Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything associated with it are the property of J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Notes: Canon was a fun ride, but the less said about the plot holes, the deus ex machinas, and that…epilogue, the better. I was thinking about various ways to go about tweaking the universe to see what would happen and this popped into my head. The basic premise? Harry is born in 1978, two years earlier; though everything else remains unchanged. As such the first major change is that he goes through Hogwarts with Fred, George, and Lee. Let the chaos begin. Please enjoy!

Harry Potter and the Castle's Key

Prologue: The Early Years

Hogwarts, December 1977

The end-of-term feast had come and gone and the students were getting off to bed, eagerly awaiting the morning to signal the start of the winter holidays. For two of the students, in particular two seventh year Gryffindor students however, all was not quite well.

Lily Evans was most definitely not panicking. She simply was not the panicking type. In fact, she was so good at not panicking that she practically exuded an aura of calm, in spite of her cursed redheaded temper. As the Head Girl, she'd been doing her best to help keep Hogwarts free of the war that was heating up. It wasn't easy, with families out there still going missing and politics spilling their way into the school's hallways. It especially wasn't easy with James Potter: Hogwarts' lead Marauder, this year's Head Boy, and her new boyfriend thrown into the mix. No, even with all that was going on in the world, she was completely and utterly at peace.

"Ah, James? I think we need to talk…"

Oh, to hell with it. She was panicking.

And, for that matter, upon hearing his scarily brilliant girlfriend say those dreaded words, James Potter began panicking slightly himself. Was she going to break up with him? Had something happened to her sister, the only family she had left? Was she upset with his pranks again? He'd toned them down recently…well, except for Snivellus' new magical breast implants. And the giant battle robot he and Sirius had tried to assemble using the various statues around the castle. And the disco fever party in the Headmaster's Office he'd invited her to…

In all fairness, Professor Dumbledore had been the one to request "Macho Man"…

"Yes, Lily? What's going on…?"

"Not here. Can we talk in the head suite? No Marauders tonight?"

A look of consternation passed across his face, which turned to confusion, "No, Wormtail is with Moony in the library tonight, and Padfoot's off trying to woo the 'ferociously hot Amelia' with his 'patented Black magick'." The two of them left the Gryffindor common room and entered the Head Suite that was magically attached, James following behind her.

"Oh. Good. Oka-wait, what? Seriously? 'Black magick'?"

"Marauder's honor."

"Oh, never mind. Just come here. Look, you remember the night after the Halloween Feast?"

Indeed he did. That had become one of his most unforgettable memories. Merlin, even if he'd hoped, he had never expected Lily to be such a wildcat in bed. He hadn't even known some of the positions she'd shown him… "Of course. I doubt I could forget that night if I wanted to. Why? Looking for a repeat performance, perhaps?"

Lily turned away for a moment, but James could see the small grin that appeared on her face, "Maybe later, but…it's just…ithinkiscrewedupthecharm…"

"Sorry, love. Could you say that again? Slower this time for us poor uneducated Marauders?"

She took a deep breath and let it out, "I think I messed up the contraceptive charm."

At that, James was struck silent, so she soldiered on, "I've been showing…signs, so I went to go see Madame Pomfrey this morning, and she confirmed it. James…I'm pregnant."

James was quiet, still deeply in thought, and fed up with his silence, she let her temper come to the fore, "Say something, dammit!"

He jerked, and a huge smile leapt across his face, "Hold, that thought, give me a moment. I'll be right back!" And with that, James quickly rushed off to the bedroom connected to the suite, and the sounds of fervent rummaging reached Lily's ears. Barely a minute had passed before he excitedly ran back in, his arm held behind his back. Screeching to a halt in front of a bewildered and somewhat terrified Lily, he began to speak.

"Lily, I suppose this isn't exactly how we wanted this to happen, and I know this isn't exactly how I intended to ask, but…" Solemnly, James went down on one knee before her and brought his hands out in front of him, a small black jewelry box held within. Opening it and bearing the ring within aloft, he continued, "Lily Marie Evans, I love you with all of my heart, and for the longest time, I've known that you're the one witch I'd want to be with. While I can't promise you a perfect life, I can promise you that I will do everything in my power and more to give you the absolute best one I can. Would you do me the utmost honor and privilege of becoming my wife and sharing your life with mine?"

Tears began gathering in her eyes, and she threw herself at him, dragging him off the ground and hugging him for all she was worth.

"Umm…is that a yes?"

"Yes! Yes, you complete and utter prat! Yes I'll marry you!"

"Oh! Awesome!"

She pulled back a little and wiped the tears from her eyes, giving him one of her legendary stares, "Awesome, James?"

"Well it is!"

