Emeralds and Ashes

The next morning found Harry waking up inside the master bedroom of Peverell Manor with a rough tongue licking his face. Sighing, he started to softly stroke Luna behind the ear and opened his eyes.

"You know, I'd really prefer not waking up like this."

Luna gave a long lick on his cheek in response, looking at him mirthfully. Harry released a deep breath.

"Alright. You're in a fun mood. I get it. Now get up so I can go to the bathroom."

Luna licked his nose and obediently got off the bed, lying down on the rug spread on the floor. Harry shook his head and made his way to the bathroom. He saw that it was five minutes past seven, which meant he had roughly two hours until he had to report to the Education Department for his OWLs. Ample time, he thought as he entered the bathroom and closed the door.

Half an hour later, Harry was standing in the middle of his bedroom and staring at Luna sternly, who was looking down, properly chastised.

"And I repeat," Harry said firmly. "You are to never repeat what you just did. Bathroom is private, and I don't want you popping out of my shadow while I'm taking a shit."

He was sure the wolf was laughing to herself, however morose she looked on the outside, and could not help but sigh.

"I guess I'll need to properly train you so you understand how you should behave. Alright, here is what we're gonna do. You will remain out of my shadow from the moment I go to bed until the moment I get ready the next morning. Whenever we are out in public, you will live in my shadow like usual and come out only when you either sense a danger or when I call you. Is that clear?"

Luna looked at him and gave a faint growl. Harry nodded and softly stroked her behind the ear.

"Good girl," he chuckled when she gave a happy growl and leaned into his touch. "Behave like a good girl and I'll keep doing it. Now let's go. I'm sure Minnie has breakfast ready."

At the mention of food, Luna quickly hopped into his shadow. Harry smiled and walked out of the bedroom.

It was fifteen minutes later when Harry was absentmindedly eating with one hand and twirling his wand with the other. He had decided to note down a few important points that he needed to remember in this timeline. A small piece of parchment was floating in the air with a quill hovering over it.

"It's 1975. Bagnold is the minister. Arcturus said she is better than Fudge but not by much. The woman has immense greed for her chair, which would make her a fair-weather ally at best. Barty Crouch is the Head of the DMLE. A capable and ruthless head of department for wartime and would be a good ally, but only for as long as we are at war. The man should be replaced once Voldemort is taken care of. Alastor Moddy is the Head Auror. A capable wizard and should be an ally. He won't shy away from using force either. A possible option could be to get Crouch to be the minister and Moody to be the head of the DMLE. Although that would take Moody off the field of battle, which is not desirable. I'll have to think more on it."

Harry thought about who else he should be mindful of or who deserved any consideration.

"Dumbledore is the headmaster, Chief Warlock and the Supreme Mugwump. Need to take care not to get too close to him. The name of Peverell will rouse his interest so he will give me particular attention. I'll respond as the situation develops. That takes care of people in power."

The quill kept recording everything he said, and Harry continued.

"Most of the known Death Eaters are still at Hogwarts. I'll have to see who can be swayed away from joining Voldemort. Although it would be better if most of them died anyway. I'll see what kind of people they are and then decide what to do with them. Death Eater activities intensify over the summer of 1977, so I have two years to take care of Horcruxes. Known ones are Tom's Diary, Hufflepuff's Cup, Slytherin's Locket, the Gaunt Ring and possibly the Diadem of Ravenclaw. Locations of all are unknown apart from the ring, which is in some shack in the woods near the graveyard in Little Hangleton. I'll have to take measure of the area and plan how to extract it. It's also possible that Voldemort might show up if I accidentally trigger something, so I'll need to take care. Also, I must obtain a goblin-forged steel or Godric's sword from the Sorting Hat and take care of the Basilisk as well. There is no need to take the risk of keeping it alive. It would take care of my need for Basilisk venom for destroying Horcruxes as well."

Harry took a sip of his juice. He could control Fiendfyre, but it was no easy task. It was better if he used Basilisk venom to destroy the Horcruxes instead. It seemed the easier option. He thought about what else he could remember that might be important.

"The most important task right now is to discover how many Horcruxes there are. Slughorn knows the secret. It's important to get close to the man within these two years. It is also necessary to form alliances in the Wizengamot to prevent Voldemort from passing the laws and resolutions he wants and to ensure he doesn't get more followers. Dinner with the Blacks is a good enough first step toward it."

Harry nodded to himself. That was all he could think of right now. The most active players in the game, his most important goals, and things he needed to consider had all been covered, and he didn't think he missed anything.

