Chapter 25 It All Works Out

The Lovegoods left without fanfare. They opened the Quibbler in France and stayed away from politics. Well, French politics, they still posted the conspiracy theories about the British Magical Ministry, which made the paper a big hit in their new country. As per their agreement, Xeno wrote to Hydrus that so far his wife was doing well with the memory wipe and there should be no repercussion coming back to haunt him. Mr. Lovegood explained that he used the excuse that the wrackspurts caused her to lose her memory and that they were taking over Britain, which is why they moved to France. That and to study the Crumple-Horned Snorkack. She accepted those reasons and started her spell-crafting again, on the things Hydrus had implanted in her mind, which made the immortal feel a little better. Xeno said that if she should reform to hating Hydrus then he would call and let him know.

"So they're okay?" Sirius asked, sitting in the recliner. They had just sent Harry to bed, and were now relaxing in the living room with tea and a lemon cake.

"Yeah," Hydrus answered, still leery about Pandora suddenly showing back up, it was something he would not forgive a second time. "It seems the Veelas have taken to the women. They tolerate Xeno well enough, but find Luna and Pandora to be a breath of fresh air." He read more of the letter and was thankful that little Luna seemed to be making many more friends there than she had here in England.

"Well, that is good news. How is everything in the Alley going?" Remus inquired from his comfy chair, sipping his tea.

"Pretty good, actually," the immortal beamed, putting the letter away, glad for the change in subject. "I've got all my businesses set and with the gambling we're making loads of money."

"Should we start back on the goblins?" the dogman wanted to know, excited at the prospect.

"Let's," was the equally excited reply. "And I have another idea or two to put the hurt on them as well." Hydrus rubbed his hands together, a gleam in his eyes.

"Am I going to like these ideas?" the werewolf asked, running his hand through his hair. He was always the Devil's Advocate.

"Oh, they're not bad. I just need someone to run them," Hydrus waved the younger man's concern away.

"Well, tell us and we can help," Sirius said, leaning forward. He liked all of Hydrus's ideas so far.

A wicked grin spread across the oldest Black's face and he answered, "Curse breaking." At their gobsmacked looks he laughed and added, "I have those blast guns. If I power them down lower so they only take care of low level curses and wards, then we can start a company to excavate the tombs and stuff. We just have to lower the bids. Plus, we can have a sister company that will hire out to put up some of the better wards that Hermione, George and I created in my last timeline." He sat back with a smug look.

"That is actually quite clever," Remus nodded, thinking over the people from his school year.

Sirius gave a bark of laughter and turned to Remus and the two last Marauders put their heads together and went over their former classmates. Hydrus threw his two Knuts' worth in, on if he ever heard of them in the future. It was his hope that by opening the curse breaking business that Bill wouldn't have to work for the goblins. And some petty revenge. This should make it so the goblins would be reduced to just banking.

"There's only one problem I see," Remus said after they discussed the names. "The Ministry is going to want to regulate those guns. Two problems if you count the goblins protesting."

"Yeah, which is why I'm going to under-power them, get the patent and use them only for the business and not sell them retail," Hydrus agreed, thinking over the equations he would need to reduce the power and restrict it so it couldn't be set higher, he'd probably have to use parseltongue. "I asked Mr. Jasper and he said the goblins don't have the monopoly on tomb raiding. So they can protest all they want, nothing will come of it. And if they try to say they'll rebel then this better society will stop them." After what had happened with the rumors of the Dark Lady That Wasn't and the way they all stood to fight, he felt much better about the public fighting back with little to no loss.

"That should make the Wizengamot feel better, but how are you going to keep them from the public? There might be an uproar if people find their wards aren't any good," Sirius added thoughtfully, rubbing his goatee with worry.

"Perhaps, but vows and contracts to take care of that," the werewolf said.

"I'll get with Mr. Jasper tomorrow," the immortal decided. "Hey, Sirius, do you think you can buy Dobby from Narcissa?" he asked out of the blue.

