Take Me As I Am

IV

Harry stares at a young looking Albus Dumbledore and another man he doesn't recognize wearing Auror's robes. His eyes flutter slowly, and he finds that all of his injuries have been either healed or wrapped in gauze. A long and jagged scar on his chest reminds him of Voldemort's Diffindo - so willing to hurt him but so scared of what might happen if he died;

He scowls at the thought of Voldemort realizing he's finally immortal and Harry is gone.

"Young man? Hello?" A muffled voice forces Harry to keep his eyes open.

Harry pretends to be clueless. After all, he isn't supposed to know about Hogwarts - his aunt and uncle taught him magic at home, though not with the right methods. He recounts his backstory one more time and swallows hard.

"Where... am I?" Harry asks softly. He's starting to get pissed off at how many times he's said that in the past few... days? Hours? Honestly, he can't tell.

Dumbledore frowns. "Do you not know..."

The auror whispers something in Dumbledore's ear but Harry catches it: "He's not a muggle. A wand was found on him."

Dumbledore shakes his head and clears his throat. "I'm sorry, this must all be very alarming. My name is Professor Dumbledore, I'm the Transfuguration teacher here at Hogwarts."

Harry tilts his head. "Hogwarts?"

"You remember that you are a wizard, my boy?" Dumbledore confirms skeptically. Harry nods.

"I was, um, homeschooled," Harry gulps, his body still numb with the pain and fatigue that came with blood loss.

Dumbledore sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Merlin, I don't know why I didn't ask earlier. What is your name?"

"Hadrian Peverell," Harry responds automatically. Dumbledore inhales sharply while the auror lets out a small gasp.

"Peverell..." Dumbledore mutters. "Descended from the Peverell brothers, correct? Might I ask which one?"

"Ignotus," Harry says uneasily. "I'm sorry, what is Hogwarts?"

Dumbledore hums, "Ignotus. Hm." Then he clears his throat again. "Hogwarts is a wizarding school, and you, Hadrian, seemed to have literally appeared from thin air on our doorstep."

Another man enters the hospital wing at that moment - Harry recognizes him from the portraits as Headmaster Dippet, though he makes no indication of recognition.

"Albus," Dippet greets. "Potter."

Harry's head snaps towards the auror and he feels a familiar feeling in his gut. The man, who's face he hasn't noticed until now, bears a striking resemblance to Harry's, with messy jet black hair and a sharp jawline. The only exception is Harry's green eyes, while the man's are hazel.

"Please, just Fleamont. Or Monty. Come on, Headmaster, you've known me a while, have you not?" Monty grins a little, then turns somber at the sight of Harry.

Harry's face pales. Fleamont Potter? As in his grandfather?

"Who is this, Albus?" Dippet asks quietly.

"Hadrian Peverell, Headmaster," Dumbledore dips his head.

Dipper's mouth twitches. "Peverell? My, what a bloodline." Then he turns to Harry.

"Hadrian? What is the last thing you remember before you appeared here?"

"Uhm..." Harry pauses, to make it more convincing. He buries his head in his bruised hands and groans. "I don't..."

"It's alright, my boy, take your time," Dumbledore encourages.

Harry's eyes widen as he looks up. "I was... in a cell. A dungeon, if you will. At least, I think."