Today, he would take his OWLs, and tomorrow, he had that dinner to attend. He wondered how things would go with the Blacks. He couldn't help but get excited at the prospect of seeing Sirius once again. Sure, he was not the Sirius he had known, but he was looking forward to it nonetheless.

Thoughts of Sirius soon gave way to those of his parents. His grandfather had also been invited along with his grandmother and his father. Harry couldn't help but get slightly emotional. It had been hard enough to keep his composure around the grandfather who he had never known. He knew he would need every bit of his Occlumency when he met his grandmother and father. A part of him couldn't help but think whether there was any possibility of having a familial relationship with the Potters. Perhaps he could use the fact that they were distantly related. He would need to wait and see.

He knew his father was a right prat in his younger years, particularly in the fifth year. He had seen it in Snape's memories. He hoped he could somehow manage to curb his father's immaturity before things could worsen.

His mother was also there, and Harry was both anticipatory and apprehensive about meeting her. He was sure she was the brilliant witch all his professors had always described her as, and he could not wait to meet her.

He might not be their son and they might not be his parents, but perhaps he could be their friend. He had the chance to prevent the fate that had befallen them, and he would be damned if he let anything happen to them. There were Neville's parents to consider as well. No way he would let them get tortured into insanity once again.

"Save my parents and Sirius. Save Neville's parents," he whispered.

The quill scribbled on the parchment, and Harry levitated it to the table before reading through. It was done. He could not think of anything else at the moment. Perhaps something would come to him in the future. However, right now, he had his goals and targets set out. The only thing that remained was to formulate plans to bring them to fruition.

-Break-

Harry had a very small task to take care of that morning before he went to the ministry for his OWLs. He finished his breakfast at 8 and apparated away with a faint pop.

It was quarter to 9 when he walked through the entrance to the ministry with a small smirk and made his way to the Department of Education. The ministry was comparatively empty today and he did not have to wait in any queue.

The stern face of Griselda Marchbanks met him as he walked in.

"Good Morning, Madam Marchbanks," Harry greeted politely.

"Good Morning to you as well, Lord Peverell. Before we begin, you will have to fill the form that will become part of our official record," the old woman replied and held out a sheet of parchment. Harry looked it over. It was the standard form and Harry shrugged.

Filling it up, he saw the documents he was required to submit. He had almost forgotten about his identification papers the previous day and had been reminded by Marchbanks about it. He had no identification in the magical world. However, Arcturus and he had quickly thought of a solution that did not involve any shady maneuvers either, at least in the magical world.

There were many recorded cases, particularly with orphans, where they had no registered identification with the ministry. However, almost everyone had muggle identification.

Confounding the official in charge to register him retrospectively and sorting out his files had been a piece of cake.

Harry pulled out his muggle identification papers and made a quick copy before attaching it to the form and passed it over to the woman, who looked it over and nodded.

"Since you are not a registered citizen of Wizarding Britain, this document shall be forwarded to the Department of Human Resource Development so that your name can be visible in the Hall of Family Records. Please proceed to the examination room and I will join you shortly."

Harry smiled at the woman and walked away with a small smirk. There, without bothering with shady individuals in Knockturn Alley or even the Goblins who would've surely demanded his left kidney for such a menial task, he had managed it with a little ingenuity. Given how secretive his house was, no one would bat an eye at the fact that he had never been registered with the British Ministry.

The next eight hours apart from one small break of fifteen minutes for lunch were filled with his quill scribbling on numerous parchments as Harry took his OWLs in every core subject and three electives – Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures. Arcturus had helped him brilliantly, and he was capable enough to challenge any adult wizard.

Although he was confident that he could easily deal with any member of Voldemort's inner circle, either individually or in a small group with how he currently was, he was not sure he could even land a critical blow on the bastard himself. He had managed to beat Voldemort in a battle of wills back in the graveyard, however, magically they were nowhere close, even after all the training he had undergone.

Harry was sure Voldemort was perhaps even more capable in this timeline, and he could not afford to slack off in any sense. He would need to keep working on himself to improve as much as he could. Failure was not an option.

The practical portion of the OWLs proved how capable he truly was, with Professor Tofty and Madam Marchbanks all left shell-shocked at the skills he demonstrated. He knew he was cheating slightly. He had undergone specialized training, after all. However, he couldn't care about it. It was the fruit of his hard work, and he would be damned if he did not show it.

His OWLs had begun at half past nine, and it was seven in the evening when he was finally done.

"Your results will be sent via owl on either tomorrow night or Sunday morning," Madam Marchbanks informed him. Harry nodded.

"Thank you," he bowed his head slightly in respect. The woman smiled at him and gave a small nod. With a smile of his own, Harry walked out of the room and toward the elevator.

