A/N: Okay, this is my first chaptered fic, so be nice! This is marked M for future chapters that will include: Violence/gore, language not suitable for kids, a serious case of author-has-gone-crazy syndrome, and sweet lemony boyxboy goodness! Don't like, don't read. I will love you forever and ever if you review for me. No flames, please.

Alas, I am not J.K. Rowling. If I was, the movies would be porno.

Let me know if you like it. Kaythxbai :D

Her waist-long black hair was draped over her shoulders, her emerald green eyes were focused. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she bounded down the steps to her basement; she slept down here, preferring it to all the other rooms in the enormous house. The enormous, all-too-empty house. She let her gaze sweep over the remainder of her belongings that she would be leaving behind. She'd already packed the most important treasures: her adoptive mother's locket, a photo of the two of them (they had an uncanny resemblance; if you didn't know she was adopted, you never would've guessed), all of the money she had left, her clothes (shrunken, in order to fit in her rucksack), and the letter.

It was the first piece of mail she'd ever received. It was dually special because it was the first Hogwarts letter she'd gotten, though there were many more. They sent a new one every summer, because she kept declining. She chose, instead, to have her adoptive mother, Jane, teach her everything she needed to know about being a wizard: the laws, spells, and advantages. They had always chuckled when they opened the Hogwarts letters; the parchment made good bedding for Jane's guinea pigs.

But for some reason, she'd held on to the first. It had been six summers since she'd received this one, and nothing had changed her mind. She wouldn't be going to Hogwarts, because true evil resided there. She felt it stirring, knew it was awakening, and she was scared. Terrified.

The day Jane had died, exactly three weeks ago, she fell into an unconscious, robotic state of life and did not wake until after the funeral. They had been out in the garden when a sudden shout and flash of green light had soared straight over her head, slamming into her loving, caring, beautiful adoptive mother. Before she had a chance to register what the spell had done, she heard an unforgettable cackling, and spun around to see the attacker. He'd grinned so widely she hoped his lips would rip in half, and then, with a loud pop, he was gone. She knew who'd caused this, and she was going to hunt him down.

She reached for the doorknob, preparing to leave her home in Scotland and flee to the north. She knew there was a massive battle with dark against light approaching soon, and she wanted to be as far away from it as possible. It was her slight moment of hesitation that may have saved millions of people's lives. She heard a tapping noise coming from the window in the dining room, and turned to find Jane's owl, Jupiter, impatiently waiting to be let in. She smiled and opened the window. He dropped a rather thick letter at her feet, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the official looking seal on the envelope. It almost stopped altogether when she realized that it was addressed to her.

With shaking hands, she ripped open the letter. It said, in a messy scrawl:

"Dear Miss Potter:

It has come to my attention that you are nearing your 17th birthday. On 31 July, you will be of age as specified by wizarding laws. On this date you will have access to your family's vaults. You will need to pay a visit to our London branch within thirty days of this date, or all attempts to access the vaults in the future will be denied. Thank you, and have a nice day.

Griphook, President of Gringotts Wizarding Bank"

Potter? Who was this Potter woman? Her last name wasn't Potter, it was Robbins, Jane's last name. But maybe...Potter was her real last name. As much as she tried to stop herself, her eyes kept glancing back to that one word. Family. She refolded the parchment, stuck it in her rucksack, and set off for the train station. Once there, she pulled out the money she had been saving up, and bought a ticket. Jamie Potter was heading for London.

Harry Potter scratched his chin. He'd been trying to do his damned Potions assignment when an incessant tapping noise jolted him from his train of thoughts. He tried ignoring it, but when it refused to stop, he shoved the balls of his palms into his eyes and stood up from his chair. He stretched his arms above his head, not unlike a cat, and gazed around the mess of his room.

When his eyes reached the window, he finally realized where the tapping noise was coming from. He grinned sheepishly and stepped over to the window to let Hedwig in. His beautiful, snowy white owl nipped his hand gently for taking so long to let her in, and then dropped a thick letter at his feet. He recognized the Gringotts seal and smiled to himself as he opened the letter.

When he finished reading, he gave Hedwig a treat and folded up the letter. He just couldn't wait to be seventeen. He could finally move out of the Dursley's house, and he had no doubt they'd be just as happy as he would.

He was pondering where he'd move away to when he happened to glance back down at the floor. There, underneath the discarded Gringotts envelope, was a small, yellowish looking letter. Harry jumped up out of his chair and scooped it off the ground. There was no return address, just his name scrawled in a nauseatingly familiar looking handwriting. He tore open the envelope and held his breath. It said:

"Dearest Harry,

It is with deep regret that I must tell you this. If you have received this letter, then I am dead. I want you to know that I will always be with you, even when I cannot be there physically. My reason for writing you this is to inform you that everything you will ever need in your life has been laid out for you. On the morning of your Seventeenth birthday, you will gain access to each and every vault in my name at Gringotts. Yes, we have more than one.

If I am dead, and if, by some unfortunate bout of fate, your mother is as well, you are most likely living with Lily's sister. You must leave the Dursleys as soon as you possibly can, because they will not let you live to see your birthday. You must be out of their house before midnight of the day before your birthday, not a minute later. The protection charms that stop them from seriously hurting you will end the moment you come of age. This is not something to take lightly.

I want you to know, dear Harry, that I will always believe in you. Others, unfortunately, will not. Your mother and I went to a Seer before you were born, and there are three important things you absolutely have to know:

1) Not all of the Weasleys are to be trusted. Beware the one after your heart.

2) You may trust some unlikely people. Severus Snape, to give an example. He and the Malfoys will be of utmost importance to you in the near future, so please try to patch up your feuds and befriend them.

3) Your mother and I are trusting you to take care of Jamie. She may be older than you by fifteen minutes, but she is still too insecure. Watch over her. I know you'll be a great brother to her.

It is with sadness in my heart that I must say goodbye now, but rest assured, I am still with you.

Love always,

James Potter."