16:Count to 10 and breathe!

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Remus was both groggy and flustered once he finally made his appearance at breakfast. Perhaps he had expected Henry to kick him out while he was drunk for punching him, the wizard at the head of the table mused with a tinge of amusement. The man had practically melted into a scolded puppy overnight, and no matter how much the reaction appeared natural, neither the lord nor his daughter seemed to prefer mopy Remus over his 'yesterday version'.

With that in mind, Henry pointedly stared at him until he looked up without doubt sensing his burning stare. Before he could avert his eyes the wizard raised his chin in mock defiance with a playful smirk. As expected, the werewolf's instinct was to raise his chin and straighten his back to establish dominance. 

"That's more like it!" Henry commended him with a smile that made Remus tingle with pride. "Now, why don't we-"

He was cut off by Sirius entering the dining room still in his pajamas with his hair doing its best, it would seem, to resemble a bird's nest. Hannah stifled a laugh with her tiny hand. Her godfather finally realized his position and quickly rushed back his ears a burning crimson. Moony couldn't stop an exasperated smile from tugging at his lips and Henry outright grinned. Moments later he returned to the room slightly more presentable and sat down in the seat his lover had pulled out for him.

Afterward, breakfast was a quiet affair with Remus apologizing for the previous evening and Henry gracefully accepting his apology. Once they finished eating the house elves brought refreshments and coffee. Henry excused himself to his study, leaving the little girl and her pseudo-uncles to chat under the discrete surveillance of both the house elves and various charms.

 What he had not expected, however, was to find his office under an avalanche of owls. The poor things seemed to have been waiting for hours, not that he knew how they had even gotten through his wards. His question was answered when he checked the name on one of the letters and had to hold back the urge to curse someone. In neat flowing writing one could clearly discern on the back of each and every one of the 873 letters - yes, he did count them - the following words "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Grand Sorcerer, Cheif Warlock, Order of Merlin First Class, etc".Henry didn't even bother reading all of the bastard's titles, too busy trying to find out how he had located them and how much he knew. 

Thankfully, it didn't seem he knew that much. After calming down and actually opening one of the letters he found out that the letter was addressed to him as Lord Peverell and had been sent to him through a ministry owl that had already been keyed into his wards. All of them were, actually. 

Henry combed a hand through his hair. He leaned backward in his fancy dark blue leather chair racking his brain to find a solution to the problem. 

Lightning struck the sky behind him. The storm was growing more and more violent by the moment. The clouds had turned into a murky sea of cotton that engulfed the entire sky, plunging the world into a sober atmosphere.

He couldn't remove the owls from his wards without attracting unwanted attention, not to mention that more than 70% of his mail came from the ministry. Setting up a separate postal box wouldn't do it either. It would be too much of a chore and it would limit his access to his mail. 

In the end, he decided to pick up the abandoned letter that lay on his mahogany desk and read it thoroughly. Maybe it would give him an idea as to why was the old coot seeking him out, especially now.

 His thoughts unconsciously shifted to his two guests. No. Moony and Padfoot were loyal to Hannah, not to mention bound by an ancient spell. They couldn't-wouldn't betray him! Would they?

His green eyes scanned over the paper taking their time to inspect each and every single character. The diagnostic spells he had cast came back negative. No compulsions, no charms, no spells, no potions soaked into the parchment. The letter was clean. Why?

"Count to 10 and breathe!" He told himself quietly. "The old bastard ain't that smart, how bad can it be?"


"Dear Lord Peverell,

My greatest apologies if my letters have caused you any inconvenience. (At this Henry scoffed. It sure was Dumbledore-like to call almost burying him in letters "an inconvenience".)I am writing to you in regard to a discrepancy I have found in your official file at The Ministry of Magic. (He paused and a small frown settled on his fair face.)

Your official file appears to have been misplaced, although rest assured that after a long and tedious search I have managed to locate it and restore to it's proper place in the Ministry Archives. Nevertheless, I felt the need to bring a certain insignificant detail to your attention in a show of goodwill on my behalf. (Henry stiffened and his breath caught in his throat, yet he continued reading). Upon my discovery of your file, although the relevant details regarding your financials and abilities seemed to have been - as per the ministry protocol - redacted, it appears that other relevant information has also been accidentally redacted. (He swallowed sharply. The meaning of that emphasis did not evade him.) The information in question is the name of your parents, your DoB, and other such things that upon further examination seem to be unavailable.

Please see to it that you immediately repair such a mistake and properly punish the party responsible for the inadequate handling of such an important official document.

Regards,

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Grand Sorcerer, Cheif Warlock, Order of Merlin First Class, etc"


Henry's mouth had gone as dry as the desert and there was a faint ringing at the back of his skull. How? How had he found his file? Had he really gone out of his way just to search for it? Why? Was he causing too many changes already? Had he brought too much attention to himself and...

Hannah.

The name echoed in his mind growing louder by the minute. 

The faint sound of laughter coming from the hallway brought him back from his trance. Hannah's laugh. He clenched his fist until his knuckles turned white and stared out the window. The storm was still raging on. She was safe. No one was going to take her from him. His eyes seemed to glow akin to the killing curse as he stared at the letter still clutched in his hand. 

No one.


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