Chapter Two: Under A Blue Moon
'Harry' totally ignored the people in the room, who struggled to take in the quite shocking information.
"You see," he said, "Harry Potter is more intelligent than any of you can imagine. To be honest with you, he could have taken his OWLs with above perfect scores after his first year at Hogwarts. But Harry Potter is also a true Seer." More shocked silence. 'Harry' decided to wait until someone got his or her voice back. They did, everyone at the same time.
"What?" "Impossible!" "Goddess, I have to sit down." "You are sitting already." "Oh, true." "Anyone besides me who has got a headache?" "This is too much for me," "This isn't happening." 'Harry' watched them with an amused expression. It took them ten minutes to calm down and get out of their shocked state. Dumbledore was the first to speak. He didn't seem shocked at all, but his face had a weird expression, which no one could read.
"Is this true? Why didn't you- he, tell me?" His voice showed no emotion whatsoever.
"It is true," 'Harry' said. "And that he never told you comes partly out of instinct, and partly out of the fact that he could See the future. He can of course not See all of it, and even what he Sees doesn't need to happen. A Seer always Sees many different outcomes of the future, and then he has to try to twist the present so the best of the possible outcomes is what becomes the past. You see, he knew about Hogwarts, and wizards and witches before he went there, but he had to pretend that he didn't because then his gift would have been discovered, which was something he didn't want to happen."
"And why wouldn't he let that happen?"
"Because if everybody knew, someone would have tried to use him, for bad or for good, and he didn't want that to happen. Seers often See things that are not so far into the future, because the farther into the future they See, the less accurate is the prediction. But sometimes they See things which won't happen for years, and Harry Saw what could, and I emphasise could, happen if somebody got to know about his Sight. So he kept it secret, trying to do his best with this gift.
He Saw that Voldemort was after the Philosopher's Stone in his first year, but he didn't know who helped him. Neither did he know how to get past the obstacles. He Saw the outcome in many different ways: in one, Voldemort got the stone; in another, he got the stone, and the stone corrupted him; in a third, he got the stone, but died; in a fourth, he got the stone and survived, while Voldemort fled and the stone was destroyed; in a fifth he joined Voldemort, and so on. He could do nothing but follow Quirrel, though he didn't know it was him, to the stone, and hope it would end up as he wanted it to.
The same happened in his second year; he Saw different outcomes, and had to try to turn it the right way. In his third year, he had visions where Sirius was innocent, but he couldn't be sure, because he had visions where he was guilty too.
In his fourth year he Saw his name come out of The Goblet Of Fire, but he could do nothing to stop it. However, he could easily win the tournament, but something in him forbade him to show his true magical potential, so he faked problems and such, helped by his gift as a Seer. However, fate and destiny hid the fact that the Cup was a portkey, and Cedric's death.
And then came his fifth year." 'Harry' smiled grimly. "I guess Peter Pettigrew told you about the mind-potion given to Harry, so he would end up at the site? However, it was too weak to overwhelm him, it just made him unable to See for a few hours. When he Saw the murder of Colin Creevey, it was already present. So he ran, hoping against hope that he would reach Colin in time. But when he reached the fourth floor, it was past. And as he was there at the site, he got the vision of himself being framed for the murder and sent to Azkaban. The vision was so strong, and it showed only one outcome, that he knew he couldn't change the future this time.
And so it happened, he was framed and found guilty of the murder of Colin Creevey, and everyone, even his closest friends, turned against him, as he'd Seen they would. So, being the most powerful student Hogwarts had ever had, though no one knew that, he created me. For the first time Harry understood why something, he didn't know what, had restrained him from showing his true potential, because if everyone knew, they would know that he easily could get out of Azkaban. He escaped less than three hours after he was put into prison. Since the Dementors never check on their prisoners, it was easy for him to put up a simple illusion: Me. It was also easy to make me radiate feelings so the Dementors wouldn't notice that he'd escaped.
However, two persons believed in his innocence. One was on the run from the Dementors, and the other was taken care of." The illusion finished.
Sirius stared at him "Who was the one they 'took care of'?" he asked.
"Albus Dumbledore," came the answer. 'Thud!' Sirius fell off his chair.
"But he was one of the first who claimed that you did it!"
"Yes he did, I said he was taken care of." By now, everybody in the room stared from 'Harry' to Dumbledore and back again.
