Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Grand Sorcerer sat at his desk in Hogwarts sucking on a lemon drop. He was a very old man, with long silvery hair and beard that hung to his waist and he was clad in a bright set of robes, orange today in fact. This was the year Harry Potter was coming to Hogwarts and he was very glad that was to happen, the dear boy would be back in the Wizarding world fresh and healthy and loved.
"Albus you stupid evil horrible old man!" Came a voice on his desk from the portrait he had there of two people he loved very much, Lily and James Potter.
"Lily you cannot speak to the headmaster that way!" James said.
"Oh yes I can! You stupid old man how dare you leave my son with that hag of a sister of mine?" Lily yelled.
"Ah I see Harry woke you up!" Dumbledore said then with a look of alarm, "is Harry alright?"
"Is he alright?" Lily said, "no he is not, my sister treated him like a house elf!"
"But the blood wards never fell, she had to care for him, if she had not they would have fallen!" Dumbledore said.
"What-bloody-wards?" Lily snarled.
"Why the ones you put up." Dumbledore said.
"I never, oh bugger." Lily swore thinking on the fact that yes she had set blood wards as a worst case scenario. "Where is Sirius and Alice and Frank?"
"Alice and Frank were killed, Sirius is in Azkaban, he was tried and convicted…"
"There was no trial." James said, "goblins have been trying to get him a trial for years."
"Oh dear."
Dumbledore sat back looking very grave and upset, his first thought was to rush to Privet drive and take Harry to safety, yet he was sure that Lily would not allow it and had something planned if he interfered in anyway. He felt horrible, there had been no will and so he had done what any of his age would have done, he left the child with his closest blood relations and what was even better there were blood wards in place! They had never fallen and so he believed Harry was at the least liked and cared for. To know that was not the case saddened him beyond belief and there was more, Sirius had not been given a trial at all? But his good friend Barty told him he had the confession from the trial and everything!
"Oh dear, well I will go get Harry now and bring him to the school." Dumbledore said getting up.
"No you will not old man…."
"Lily please this is…"
"Shut it James or I will shut it for you!" Lily said, "there is one we both trust and you know why, find Severus, hunt him down if you have to, drag him out of the cave he has hidden himself in with his grief. I will give you one day to find him."
"Oh I will not need a day." Dumbledore said walking to the fireplace and throwing in floo powder, "Severus will you come here please? He should be along shortly."
Indeed a figure could be seen spinning in the fireplace and before long a tall thin man stepped from the fireplace. He was clad all in black, from his high collared buttoned inner robes to his billowing outer academic robes to his boots and belt of dragonskin. He had long greasy but clean black hair that hung to his shoulders, a sallow thin face with black eyes, a large hooked nose and thin lipped mouth. He looked irritated and glared at the headmaster wondering why he was being bothered when this was the day he had set aside to move back into the castle.
"Headmaster what can I do for you?" Severus Snape asked.
"More like what can you do for us, Sev, starting with trying for something besides black?" Lily said.
"L-Lily?" Severus said turning to face the portrait his eyes wide with shock. "is that you?"
"It is, it's hard to explain but Harry needs you." James said, "he is at Gringotts and in fact a goblin should be there to pick you up in just a few minutes."
"First we would like to speak with you, alone Albus." Lily said shooting a glare at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore had the common sense to leave the room and leave Severus with Lily and James.
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Harry was seated in the office of Kralnack once more the exam complete. He had a piece of paper that listed the potions he needed to take, a list of the most prominent families in the Wizarding world and a bar of chocolate. It was the last piece of paper that Harry could not help but stare at over and over again, this was amazing, sampling amazing what he was, what he could do! He read the paper over and over again taking in what powers he would have once he was trained up proper:
Parseltongue: untrained..
Metamorphous: partial talent fully unlocked.
Shapeshifter: untrained.
Occulumency: needs work.
Harry grinned, he was one of the rarest beings on earth, only Merlin and ten others had the talent of Shapeshifters, which meant he could turn to any animal he wanted, well once he was trained properly of course in Occulumency as his mind had to be very organized and strong for him to keep his human side when he shifted. He looked up as a man popped into view and put a small cup on the sideboard and looked down at him. Harry stood and noticed he was very tall and lean and seemed to like black. His black eyes showed interest and curiosity in him and Harry, such a giving sharing boy grinned at the man and held out a piece of chocolate to him.
"Hello sir, I am Harry Potter, would you like some chocolate?" Harry said and the man actually smiled a bit at that.
"No thank you Po-Harry, I am Severus Snape." Severus said, "I am to be your magical guardian no doubt you were told you would have one?"
"Yes sir, Kralnack told me I would have one." Harry said then going motioning to the portrait of his parents that his parents had come back into, "oh good my parents are back, have you met them sir?"
"I have, in fact they wished me to take care of you, if you wish that is." Severus said, painting or no he would never deny anything to Lily, if she wanted him to take care of Harry then take care of Harry he would, after all she had been so forgiving to him after all the wicked horrid things he had done.
"I would like that sir." Harry replied.
"You are to obey Severus, work hard at your studies" Lily said, "he cares for you, I know he does or I would not allow him to take care of you. Now you two have a lot to do so I will let you get to it."
"Yes mum, thank you Kralnack sir." Harry said gently closing his parents portable portrait, shrinking it and putting it in his pocket, "I am ready sir."
"Very well Harry." Severus said, "first we go shopping, do you wear contacts?"
"No sir, never needed glasses either." Harry said.
"Very well, you will wish to use your Metamorphous talent," Severus said having been told all that Harry had gone through, "you should find it easy now."
Harry concentrated and in a moment he had light brown hair and blue eyes, as a limited Metamorphous all he could do was change his hair, eyes and maybe if he really concentrated his nose. However, once he was trained as an Animagmus he would unlock his Shape shifting abilities and from there become any animal he wanted. He followed Severus out into Diagon Alley to start shopping for the clothing he would need in this new world.
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Meanwhile, while Harry was shopping with his new magical guardian a very shaken Dumbledore was at the ministry speaking to one Amanda Bones. She called for the records of the trial of one Sirius Black, when none were forth coming she paled and called for the arrest of one Barty Crouch, Black was not just any ordinary wizard, he was a Black and the head of the ancient and noble house of Black. As such most of magical Britain was not only related to him but owed the house a great deal, there had been a time it was a house of wonder and greatness that had in fallen into evil and darkness in the last fifty years. Sirius Black was about to get his trial and a few people were about to end up in prison.