THE LIGHTNING LORD

Chapter 9 : Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore sat behind his large desk waiting for the arrival of Harry Potter. He was finally going to get some answers. The wards alerted him that they had arrived. "Come in" he said to them.

He watched as Harry Potter calmly entered the room along with his head of house Flitwick. He sucked in a breath involuntarily as he hadn't been able to take a close look at the Potter heir at the sorting feast. But now that he was standing in front of him, he saw that he looked nothing like what he had expected. He had expected to find a clone of James Potter with the eyes of his mother Lily. Boy, was he mistaken. The young boy in front of him was quite tall for his age, making him look older than he was. His eyes were bright emerald green, the colour of the Avada Kedavra, he thought with a shudder. His hair was not the messy bird's nest like his father, but was silky, while still a bit messy. His face showed a perfect blend of both his parents, mixed with some of the Black heritage no doubt inherited from his grandmother. High cheekbones, glowing eyes, shoulder length black hair and aristocratic features made him a very handsome boy. Not to mention that his presence seemed to fill the room. He was eerily reminded of the young Tom Riddle.

Albus cleared his throat. "Thank you for bringing young Harry here Flilus. You may go."

"I apologise headmaster, but Mr. Potter requested me to be here. As it was pointed out to me, it is according to the Hogwarts Charter that the Head of House of the student be present for such meetings" he said.

Albus thought for a moment. "Very well. Please take a seat. Would you like a lemon drop Harry?" he asked.

Before Harry could take a seat, they heard a trill. He saw a beautiful phoenix perched close to the desk. Harry approached the bird with a hint of a smile and bowed to the creature showing his respect. The phoenix trilled again, and Harry slowly approached it and started stroking his feathers. "Ah, I see you've met my familiar. Allow me to introduce you to Fawkes. He is a phoenix", said Dumbledore.

Harry inclined his head, saying nothing. He wanted to try the subtle power play and see what would happen. He didn't want the headmaster to take control of the conversation so he then sat down in his seat and looked around the office. Dumbledore had yet to say a word. After a few minutes, Dumbledore spoke up, "How have you been Harry?"

Harry cocked one eyebrow but kept his face expressionless. "Just fine, headmaster. And for the record, my name is Hadrian. And I don't recall saying that you could address me by my first name, or rather the shortened version. It would not do the Chief Warlock to be found lacking in etiquette, don't you agree?" he said softly. His voice was soft, but Dumbledore could feel his magical aura pulse when he spoke. It brought back memories of the young Tom Riddle again. He did not like this. Before he could respond, they heard a snarl coming from the other side of the room.

Harry turned and looked at the form of Severus Snape. Suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind.

"Master, I have important news", said a figure kneeling before him.

"What is it Severus?" he asked in a silky voice.

"Master, I did what you asked of me. I went to Hogwarts to request a teaching position. While in the Hog's Head, the old fool was in the process of interviewing a divination teacher Sybill Trelawney. At first, it was all nonsense, but then she said in a weird voice, that the One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. Before I could hear more, I was discovered and the barman threw me out."

He looked at the man in front of him. Who had the power to defeat HIM? He was Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard ever. But if this prophecy was true, then he had to eliminate the threat. "You have done well to tell me this Severus. You shall be greatly rewarded for this. For now, bring me Rockwood. I need to confirm this with the Department of Mysteries."