"You see, Dumbledore would never accept that one of his students was a murderer without proof, and if Dumbledore believed in Harry's innocence, most of the teachers at school would have done the same, and the students too, and the Ministry would have been forced to question him under Veritaserum." Many shot a glance at Minister Fudge at this. He had in fact tried to stop them from getting 'Harry' away from Azkaban, despite what Pettigrew had told them. He had, thankfully, not much support in the Ministry any longer, because six months after 'Harry' was sent to Azkaban, Fudge was holding a speech for at least five hundred wizards and witches. Fudge had been trying to convince them that Voldemort hadn't come back, when Voldemort and some Death Eaters turned up and killed half of them before disappearing. Since then, almost no one listened to Fudge.
"However, if Professor Dumbledore firmly denied that Harry was innocent, then half the wizarding world would do the same, and Voldemort knew that. So, he invented a Mind-controlling potion, which happened to end up in Dumbledore's goblet. Under the influence of this potion, Professor Dumbledore would believe everything that was told him, without consideration. So, the first thing he heard when he arrived at the murder site was, of course: 'Harry Potter murdered Colin Creevey!' So therefore, he believed that, without consideration, and half of the Wizarding world with him." 'Harry' looked at Dumbledore, who didn't show any sign of having heard what he said. "Now, that I have confronted him with it, the effect should be totally gone in about 24 hours. But now I have to go, I've been here long enough." And with that, 'Harry' started to fade, until there was nothing left of the illusion. You could have heard a pin drop, and no one noticed the small beetle in the shadows. In the end, the Minister stood.
"Nothing of this shall be mentioned outside these walls," he stated firmly.
~*~
The seventeen-year-old boy was awakened by a tapping on the window. He yawned and stretched, and drew a hand through his black hair. It was a messy mop, but nothing he did could change it. He got out of bed and went over to the window. No less than three owls were waiting for him, one of them a proud eagle owl, the second a small tawny owl, while the last one was black as the night, a rare french mountain owl. The tawny owl had the Daily Prophet in its beak, and left as soon as it had got five knuts. The eagle owl bore a letter with the Hogwarts seal, and flew away as soon as it was freed from its burden. He quickly opened the letter and read it.
'Dear Mr. Atos,
I have received your academic records, and they are very impressive. However, I must ask for a meeting in person with you, together with the Headmaster, before I can grant you the job as our Defence Against The Dark Arts Teacher. Please come to Hogwarts the tenth of July.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress,
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'
He smiled and turned to the black owl, and frowned. The owl was black, but some white feathers were sticking out at its belly.
"Your disguise is wearing off, Hedwig. Stand still, I have to restore it." With a wave of his hand, the black owl suddenly was a pure white snowy owl. Another wave, and the black owl was back, without the white feathers. The boy smiled, and opened the letter she had brought him.
'Dear Christian,
How wonderful that you are applying for the Defence Against The Dark Arts position at Hogwarts. As my most brilliant student ever I believe you will do just fine. It's a pity you stayed with us for just a year. However, you are quite young, so they may be hesitant to give the job to you, despite your records, so I have sent a letter to Albus where I strongly recommend you. Good luck,
Your former Headmistress,
Madam Maxime'
His smile widened, as he wrote a thankful note back, before he turned back to the newspaper, which he hadn't read yet. His smile quickly became a wide grin as he read.
HARRY POTTER ESCAPED AZKABAN BEFORE HE EVEN WENT THERE!
'When Peter Pettigrew was questioned yesterday, he said something about his master's plan, and when he was asked what the plan was, he answered that You-Know-Who had planned how to get Harry Potter into Azkaban, and now he planned to go to Azkaban to convert the now probably insane Potter. When he said that, Sirius Black, (who seconds before had been proven innocent of the crime he sat twelve years in prison for) jumped up and yelled about him never believing in his godson's guilt, and that they had to retrieve Potter from Azkaban immediately. The man obviously took mental damage during his stay in Azkaban. However, the others in fact listened to him, and two hours later Potter had arrived. However, it turned out to be just an illusion of Potter, and no-one knows where Potter is now, where he is hiding or who is hiding him. His escape can do nothing but prove his guilt.'
The article went on like that for a while, and yes, at the bottom it stood: The Daily Prophet, 8th of July, by Rita Skeeter. He shook his head, but then someone knocked on the door. He quickly hid everything of his wizard stuff, before he closed his eyes and concentrated. Black, messy hair turned into dark brown, short hair, green eyes to blue, facial features changed and the lightning-bolt shaped scar disappeared without a trace, and the rest of the body became slightly broader and a bit taller. Christian Atos alias Harry Potter thanked his lucky stars for his Shapeshifter ability for the thousandth time, and went to open the door.