And then suddenly she seemed to shrink in to herself a little, and James only caught the glimmer of fear that crossed her face because of all the time he'd spent Lily-watching over the years, "James, you're not…you're not just doing this because of the baby, are you?"

He pulled himself up to his full height, and the confident grin she'd fallen in love with appeared on his face. When he spoke, it was quiet and calm, a sign of the man he was finally becoming, "Honestly, Lily, yes and no. No, because I've been waiting and wondering when I should ask you, and I can't think of anyone else I could possibly want to marry. Yes, because as old fashioned as it may sound to you, my parents tried to raise me to do right by people. And I know that I'm always pranking, but I want this child to have both a mother and a father to love and grow up with. And I want that to be us, together."

"Okay…"

And all of a sudden, the largest, cheesiest, maddeningly happy grin came across his face, and James knelt down, placing his head and hands upon her belly. "You hear that, little man? Your mom just agreed to make your dad the happiest man in the world. And even though you probably can't hear me right now, I want you to know that I love you, and I'm going to keep loving you, and nothing in this world is going to stop me from doing so."

A small smile crept across Lily's face, quickly becoming a smirk, "Little man, huh? You know it's going to be a girl, don't you James?"

"Balderdash! Gonna be a son, of course! I'm a wizard, don't you know. I can tell."

Potter Ancestral Manor, June 1978

Many things had changed since that fortuitous day James learned of his child and proposed. He and Lily had gotten married over the winter break in a small ceremony held at his family home, its protections being some of the strongest he'd known about. They had been joined only by their closest friends and mentors. As both of their parents had been killed during the pair's sixth year, others had stepped in to help out.

Filius Flitwick, with whom Lily had been close and was pursuing a Charms Mastery, had offered to give her away, and a delighted Lily had accepted the kindly teacher's offer. Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall had both been present, joining the two in celebration. James had even seen a tear or two escaping Minnie's eyes, something he'd teased the old battleaxe relentlessly about. Sirius had of course claimed the right of being his Best Man, and he along with Remus and Peter had stood at his side during the ceremony. Alice Longbottom, who'd been a friend and older mentor to Lily during her Hogwarts years, had stood in as her Matron of Honor.

The year had swiftly progressed, and before long, they had graduated, with Lily earning the top scores for their class and James pulling a very close second. That tidbit of knowledge had resulted in much pouting and make-up sex to reassure him that just because he was second place in school, he was still very important to Lily.

The pair had foregone the healer's charms that would tell them what the sex of their child would be, largely due to the playful argument that had arisen and continued as her pregnancy progressed. Speaking of which, Lily was now quite round and James spent quite a bit of time doing everything he could to assist her, reassure her, and generally bother her by trying to be overly helpful.

Aside from their new domestic life, James had been accepted into the Auror Program, and would be starting his training alongside Sirius, who had joined up with him. Moreso, Lily and James, along with several of their classmates, had joined up with Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix, a covert organization dedicated to fighting dark and evil wizards, in particular the current Dark Lord terrorizing the country, Lord Voldemort. Already, James had joined the group in helping to prevent several attacks, and he had the dubious honor of having survived in battle with the Dark Lord himself thrice already. Today, however, would alter the future he and Lily had planned out.

James paused in the middle of reminiscing, as the wards alerting him to the Floo system had suddenly lit up. There were only six people aside from him and Lily who had permanent access, and he wondered why someone had come. If there was an Order meeting or an attack to respond to, he would have been notified via Patronus-message, so obviously something was up. Drawing his wand and leaving the study, he walked down the stairway and into the foyer, where the Manor's fireplace was hooked up. Upon seeing the bearded man wearing a lime green robe and shockingly orange hat, James relaxed a fraction, and called out to Lily, "Love! Dumbledore's here!"

"Hello, James. I'm afraid that what I have learned today precludes me from saying 'good afternoon'."

A tingle of fear hit the base of his spine, and James silently gestured upstairs, where the family study and Lily waited. The headmaster nodded, and followed the young Lord Potter up the stairs and into the cozy room, its walls filled with bookcases and its floor with a large desk and several chairs and couches. Lily was reclining on the leftmost one, a heavy tome of charms opened in her hands.

Once they had all settled, Dumbledore began to speak, his voice cheerful for the moment, "Lily, my dear. You look radiant, and it brings gladness to my heart to see such love bearing fruition." It dropped then, becoming quiet and unusually restrained, "I am afraid, however, that I am here with a rather serious bit of news that pertains to you both."

"It's good to see you too, Professor. What's the news?"