"Shouldn't be a problem, she's always going on about what a horrible elf he is. Why?" the younger Black asked.

"He was a great friend to me in my timeline, and I think he'll make a good friend to Harry."

"Okay, I'll talk to her tomorrow." And they all went back to their evening activities. Hydrus pulled out his book-reader and read over the blast guns schematics while the two dogmen battled it out on Mortal Kombat. Sirius had finally beaten Remus at the game and now they tied scores more often.

Sirius did buy Dobby and it took Tippy to explain the household rules about being a free elf to get the excitable little guy to calm down. He was a wonderful addition to the family. He spent most of his time working at the orphanage, for pay, but lived with them. His worship of Harry wasn't as strong as it had been in Hydrus's timeline, but his devotion to the Great Harry Potter was still fun to witness. Poor Harry had to talk the little elf down and soon enough they became a force to be reckoned with on the tag-teaming pranks they pulled on the adults.

It took a lot of paperwork, contracts, plans, downgrading and bribes, but, they finally got the curse breaking business up and running. They made sure that The Times ran an article on just what they planned and the vows taken about the guns to be used only in excavation sites. Anyone caught in public with the blast guns would be brought up on criminal charges.

"So, how many did you have to bribe to get the sentencing reduced to two month?" Hydrus asked Sirius when the law was passed. It had taken months to get the use of the guns through the Wizengamot. Plus now they had to give the model to the DMLE for legal reasons.

"Not that many actually, remember there are Half-bloods on the Wizengamot now and they understand the need to progress, not like when it was nothing but bigoted old fuss buckets that were there before the war," the dogman replied with a waving of his hand.

"Right, I forgot they did lineage test to see who would fill the empty seats," the immortal said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Do you think they'll get Muggle-borns in the rest of the seats?"

"They're still debating that," Sirius answered. "They feel that it is too much change at once, what with the anti-discrimination laws that are on the docket. They're afraid they're losing control."

"Well, here's to hoping," Hydrus said, pretending to raise a glass. The two went on to talk about who they would hire to run the companies.

They chose a Muggle-born by the name of Jake Sullivan, who was a year below Sirius and Remus, to run the business. He was a Ravenclaw that was always reading and going on about the Egyptians and other lost civilizations. He had gone back to the non-magical world and got his education in Archaeology, so he was set on doing it both the magical and non-magical way. In time he would have a large crew and make everyone loads of money. There were even a few goblins in his employ, ones that rebelled against the goblin nation. They had to take vows to protect the secrets of the company. It took a lot to get Hydrus to stop ranting about them, but he finally conceded that not all goblins were alike.

The sister corporation was opened before the curse breaking one. They hired a Pure-blood named Harvey Lyons, who had been in Slytherin, but was never an extremist. He came to them when rumor got out they were looking for someone to run the establishment. His family had never been wealthy, but they made do. That company prospered quickly and had a small group of employees, who all had to sign contracts and take vows never to reveal the spells they used. They were also in charge of installing the alarm system that Hydrus marketed.

Just as the time traveler had planned Gringotts was now downsized to banking. They couldn't compete with the lower bids and better equipment, and they were losing money with their gambling. They protested loudly, but were quieted by the public threatening to take their banking abroad.

Albus had tried to talk Hydrus into joining the Order. The twinkly-eyed man approached him one Saturday in Fun For All. "Hydrus, my boy, I am glad I ran into you. Are you sure you will not come to one of our meetings?" he asked as he stopped Hydrus from going home after a long day's work.

"Headmaster, it is good to see you again," the immortal nodded politely. "I'll have to decline your offer, yet again. I've told you I don't think there are any malicious happenings going on. It's just one big prank. Now, if there had been more than one curse thrown in the Alley, I'd sign up in a minute, however, there haven't even been the words in the sky in weeks." He tried once again to make his point clear.

"Perhaps, you are correct and I am merely overreacting, still, it pays to be vigilant," the old man said, stroking his beard in thought. "Alas, I may be jumping at shadows or so my friends tell me," he conceded. Then his twinkle was back and he said, "I see your business is doing well, very good, young man, very good indeed."

