FicWad

-I-I-I-

Trinity lunged in front of her son, getting between him and the stranger's transfixed gaze. "What the hell?" she hissed, pulling out her Glock and brandishing it in his direction. Neo and Morpheus both followed suit, but the man didn't even spare them any more attention than simply lowering his stick, casting Harry back into shadow.

"I don't bloody believe this," they heard him mutter. "The entire damn wizarding world scouring the planet for him for /years/, and I run into him by accident."

Trinity tightened her fingers around the pistol's grip. "Look, I don't know who the fuck you are, or really even care, but /how the hell do you know my son/?"

-I-I-I-

Severus finally tore his eyes away from the slight, bewildered boy. "Woman, everyone knows your 'son.' He's famous in the wizarding world." He couldn't help an automatic sneer from forming at that.

Interestingly enough, Potter blanched at that information. Trinity just glared at him, but the man who had introduced himself as Morpheus frowned and let his weapon drop a few millimeters. "Is that why you came to his house?" he asked.

The wizard blinked, taken aback, and then carefully schooled his features. "It's why I was sent, yes. The woman who was supposed to be keeping an eye on Potter reported his uncle's murder. Which was fairly nicely done, by the way." Personally he would have hexed the bastard into a pile of mush, but as muggles they wouldn't have had access to such instruments of justice.

"Thank you," Trinity replied with a sweet shark's smile. She'd killed Dursley? Severus was suddenly very much more concerned that she continued to point her gun at him.

"Mum..." Potter murmured. He was looking at the woman with an unhappy frown. "He did save me." Her eyes flicked over to the boy, then back to him. Her lips tightened, but she let her aim waver.

Mind you, the gun was still out, which made a fairly pointed statement.

"You said there was an entire world of... wizards," the third and quietest of the adults said. "Why doesn't anyone know about it?"

"The memories of any non-magical person who encounters the magical world are erased by the wizarding government," the potions master replied impatiently. He looked around the dark and deserted street. "This is not the place to be talking about this."

Trinity glared at him again, but he was glad to see the gun was kept pointing towards the ground. "It's the only place we can talk, so I'd suggest you get used to it. Will our memories be erased?"

Severus shook his head. "Potter's one of us. It usually only applies to muggleborns, but the families of wizards are allowed to know."

"Does that mean the Dursleys knew?" the boy asked, taking a step closer. From the way his green eyes bored into Severus' own, he knew the question was important to him.

"I understand that Headmaster Dumbledore gave them a letter explaining... circumstances."

Potter closed his eyes tight, and Severus noticed his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "That's why, then," the child whispered, a strange emotion in his voice that the wizard couldn't quite pinpoint. Anger, or perhaps there was a hint of relief there... "That's why they hated me. The Dursleys hated anything that wasn't normal... anything /freakish/..."

Trinity's eyes flashed. "Harry!"

He flinched and opened guilty eyes. "Sorry, Mum."

Severus watched the byplay silently, filing away as much as he could about their words. He was right, then, about Potter's childhood; he'd thought he was, but having it confirmed didn't leave him any happier. "You have a decision to make," he told the family, choosing his words carefully. Potter had to be schooled. There wasn't any other option. But if he didn't tread with care with the boy's 'parents' now, there would only be difficulties later on.

As soon as he spoke four pairs of eyes were fixed on him. "And what choice would that be?" Morpheus asked calmly, putting a hand on Potter's shoulder.

"The boy must be taught to use his magic. An untrained wizard is a danger to himself and everyone around him." Potter paled ever so slightly and looked around at his family. Interesting. James Potter's first reaction wouldn't have been concern for others. His second, certainly, Severus had to give the dead man that much credit, but not his first.

Trinity frowned. "He's never hurt anyone before."

"Then it's quite likely he's never been truly angry at someone. Accidental magic occurs during instances of high emotion, usually anger or fear." Again, another difference between younger and elder Potter. James was easily angered.

The boy still looked worried. "Mum, if he's right..."

"It could be a safety feature in the code that allows it," Neo said, lost in thought. "They wouldn't want abilities like that to be out of their control, so anyone who wants to develop them has to go through their training, and losing control when their emotions run high would scare just about anyone into it."

It was Severus' turn to frown. "They? They who?"

The three muggles shared a long glance as Potter watched them anxiously. "We should get this checked out," Neo said slowly. "Just in case. The Council..."