"I have recently become aware of an important bit of information regarding the war, and I believe, the three of you. You may not have been aware, but Professor Calchas, our Divination instructor, retired at the end of last year. While I was honestly content to allow the subject to fall from our curriculum, an applicant contacted me about the position. She is the great-great-granddaughter of a very famous and very gifted seer, and I met her out of common courtesy. At first I was disappointed, as she seemed to show no signs of the talent herself; but as I turned to leave, she entered a trance and began to give a true prophecy- in particular, a prophecy regarding the Tom's downfall. And unfortunately, I believe it refers to your family. These are the words she spoke: 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 ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"

The three were silent for a time, simply absorbing the words. James was the first to break the silence, turning to Lily and giving her a shaky smile, a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Well…I suppose that means I win, doesn't it?"

Furiously, Lily faced her husband and snapped out, "What!"

"You heard the Professor: 'and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal…' I told you, it's going to be a boy."

"Dammit, James! Professor, how could this be our child? I mean…James has fought him three times, but I certainly haven't, and just…how could a child possibly defeat him? Why must it be us?"

"Lily, dear, that's not the problem. Though I was unaware at the time, apparently one of Tom's servants overheard the first half of the prophecy, up to the time of birth. When I realized that he was listening in, I drove him away, but I've no doubt that by now he has reported back to his master. And I know for a fact that he is aware of your pregnancy and when you expect the child to come."

Lily shrunk in on herself, before quietly asking the question that had immediately crossed both her and James' minds, "…Who was it? The servant?"

Dumbledore appeared to age even more than his already advanced years before their eyes, and tiredly, his gaze found Lily's own, "…I am sorry, Lily. It was Severus."

White-hot rage coursed through James' veins, "You mean to tell me, that that…slimy…good-for-nothing…Death Eating bastard just told his master to come straight after us?"

Gravely, the old man pushed his glasses up his large nose and nodded, "And that, James, is the deadliest of problems. While I have my own doubts as to whom the prophecy speaks of, I have no doubt that Tom will not leave it up to chance. He is indeed, almost certain to come after the two of you. This brings me to my next point: I feel that in order to ensure both your safety and the safety of your child, you two should go into hiding. Potter Manor is a very well-defended home, but it would not last under a full assault by Tom and his Death Eaters."

"So what the bloody hell do you want us to do?"

"There is a charm, an old charm that should be able to hide you safely away. Lily, you may have heard of it: the Fidelius?"

"Just briefly, and only by name. Professor Flitwick has mentioned it in his lessons. But, it requires another person, doesn't it?"

"Indeed. Both Filius and I know it and are able to cast it, and would be able to teach it to you; but the charm requires a trusted man or woman to take the mantle of secret-keeper. The charm itself is placed upon a house. Generally, the smaller and more unknown the house is, the stronger the charm becomes. You see, it causes everyone who has knowledge of the residence to forget its existence, save the secret-keeper, who can tell of it to whomever they please. As such, if you were to live under it, no one save those the secret-keeper tells would know your location even existed."

"…And it would be safe, then?"

"Nothing is ever perfect, of course, but this is the most secure way of hiding you I can think of. I understand that you will need to speak about this, but before I take my leave, I would like to extend an offer. I am in possession of a house in Godric's Hollow; indeed, it is the cottage that I grew up in many years ago. While it is in good repair, I am sufficiently aged that the number of people who know about it are very few. Should you choose to use the Fidelius, I would gladly extend to you the use of this cottage for as long as you need. Now, I need to get back to Hogwarts, and I know you have much to discuss. I would ask, if you will, that you refrain from speaking about this prophecy with any number of people. You can obviously imagine what would happen if word of the rest of its contents got out."

"Of course, Professor…thank you for telling us."

"Always, dear boy. And…I am sorry, that you have been put in this position." With that, the old wizard left the study and went down the stairs. James felt the wards reacting as the headmaster flooed away, leaving him and Lily to simply gaze at each other in silence, neither one knowing what to say.

Godric's Hollow, January 1979

The last months had been a hectic flurry of action for the young couple. The Death Eaters had, in fact, attacked them at the Potter Ancestral Manor. Though the wards had been strong enough to fend them off along with James', Lily's and Sirius' help, the attack had convinced the couple to take up Dumbledore's offer. As such, they had quickly and quietly moved to the little cottage tucked away in the sleepy town, and James had completely locked down the Manor. After discussing it with Sirius, they had chosen to make Peter the secret-keeper, and the short man was fiercely happy to be of use.

Sirius had suggested that he would act overtly as the secret-keeper in order to draw attention to him and away from Peter. Remus, unfortunately, had been considered and then abandoned as a viable option. Voldemort had been offering potent incentives for the werewolves to join his cause, and many had already enlisted with him. As much as the pair trusted Remus, they knew that his condition weighed heavily on him, both personally and societally, and simply couldn't take the chance that he would betray them. As such, on a quiet night of last year's August, Lily had performed the charm along with James, Harry, and Peter, and the small family had begun to live in secrecy.