"Thank you, Albus. Did you ever get the Board to approve TV's in the common rooms?" he asked, really wanting to know.

"It took a lot of persuasion, but, yes, I did indeed succeed. I have to say some of my staff is most put out with me," he said jovially, like he was happy they were upset with him. "It is one of the reasons for my visit today. Can you direct me to the more family oriented movies?"

"Of course," Hydrus said and they went to the tapes and took an hour to go over the best movies for young people. Soon they parted and Hydrus went home and told everyone what occurred. They all had a good laugh and spent the night reminiscing about their Hogwarts days and how having entertainment in the common rooms would have kept them out of trouble, maybe.

A short narration

The Order of the Phoenix only convened five times. The vow was updated to no turning on the Order, instead of the leader. When nothing further happened in the Alley, they disbanded, though now many of those 'old friends' thought maybe Albus Dumbledore was getting too old to lead. He was still firm in his belief that Voldemort was not gone, and had no problem telling them such; though he did say that recent events might not be the work of Tom.

Time passed and the Wizarding World grew and flourished. There was now a movie company and the films were spectacular. Since they could use real magic and not special effects—though they used them as well— the quality was overwhelmingly better than their non-magical counterparts. Theaters were opened in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade and the weekend features were always sold out. The films were created with a pensieve effect, much better than the regular 3D effect. You felt as if you were part of the action, yet never had to leave your seat.

The film writers, like the book writers, started with combining the non-magical with the magical. Imagine Indiana Jones with a wand. Soon enough they incorporated the new bestsellers to scripts and those authors were making money hand over foot.

The reason it had taken so long was because they still had to get people to play parts and learn the art of movie making, and it took time and training. They hired a company from the Muggle world to teach the actors how to perform and show the filming crew how to actually use the equipment. The non-magicals were confused, but the money was good, so they did their best to get these people's act together. The industry hired indiscriminately, every walk of life was used, though they did tend to get the prettier people to sign on. The Pure-bloods took a bit of talking to and many of the widows became leading ladies, including Narcissa. Unfortunately, Draco became a child star and his attitude was taken to new heights.

They created a movie studio in the hills of Scotland and warded it to the gills to prevent any non-magical from finding it. There were apartment buildings erected for the crews and a small village was soon a thriving community. Foreigners flocked to the studio to get hired on.

The cartoon company that followed was just as enjoyable and used the same methods of training. They too used magic to create outstanding pieces of art. They copied many of the non-magicals' ideas and took them to greater heights. Then they used the children's stories such as Tales of Beedle the Bard and created magical (pun intended) masterpieces, again with the pensieve like reality. Since they could incorporate the same spells that were used on portraits, their cartoons moved fluidly and you could hardly tell they were drawn at all.

Hydrus made sure to keep all of the Wizarding movies and cartoons in stock with his non-magical ones. Both were still great sellers, though the tapes didn't have the same pensieve effects the theater did, they were still riveting stories.

There was even talk of a Wizarding Television Network, but they were having problems keeping the non-magical airwaves from picking them up. Once that little kink was solved then news, education and drama would be in every magical household. The Wizengamot had a committee formed to monitor the non-magical stations to see what they aired and how they were useful. Hydrus was a bit wary about a Ministry run station, but he would see about getting a private one running if they started to get too biased.

With the blackmail and the bribe money, Sirius kept many Pure-blood laws from passing, which weren't many since the Pure-blood bigots were a minority and mostly comprised of widows. He kept pushing to get the seats filled with whoever was next in line for them, even if they were from a long line of squibs. His argument was that they couldn't be efficient if they weren't full. He had many people on his side, and the debates were slowly wearing the old fogies down.

Remus stayed out of the magical world for the most part. He ran his book store and made a comfortable living. With the cellar being as strong as it was and Wolfsbane given to him each full moon, his tearing up of his own face was reduced and he didn't start to turn grey, like he had in Hydrus's timeline.

