A/N - I'm re-publishing this story after fixing a few typos. Hope you don't mind. This story is not going to cover all of the canon story-line. It will speak to changes - 'what could have been, if . . .' - elements. So you will see large jumps in time with mentions of how Harry or his friends dealt with a situation and perhaps how a situation was avoided entirely.

Chapter I

"You know uncle, you're right again. These are the best sausages that aunt Petunia has ever gotten." Petunia smiled brightly towards the three males sitting at the breakfast table. "Too right, Harry!" Vernon chimed in as he speared another one from the serving plate, "These are delicious, Pet." Dudley continued to chew, nodded at his cousin Harry and got out a barely discernible "yeah." And so, three relatively healthy males, two of which were fairly large, happily ate their breakfast.

Harry Potter was not an idiot. As an infant he was left with this family. He was not immediately made welcome. He brought the baggage of discord between two sisters and two worlds. He was looked down upon and ill treated for the first couple of years of residence with his aunt and uncle. But, as stated, he was not an idiot. Anyone in such a situation would attempt to understand and get along with people that were in charge and obviously held great power over him. He watched and listened to his environment, and pain has always been a great teacher; whether it was the soreness left over after scrubbing a floor or the sting left on his backside for saying the wrong thing. Harry learned to quickly agree with his uncle, assist his aunt and adopt their habits. Their views of the world were obviously the best ones to adopt as well. Was this a kind of brainwashing? No, Harry did what children throughout the world do; he emulated his caregivers. One small difference was that Harry was aware of his actions.

Harry did not come to these conclusions in a month or a year, but slowly over time he learned to fit in. He still kept an awareness that he was not quite one of them and was steadfast in his determination to remain his own person. In most families children tend to be different in fairly predictable ways. Maybe the oldest has a tendency to be studious and the next may be more outgoing if for no other reason than to stand out a bit and garner some of the adults attention and affection. Also, many people simply have built in tendencies for certain behaviors that the scope of modern science has yet to explain. In any case, when Harry showed any abilities in which Dudley was lacking, like reading comprehension, or maths beyond basic arithmetic, Harry immediately decided that his best course of action was to assist his cousin.

Harry realized that his 'caregivers' highly preferred that their progeny be beyond reproach. While his aunt and uncle had adjusted to his participation in their lives to what would be considered a civilized level of amicability, they would never hold him in a higher esteem than their 'Duddikins'. So, if his assistance was of use to Dudley, it was encouraged. In this way Harry was able/allowed to excel scholastically. For the Dursleys it was proof if his suitability of tutoring Dudley. A significant by-product of this behavior was the time that Dudley and Harry spent together. Dudley truly appreciated Harry's help as it was given honestly and openly with no hint of condescension or superiority. He was smart enough to know that he wasn't going to excel in the classroom and if Harry's help kept him in his parents good graces that was all for the better. Harry was also smart enough to comment on Dudley's strong points. He might casually mention "You know Dudley, I may be good in some classes, but you really 'wow'ed the guys with your rugby play today." He would definitely make sure things like this were said in his aunt and uncle's hearing.

And so here we find Harry Potter, living with his aunt, uncle and cousin. He is healthy, aside from a scar on his forehead that never seemed to have healed. He is confident in his scholastic abilities. He is adept at thinking on his feet and flourishing in a potentially hostile environment. One thing Harry does not have is knowledge of his origins. The topic of his parents and anything about them was NOT a conversation that the Dursleys were willing to have. This was about to change. July 31st was Harry's 11th birthday. Harry was looking forward to it. While it was not celebrated quite as lavishly as Dudley's, he could still expect a present or two and some cake with dinner. The day started as it commonly would, with some breakfast and casual chatter around the table. They were discussing letting Harry pick out a movie at the cinema for his special day when the mail arrived.