Such deception and anxiety was matched, however, by the joy that had come into their lives. Little Harry James Potter had been born on July 31st, 1978, at nearly midnight. Despite Lily's attempts to hold on a little longer, it seemed the boy would be born in accordance with the prophecy, much to his parents' dismay. James had tried to make light of the situation by confirming his proclamation of Harry being his son; that is at least, until Lily proceeded to crush his hand and nearly deafen him. A quiet baby with a shock of dark hair and blue eyes that had soon changed to match Lily's green orbs, Harry was the recipient of much love from his entire extended family.

When James and Lily had named the godparents, Alice had reacted with quiet dignity, smiling and hugging Lily. Sirius had been more rambunctious, proclaiming his joy and promptly changing into Padfoot to play with Harry, much to the infant's delight. And for a while, life resumed its pace. James continued to train with the aurors, care for Harry, and occasionally venture out with the Order to assist in facing the Death Eaters. Lily continued working towards her Charms Mastery, in between watching over Harry and researching spells that would help the Order and help her protect Harry should Voldemort come after them directly.

As she was a capable witch in her own right, however, occasionally she would be called to join the rest of the Order in repelling the increasing Death Eater attacks, which were happening almost daily. When that began happening, she turned to the rest of the Order for help in watching and protecting Harry, and Arthur Weasley along with Gideon and Fabian Prewett, all Order members, had approached her with an offer. Arthur's wife and the twins' sister, Molly Weasley, had given birth to a pair of twins the last April named Fred and George. As she worked from home and was constantly watching over them and their older brothers, Bill, Charlie, and Percy, the kindly woman had offered to keep guard over Harry whenever Lily was required out on the front lines.

It was on a cold January morning that Harry would first begin to alarm his parents. Even at five months, Harry had already begun showing signs of accidental magic. Small things, such as turning Sirius' Padfoot form a glaring purple, or magically refilling his bottle of milk, were looked on with pride. James in particular, had been ecstatic when Harry, wanting his favorite stuffed animal (A fuzzy black dog, much to James' consternation) had summoned it from across the room. However, this day, Harry had been staying awake and refusing to go to sleep, and when Lily picked him up to rock him until he fell into slumber, the young boy had promptly apparated back to his crib and begun babbling and gumming the stuffed animal there.

The worried parents had immediately fire-called Madame Pomfrey, who'd been the one to deliver and help care for Harry in his infancy. The mediwitch had, after consulting with Dumbledore, suggested binding his magic until he entered Hogwarts. While not the ideal solution, it would prevent the most powerful of accidental magic from manifesting, and James and Lily had agreed. The ritual took place that very night and Harry, exhausted by it all, was quickly lost to the arms of Morpheus.

Privet Drive, Halloween 1979

The night was chilly and quiet as the Albus Dumbledore apparated into the small neighborhood. Quietly removing his put-outer for his robes, he began capturing the light from the streetlamps. It wouldn't be long before Hagrid would be arriving with young Harry in tow. Suddenly turning, he faced the small tabby cat that had snuck up on him, and greeted his fellow professor with a tired smile as she transformed into her human form.

Minerva McGonagall had not been having an easy night. She'd heard the rumors flying back and forth about Voldemort's downfall, but it hadn't yet sunk in. When she had learned, however, that Albus planned on entrusting little Harry to his muggle relatives, she had immediately departed to see what they were like. If Albus was willing to override the Potter's choices in godfather and godmother, Sirius Black and Alice Longbottom respectively, then there had better be a very good reason.

As such, she had spent the day in her animagus form, prowling about and learning all she could about the young couple who lived at Number Four, Privet Drive. And in the end, she had discovered that they were just dreadfully normal. She couldn't figure out just what Albus planned on, the two Dursleys would hardly be able to put up a fight if any Death Eaters came calling.

Calling out to Albus, she spoke in a quiet, tired voice, "Is it true, then, Albus? Has You-Know-Who really been defeated?"

"It is true, Minerva."

"And what of the Potters, what happened to them?"

"James and Lily were both killed. It appears, however, that when Tom turned his wand upon young Harry, the killing curse rebounded and vanquished him."

"How is that possible?"

"I do not know, but I will begin researching it immediately. Lily had informed me that she was looking into several ancient charms that may be able to protect Harry. It would appear that she may have been successful."

"So why here? Why are you letting these muggles raise him, when I'm sure both Sirius and the Longbottoms would be happy to take the boy in. Much as I dread the thought of Sirius Black raising a child, I know that there's likely no one alive in this world who loves Harry more. And both Alice and Frank are good, level-headed people; I understand they've even begun trying for a child of their own. So why these dreadfully normal people?"

"Because if what I suspect Lily managed to accomplish is true, then there is simply no safer place for the child." The sound of a motorbike suddenly reached the pair, and they looked about in confusion before turning upwards to see an incredibly large man flying out of the sky on a proportionally small bike, "And here is Hagrid even now. Come, Minerva, let us go see about young Harry."