They were both still dating their girlfriends and there was talk on Sirius's part about settling down. Laura and Sarah were given the secret, but the flat was still utilized for the mail and alone time. It had taken a lot to convince the immortal, but it was pointed out that he was being a hypocrite, since Grace already knew the secret and she couldn't protect her mind. Laura moved in to the house when talks of marriage were bandied about.

Hydrus was known as a financial powerhouse. His businesses and investments made him one of the richest men in both worlds. Many were thankful to him for bringing them entertainment and educating them on the non-magical world.

What used to be called Blood Traitors were happy to finally be proven right. They always knew Muggles were moving forward while they stayed stagnant. Hydrus was more than happy to provide them with solid evidence that they needed to be more careful or the Statute of Secrecy would be blown apart.

The Times still ran non-magical news, so when the CCTV camera debates started in that world the Wizarding world held its breath. If this were to pass then they would no longer be able to use magic in the non-magical world, for fear of being seen on one of those cameras. The Wizengamot had emergency meetings all during the debates; they kept a very close eye on them.

When the CCTV cameras were mounted on almost every street corner in London, laws were passed forbidding Apparation in the Muggle world. This caused an enterprising young Muggle-born woman to open a car lot, with a handy driving school on the side. She went from a poor salesperson to a rich woman in under a month. No one knew that Hydrus gave her the startup loan.

A traffic department in the Ministry was formed, and parking garages were built and warded, since there were CCTV cameras mounted at the defunct phone booth they used to use. New laws and regulations had to be passed quickly and once more they turned to the Muggle-born to help them understand these new changes.

Other laws were passed about using any magic on the pavements of non-magical London. Anyone caught would be fined and if they persisted then they would spend some time in Azkaban. The Statute of Secrecy must be upheld. There were even talks of using similar magical cameras in the streets of Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

Their greatest fear was the satellites that were popping up all over the sky. Wards were being created to fold the air above magical places and houses to prevent these satellites from picking up the blanks caused by the repelling wards. It was still a work in progress, but the Wizengamot and the Unspeakables were working full-time at keeping the Wizarding world hidden.

Because of all the changes no more Dark Forces came on the scene. Well one, but he was so minor it was ridiculous. Mr. Umbridge decided that the Wizarding world did his little girl wrong and tried to rise as a Dark Lord. The Pure-bloods laughed at him because of his former job and lack of title or money. Even his former House—Hufflepuff— was used against him. The first time he tried to curse one of them, the Muggle-raised quickly captured him and turned him over to the DMLE. He now occupied a cell next to Dolores.

More time passed and now the Muggle-borns were treated as first class citizens, even getting good jobs in the Ministry and they claimed the empty seats on the Wizengamot. It wouldn't surprise Hydrus if one was voted Minister when Bagnold left. Well, maybe not quite that soon, but he was ever hopeful. The last and only Muggle-born Minister was drummed out of office by a Black. Since the Blacks were no longer a Dark family, that won't happen this time. Even some of the other Dark families were following in the footsteps of the Blacks and becoming Grey. With solid proof that Muggle-borns were from a long line of squibs, there was even talk of betrothals to Half-bloods that had a Muggle-born parent. It was a start.

The orphanage stayed strong. Though there were never more than twenty squib children at a time, the donations from the families kept them afloat. They even started taking in non-magical children, making sure that the squibs never told them about their lives before they came to Barkley's. Counseling was still mandatory for every child.

When cell phones came out Hydrus jumped on that and opened his final store in Diagon Alley. He used the connection and payment plans that he and George had utilized in his timeline. Instead of a cell tower, there was a large crystal that kept the phones from being picked up by non-magicals. The magical world flocked to the store, wanting to gain a new way of talking that didn't require the Floo or stationary phone. It was the only one of Hydrus's stores to have an annex in Hogsmeade, much to the frustration of the staff of Hogwarts, though he was thinking of putting a Fun For All Pranks there.

