Saviour of Magic

Little Brother

Albus Dumbledore observed the two boys sitting at the end of the Ravenclaw table. Dylan Lestrange's appearance was a complete shock to him, but a quick check on the Book of Admittance of Hogwarts had gotten the information he had needed. He had never expected Rabastan to have sired a bastard child. As soon as he found out about it, he had rushed to the Ministry to find out everything possible. If the boy was anything like his father or uncle, it would be disastrous. The threat of Voldemort and to an extent, Harry, was bad enough and he didn't need anymore. But Sirius had already moved ahead. He had gained custody of the boy.

He had conflicted about that. On one hand, Sirius taking custody of the boy was better than someone like Lucius Malfoy or Aiden Avery or even Theodore Nott Sr. But the problem was that Sirius Black was anti-Dumbledore and Albus couldn't have that. The entire Wizengamot also was up in arms over the issue. The traditionalists were against the boy because he was an illegitimate half-blood child. The Lestranges were pureblood fanatics and they couldn't have that. Sirius, however, was right. They couldn't stop Dylan from claiming his heritage. Line-theft was serious business in the magical world. The heir ring on the boy's finger only proved who was right.

The centrists were not that powerful without support from either side, so it didn't matter what they thought. The liberals, on the other hand, under the 'light' banner wanted to get rid of the boy. Augusta Longbottom had been the most vocal and the fight she and Sirius had in the Wizengamot earlier this summer was legendary. Albus was happy about that because Sirius had lost some support with the liberals even though he was Regent Gryffindor. Unfortunately, that did not mean Sirius was any less powerful – he was now Lord Black and the Regent of Houses Potter, Gryffindor and Lestrange. He controlled four important votes, but Dumbledore had been in the political game for a century. Sirius was still a newbie.

He needed to have Dylan Lestrange under his control. It would be a great asset in the war against Voldemort if he could convince the boy to spy on the Death Eaters for the Order; being the son of a very high-ranking Death Eater would certainly have its benefits. Albus was sure that whether it was five, ten or twenty years, Voldemort would rise again and they would have to be ready for it. He would have to talk to the boy and get him out of Harry's influence. He did not need Legilimency to see the pure hero worship in the boy's eyes every time he saw Harry. No, until Harry could be firmly placed with the light, he was dangerous. Albus was still working on his plans to redeem Harry and get him to change his view on Muggles. It was very important. After all, the path of Grindelwald and Voldemort had started with Muggle domination; that was the root cause of it all and it was imperative that Harry did not take such a path in his life.

Once the feast was done, Dumbledore got to his feet. "A few start-of-term announcements," he said happily. "I would like to mention two staff changes this year. First, please welcome Professor Remus Lupin, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor."

People clapped politely, but some were less than impressed with Lupin's worn and faded robes. Remus bowed slightly and resumed his seat. Snape was glaring at him.

"Since Professor Kettleburn decided to retire this year, I am pleased to announce that our new Care of Magical Creatures teacher is none other than Rubeus Hagrid!"

Harry raised an eyebrow as people at the Gryffindor table cheered. He knew that Hagrid knew a lot about creatures, but did that mean he was qualified to teach? Knowing something and teaching it are different. Just look at Snape! He was the worst teacher anyone could have in Potions, but no one could doubt the fact that he was brilliant at the subject.

"That's all for tonight. Pip, pip!" said Dumbledore, dismissing them. Harry led Dylan to Ravenclaw Tower, showing him useful shortcuts along the way. Once they entered the common room, he followed the boy to his room. It was quite tiny and simple, just like the rest.