"Hagrid, just where did you get that motorbike!"

The half-giant dismounted from the bike, clutching a small item tightly in his left arm. Walking over to the two Professors, Hagrid revealed the object to be the tiny Harry Potter in question, wrapped in blankets and sound asleep, "Er, aye, perfessor. Borrowed it offa youn' Sirius Black, who was a' th' Potters'. Careful' now, 'e fell asleep o'er Bristol, bless 'is li'l 'eart."

As Albus took the young boy from Hagrid's arms, Minerva kept her gaze to the large man's, finding his eyes weary and sad, "So it is truly over, Hagrid?"

"Aye, Perfessor. Saw th' bodies 'n took li'l Harry here from th' rubble meself. James 'n Lily're gone, 'n You-Know-Who's jus' a pil 'o ash 'n a robe 'n wand. Speakin' 'o which, Perfessor Dumbledore, thought you ought te be havin' this." With that, Hagrid reached into one of the many pockets of his moleskin jacket and withdrew an ornate wand, passing it over to the headmaster. Nearly thirteen inches in length, its handle had been replaced with a bone grip. The wand of Lord Voldemort.

Minerva finally moved closer to get a better look at the young boy. Gasping slightly, she gestured to the small lightning bolt scar that marred his forehead. "Albus, is that where…?"

"Yes. It is a curse-scar, and if I am not mistaken, I do believe that is where young Harry here reflected Tom's killing curse."

Quietly, the venerable headmaster accepted the wand and tucked it away in his robe before turning back to Harry. Silently, he tapped the sides of his spectacles with his wand, causing the lenses to emit a muted flash before speaking to the others. "Interesting. It appears that Lily did indeed protect young Harry with a charm. A form of sacrificial blood magic, if these runes are to be believed. That confirms my hunch, Harry will indeed be safest with his relatives, and in particular, his Aunt. I will extend the blood ward to tie Harry, his aunt, and the house together. In doing so, it will ensure that no one with Tom's magic upon them will be able to harm the three."

At the headmaster's pronouncement, Hagrid finally began to break down, loudly sniffling and letting out blubbery tears. Minerva was there to pat him on the arm and conjure him an oversized handkerchief, which the half-giant loudly blew his nose into. "Chin up, Hagrid. I don't like it either, but if it's for the best, then that's the way it ought to be."

"I know, I jus'…sniff…'e's so li'l! 'N wi' James 'n Lily gone….jus' don' seem righ' is all…"

Albus smiled wearily up at the moping gamekeeper, and drew his wand. Conjuring a small basket, he placed Harry into it and cast a potent warming charm upon the bundle. It would keep the night's chill away from him until he was found. Removing a letter he had written for just this situation, he placed it in the basket and set the whole thing down upon small landing as the base of the front door. Finally quiet, Hagrid bent down and gave Harry one final pat to the head before standing up and saying his goodbyes. Quickly, the large man strode to the motorbike parked in the street and started it up, rolling down the drive and then as he gained speed, up into the night sky.

Solemnly, Albus drew his wand once more, and touching it to the center of Harry's body, began to weave the complex wards that would extend out from Harry and tie into his closest blood-relative. It took several minutes before he was satisfied, both with the blood wards' protection and other passive protection and monitoring spells that he'd put in place. Sheathing his wand, the old man turned to one of his oldest friends and supporters and nodded.

"Now come, Harry will be fine, and we have much to do in order to keep this world of ours running." The headmaster took out his put-outer and returned the lights to the streetlamps. With a final look at the small basket containing the wizarding world's newest savior, the two professors apparated away with a pair of quiet pops.

Privet Drive, June 1980

Vernon Dursley was a perfectly normal man, and that was exactly the way he liked it. That was why, as much as he loved his wife, it still slightly irked him to know that she was related to a witch. As in a wand-waving, broomstick-flying, curse-casting witch. What's worse, there were apparently many witches and wizards living their lives hidden away all over the world. His Petunia had certainly stressed that while he was able to know thanks to her relation, he was not to speak of it, or they would come and erase his memories.

Imagine the gall! To just go around erasing decent people's memories!

The worst part of it, however, was young Harry. Apparently Petunia's sister had found herself a husband, had a child, and then had gone and gotten herself blown up somehow. The end result being that Vernon and Petunia's very magical nephew had been left on their front door for them to raise with naught but a letter to explain. It wasn't that he hated the boy; he was practically an infant, and thus wholly innocent. But Harry was still a constant reminder that there were people out in the world that laughed in the face of the word "normal."

And Vernon simply didn't like that one bit.