Present time

Everything was going good, and when Harry was eight, the oldest Black decided it was time to sit him down and tell what happened to his parents. So one morning after a nice English breakfast he took Harry into the living room and threw up a silencing charm.

"Take a seat, kiddo," the immortal said, pointing to the recliner. He waited until the boy sat and then firmed his resolve. "You know how you've always asked what happened to your parents and why some people stare at you."

"Yeah?" was the cautious answer that sounded like a question.

"I'm going to tell you what happened that night," Hydrus said and taking a deep breath he started his recounting of what happened the night the Potters died. He told of betrayal of a friend, the Dark Lord, the death of the Potters, the rebound curse, the argument he had with Hagrid, the scuffle he got into with Sirius and finally the kidnapping out of the 'safe place' baby Harry was taken too. He left out anything having to do with Snape, since the child would never meet the man, he didn't need to know.

Hydrus went on to tell him how his Uncle Padfoot had stopped the newspapers and the authors from making Harry out to be the next Merlin, but said that some people still thought such. He told him about his fan mail and that he would have to start answering it.

"Why did you let this… Hagrid take me in the first place?" the little boy asked in a small voice. There were tears running down his face and he had moved to his uncle's side during the telling of his parents' death. Now, he was cuddled with the man that always made him feel safe. He was majorly relieved that he wasn't a depicted as a great hero, thanks to his protective uncles.

"I knew where he was going, so I figured that I would find you and kidnap you. Besides, Hagrid is a half-giant, there was no way I could fight him and not hurt you at the same time," Hydrus answered honestly, giving him a comforting hug.

"Oh, where did he take me?"

"You know the Dursleys? That family we keep showing you pictures of and telling you about? Yeah, that's where the Headmaster was going to leave you, but he had a very good reason. That reason came to me when I picked you up and brought you here," the oldest uncle said firmly.

"What reason?"

"There are wards that are tuned to your mum's blood. Since I have some of her blood in my background when I kidnapped you the wards bonded to me," he explained honestly. "These wards keep you hidden from anyone who will do you harm." He truly hoped that Harry wouldn't ask how they were related.

"Oh, why did I need those wards?" now the questions were purely curious. The tears were dry and the little boy's face morphed into inquisitive.

"I told you about the Dark Lord that was terrorizing the country, right? The one that died from the rebound, remember?" He waited for the nod. "When he came to your house and killed your parents and tried to kill you, a Dark curse was left on your forehead. We, Sirius, Remus and I, got rid of it as soon as we could. But the Headmaster didn't know how, so he thought if he put you under the protections of wards keyed to your mother's blood, then you wouldn't be overcome by the curse. His intentions were good." Though his methods left a lot to be desired, was the bitter thought. It's a good thing we got that horcrux out in time.

They had found out that Harry wasn't a parseltongue, which was news they actually partied over. Hydrus killed the basilisk three years ago and sold the corpse to the dwarfs, making a healthy donation to Hogwarts. It had been so easy, all he did was sneak in some roosters and it was done before five minutes were up. Much better than the last time.

"Oh, Okay, thanks for that, I don't think I'd want a curse on my forehead," Harry said with a nod. He understood why this headmaster did what he did, so he wouldn't hold it against him. Besides, he had the family he wanted. He was very thankful that his uncle came and got him, those pictures of the Dursleys made him do full body shudders each time they were brought out. "Does that mean that the Dursleys are bad people? Is that why you took me away from them?"

"Well, I told you that they hate magic, right?" Again he waited for the nod. "They're scared of it and I was worried that they might take it out on you."

"How did you know that?"

"I researched them when I learned of my family," he hedged. It was decided long ago that they wouldn't take the chance of creating a paradox by telling Harry who Hydrus really was. As the child grew all talks of time traveler's timeline were under silencing charms. They never spoke of his real past outside of planning.

"Oh, so why was this man after me?" he asked as if that just caught up with him. There was a look of mild fear on his face, he was trying to be a brave boy and not show how scared he was at the thought.

