasped, "Ron and Hermione! You said everyone thinks I'm dead, but they have to know! Is Hedwig here?" He had to owl the Weasleys; Ron really would kill him if Harry didn't tell him right away. Harry struggled once more to rise, but Aileen's spell petrified him as his head left the pillow.

She levitated him back to the center of the bed before she spoke again, "'Arry, you must calm yourself. Your friends will not be 'appy if you 'urt yourself more. Now I will let you move again, and you must stay still, drink ze potion, and rest until ze 'ealing in your stomach is complete." She lifted the spell but kept her wand trained on him as she handed him the potion.

Harry let his head sink into the pillow and frowned up at the French mediwitch. Aileen spoke again, "Ze 'eadmaster will do what iz needing to be done. Drink zee potion and we can talk more when you are better. I zink you will be able to leave your bed in ze morning. It is nine in ze evening now."

Finally, Harry took the potion and drank it and, despite the turmoil of his thoughts, he succumbed once more to sleep.

o ------ o ------ o

Harry's sleep that night was deep and troubled. He could hear voices. A dull thrum like a beating drum echoed in his head and dwarfed the distinct sound of Voldemort's laughter. There was another voice as well, though. This voice was muffled and he could not hear precisely what it said. The tone was loving and earnest; he thought it was a girl. Harry trembled as he slept and the voices did battle inside his head, one haunting and the other soothing. Despite his struggles, he could not wake while under the potions' power. Luckily for Harry, Voldemort's laughter soon faded to nothing and the other voice gained strength. He still could not make out words but he managed to sleep through the rest of the night while peacefully listening to the woman's indistinct song.

Many hours later, Harry opened his bleary eyes and spotted Fawkes sitting on his perch just to the right of Harry's bed. Harry smiled weakly and greeted the magnificent bird. "Hello, Fawkes, it's nice to see you again. Has Dumbledore kicked you out of his office?"

Fawkes trilled softly in amusement and looked at him with startling compassion. The bird hopped off his perch and glided the short distance down to the bed. The phoenix landed near Harry's hand and he softly stroked Fawkes' crest. As he petted the bird, a sense of warmth and well being spread through him. Fawkes made a distinct humming noise and twisted his head harder into Harry's hand. A gentle cough broke the moment and Harry jerked his head to look at the far door where the Headmaster stood.

"Hello, Harry," Dumbledore smiled benignly. He moved Aileen's chair so it was next to the perch and sat. "I must say, these last few days have been most eventful. Professor McGonagall has kept me informed and I am very sorry that things worked out the way they did with your relatives."

"Err.. Hello, Headmaster... they were just being normal." Harry fell silent for a moment. He remembered last year. Several times his scar had hurt, and the things he'd dreamed when that happened were always important. "Has Voldemort been up to something? I've been feeling him in my head a lot lately. I saw him in my dreams two nights ago. He was very angry, and then last night I heard him laughing. I don't know if it was real though, because my scar wasn't hurting when I woke up. Do you think I heard him? I did drink a dreamless sleep potion that," (who was that lady again?) "that Madame Coine gave me," he finished uncertainly.

"Ah, Madame Coine is a good friend of mine and was a very dear friend of your parents. Had it not been for Alice Longbottom, she likely would have been your godmother. As for Voldemort, dreams are uncertain things, Harry. I can only offer you my own speculation. I suspect that he was pleased to hear of your death last night. As for the night before last, he was likely unhappy because all of his followers in Azkaban were destroyed by the dementors." The Headmaster's eyes twinkled brightly as he finished. "Did you dream anything else, Harry? Or can you elaborate more on what occurred in these dreams?" Dumbledore looked at Harry with raised eyebrows and waited as the boy fidgeted.

"Well, last night all I heard was him laughing. I couldn't see anything, but I am pretty sure he was happy. I think the dreamless sleep potion made it so I couldn't see him. Umm," Harry paused, "The night before I could see that he was in a Muggle house. There were lights and a telly. Mr. Malfoy, Macnair, and Avery were with him. Mr. Malfoy told him that someone called Bones had ordered something done that they didn't like. No, that's not right... Someone who was impersonating Bones did it."

Harry continued, "Macnair had been to the dementors to get them to join Voldemort but they were afraid of the ministry. There is someone in the ministry who can kill dementors. Isn't that supposed to be impossible, sir?"

Dumbledore was silent for a moment before he asked, "Did they say anything else about these destroyed dementors, Harry?"

"Only that they don't know who did it or how it was done. Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Macnair are supposed to find that out so Voldemort can kill them, too. Well?" Gritting his teeth, Harry sat up in his bed.

