Hello, all my readers. I am finally posting a story I have had in consideration for years, and I'm finally getting around to it.

I have read a number of stories involving Harry becoming Lord Potter, or the head of his family. And pretty much all of those feature Dumbledore being secretly against Harry, and usually also with the Weasleys. So, I'm finally writing one of those stories (though not all the Weasleys will be against Harry.) Also, Harry and Ginny are going to be together in this.

Let's get to it. This chapter will start right after Voldemort's defeat. Oh, and in this, Sirius is still alive. I'll explain the backstory later on once he shows up, but Bellatrix didn't end up killing him. But, he hasn't been around since Book 5.

This may be a shorter chapter.


Chapter 1- Betrayal

Harry stares down at Voldemort's remains. In the background, he can hear the sounds of combat within the Great Hall. But, he doesn't focus on that. All he can focus on is the remains of his greatest enemy lying ahead of him.

Harry can't believe it. Ever since he entered the magical world and learned about his past, all he has been able to see in his future is Voldemort. That became ever more prevalent after he heard the prophecy. But now, Voldemort is gone. And with that, he's not sure what his future truly holds.

He vaguely recognizes the sounds of combat dying down, but he just continues to stand there. It's not until he hears footsteps behind him that he starts to realize how long he's been standing there.

He glances behind him and sees Hermione and Ron walking up to him, holding hands. He looks at them for a moment before asking, "So. You two official?", a smile on his face.

Hermione and Ron look down at their entwined hands, and Hermione smiles. "I guess so," she says, beaming at Ron, who chuckles.

Harry looks back at Voldemort's remains before turning to back to his best friends. "I can't believe he's dead. It just…doesn't feel real," he remarks.

"I know. But we did it. And now it's over," Hermione says.

Harry nods. He's about to speak when he senses something. He looks around, wondering why he feels this bad feeling. Just as he opens his mouth to speak again, there's a flash of red light, and Harry falls unconscious. Before Ron and Hermione can even react, they too are Stunned.

At this moment, Ginny is walking out of the Great Hall with Neville and Luna. She hasn't seen Harry since she retreated into the Great Hall with everyone else to continue fighting the Death Eaters, and wants to finally get to hug him again.

As they walk out of the Great Hall and into the courtyard, Ginny sees several bodies on the ground, and several people standing around them. At first, she thinks that they're members of the Order recovering bodies. Then, as one of the men picks up one of the bodies, she realizes the body is Harry.

"Harry!" she cries out. Neville and Luna, hearing her cry, rush up to her side, as she recognizes the other bodies as Ron and Hermione.

The men gathered around the three unconscious heroes turn to look at Ginny, Neville, and Luna. There's a quick movement from the three of them, flashes of red, and Ginny, Neville, and Luna collapse, Stunned.


Harry groans as he feels his consciousness return. He slowly opens his eyes, and sees that he's in a dungeon of some sort. Looking around, he sees not only Ron and Hermione, but also Ginny, Neville, and Luna lying around on the ground, all unconscious.

Harry moves to Ron and Hermione first, trying to shake them awake. "Ron! Hermione! You have to get up!" he whispers urgently.

After a moment, Ron groans. After a few more moments, he finally opens his eyes. "Ugh? Where are we?" he asks.

"I don't know. We're in some sort of dungeon," Harry says. Ron sits up, looking around at the cell. Right then, Hermione wakes up.

She quickly sits bolt upright, looking around in alarm. "Where are we?" she asks.

"In a dungeon," Ron responds.

"Someone must have Stunned us out in the courtyard," Harry adds. Hermione looks around, very concerned.

"Who could have done this?" she asks.

"Isn't it obvious? It has to be Death Eaters looking for some revenge," Ron says with slight disgust.

"I'm not sure about that. All the Death Eaters we saw at the Battle that weren't captured all fled. I think it could just as easily be someone else," Harry says.

"Come on, Harry. Who else would want to catch us and throw us in a dungeon?" Ron asks.

"I dunno. Umbridge, maybe," Harry suggests.

"Fair point," Ron responds.

Right then, groans draw their attention. The three friends turn and see Ginny, Neville, and Luna all starting to wake up.

Harry is quickly by Ginny's side. "Ginny! Are you alright?" he asks in concern.

Ginny opens her eyes. She looks up at Harry, and quickly sits up before throwing her arms around Harry. "Oh, Harry!" she cries, relieved to be seeing him alive.

Harry holds her tightly. After a few moments, she pulls back, looking at him for a few moments. Then, she looks around and asks, "Where are we? What's going on?"

"Well, we're in a dungeon, but I have no idea what's going on," Harry says.

All of a sudden, the door into the cell opens, and a man steps in. All six teenagers look at him, but he remains silent.

Then, another, older man walks in, and the jaws of all six teenagers drop. All are staring in shock and disbelief at Albus Dumbledore.

Finally, Harry manages to speak, and gasps out, "Professor Dumbledore?"

"Hello, Harry. It's been a little while," Dumbledore responds with a slight smile.

"But…but…You died! Snape killed you!" Harry protests.

"Oh, Harry. You forget. There are many ways to make things appear to be something other than what they are," Dumbledore says with a chuckle.

Harry is confused. Then, Hermione gasps, and announces her guess, "Polyjuice potion!"

"Excellent, Ms. Granger. Yes. I have many loyal followers. It was relatively easy to convince one of the most loyal of them to assume my place using Polyjuice potion that night," Dumbledore explains.

"What's going on?" Ginny cries out.

Dumbledore chuckles. "You all have seen the corruption within our world. It is falling apart. And with Voldemort's takeover, it could be only a small matter of time before it collapses into anarchy. The wizarding world needs a guiding hand to guide it along the right path. A guiding vision. Mine," he says.

"For the greater good," Hermione whispers, remembering something from the biography by Rita Skeeter.

Dumbledore smiles. "Exactly, Ms. Granger. Again, your intelligence proves itself," he says.

He then turns his gaze back to Harry. "You defeated Voldemort, Harry. For that I am grateful. But, now that he is dead, you will only be an impediment to my plans. And, with you out of the way, your fortune will fall into my control," he says.

Harry feels very confused. "What are you talking about? I know I've got a fair bit of money, but not that much!" he protests.

Dumbledore laughs in response. "Oh, Harry. You have no idea who you really are, and what you really own. You are much richer than you think. And with your fortune, I will be able to acquire the last resources I need to see my plans through," he says.

He stops laughing for a moment, then says, "I'll leave you all some time together. But I will be back." He then turns and walks out, and his guard follows him, slamming the door behind him.

Harry just sits there, stunned by what has just happened. Neville is the one who finally speaks up, and says loudly, "What just happened?!"

It takes a moment before Hermione is able to respond. "Dumbledore must have had someone impersonate him using Polyjuice, and that's who Snape killed. He's been plotting against us this whole time," she says in a soft voice.

"But how? How could Dumbledore, of all people, be so evil?" Ginny cries out.

"I don't know. I am shocked that Dumbledore could be doing this. But, maybe he wasn't as different as his old friend Grindelwald as everyone thought he was," Hermione says.

Silence reigns for several moments. Finally, Ron speaks up and asks, "What are we going to do? We can't just let Dumbledore get away with this! We need to warn everybody! What do we do?"

There's silence for a moment before Harry says, "I don't know."


And, I'll end there. I hope this wasn't too bad of a first chapter. I'm sure you were hoping for more, but we'll save it for the next chapter. And don't worry. You'll soon get more background on Dumbledore's plan, and Harry's mysterious wealth. You'll also see Sirius soon, and find out what he's been up to.

Until next time. Please follow this story, leave a review, and stay tuned.