Chapter 1: The Scar

Harry's feet pounded hard against the stone floor as he rushed across the entrance hall and up toward the stone gargoyle that leads to the head masters office. It had been years and years since he had set foot in this place. It was now the learning institute for his children and he had believed that he would never have to return to this place again.

Hogwarts held for him memories of good and bad times. The first few days of his education were the happiest he could remember of his childhood but as the years progressed he had learned to fear and loath the evil that dwelt within the magical world. It was a place where he had known freedom and captivity, he had learned to love and felt the strongest hate and learned that not everything was exactly as it seemed.

Harry had believed for a very long time that he would no longer have to deal with the dangers of his own child hood and he would continue to bring up his own children to understand danger but not to fear what was unknown to them. The children of Harry and Ginny Potter did not know the particulars of the dark years that plagued their country. They had learned the basics, would not say the name of the dark lord and believed that through the work of many, there father included, peace was finally with them. There were still dark wizards in the world but none as evil as he-who-must-not-be-named, and so they went through their lives believing in all the wonders of magic and how lucky they were to live so freely.

But something had changed in Harry's calm organized life. A life he had been building from the wreckage of his past. There was strangeness in the air now; an air of panic came over him and great darkness seemed to scorch the land. A feeling he had felt and had hoped to forget was coming over him once more.

He stopped abruptly at the stone statue and looked at it blankly. He had forgotten that he was in need of a pass word to enter the office. Surly it would not be something that he would know, it had been so long.

"I need to speak to the head mistress!" he said more to himself out of anger.

"You need a pass word," the griffin answered him

"Is it Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"No, I am sorry it is not," the statue answered.

"Damn it!" Harry cursed and walked off angrily.

"We do not permit language like that within these walls," The gargoyle yelled after him.

He made his way quickly through the halls as if he had never left and out toward the gardens and the green houses. There was a little movement in green house number three and without knocking on the door he walked in.

Neville stood with his arms stuck in fresh soil, up to his elbows and talking kindly to a plant that was before him.

"What are you doing Neville?" Harry asked.

"Harry Potter, what on earth are you doing back here at Hogwarts?" Neville asked with a smile but did not pull his arms out of the dirt.

"I need to speak to the Head Mistress," Harry said as he watched Neville closely.

"Ah ha now I've got you!" Neville said to the plant, triumph all over his face.

"What on earth is that?" Harry cried as a green egg was pulled out of the earth by Neville's filthy hands.

"Oh this is a Tarinkle Mumbus egg," Neville said, "this carnivorous plant gives birth once every ten years and this one has just come of age," he said as he placed the egg into a new pot, "this egg will hatch in this pot, grow in this pot, eat the flesh eating slugs that are attracted to its sent and it will keep my green houses pest free," he said with a happy smile.

"How do you know these things," Harry said as he watched the mother plant pull a slug off one of her leaves and ate it happily.

"You learn a lot as a professor," Neville laughed, "now back to you and your quest for the Head Mistress," he said, "may I ask why you feel the need to come all the way to Hogwarts to see McGonagall when you are in such close correspondence with her because of James."

"This has nothing to do with James," Harry said impatiently.

"Then what, if you don't mind me asking," Neville asked.

"I actually need a word with Dumbledore," Harry said honestly.

"Ah," Neville said with a nod and dropped the subject, "the password is tabby cat," he said and turned back to his newly planted egg, "when you are finished perhaps we could grab a butter beer in Hogsmead and catch up on old time?"

"Yes, that sounds good," Harry said with a smile and rushed out of the green house.

Back through the school he ran, and up to the gargoyle once more, "pass word?" it asked with a sigh.

"Tabby cat," Harry said.

"How did you find that out?" the Gargoyle asked as it began to spin.

"Do you know who I am?" Harry asked as he took the stairs two at a time, "I'm Harry Potter."

He reached the door quickly and with a gentle tap he heard foot steps on the other side.

"My goodness Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall cried as she saw who it was at her door, "what has brought you to Hogwarts?" she asked.

"I have a question for Professor Dumbledore and knew only to find him here," Harry said.

The smile on McGonagall's face faded, "what is wrong Harry?" she asked.

"I don't know but I think it's bad," a tone issued from his mouth that bore the resemblance of that of his first days at Hogwarts.

"Come in," McGonagall said and shut the door behind him.

There on the wall, hanging side by side, were the portraits he had most wanted to see. Dumbledore with his sparkling blue eyes and Snape with his dark cold eyes stared down at him.

"Good day Mr. Potter," Snape said coolly.

"Good day Professor Snape," Harry said curtly.

"Harry my boy it is so good to see you!" Dumbledore said his voice full of great happiness.

"Thank you professor," Harry said as he tried to smile but a look of almost pain crossed his face, "it is good to see you too, but I am sorry to say it is not under the best of circumstances that I am visiting."

"It isn't James is it?" Dumbledore asked, "I can't help you if he's getting into trouble."

"No," Harry said with a bit of a smile toward Snape, "but I do wish Professor Snape could be around to put him in his place."

"He needs it," Snape said coldly.

"Oh yes," Harry sighed, "the only one that can keep him in order is Ginny."

"Of course all boys are afraid of their mothers," Dumbledore chuckled, "but what then, brings you here?"

"I am a bit concerned about something. I don't think I should be because it is impossible for this to happen, and I saw it with my own eyes, but why then would I feel this?" he asked as he looked around nervously.

"I'm sorry Harry, you seem to be talking in riddle," Dumbledore said.

