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Chapter 113 - Chapter 98

[A/N:After a long time, I am updating this fanfic again. I had writers block with this one, I was not getting any new ideas. But I am getting something now, after Harry Potter. I have plans for Hope and Alex with Mikaelsons going to Underworld.]

Hope Mikarlson had a great time at Ilvermorny. She loved the classes, the magic, the friendships. Alexander, on the other hand, already knew most of the curriculum. He often zoned out during lessons, letting his mind wander.

Two years passed in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Now, only two months remained before Harry would receive his Hogwarts letter.

Alexander and Hope lay under the famous snakewood tree on the Ilvermorny grounds—the very tree that had grown from Salazar Slytherin's wand when Isolt Sayre planted it long ago. The breeze was light, the leaves whispered overhead.

Hope was curled up on Alexander's lap, gazing up at him.

"Harry's going to get his letter soon, right?"

Alexander nodded. "Yeah. And Dumbledore's in for a surprise. He's not getting some broken, approval-hungry kid."

Hope smirked. She knew Harry well—paranoid like his father, clever like Uncle Elijah, sneaky like Kol, and carrying just enough vengeance to remind her of Aunt Rebekah.

"You think Dumbledore will try to look into his mind?" she asked.

"Oh, definitely," Alexander said. "Him and Snape. But with the heir's ring in play? They won't get far."

He was referring to a very specific incident—when Dumbledore once tried to read Klaus's mind. The result? A solid punch to the face. It had made headlines across the magical world. A respected figure like Dumbledore, caught using Legilimency without consent, had sparked outrage. Mind-reading was an invasion of privacy, and Legilimency was already classified as a restricted magical practice. But there was not strict laws against it.

Now, this huge scandal caused the whole magic community to push for more stricter laws.

That scandal had prompted Elijah and Freya to create the Lord's—or Heir's—Rings, a concept Hope had actually pitched based on ideas from fanfiction. The rings acted as a barrier against mind magic. If someone tried to invade your thoughts, the ring would warm up in warning and it would actually cause backlash for the one who tried to read there mind. They could also detect poisons and other magical threats.

The rings became so popular that even the British magical community began using them. Laws around Legilimency were rewritten. Unauthorized mind-reading was now considered a serious offense.

Hope chuckled. "Snape's going to be in for a surprise."

Alexander grinned. "He might not get expelled for it, but suspension? Definitely on the table."

Harry had been told the full truth—everything about his parents and their history with Snape. At first, he had felt sympathy. But that feeling didn't last.

Flashback

Harry sat in silence, his expression conflicted.

"I get that Snape was bullied," he said slowly. "But... he still joined the Death Eaters. Even while claiming to love my mother."

He looked up at Alexander. "And then he told Voldemort about the prophecy. That got my parents—and Neville's—hunted."

Alexander gave a small nod. "It's complicated, Snape didn't know it was Lily's child. Also, James was arrogant and stupid when he was young, no doubt. But he changed. For Lily. He died protecting you—same as your mother."

Harry's eyes welled up, but he stayed quiet.

"Snape hates your dad," Alexander continued. "And you look just like him. That's going to be a problem."

"Is he really that petty?" Harry asked, frowning.

Alexander chuckled. "Oh, you've got no idea. He's not fully evil, but he's definitely selfish. The kind of man who'll hold a grudge for life."

He paused, then added, "He says he loved Lily. But he still joined a group that wanted to wipe out Muggleborns—her people. She gave him chance after chance. Ignored the 'Mudblood' insults. Ignored his Death Eater friends. But eventually, even she had enough."

Harry slowly nodded.

Alexander's tone turned serious. "Just be careful around Snape. And Dumbledore."

Harry already knew enough about Dumbledore to be wary. He took the advice to heart—and made sure to do the same with Snape.

Flashback ends

Hogwarts – Headmaster's Office

The headmaster's office was a grand circular room filled with shelves of rare magical artifacts, strange instruments humming softly under layers of enchantment. Dozens of portraits—former headmasters and headmistresses—watched silently from the walls, their eyes occasionally flicking toward the center of the room. Fawkes, the phoenix, perched serenely on his golden stand, his eyes half-closed, yet ever-watchful.

The office could only be accessed by a spiral stone staircase hidden behind a stone gargoyle on the third floor—revealed only when the correct password was spoken.

In the heart of the room sat Albus Dumbledore behind his ornate desk, fingers laced, a distant look in his blue eyes. Across from him, rigid and visibly irritated, stood Severus Snape.

Snape's voice was tight. "Is it true?"

Dumbledore slowly removed his half-moon spectacles, cleaning them with a cloth as he exhaled quietly. "Yes. It's true."

Snape's jaw clenched. "You're just going to allow it?"

"I tried to intervene," Dumbledore said calmly, "but times have changed. My influence isn't what it once was. Amelia Bones and Augusta Longbottom saw to that."

He paused, his voice turning slightly bitter. "Their argument was quite... pointed: 'If Death Eater children are allowed at Hogwarts, why not law-abiding citizens like the Mikaelsons?'"

Snape's expression darkened. He didn't try to hide his disdain. "They didn't lift a finger for Lily," he muttered. "Yet the Longbottoms were saved."

Dumbledore was silent.

He stared past Snape, his eyes unfocused, the weight of unspoken memories settling heavily on his shoulders. The polished surface of his desk reflected the flickering candlelight, but he saw none of it.

He remembered.

The warning the Mikaelsons had given—quiet, precise, and ignored.

It was his guidance that convinced Lily and James to disregard it.

While Snape was scowling, he was bitter and angry with Mikaelsons regarding Lily. And it didn't help that Kol Mikaelson was considered a prodigy in both Potions and the Dark Arts. A name spoken with reverence in certain circles. Snape had seen the comparisons being made—heard the whispers in the academic world.

And he hated it.

He wasn't naive. He knew just how wide the gap between them truly was. A genius versus a bitter man with grudges. The contrast was not lost on him.

Snape's voice cut through the heavy silence.

"What about the brat?"

His tone was laced with contempt, but Dumbledore recognized it for what it was—not concern, not even curiosity. Just another layer of the complicated guilt Snape wrapped himself in. Another attempt to rewrite a past that refused to change.

Dumbledore smiled gently, as if reassured by his own foresight. "Don't worry. Everything is in place. I assigned Arabella Figg to keep watch over little Harry."

He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands, gaze calm—calculated.

What he didn't say was that he had received more than one letter from Arabella over the years. Reports that spoke of locked cupboards, missed meals, bruises that never had explanations. Emotional neglect. Isolation.

And yet, he had done nothing.

Because to him, it was necessary. Harry needed to grow up humbled, desperate for love, easily guided. Malleable.

For the greater good.

What Dumbledore didn't know was that every report Arabella Figg had sent him—all those carefully worded letters and updates—weren't truly hers.

Every piece of information had been crafted by Klaus.He had made sure of that.

A subtle compulsion—nothing flashy, nothing traceable. Just enough to ensure Dumbledore only received the version of reality Klaus wanted him to see.

Snape scoffed, his lip curling. "A Squib?" he muttered under his breath.

He didn't care who watched the boy. In his mind, Harry would be nothing more than a mirror of James—arrogant, entitled, irritating. Just another reminder of what he had lost. And what he had chosen.

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