"Ah, my Lord Peverell, a pleasure to finally meet you."

Harry looked over and had to work to keep his true emotions from showing on his face as he saw who had called him. The resemblance was uncanny.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I recognize you, my lord," Harry replied instead. The man smiled.

"My apologies. I am Abraxas, lord of the Noble House of Malfoy. This is my heir Lucius."

Harry forced a smile.

"A pleasure to meet you both."

The man looked behind him and smirked.

"I heard that you would be taking your OWLs today. My Lucius will also start his sixth year in a month. I hope you will be attending Hogwarts as well?"

Harry nodded. "That was my intention, yes."

"Splendid," the man said with a smile. "I am sure Lucius here will help you adequately should you need it."

Harry looked at the young man who smiled at him and reluctantly shook his hand. Internally, he resolved to clean that hand with the strongest charm he could cast.

"It would be an honor to aid someone of your station, my lord," Lucius' voice was as slimy as he remembered, and Harry smiled. If he didn't know any better, he would've easily believed that the two men were as genuine as they portrayed themselves to be. Alas, their efforts to make an ally out of him were all in vain.

"I am sure your heir will prove to be a credit to your house, my lord," Harry forced the words out, internally believing not even an iota of it. "By your leave then? It has been a long day and I would like to retire early."

The two men nodded in understanding. Harry saw that they were also leaving the ministry, and he stifled a sigh. A few more minutes of their company meant nothing.

"We would be honored to host you at our home, Lord Peverell. Please consider it a gesture of welcoming you to the public sphere. What do you say about this Sunday evening?"

Harry forced an apologetic look on his face. "Unfortunately I am otherwise occupied on Sunday. Perhaps we could decide a later date? I am sure we shall keep meeting in the future. After all, I have taken up my lordship so socializing is to be expected."

The Malfoy patriarch laughed.

"Too true. There is no rush. I look forward to working with you toward the progress our Wizarding Britain, my lord."

Harry nodded with an easy smile, scoffing to himself.

The elevator dinged and they parted ways. The Malfoys went to the floo on the right while Harry walked straight ahead toward the apparition point. Exhausted after that hassle of a talk, he twisted on the spot and apparated back home.

-Break-

It was early morning on Sunday when Harry received his OWL results. The envelope had been placed on the breakfast table along with his food, and Harry absently stroked Luna behind her ear as he flicked his wand to open it.

Dear Lord Peverell,

Please find enclosed the results for your Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations.

Pass Grades:

Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (EE)

Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades:

Poor (P)

Dreadful (D)

Troll (T)

The results for your core subjects are:

Astronomy: EE

Charms: O

Defense against the Dark Arts: O

Herbology: O

History of Magic: EE

Potions: O

Transfiguration: O

The results for your elective subjects are:

Arithmancy: O

Care of Magical Creatures: O

Study of Ancient Runes: O

Congratulations on the completion of TEN OWLs. We wish you all the best in your future academics.

Sincerely,

Griselda Marchbanks

Head of the Department of Education,

Ministry for Magic

Harry looked at his results and smiled. He had not bothered too much with Astronomy and History, so those grades were to be expected. However, his results for all the other subjects were as he had envisioned.

He had to visit Grimmauld Place this evening, which meant he had nothing apart from his practice to do for the day. As he went about his breakfast, he wondered to himself whether he should visit Hogwarts or send a letter to Dumbledore regarding his intention to join.

-Break-

The last few days had been peaceful for Albus Dumbledore until he received this letter. Things had been quiet for a while, so it did not surprise him. Tranquility never lasted for long.

However, out of all the things he could have imagined happening, a Peverell appearing in the public domain out of nowhere was something he had never expected to happen.

As the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, he was notified whenever any significant changes happened. It made sense that he would be notified when someone took up a seat in the parliament of Wizarding Britain.

Dumbledore had not paid the missive any mind when it had arrived, busy as he was in selecting the candies he would feast on this month. Had he known just which house it was, he didn't think he would've been so dismissive.

His eyes had shot open when he had read it.

The same letter was still sitting in front of him. Harry James Peverell – a young man of sixteen had taken up the lordship under the Doctrine of Ultima Linea. It had been years since that doctrine had been enforced. Underage individuals had rarely taken up their lordships during his time as Chief Warlock.

He had to admit that he was more than intrigued. The name of the family was enough to rouse his curiosity – a family he had researched more than any other, apart from Gellert, that is.

Never had they discovered that the main branch of the family existed. There was no other explanation that made sense. The last traces of the house stopped at Iolanthe Peverell, the granddaughter of the great Ignotus Peverell who had married Hardwin Potter. That should have made the Potters the only eligible candidates for the lordship of the House of Peverell.