"I am afraid I do not have the answer this time, my boy, but I will endeavor to find them. When I do know, I promise to tell you," Dumbledore replied thoughtfully.

"Well, then Avery got tortured for not getting past a guard to get something for Voldemort. Avery said he had a plan to get it... Do you know what he is after, sir?" Harry finished.

"Yes I do, Harry, and he shall not have it," Dumbledore assured him.

"Can you tell me what it is?" Harry pressed.

Dumbledore sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. A silence stretched during which Dumbledore ran a hand over his face before gripping his bearded chin and lowered his eyes to gaze sharply at Harry. Harry opened his mouth to tell him it was alright but Dumbledore forestalled him. "At the end of your first year we had a talk much like we are having now. In the Hospital Wing you asked me a question, one that I was hesitant to answer. You wanted to know why Voldemort tried to kill you when you were only a child."

Harry nodded and gripped his blanket hard. "Yes... you said I'd know when I was ready..." Harry's eyes narrowed in anger and he snarled, "Well, he's back now and he wants to kill me more than ever! So when am I going to be ready, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore's eyes dimmed with sorrow and he was silent for a moment before replying, "I have been making life-changing decisions for you for quite some time, Harry. You may rest assured that while not all of them have been pleasant, I have always had your best interests at heart. You do deserve to know this. You deserved to know in your first year and you deserve to know now. But be warned, the burden of this knowledge will prove to be both heavy and cruel. I could not find it in me to be so heartless as to burden you with it then and hesitate to do so now. However, I find I must give you the choice. Are you sure you want to know this, dear boy?"

A sudden spark of rebellion ignited in Harry's gut and he impulsively replied, "Yes, I am sure! He's been after me for all my life. I mean, why me? My best interests at heart? Ha! How can you say that then send me to the Dursleys?" His voice trembled. "They hate me! They've always hated me and starved me and tormented me!"

"I sent you there to keep you safe," Dumbledore began.

"Yeah! And they almost killed me two nights ago!" Harry interrupted.

"Nevertheless, Harry, you were safer there than you could have been anywhere else in the world. I knew when I placed you there that you would not be well received. I would not have done it if it were not for the peril you faced after Voldemort's attack. Although you had just vanquished Voldemort, his servants remained, and many of them are almost as terrible as their master. They were desperate and angry. I am aware that you know what befell Neville and his parents shortly after Voldemort's first collapse. I feared that if I placed you with elsewhere, such as with a wizarding family that could have loved you, the same or worse could very likely happen to you. I knew the Longbottoms were a desperate lead for the Death Eaters, and that Voldemort's followers would, and likely did, pursue you even more vigor than they did Neville's family.

"When your mother died to protect you, her love and magic formed a bond with your blood which protected you against Voldemort's curse. That bond lives on within you and I believe shall do so until your dying day. It was this that I trusted to keep you safe. When she accepted you into her home, your Aunt sealed a most ancient and powerful spell. While you and Petunia are both within the same residence and you both can call it home, no one can use magic effectively with intent to harm either you.

"And so you dwelled there, and though you were not happy, you were alive and safe. Four years ago you arrived at Hogwarts, and you looked neither as happy nor well nourished as I would have liked, but you were alive and as normal a boy as I could hope for under the circumstances. You remember the events of your first year as well as I. You found yourself face to face with Voldemort again and you not only survived but you triumphed over him again. You fought a man's fight and I cannot express the pride I felt for you.

"So despite my best efforts you found yourself confronting him yet again before you were ready. I comforted myself with the thought that perhaps it was a one time aberration, surely Voldemort would find himself unable to reach you again while you were here. The wards would protect you... I would protect you. But it didn't happen that way, did it?"

Harry nodded impatiently, "No, you didn't. A basilisk under Voldemort's control had the run of the school for the whole second year. And Crouch was under your nose all of last year, too!" Harry snapped.

Dumbledore sighed, "And so I learned that Hogwarts was not and could not be made safe for you. In order for you to safely become ready, you could not be Harry Potter. I arranged for you to die and yet live on in secret. That is why you are here now. I had a ... clone... ready and when Dobby came to me saying that you had been shot, I recognized immediately that this was likely a more believable situation than any I could ever hope to engineer myself. I went to Privet Drive immediately and swapped you for the clone. I did what I could for you and summoned Madame Coine. Since Harry Potter cannot safely learn magic at Hogwarts, then perhaps someone else can safely learn magic at another magical learning institution. I dare not have you return here for fear of discovery, and Durmstrang would prove perilous as well. Madame Coine can be trusted, and I think Beauxbatons may offer you the best chance you have to live not only the best life you can, but the longest."