"There was a prophecy and at the time Voldemort and Dumbledore thought it pertained to you. I'm not going to tell you what it said, because it is all over and I was the one to fulfill it." He gave the child a proud smile to relieve his fears that he was trying so hard to hide.

"So this Voldyshorts is gone?" there was a hopeful note in that question.

"Yep, completely and utterly gone. No coming back for him," Hydrus said with every bit of confidence he could put in his voice. He had used the Ring to call the shade of Tom Riddle and mocked him for an hour, yeah it was mean, but he wanted to make sure that the man was truly gone.

"That's a relief," Harry sighed and slumped against his uncle's side.

"If you have any questions then ask any one of us. We'll be more than happy to give you answers," Hydrus said, giving him one more hug.

"I will," Harry said as he got down from the sofa. "I'm going to go and finish my homework, and then can I call Mione?"

"Sure, bring me your homework first and we'll go over it, then you can call her." he was very proud of how smart his younger self was. He dispelled the silencing charm and gave Harry hair ruffling.

"Okay," the green-eyed boy said as he ran from the room, only to slow down when Hydrus yelled at him. Because if there is one thing kids never learn, it's to not run in the house.

Grace wandered in and sat on the sofa. "How did it go?" she asked leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Better than I thought it would," he confessed, running his hand up and down her arm, taking comfort in her presence.

Grace had moved in about the same time Laura did, when Harry was just turning six. The only girlfriend that remained outside the house was Sarah, because she didn't want to lose her independence.

"I noticed you had the silencing charm up, more secrets?" she asked in a soft voice.

"No, not really, but again, I would rather give you plausible deniability," he reasoned. He was still trying to come up with a way to protect her mind, but, until he did, he would keep his secrets.

"So you're still my special agent?" she said playfully, swatting his chest.

"If it makes you feel better to think so, then, yes, I am Secret Agent Man," he said, striking a sitting pose by deepening his voice and puffing out his chest.

"Oh, you," she huffed and hit him again. The two dissolved into chuckles and changed the topic to school and business. The other adults come in one by one and joined the subject being discussed. Harry showed up around forty-five minutes later with homework in hand. He and Hydrus went to the study and went over the well done job.

Harry excused himself to call his best friend and talked with her for hours. He then called Ron and talked Quidditch and when he was done he called Neville and talked plants and family. Cell phones were Merlin sent. His circle of friends was small, but they were a tight knit group. He got on well with all the Weasleys and Neville, but his best friend was Hermione. He could relate to her better since they were both studious.

Harry had grown into the caring young man Hydrus wanted him to be. He was never repressed and hardly ever in the spotlight. The blood wards were as strong as they could be, hiding him from people who would mean them harm. After the talk about what happened to his parents, he asked many questions about that night and had a clear understanding on just how much his uncles played parts in his upbringing.

Hermione, under the force of Harry, was no longer the bossy know-it-all. She made friends in her school and flourish to a well behaved little girl, who just happened to have a male best friend. She was still a genius, but never flaunted it to her peers, instead she did private studying, nagging Harry to do the same.

Ron proved to be a good friend who was now fine with how his family lived. He was a good chess player for his age and never had to get hand-me-downs from his brothers, which went a long way in boosting his self-esteem.

Neville under the loving care of his parents never had a confidence problem and was an outgoing young man who loved to play pirates with his friends.

A few months later Hydrus was starting to feel depressed. He moped around the house and listlessly went about his business. The adults all sat him down one night after Harry went to bed and confronted him.

"What is up with you?" Sirius started off bluntly. "You've been moping about for weeks now."

"I feel useless. I've done everything I've set out to do. The Wizarding world is a utopia now. Muggle-born and –raised are thriving. Anti-discrimination laws have been passed and there is no more hiring on blood status. The entertainment business has gone further than I ever thought it would. All the corrupt people are dead, gone or in Azkaban. I feel as if I've done it all, now there's nothing left for me to do," he whined, keeping his complaints brief, since Grace didn't know his story. He shoulders sagged and he slouched in his seat, only to straighten up when Grace hit him on the head.