He and Petunia had, for some time, been talking about having a child of their own, and after Harry had arrived, Petunia had grown a bit more insistent. He was hardly against the idea, and once she had gotten pregnant, he'd become incredibly proud. That feeling only increased when the two of them went in to find out the sex of their child, and upon learning that he was going to have a son, Vernon had become ecstatic. A fact his fellow coworkers at Grunnings were quick to remind him of and rib him with whenever they could.

Finally, the long wait had come to an end, with Petunia having delivered their firstborn, Dudley, not three hours ago. And the first time he had held him, Vernon was simply struck speechless. Petunia was resting now, Dudley was currently in the care of the nursery, one small bonneted baby among several others, and Vernon was sitting outside the window with his very awake nephew in his carrier.

"Up pease?" Such was the level of surreal that had become Vernon Dursley's life that he didn't even bat an eye at Harry's request. Bending, he grabbed the young boy and lifted him up, allowing him to see into the room filled with sleeping children and milling nurses. All of a sudden, he felt the inexplicable urge to brag to his nephew, and calmly got the boy's attention, pointing to the crib nearest them.

"Harry, that's your cousin Dudley. That's my boy! Say hi, Harry."

The almost-toddler raised his hand in an approximation of a wave and cheerfully spoke, "Hi Dud!"

And in that moment, as much as he liked to pretend that the fantastical world of witches, wizards, dragons, and castles and what have you didn't exist, a thought suddenly struck him. Perhaps…perhaps all magic aside, maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Harry and Dudley growing up together? They'd raise the boys right and normal of course, but maybe, just maybe, it would turn out well.

After all, if magic and witches and wizards existed, why not miracles, too?

Privet Drive, November 1983

The last few months had been awesome, and Harry was having a blast. Since he'd turned five, Harry had become eligible and required to attend primary school, and he'd taken to it with relish. Already, he was showing signs of being quite advanced for his age, something he had begun to take great pride in. School was, according to his Aunt Petunia, something both his parents had excelled at. That had been one of the few scant details he'd managed to get out of her regarding them. The only other things he'd learned were that their names were Lily and James, and that they'd been killed in a car crash, and whenever he'd try and press for more, she would either clam up or get angry. Harry had learned not to ask after the second time he'd been sent to his room without supper.

Dudley had been jealous of his older cousin getting to go to school, but had quieted down when Aunt Petunia had taken him out shopping to buy him a new video game. Even Harry could understand Dudley's frustration, especially since Harry got to learn and meet new friends and play and more. Dudley had looked up to Harry practically from the moment he could walk. Harry's aunt and uncle, however, had seemed a little upset by their son's hero worship. Weird.

Honestly, weird things seemed to be pretty normal for Harry. Once, when his Aunt Marge had been visiting for Dudley's birthday with her newest bulldog, Thresher, something had happened that had completely baffled the young boy. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had been inside talking with Uncle Vernon's sister, and Harry had been out playing in the yard with Dudley. Aunt Marge had then decided to let Thresher get some air, and had sent him out into the yard as well.

Well, the bulldog hadn't taken too kindly to the pair of boys who were already leaping around the lawn. Running towards them, he'd begun snarling and barking, and the pair had frozen up, fearful of the angry dog. Aunt Marge's shout that Thresher just wanted to play with them hadn't helped, and when the dog lunged in to nip at Harry, something extraordinary happened. Harry had felt a jolt of something rushing up in him, leaving him feeling tingly, but Thresher had apparently felt something quite different. When the bulldog's fangs had closed over Harry's arm, he had promptly let out a startled yip and leapt backwards. His fur suddenly began sticking out in every direction, and he'd run back to the back door, whining and pawing at it.

Aunt Marge had been angry and upset, shouting at Harry and yelling at him for hurting her precious Thresher. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's reactions, however, had been even stranger. They'd hauled him inside out of the yard and up to his room, the smallest bedroom in the house. Aunt Petunia had been crying and shaking her head, and Uncle Vernon had turned purple and started shouting about freakishness.

Harry didn't know what he'd done wrong, but resolved to try and avoid doing things that upset his Aunt and Uncle so. Whatever this freakishness was, it was surely a bad thing…

Privet Drive, October 1985

Harry Potter was seven years old, and he was the best kid in his class. He knew, from talking with the other kids and comparing homework, that his was the best. Which is why, when Dudley brought home his first grades, Harry didn't know why his Aunt and Uncle had gotten so upset. He knew they didn't really like him very much, not as much as they liked Dudley, certainly. But they had always just sat back away from him and avoided him. Never really paying much attention to what he was doing or what he said. In truth, Harry thought they just paid attention to him to humor Dudley, who had yet to get over his case of hero worship.