However, for this Harry James Peverell to successfully claim the lordship, there was only one possibility. Somehow, either in the Peverell or the Potter bloodline, a son had branched off the main family, whose descendent had successfully claimed the lordship. Numerous witches and wizards could claim a faint connection to the Peverells, however, that was not enough to become the lord of the house. For one to become the lord, there needed to be a direct blood relation.

The Peverell family ring had recognized the young man as the lord of the house, and so had the magic governing the Wizengamot. There was no possibility of foul play.

Dumbledore sat in his office, pondering on this new development. He wondered where the new Peverell lord had been all these years. After all, he should have come to Hogwarts, but there was no one ever registered as Harry James Peverell in the student record. Dumbledore could only attribute it to the magic of the house to conceal the identity of its members. It was common knowledge how secretive the House of Peverell truly was, with its origins and exploits shrouded in mystery and legends surrounding it.

His fingers closed around the Elder Wand. No one apart from a few knew the true identity of this wand, and now here was a descendant of the house which had the true right to wield it. Dumbledore gazed at it with a small frown and could not help but wonder whether the wand would switch its loyalties. Even though a part of him could not help but be reluctant to part with it, the rational part of him understood. Only a Peverell could utilize the Deathly Hallows to their full potential.

He was brought out of his thoughts when an ethereal stag galloped through the entrance to the door and came to a stop in front of him.

"A Patronus," Dumbledore whispered as he gazed at the glowing creature that bowed in front of him in greeting.

"Headmaster Dumbledore," the voice of a young man came from the stag, and Dumbledore leaned forward slightly in interest. "I assume as the Chief Warlock, you must have been notified already. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Harry James Peverell, the lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Peverell, and I would like to request a few moments of your time at your earliest convenience. If you can spare some time right now, then please reply with a Patronus and I shall come to Hogwarts. You can even send your majestic phoenix. I have taken the wards down, so he should have no trouble finding me. If not, then I await your response. Thank you."

Dumbledore watched as the Patronus vanished in a soft swirl of mist. The shape of the creature was enough to tell him that Harry Peverell was a powerful and very capable young wizard, and Dumbledore's curiosity increased. He did not have anything scheduled for the day, so he quickly scribbled a small note.

Looking at his faithful familiar, Dumbledore smiled and held it out.

"Fawkes, please take it to Harry Peverell and if possible, bring him here. I believe you can locate him?"

Fawkes trilled softly and grabbed the note before vanishing in a swirl of flames.

Dumbledore did not have to wait for long as another swirl of flames filled his vision, and he looked at the young lord for the first time.

The first thing he noticed was the absolute confidence the young man radiated as he looked at him with a smile. Standing tall and broad-shouldered, this was a warrior in the making. He had seen this in far too many wizards in his long life to recognize power and confidence, and this young man had both in abundance.

Gellert Grindelwald, himself, Charlus Potter, Arcturus Black, and even Tom Riddle, he recalled with a frown. All those wizards had a certain presence about them, and this young man radiated it without any restraint.

What was even more impressive was for this young man to be so remarkable at such a young age. He was a sixth-year, and even though Dumbledore had received his OWL results after contacting Griselda Marchbanks when he came to know that the young man had scheduled the exams on Friday, witnessing his commanding presence in person was a different experience altogether.

Dumbledore knew what it was – a show of strength in front of a powerful wizard like him. However, he could hardly fault the young man for it. He had been guilty of doing the same.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, an honor."

Dumbledore smiled and gestured for him to take a seat.

"Likewise, Lord Peverell. I must admit I had never expected to meet a Peverell, so your arrival was most definitely a surprise. However, I am sure you are not here for that, so let us get to why you requested this meeting."

Harry smiled and slid forward his OWL results.

"I would like to request a place in the sixth-year for the upcoming term. I have been homeschooled my entire life, and I would like to experience Hogwarts during my NEWTs."

Dumbledore smiled, and even though he did not need to, he looked at the results. They were truly nothing short of impressive.

"I believe it is quite easy for me to grant you a place at Hogwarts. Your results are among the best I have ever seen."

Harry smiled.

"Thank you. I appreciate it, headmaster, and I look forward to attending this legendary school."

Dumbledore smiled as he gazed at the young man looking around. Hogwarts certainly had that effect on anyone who came there, no matter who it was. However, he had a few questions of his own that he wanted to ask.

"If you would satiate an old man's curiosity, Lord Peverell. As far as I knew, the bloodline of the Peverells was absorbed into the Potter family when Iolanthe Peverell married Hardwin Potter. Thus, I hope you understand why I wonder how you happened to be who you are."