"Not in riddle," Snape said looking at Dumbledore, "of Riddle, if I am not mistaken."

"Yes," Harry said as he looked at Snape, "it's been twenty years; my daughter is about to start here at Hogwarts and for the first time in those twenty years the scar is tingling."

"It is?" McGonagall gasped as she rushed from her desk to his side.

"Yes," Harry answered, "it is impossible isn't it?"

"Absolutely," Snape said, "it can't be Riddle."

"Actually it can," Dumbledore said.

"What?" the three other said in unison, a general sense of shock covering their faces.

"There is a very old magic, one that not many know of, that is a secret within itself, that could, maybe be the culprit of your scar's tingling," Dumbledore said as he tented his fingers before his face and looked at Harry over the edge of his half moon spectacles, "but it hasn't been seen or used in more then five hundred years, I don't know if it is possible to have a crosser now. The gene is assumed to be completely extinct."

"What is a crosser?" Harry asked.

"A person that can cross between worlds," Dumbledore said smoothly, "but the gene has been extinct for five hundred years; do you have cotton in your ears my boy? No wizarding families have bore the gene in our life time and our magical doctors believe it to be extinct, completely, gone, eradicated, finis, final, absolutely…"

"I get it," Harry said impatiently.

"But if your scar is reacting then there is the possibility that Riddle is active once again." Dumbledore said, "And the only way I can think of is the gene, that may have lain dormant, has popped up."

"Impossible," McGonagall gasped, "we know of all the magic genes in the country. We would know."

"I have heard nothing of this in all my life," Snape said as he shook his head, "you would think I would have heard of it from Riddle himself, if there ever was such a way."

"Well, I am sure a great magic historian, like Mrs. Weasley, would be able to tell you, as I have just now, that it does exist. But I suppose that there is the possibility that he have missed someone. If the gene is active I doubt that we know who the wizard is. It may have resurrected itself, or did, and may again prove a very interesting study in magical genetics." Dumbledore said.

"I don't think Hermione would have left out a little detail like that," Harry said with a huff. "It seems like a rather useful piece of information."

"Well I guess I always have been one to leave out little things," Dumbledore chuckled.

"Yes you have been vague in your past," Snape sneered.

"What does a crosser do?" Harry asked not listening to anyone but Dumbledore.

"A crosser can cross between world," Dumbledore said, "and bring back what they seek from either side."

"You mean a crosser could bring Voldemort back to the land of the ..." a sharp stinging pain raced through Harry's head as Voldemort's name was mentioned. His eyes watered, the sound of his mothers screaming was alive in his mind once more. He had fallen to his knees.

"Minerva, I think you have a little search ahead of you," Dumbledore said, "Snape I think a meeting of the order of the phoenix may be in order and as for you Harry, I think it would be best if you brought your family here at once."

Snape disappeared from his frame right away, with a swish of his black robes.

"Really Albus, what do you expect me to do with start of term only days away," Minerva asked angrily as she helped Harry up off the floor.

"I do admit it is very short notice," Dumbledore said, "but if there is a whisper of Riddle's return, I don't think the death eaters will be waiting to find our crosser."

"Fine, where should I start?" She asked.

"I think you should send out the summons again but I doubt it's a child," Dumbledore said.

McGonagall walked to the book shelf that lined the wall of her office and pulled from it what looked like an hour glass filled with water.

"Have we missed anyone?" she asked the hour class.

It lifted itself off the table, spun end over end a few times as the water changed colours.

"No, Head Mistress, all children of magical blood of the age of eleven have been contacted; of said witches and wizards all have completed registration for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizard." a voice like that of an automated recording answered Professor McGonagall.

"I would like you to search young adults to mature adult to see if we have missed any," McGonagall said, "start at eighteen and end at fifty."

The hour glass spun end over end quicker and quicker, the water within changing colours with every pass. Suddenly it turned red as blood and stopped abruptly.

"Magic found," the voice said, "magic found," it repeated, "magic found." it said a third time.

"What age?" McGonagall asked.

"Twenty one," the voice answered.

"Profession?" she asked.

"Student, studying...music...at...Oxford." the voice answered.

McGonagall walked quickly across the room. The image of a young woman sitting before a piano, hunched over as if she were in pain appeared in the hour glass. She stopped at a wardrobe tapped the front of it with her wand and the doors flew open. She stepped into the wardrobe and for a few moments Harry believed that she had left them in search of the woman, but she stepped out once more looking very different from anything Harry had every been used to seeing at Hogwarts.

McGonagall was dressed in a sleek black, pinstripe, suit, black heals and a violet blouse beneath her blazer.

"Why Minerva you look lovely," Dumbledore said as she placed a briefcase on her desk, conjured some paper folders and placed them with her wand inside the case. Her hair was still wound in its tight bun at the back of her head but diamond earrings sparkled like her eyes.

"If I am to look like a muggle I shall do it in style. Besides, we are talking about a visit to Oxford, they don't just let anyone in these days," She said, walked to her fire place and disappeared with a flash of green flames.

"She's brilliant isn't she?" Dumbledore smiled at Harry.

"I guess," Harry answered feeling uncomfortable being left in the Headmistresses office.

"Sir, I think we should send Mr. Potter on his way," Snape said as he stormed back into his frame.

"What happened?" Harry asked frantically as he saw the look on Snape's face.

"Word has left the ministry of underage wizardry at the Potter household," Snape said.

"James!" Harry said angrily as he walked toward the door.

"Not James, Albus," Snape said.

"What?" Harry gasped.

"Use the floo network," Dumbledore said frantically, "Go now!"