The dilemma than, was that Harry knew he was a good kid and a good student. And he knew, after asking Dudley about the grades he had brought home, that Dudley had not done as well as he had in previous years. So when his Aunt and Uncle, who'd always insisted he be a good and normal child told him that he was making their Dudley look bad and that he ought not to be doing so well, Harry took it to heart. Rather, he took the lesson to mean be a good and normal child and learn the school stuff right, but on the surface, make it look like he was not doing so well.

It was during school that something weird happened again. Harry had been looking out the window, watching Dudley and the younger kids out playing when he'd spotted something bad. Dudley had been surrounded by several other kids, who were laughing and pushing the chubby boy around. Angered at the thought of some brats making fun of his little cousin, Harry had gritted his teeth and focused all of his attention on the field, trying to memorize their faces. All of a sudden, he felt weird, as though he was being squeezed through a tube, and with a loud pop, Harry had been out on the field standing over Dudley. Not even thinking about how he'd gotten there, Harry had immediately began shouting and attacking the kids who were picking on his cousin.

That stunt had earned him detention, both for being out of his class and for fighting. When he and Dudley had gotten home later on, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked torn between angry at him and proud of him. As such, they'd simply settled back into their routine disinterest. Harry, on the other hand, had finally settled down (shut away in his room once more) and was trying to recreate that feeling that let him move to where Dudley had been. After an hour, all he had to show for it was a strong desire to pee, which he didn't think counted.

Privet Drive, June 1989

The sounds of shouting woke Harry up from his sleep, something he was taking every chance to get now that it was summer break. What was- oh, right. Dudley's birthday was today. That would explain the shouting. Dudley must have gotten a few too few presents this year. Knowing he wouldn't be getting any more sleep, Harry sat up and reached for his glasses. They were a pair of thick, old black frames, but the lenses within were shiny and new. His birthday present last year. Putting them on, Harry could once again see clearly, and after stripping off his pajamas he threw on his clothes for the day. Sleepily rubbing his eyes, Harry padded out of the small bedroom and over to the loo before Dudley would come up and drag him down to participate.

Quickly finishing up, Harry waited for the inevitable pounding of feet up the stairs. He didn't have to wait long, and was in the middle of brushing his teeth when he heard Dudley burst into his bedroom. "Ah'm 'n th' loo, Dud." He opened the door and leaned out, toothbrush hanging out, and he wasn't disappointed. Dudley cam racing out of the little bedroom and down the hall, so Harry hurried up.

He'd barely finished when Dudley reached him and grabbed his arm, talking a blue streak about all the presents downstairs, and the cake they'd be having later, and the trip they'd be going on today. Harry let the now nine year old drag him down the stairs, clearly heaving mightily to get his obstinate older cousin to move faster. Harry almost laughed, it was a tradition that the two cousins had shared ever since Dudley had been able to try and drag him about, and considering the young boy's heft, he was quite good at it.

Quickly reaching the bottom and being dragged into the sitting room, Harry took in the large number of presents scattered and piled about. Dudley had apparently already been down counting and was satisfied, given the lack of tantrums he was throwing. Released, Harry moved over to stand at the side of the room as Dudley began tearing through the paper. Midway through his fourteenth present (a new bicycle, Harry noted, as Dudley had broken the last one) Aunt Petunia stepped halfway into the room, the phone's receiver held and covered by her hand.

"Vernon, Ms. Figg is on the line. She says that she broke her leg, and won't be able to watch Harry while we're out."

The gruff man nodded and began scratching one of his several chins, "Well, what about-"

"They're gone for the summer, Vernon. Off on a trip around the continent."

"I suppose there's nothing to it then, we'll have to take the boy with us." At that pronouncement, Harry couldn't help but start smiling. He'd never ever gotten to go out on one of Dudley's birthday trips, and he'd only seen pictures of animals, let alone a whole zoo's worth.

Upon hearing this, Dudley leapt up, his face an odd split between horror and happiness, "Harry's coming? But he never comes on birthday trips! And…and I thought it was just going to be Piers and me!"

"Now, now, Dudders, don't be upset. I promise we'll buy you and Piers each a knickerbocker glory to make up for it." It was midmorning before Dudley had finished both his presents and his breakfast, and in the ensuing chaos, Harry had managed to sneak an extra piece of toast before the family all piled into the car and went on their way.

The drive didn't take long, even with a diversion to pick up Piers Polkiss, Dudley's best friend, and the five quickly reached the London Zoo. Harry had to follow behind and stay close to the group, but even then it was fantastic. Seeing all the animals from his books come to life? Magical. After they'd passed the primates, during which Harry had noticed a strange resemblance between Dudley and the gorilla, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon pulled them all aside for lunch before the reptile house. Dudley and Piers both got their knickerbocker glories, but since Dudley's wasn't big enough, Harry got to eat his while Dudley got a second one. It was the first one he'd ever had, and it was awesome.