Harry chuckled. He had already created a backstory for anyone who might ask about his origins.

"Please call me Harry or even Mr Peverell when we are not in an official political setting, headmaster. And what you said is true," he nodded. "However, there is one small detail that is missing from what is known to the general public. You see, headmaster, Iolanthe gave birth to twins, and it was decided that one of them would lay claim to the House of Peverell. Hardwin agreed. During the centuries that followed, numerous cadet branches of the Potter family emerged and disintegrated, and once my ancestor split off, he changed his family name to Peverell. My ancestors have been living in secrecy ever since then and have never shown any interest in politics or wizarding society of whichever country they lived in. As for why they chose to split off and live in secrecy, I'm afraid that secret went with them to their graves."

Dumbledore nodded. He had thought something like this might have happened. It was not the first time a forgotten pureblood house had emerged out of nowhere. However, that raised another question, and he could not help but ask.

"Was there any reason why you finally came out of secrecy? You even claimed the lordship of the house, something that has not happened for centuries."

He frowned when a stormy expression came over the young man's face, and he was taken aback when he saw his magic swirling around him in waves. The power rolling off this young man was tremendous.

"Believe me, headmaster, I would not have done so in any other circumstances. However, I believed the time had come for the House of Peverell to reveal itself."

Dumbledore frowned. Whatever had happened must have been very serious for it to anger him so much. He recalled that the lordship had been claimed because this young man was the last of his line, and his eyes widened slightly.

He watched as the young man visibly calmed himself down and looked him right in the eye.

"Tell me headmaster, have you heard of a man who calls himself Voldemort?"

Dumbledore frowned. "I can't say I have."

"Now tell me, does the name Tom Marvolo Riddle ring a bell?"

Dumbledore's eyes widened.

Harry looked at him and nodded.

"Yes, the same Tom Marvolo Riddle who attended Hogwarts. Although he no longer goes by that name. He has coined himself another name – one that would make him feared by the masses."

Dumbledore listened in shock and watched the young man pull out his wand and trace the letters of Tom's name into the air. He was surprised to see the letters arrange themselves to read out 'I AM LORD VOLDEMORT'.

"The Tom Riddle who attended Hogwarts all those years ago has decided to tread down the path of death and destruction. My parents were his first victims. He killed them."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. Harry continued.

"You would know this man better than me. However, let me tell you what he truly wants. Voldemort is an evil psychopath who plans to subjugate the pureblood supremacists to rid this country of the muggleborns. He wants to incite a civil war in Wizarding Britain in order to consolidate as much power as he can. He doesn't care about pureblood supremacy. They are only a means to an end. Voldemort is the Dark Lord Wizarding Britain will face in the upcoming years who wants nothing but power, and he will stop at nothing until he has got it."

Dumbledore stared, horrified, at Harry Peverell who looked at him evenly. There was no doubt on this young man's face, and he could detect no deceit.

"He managed to somehow find us where we had been living in secrecy. He wanted something from my parents. However, instead of agreeing to his demands, they defied him. When he attacked, they did all they could until I could escape. They stood no chance, not in front of him."

Dumbledore stared hard at his table, his mind swirling with these revelations.

"You know what kind of person he is, headmaster," Harry said softly, and Dumbledore looked at him. Yes, he did. He knew exactly what kind of person Tom was, and he did not doubt that Harry here was telling the truth. However, the scale which he was talking about was shocking, to say the least.

"That is one of the biggest reasons why I took over the lordship. You know the social situation. Pureblood supremacists will flock over to him in an instant, and incomprehensible destruction will take place. I took over the lordship to form alliances. The lesser people who join him, the better it would be. I won't be surprised if he had already started to invite people to join him."

Dumbledore sighed and sat back.

"I must admit that I had not expected to have this conversation when I woke up today. Thank you for confiding in me, Mr Peverell. You have given me a lot to think about."

Harry nodded.

"You are probably the strongest wizard in Britain right now, and your help will be invaluable in defeating him. I fear entire houses might get eradicated when he starts his warfare," he said as he stood up. "I believe that concludes our business, headmaster. May I use your floo?"

Dumbledore nodded and watched as the young Peverell lord walked over to the fireplace before he vanished in an inferno of emerald flames.

Coldness gripped him as he stared there, pondering on the revelation that had taken place in his office this morning.

He had bad feelings about the boy ever since he had met him, and those feelings had only intensified as he watched him grow. Now, if Harry was to be believed, the same boy had become a madman with a severe lust for power who would stop at nothing until he quenched it.

With a heavy heart, Dumbledore questioned himself.

Had he played a role in the rise of a second dark lord?

TBC.

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