"No. First we confirm, then we bring it to the Council." Severus was about to protest their telling anyone else when Morpheus turned and pinned him with a look. "Can you get to New York?"

The potions master blinked, taken aback. "I... Yes." It was Friday, after all, and for once he didn't have too many papers to grade over the weekend. Albus would want to know where he'd been, but given he was trying to bring their boy savior back to the wizarding world, he thought his time away would be justified.

The large man nodded decisively and tossed him something small. When Severus glanced at the object in his hand, he found it to be a tiny metal bead. "Be there tomorrow night. If someone we know confirms your story, we'll find you."

"And if not?" Severus knew he was telling the truth, but whoever the bloody hell it was they were going to talk to might not.

It was Trinity who answered this time, answered just before all four of them faded into the night and left the wizard blinking in astonishment at the suddenly empty space around him.

"Then you'll never see us again."

-I-I-I-

They were only a block away when the security algorithms alerted him to their approach. The defenses were set to ring an alarm when any non-cleared program or freed human came too close. He fished out his key ring and closed the nearest door, locking and unlocking it with the key that came to his fingertips. When he opened it again, there was darkness on the other side, and he stepped through into the night.

He was standing on a rooftop now, relatively low for New York's skyline. He could see the nearly deserted streets, and the four people in dark clothing that nearly disguised them walking towards his mistress' home.

His face intent, the program leaped down, landing with a quiet thud and a flutter of white clothing after a jump of nearly eight stories. Immediately, the smallest of the figures turned in his direction, tugging on one of his father's sleeves. He smiled, then, as he recognized them.

"Hello," Harry said with a genuine smile as he approached. Seraph nodded respectfully, before fixing the adults with a penetrating stare.

"You wish to see her." It wasn't a question. What was a question was why, when she wasn't expecting them. Usually humans only came to visit just after they'd been freed.

"Something has come up," Morpheus said quietly. "We need to find out what she knows about it." When Seraph's expression didn't change, the ship captain sighed. "It involves Harry."

The program looked down at his young charge, hardly any taller than the first time he'd seen the boy over two years ago, and found two green eyes staring pleadingly back at him.

"Very well."

-I-I-I-

The Oracle looked up from her paper as there was a polite knock on the doorframe into the kitchen. Her subordinate secretary program was standing there, an apologetic look on her face. "Several people are here to see you, ma'am. Captain Morpheus, his crew, and Harry Potter."

She cleared her throat, folding the paper in half and laying it on the table. "Ah, yes. Show them in, please." She was fairly sure she had an idea of what this was about. Though, to be honest, she'd expected them to come see her nearly two months ago...

Ah, well. Better late than never. And in the unlikely instance the Architect had somehow discovered Harry's freedom, at least this would throw off his plans a bit.

Unsurprisingly, Trinity was the first inside; she had never met a more stubborn, pugnacious, yet thoroughly delightful woman in all the years she'd monitored the Matrix's chaos factors. Morpheus was just behind, followed quickly by young Harry and the ever-protective Neo. Pity about the poor boy, really. She hadn't felt at all happy about his reading...

"Now then," the Oracle said with a congenial smile. "What can I help you folks with?"

Trinity glared at her. "I know that smile. You know damn well why we're here."

"There could be several reasons why you've come to see me," the program corrected gently. "However, since you've brought Harry with you instead of leaving him safely on your ship, I confess that the range of possibilities has severely narrowed."

The young woman swelled incredulously. "You mean there's still more than /one/!"

For the first time, the Oracle frowned. "Easy, dear, don't hurt yourself. Of course there's more than one. No one's life is made up purely of one single issue. Though, of course, some issues are more... important, than others."

Neo straightened from his position leaning back against the wall. "But still, you /knew/. How long have you known?" Something in his voice- not to mention measured tension levels and infrared analysis- told her he still wasn't quite over the disappoint she'd delivered him.

"Since I first laid eyes on him." There was little point in hiding that fact.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" Harry asked, speaking for the first time, and even though she wasn't generally prone to true human emotions (though she did like to pretend, even to herself), she had to hold back a flinch at the genuine hurt in his voice. "Why didn't you tell me I was a, a /wizard/?"

The Oracle sighed and beckoned for him to come closer, which he did after a moment of hesitation. "Because you're not just a wizard, hon," she murmured, reaching out to brush his bangs away from the scar on his forehead.

"You're the Boy-Who-Lived."