"Idiot," she scolded, causing everyone to chuckle at him. "You still have Harry to raise and me to cater too. You should be happy that you can relax now. Git." She stuck her nose in the air and held that pose for a moment before breaking down and laughing.

"Besides," Laura offered, she had been privy to many of the men's secrets (with a vow of course), since she could protect her mind, "there is always room for improvement. Are you an inventor or not?"

Hydrus perked up at that, he had gotten so caught up in changes, laws, gambling, investments and his businesses that he had put all of his inventions to the wayside. There were hundreds of things he could market that he had stashed in his pocketspace, he had been trying to keep it in line with the non-magical world that he didn't even think that it would boost moral if they surpassed that world.

This was the new start he had been working for and he grabbed it with both hands. More futuristic models of cell phone, laptops, computers, household appliances and entertainment devices hit the shelves in his stores. All the learning items he had built Harry over the years went on sale as well. He spent a good deal of his time in the lab making them better than ever. He felt useful again.

Time moved on again, and it was time for the Hogwarts letter to come. Hydrus and the other uncles sat Harry down and explained a few things to him. Laura took Grace out for a girls' night, so they didn't have to talk behind a charm. Grace accepted it with good grace.

"Harry, you're going to be going to Hogwarts soon. There are a few things we want to warn you about. One is the Headmaster still believes that Voldemort is out there and trying to come back. No matter how much proof we give him, he is still under this delusion. So, what that means to you is he still thinks that you are the boy hero of the prophecy," Hydrus explained, after they got comfortable with some butterbeer and biscuits.

"Is he barmy?" the green-eyed boy asked, confused. He reached over and grabbed one of the biscuits and nibbled it while waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, I'd say he is a little off his rocker," the immortal agreed with a small smile. "But he is still a man of power, so some respect must be given. The only reason we're telling you is so you can stand firm in your belief that you are safe."

Nothing they achieved caused Dumbledore to lose any of his positions. He was still in charge of Hogwarts, the ICW and the Wizengamot; however, he backed most of their platforms and helped them move the Wizarding world to where it was today, even going so far as to add or update classes in the Hogwarts curriculum to educate on the changes. He repeatedly expressed his pride of Sirius about the reform he did on his family and always had words of praise for Hydrus. The only thing the men could hold against him was the diehard belief that Tom was still out there. It was a good thing that Dumbledore still thought Harry lived with the Dursleys. With the pictures and reports from Sirius he never concluded it wasn't true.

"So, what does that mean for me? What can I expect?" the inquisitive boy asked.

"We're not completely sure," confessed Sirius, rubbing his chin. "We think it'll mean nothing but him keeping a closer eye on you." Even if the Headmaster hide Flamel's Stone in the school, there was no Voldemort to fight, no Snape to suspect, so there was a good chance that Harry wouldn't feel the need to protect it.

"So we want to say that if you're going to break the rules, then make sure you're not caught," Hydrus added with a wink.

"And make sure you keep up on your studies," Remus added.

"I can do that," Harry said with a big grin and a wink at his favorite uncle, causing everyone to chuckle.

"Also," Hydrus said, when the chuckles died, "he still believes you grew up with the Dursleys. If he asks about them tell him everything you have been told. You don't have to lie, mostly, you can tell him you grew up with family and had a happy childhood."

That caused Harry's brow to furrow. He really didn't like lying, but, if it kept his family safe, he would. So he gave his nod of agreement and they spent most of the night going over the Dursleys' life as they knew it, from Hydrus's investigators. The only part they would have to change is that that family lived here in London; however, since they were supposed to be in hiding Harry wouldn't be able to tell where. If he kept it mostly factual then he should have no problems with the Headmaster.

After that long night of talking Hydrus went to his room, and while he waited for his love to come home he went over his future plan. It was a plan he shared with no one, since they would not be included. He made sure all his i's were dotted and all his t's were crossed, so that when the time came to implement it, he could without messing it up.