The shock at the very idea of leave Hogwarts, his home, left Harry stunned. "What! You must be mad. I don't know any French; I'd stick out there like a sore thumb. Also what about Ron and Hermione? I can't just leave without a word to them. What about the rest of the Weasleys? And Sirius!" Harry's voice and temper rose as he ranted.

Dumbledore didn't respond immediately. He gazed down at his lap for a long moment before he lifted his chin and regarded Harry with moist eyes. "I am so very sorry, Harry. I know you will miss your friends terribly, but you cannot deny that they will be safer if Harry Potter was not around to attract trouble. I know that you have had a very lonely life - in my own way, I have lived one as well. I do not want that for you and we both know that to most, Harry Potter is more a legend than person; and in your heart you know that Ron and Hermione would want you to live as happily as possible. Perhaps one day you will be able to reveal yourself to them, but sadly that day cannot be anytime soon."

Harry glared at his old mentor. "You really are a piece of work. Why can't we tell my friends that I'm still alive? They'll keep quiet and you know it! Besides, how can I be happy without my friends?"

"I doubt that they would betray you through word of mouth, but Voldemort's followers will be watching them and your friends likely would betray you through the way they express their grief and also to any who would seek to examine their minds." Dumbledore took a deep breath, "As for your happiness, I have no doubt that initially this will be very hard for you. You will start out alone, and keeping your new identity will be a burden that you will have to bear. However, you will meet new people, and you will make new friends when you start at Beauxbatons. I have lived a very long time, Harry, I ask you to please have some confidence in my experience."

Anger and fear still gripped Harry's heart but he could think if no other arguments that might sway Dumbledore. With that realization, despair started to swell and all Harry could think to ask was, "Why me? Out of everyone out there, why did Voldemort have to have a vendetta against me?"

Dumbledore smiled sadly at Harry. "I have long dreaded this day, that I would reveal to you a fate that I would wish on no man, much less a child." He paused. "The reason why Voldemort has been trying to kill you since before you were born was due to a prophecy that was made about you and him. Voldemort has not heard the complete contents of the prophecy, but he knows that you have the power to destroy him. To his cost, he thought that by killing you as a child he could fulfill the terms of the prophecy in his favor long before you would have any chance of maturing into a threat.

"There are a few things that I can surmise Voldemort will tend to now that he is reborn. He certainly wanted to kill you, both to prove his power to his followers after you embarrassed him during the third task and to destroy that which he suspects to be a mortal threat. He undoubtedly wishes to know the rest of the prophecy, and that is where Avery comes in. Within the Ministry of Magic there is a place called the Hall of Prophecy. There is a recording of this prophecy among the collection gathered there. My protections aren't the only ones that guard it. There are others he cannot hope to break without risking revealing himself to the wizarding world, which I do not think he will do. I believe Voldemort is unaware of the other safeguards that are in place and believes that Avery can retrieve the prophecy for him. He cannot. I have nothing more to tell you about the prophecy for the time being. You are not ready to know more."

Harry opened his mouth to protest but the Headmaster shot a sharp quelling look his way and Harry closed his mouth.

Dumbledore changed the subject. "What we must now decide is what you shall do this summer, now that you are conveniently dead, and the Dursleys are under arrest."

Harry snorted. "I hope the Dursleys rot. I don't want anything to do with them ever again. You must have some sort of plan; you're the great manipulator, after all. Well? Let's hear it, then."

"Indeed I do, but I thought I would let you have the first word," Dumbledore chided. "There are a few things you must learn as soon as possible. The most pressing matter is your mastery of a skill called Occlumency. Occlumency is the art of screening the mind by manipulating the memory of your magic. If you can successfully put this into practice, you will find yourself less prone to receiving visions from Voldemort and he will hopefully overlook the link that exists between you. This is key to ensuring that Voldemort does not discover that you are still alive, Harry, and is very important. You will have to try very hard to learn this or our hopes for you living a normal life will fail and he will be after you again. The most important things you can do for now are to try to remain as calm as possible, read the book Your Magic and You that Professor McGonagall left you, and practice the exercises therein."

Harry nodded. "Alright, I'll work on that. But where am I going to stay for the rest of the summer? I can't and won't go back to the Dursleys and the Burrow is out. You don't want me to stay here, do you?"

Dumbledore smiled indulgently and replied, "I am investigating a few possible solutions. As of now I am inclined to have you stay with Madame Coine. Would you find that agreeable, Harry?"

"She seems nice... and I could ask her about my parents. What about Sirius and Remus? Are you sure they can't be told? They're adults; can't I stay with them?" Harry pleaded.

