A Snake Named Voldemort

Untitled Part 20

Hogwarts.

Once Harry cleared his airway and clothing of the soot from the fireplace, he acknowledged that he was once again at his school, a place he considered the home he never had during the majority of his childhood. Fawkes trilled at him from his perch, and Harry grinned at the brightly-colored bird in greeting. Lady hissed nonsensically at the Phoenix, raising her head in a display of curiosity.

Dumbledore—quite appropriately, since it was his office—was the next to welcome him.

"Ah, Harry! Good to see you made it without any trouble."

"Hello, Professor," Harry returned with.

"The rest of the students should be arriving in a couple of hours, so that will give you enough time to settle back into your dorm."

Harry nodded. "Great. Er, does anyone know that I've been gone?" Things could get awkward if he accidentally told a whole different excuse than the one Dumbledore would have given if anyone noted his absence.

"Your absence was noticed, yes, but to anyone that asked you had a right nasty illness, quite contagious. Madame Pomfrey took very good care of you, however."

"She always does," Harry stated with wry humor, having been no stranger to the Hospital Wing.

"So, Harry," Dumbledore said warmly, gesturing for his student to take a seat in one of the ever available chairs on the other side of his desk. "I hope our dear Tom wasn't too upset for my little contribution to his affairs?" Dumbledore looked eager to hear the details.

Having acquiesced to Dumbledore's indication for him to sit, Harry settled back against the well broken-in seat back, his face openly displaying his hilarity he felt in the situation. He shook his head, one side of his mouth curling in a teasing smile. "You should have seen his face when he got that notice from Gringotts. Be content in the fact you made him lose his composure for a short time. I think he really thought you went off your rocker—more than he normally believes, that is."

Dumbledore didn't seem at all offended by the idea Tom may still not be terribly keen on him. "I had originally planned on most of my inheritable assets to simply go to my brother," Dumbledore stated, causing Harry's brows rise, "but I have long known he never really cared for politics or family matters, and he has no children either for any further bequests. Of course, I consulted with him beforehand, but he made it clear I was free to do what I wanted and that he requires nothing of mine. I'm afraid we're not on very amiable terms."

"Oh," Harry said awkwardly, still trying to digest the fact Dumbledore had a brother he hadn't known about. "I'm sorry, sir," he thought to say.

"It does upset me," the old Headmaster told Harry truthfully, though with only a hint of maudlin, "but I do not blame him, and I understand. Don't worry, Harry, it is much better between us than it has been in the past."

Harry didn't know what else to say, so he simply nodded. Dumbledore had that patented twinkle in his eyes as he tossed some sort of sweet into his mouth.

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed suddenly, remembering he was to give Dumbledore a scrolled parchment which had written on it the bare bones of Tom's new alias for the Headmaster's knowledge, as he would have to be privy to the information considering it was his "heir". The memo, Harry was quite sure, was spelled so only certain people could read it, but he would bet that at some point today it would spontaneously burst into flames much like Fawkes the Phoenix on his burning day. Earlier, Tom had performed the Second Name spell, and already his contacts in the Ministry were working on getting the right information in the Ministerial workings. Tom had said it would be "easy" for him to procure a whole new identity, but Harry had listened in on a meeting with Lucius and to him it seemed anything but—Harry himself would never call something that would take a month easy, but hey, what did he know? Needless to say, it would be a while before Tom could step out in public with his new persona. Dumbledore's cooperation should ensure he had the time.