Soon enough, the whole group had finished up and made their way into the reptile house, and it was here that something weird happened to Harry once more. Dudley had immediately run up to the boa constrictor exhibit, and seeing it lying still, he'd begun banging on the glass. It didn't make the large snake move, but it did get Harry's attention, and he wandered over to see the snake himself. Dudley abandoned the display to go look at the cobras, and Harry, left alone, began to talk to the constrictor.

"Hey, sorry about that. He's usually more behaved, but I think all the fun got to him."

The boa, apparently attracted to his voice, slithered up to the glass dividing them, and began flicking its tongue out, and then something really weird happened. Harry heard a soft voice coming from the exhibit, "It'sss alright. All the little onesss ssseem to do that."

Struck dumb for a moment, Harry looked around him, before turning back to the snake and whispering, "Can…can you understand me?"

The snake nodded its head, "Yesss, you did not know?"

"No! I didn't know snakes could talk. So, uh, where are you from?"

The snake's tail lifted and pointed to the placard beside the window. Specifically, the line that read, "Native to Brazil."

"Brazil! Cool! Was it nice there?"

The snake shook its head and pointed again and Harry kept reading, "Specimen born in captivity."

"Oh. Okay, that's like me, you know. I was raised with my aunt and uncle over there. This is the first time I've been to London, see."

Dudley, however, upon seeing his cousin looking at the very close and awake snake, rushed over, pushing Harry to the side and banging on the glass again. And finally Harry got annoyed with his little cousin. He'd finally done something strange again, he thought, and then Dudley had to come and interrupt. Getting fed up with the banging, Harry couldn't help but focus on the glass, and suddenly the glass just vanished, and there was nothing between Harry, Dudley, and the snake. Grabbing Dudley and yanking him backwards, the two hit the ground just in time to see the very large snake slithering out of its display and right up close to them, nodding its head.

"Thanksss amigo. Brasssil, here I come!"

It then began slithering out of the reptile house to the screams of the other patrons. Harry couldn't help himself, and called out as the snake left, "Ummm…you're welcome!"

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were less than pleased, however, and quickly gathered the three children, bustling them back to the car and quickly making their way back to Privet Drive. Once they'd dropped off Piers and set Dudley down in the kitchen with supper, the two furious adults had dragged him upstairs, shouting all the while. Once more, Harry had been shut in his room without supper.

Having little else to do, Harry began to read one of the few books he had in his room before getting to bed early. Maybe if he was lucky, he'd be able to wake up earlier than normal and sneak some food out before breakfast. Hopefully his aunt and uncle would have calmed down by then. Once it grew dark, he shut off the light and turned in. Little did Harry know that a great, tawny owl had been steadily winging its way south towards Number Four, Privet Drive that very night with an envelope clutched in its talons. An envelope made of thick parchment, and addressed in spidery green ink.

Author's Notes: I want to say something regarding the pairings since they're such a hotly debated topic in the Potterverse. For the record, this will not be canon compliant. The most obvious reason is that growing up with Fred and George, Harry is going to look upon Ginny as even more of a little sister than in canon. That said, I am currently undecided as to whom exactly to pair him up with. I can think up plausible reasons for a whole bevy of women to eventually end up with him, but A: realistically, it's not likely to be the very first witch he gets into a relationship with, and B: that is going to come way down the road. I've generally planned out the story throughout the seven Hogwarts years and a little beyond, and I'm going to eventually be massively diverging from canon: the effects will be overt and noticeable. So, feel free to let me know who you want to see him end up with and why, it may inspire me, but as the story progresses we'll just have to see where it ends up. And no, despite how neat it would be to set Harry up with a harem of horny honeys, he will indeed become a one-witch man.

The three pranks at the beginning are a small tribute to the wonderfully imaginative short story, "Padfoot Prohibited," by Ever-Changing Anthem. Also, I'm not sure if Lily's middle name was ever given in canon, and the Harry Potter Wiki is not helpful. Thus I chose to use (the likely fanon creation) Marie. It won't play a big part, but if anyone knows the correct name, please let me know. I'd like to keep the story's facts as canon-accurate as possible unless I'm deliberately changing them. The Dursleys, for example, are supposed to appear a bit nicer and more negligent than in canon, but still pretty horrible people. And I'm sorry if anything is terribly inaccurate, I haven't read the Philosopher's Stone in years and I don't have my copy with me, so I'm working off of memory and the Harry Potter Wiki.

Now, while I know "Harry with bound magic" is an overly used cliché, it won't be a source of evil manipulation and will both be dealt with next chapter and part of the plot as we progress, so calm down. And come on, you can't tell me that the image of a laughing baby Harry teleporting all over the place isn't a funny one. Go on, try. I dare you.