The Headmaster sighed regretfully, "Alas, I am afraid they cannot be informed of your survival, Harry. Sirius is being hunted by far too many people for us to risk him knowing. Should he be captured, then your secret will surely be revealed. Both Sirius and Remus are too closely watched. I am sorry, Harry."

Disappointed, Harry nodded.

"For now, you will have to remain here. I admit it may feel confining, but there is little to be done until a more ideal solution can be found and made ready."

Harry grunted and muttered, "Still better than the Dursleys, at least."

Dumbledore smiled ruefully and changed the subject once again. "There is one thing I wish to do before I leave you this morning, Harry. Please give me your hand."

Harry looked at Dumbledore uncertainly and slowly raised his arm off the bed and extended his hand towards the ancient mage.

Dumbledore took Harry's hand between both his and looked reassuringly at the youth. "I will only wish to... feel... your magic, Harry. I promise that it shall not hurt, and we both stand to learn a great deal from it."

Harry nodded again. Dumbledore smiled, opened Harry's hand, palm up, and lightly touched his fingertips to Harry's palm.

Dumbledore's hand began to glow as he stroked Harry's palm. A vibrating weight pressed into Harry's hand, causing it to shake. There was a sudden wrenching sensation and a feeling of intense warmth and comfort invaded Harry's hand. It felt as if liquid sunlight coursed through his veins making Harry shudder and gasp at the sensation. Harry's hand was literally glowing now and the feeling and light slowly crept up his arm.

"Headmaster!" Harry gasped.

The Headmaster smiled encouragingly and replied in a distant voice, "It's alright, Harry."

The glow had spread into his shoulder now and slowly it made its way to Harry's heart. Harry felt as if he had been stabbed, not with pain, but with pleasure and light so intense it almost hurt. A moment later the feeling of warmth exploded to the rest of his body. Harry lay there shivering and gazed up at Dumbledore with watery eyes. The Headmaster was smiling broadly, not at Harry but at something beyond him. He continued to slowly rub his fingers against Harry's palm and his touch seemed to form waves out of the liquid light that was permeating him.

Less than a minute later, though it seemed like hours to Harry, Dumbledore lifted his hand from Harry's palm and the light faded. Harry lay there and shivered with loss for minutes more while the Headmaster waited for him to regain his wits. Finally Harry asked in a shaking voice, "What w-was t-that?"

"I examined your magic, Harry. What you felt was my own magic flowing through you as I examined your magic. There are many things about yourself that you have yet to discover. I believe I may have found the perfect means of disguise for you, Harry. You have the aptitude to develop into a Metamorphmagus, a wizard who can change his appearance at will once he is properly trained. Hopefully by this summer's end, you will be able to affect enough of a change that you will not be recognizable as Harry Potter."

The Headmaster was grinning maniacally at him.

"Err... right" Harry said.

"Harry, if you prove talented enough - which I am sure you will - you will find you can squint your eyes and change yourself into a perfect clone of anyone you choose, and no magic eye will be able to tell the difference. Only an examination of your magic could reveal you. This really is most wonderful."

Harry nodded. "Well then..."

"Yes, yes, I need to be seeing to several things, not the least of which being what options I can find for you." The Headmaster turned to his phoenix. "Fawkes, would you mind keeping Harry company? I will be in and out of the office for the rest of the day, Harry. Fawkes can reach me if you find yourself in need of anything."

Harry looked dazedly at the old man as the Headmaster rose from his chair and walked out of the doorway which promptly disappeared behind him.

Harry was still for a few moments. This was all too much. Dumbledore had dropped bombshell after bombshell on Harry, and it would take him time to process them. Harry shook his head and looked at Fawkes. "Where did you find that guy, Fawkes?" The phoenix sang a soft song of amusement and Harry chuckled before he reached for the book on his nightstand. He stopped short and clenched his jaw in pain; stretching so far hurt. "Fawkes, do you think you could fetch that book for me?"

The phoenix obliged but when he opened the book, Harry found he had little will to read it. He had far too many thoughts buzzing around his head for him to concentrate much on anything. He put the book down beside him and lay back in the bed lost in thought. After a few minutes passed he softly said to himself, "Well, at least I'm not spending summer at the Dursleys." If there was one bright spot to be had amidst all the heartache that the day's revelations had brought, it would be that.

o ------ o ------ o

AN: Next Chapter: New Beginnings

This chapter was beta'd by Lisa and Fuzzbutt. Please make sure to thank them in your reviews. Without their efforts my work wouldn't be as great as it is.