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Chapter 2

Manipulation

Albus Dumbledore was pacing around his office, fuming. He'd just escorted the Pettigrew boy out of the office, and proceeded to shove him down the moving stairwell. He assumed he was at the bottom of the steps now in a heap, wondering why he was at Hogwarts. 

When he turned back to the office, it was to see James Potter casually leaning against his desk, a serene expression on his face. The Imperius had been well-cast, leaving it virtually impossible to notice anything was the matter with James, at least to someone who wasn't too close to him. For example, the sight of the man standing there, paying no regard to his wife's body on the floor would have raised the eyebrows of one Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. 

What to do with the two? Dumbledore hadn't the foggiest idea, a first for him. He couldn't keep an Imperius on James forever, and what of Lily? Killing them was another option, but their close friends knew the Potters far too well, he'd never be able to hide it from them. Besides, he didn't want the death of that many people on his hands.

The answer came to him with a flourish. He could easily manipulate the two into believing it was one of the boy's faults! His whole plan had revolved around using one of the twins for his own gain anyway.

He'd planned everything out, recommending Mr. Pettigrew for the task. The way he saw it, once one of the boys defeated Voldemort, he could take the child under his wing, and receive some of the credit for the victory. Then, with some more careful manipulation, the other child would be shunned to the side by his own family. This feeling of resentment would make him easy to manipulate, and soon, he'd have both boys under his wing, leaving him to be the most powerful wizard in the world.

He turned to the boys. He'd known from the start which one he'd use for his plan. Miles, while powerful, wasn't nearly as much as Harry, meaning that he would be the first target. Harry was extremely powerful, the real defeater 

He released James from the imperius and turned to Lily, reviving her with an incantation. 

"What happened?" The two asked once they'd gotten their bearings.

"I'm afraid I know who caused the attack on your home."

"What, who?" Lily asked. 

"One of your sons."

James spluttered, "But- how- they're just kids!"

Dumbledore smiled at James sadly. "And you were too when you got caught up in this mess of a war." James was about to point out that the student organization that they had created, the Order, teamed up with them with the Resistance, and Dumbledore himself had convinced them to join the war effort. He was cut off though, as Dumbledore continued, "May I see the children?"

Lily reluctantly allowed him to hold Miles, and Dumbledore examined the boy carefully. He'd felt the magical energy radiating off Harry from the moment they'd come into the office. It could probably rival his own, whereas Miles' was a little above average. Both would become great wizards, though Harry could become the most powerful, and that was a title that was already reserved for someone else, him. 

"Professor, the only thing curious I'm seeing right now is you looking at my son like Newt Scamander when he sees some new creature," James quipped. Lily elbowed him in the side, though she was smiling while doing so. 

"Look at this, the boy has the beginnings of a scar on his cheek." It was true. Miles had a jagged scar on his cheek. 

"So?"

"James, my boy, please pay attention. The scar looks rather like an "M" when you look at it like this." James tilted his head slightly, noticing that it did sort of look like an "M". He was about to speak once more when Dumbledore continued, "Voldemort's middle name starts with an "M" as well, as it is Marvolo."

"Professor, may I ask, how do you know his middle name?"

Dumbledore smiled at her. "I knew Voldemort when he was a student at Hogwarts Lily. Back then, however, he was one Tom Marvolo Riddle." Lily quieted, processing the information. "Now, as I was saying, I believe that this mark indicates that Miles is the Boy Who Lived, the true vanquisher of Voldemort."

Lily and James looked down at Miles, James still holding Harry. Dumbledore didn't understand. Sure, he didn't think that James would drop Harry on the floor and run over to Miles, but the two still seemed to have a mutual love for both their children, which simply wouldn't do.

"That means Harry alerted Voldemort to your house."

Lily was startled. "Professor, he's a baby! He couldn't have possibly known- or even had the power to consciously summon Voldemort-"

"I'm afraid Lily, that it is very possible. We've known from the beginning that Harry has a dark core, and the Voldemort seems to have been drawn to that."

That was the breaking point for James. The bit about a dark core had struck a nerve. Miles, after all, had a light one, and he'd defeated Voldemort. If Harry had a dark core, it was just as plausible that he'd been responsible for the summoning of Voldemort into his house, nearly killing those dearest to him. 

"What do we do about Harry then Professor?" Lily asked.

"He has to be taught that what he did was wrong. I recommend neglecting him for a bit when he's older of course, which will teach him to appreciate what he has. Hopefully, we can help spare him from going over to the dark side. If that doesn't work... I am only a call away."

After the meeting, Lily and James apparated back to the Potter house with their two children from Hogsmeade. Once there, James and Lily sat on the couches in the living room, exhausted by the whole ordeal.

"So what happens now Lils?" 

"I- I don't know... I suppose we have to forget about him."

James hung his head. "I can't... he's my son too."

"Maybe we can forget about this. After all, we're still safe, and Miles being the Boy Who Lived doesn't have to change anything."

James' eyes glowed with hope. "Yes!"

Lily gave her husband a peck on the cheek. "Whatever happens, we'll be okay."

☆

Far away in Hogwarts, Dumbledore was seething. He'd placed a charm on a broken foe glass, so instead of his enemies, it would show the events going on in any place he wanted to see. The Potters weren't making this easy, but he still had plenty of time. After all, he hadn't intended for the boy to be forgotten when he was a child, someone had to take care of him, and Dumbledore had no intention of being responsible for raising Harry.

In the meantime though, he'd have to start planning how he'd go about making Miles listen to him without question. He'd hoped that Lily and James would have instantly treasured Miles over Harry, with the knowledge that he was the Boy Who Lived, but clearly, that wasn't the case. 

He'd have to become a sort of grandfatherly figure to Miles. Maybe spoil the boy a little, make him expect the same treatment from Lily and James. Knowing those two, they would instantly give their child whatever they wanted as long as Miles was happy. That would leave Harry off to the side, and if he wasn't naturally inclined to behave the same way Miles would be, everything would surely work out fine. 

He stopped his pacing, walking slowly towards his desk and picking a lemon drop from the jar placed there. He unwrapped it, placing it in his mouth. He chewed the lozenge, letting the flavor burst across his tongue. As he did, he pondered why everything couldn't have just worked out as he'd hoped after all his meticulous planning. Why couldn't world domination just be easy for once?