It was only the old lady who came to check if he had done something 'inappropriate' (like female visits) in the last few hours. Christian/Harry kept his laughter back out of sheer politeness. The old lady, Ms. Stenson, considered Christian as something of a great-grand child. He found it quite charming, and after assuring her he hadn't done anything 'inappropriate', he told her he would be gone the next day, maybe more than one day, and he would move out before the first of September. She started ranting about 'youngsters these days', and how restless they were. Christian just smiled and shook his head.
~*~
Hermione Granger didn't really know what to think. Yesterday it had been a large article about Harry, her former friend and now murderer, by Rita Skeeter, where she wrote about Harry's escape from Azkaban, and that he was guilty and all. She also wrote that Sirius was a madman, but today it was a new article, by Marice Newman, which told a very different story, about Harry being innocent and Sirius freed, nothing about Sirius being mad, Harry as a Seer, and that he had created an illusion of himself which had been in Azkaban for two years now. Hey, what am I thinking? Believing in Rita Skeeter? Am I out of my mind? But yet, she couldn't really believe that Harry was innocent, because Professor Dumbledore believed he was guilty, and he was always right, wasn't he?
~*~
Ron Weasley was having some of the same thoughts as he read the last few days' papers. He didn't believe in anything the Skeeter woman wrote anymore, but Marice Newman was fairly truthful, one of the best reporters The Daily Prophet had. Could it really be true? Is it possible? Ron had spent much time thinking the last two years, and he had soon started to wonder if he had been wrong. Had it been his underlying jealousy of Harry that had caused him to believe in the charges against Harry? He didn't know, he just knew he had a horrible feeling of guilt all the time.
He fingered the Head Boy badge he had received together with the School supplies letter. His mother had been so proud. He Head Boy, Hermione Head Girl. He sighed as he thought of Hermione. She fully believed in the charges, and he knew why. She had had this small- or should I say huge- crush on Harry, and she had felt so betrayed when he turned out to be a murderer. His own crush on Hermione had thankfully disappeared together with Harry; he doubted Hermione ever would fall for anyone again.
He threw the badge across the room. It was Harry's, not his.
~*~
Christian approached Hogwarts' main entrance. If he got the job, he would be able to help to defeat Voldemort without revealing the fact that he indeed was Harry Potter. Now, the whole wizarding world would be looking for him, and he was in fact quite pleased with the havoc his illusion had caused, and it was really funny to read about it in the papers. Even though Fudge had tried to keep it secret, he had not succeeded.
He approached the door and knocked three times, and after a while, Minerva McGonagall opened it.
"Who are you?" she asked, frowning.
"Christian Atos, I'm applying for the Defence Against The Dark Arts job." He answered. A shocked expression passed quickly over her face.
"Oh. Well then, follow me please."
Harry had to struggle not to reveal that he knew the ways around the castle, and when they came to the gargoyle he fought to keep a straight face. The password was 'Canary Creams', an invention by the Weasley twins.
McGonagall knocked on the door once and went in, Harry followed. How weird. In a month and a half he was supposed to start his seventh year here, but now he was applying for the position as a teacher! Being a colleague of his former teachers, and teaching his best friends. Former best friends, he reminded himself. However, it is difficult for a Seer to stay bitter and angry. It has something to do with being a Seer. Being able to See the future made him put things in another perspective than normal people would.
"Well, Mr. Atos, I'll go straight to the point," Dumbledore said, as soon as he'd seated himself. "You have applied for the Defence Against The Dark Arts position, and your academic records are quite impressive, having finished school at the age of fifteen. However, you are very young, being only seventeen you will be the youngest teacher Hogwarts has ever had. So I must ask you if you have any experience with these things."
"I have no experiences in teaching," Harry answered truthfully, "but I'd say I have quite a lot experience with defence against and also use of the dark arts." Dumbledore frowned slightly.
"Care to elaborate?" Harry suppressed a smile, Dumbledore knew quite a lot of his experiences with the dark arts, however he faked a sigh, and made ready to tell the story he'd used the last two years.
"The first fifteen years of my life I was taught at home, by my parents, before I at fifteen ran away, and ended up at Beauxbatons." He paused, while the Professors looked at him curiously. "I ran away because they were Death Eaters." Then he added, before they could say anything, "and yes, Madam Maxime knows."
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Note: Go me. Second chapter. All chapters are beta-read by the-dreamer. Go her.