When the headmaster plotted to use the prophecy to bring about Voldemort's demise he had made a key oversight.
The oversight of selfishness.
Albus has trouble viewing the world through the perspective of others. When Voldemort rose to power it was not because he exploited the fear and uncertainty of the long lived purebloods who desperately wanted to cling to their power in a rapidly changing world. No, it was because he was misbehaving.
His supporters weren't looking out for the future interests of their family in a world where the future was subject to rapid change and those in power sought to preserve it. No they were simply seduced by Voldemort's charm.
It was this fundamental inability to understand the hearts and minds of the people of wizarding Britain that led Albus to overlook a key detail in his plan. While Voldemort had his followers, he had many more sympathizers who didn't want to hurt anybody so had stayed quiet. Without the Dark Lord to focus the people's enmity on a percentage of the Wizarding World began to turn their dissatisfied emotions toward the one who had killed him.
Then the wizards and witches who had been saved from the threat of Voldemort turned their thoughts back to getting their disrupted lives back on track barely sparing any more thought for the young Potter while the sympathizers stewed in their dissatisfaction cursing the child's name.
And the prophecy swayed.
Bad luck and misfortune followed the boy throughout his early years after the fall of Voldemort.
His guardians who hadn't liked him from the get-go were constantly reminded in little ways that the young boy in their house wasn't theirs. When his uncle Vernon Dursley took his family out into the world and his two little babies got smiles and coos from the people he interacted with he nearly forgot that he didn't like his young nephew but then just before a fond feeling could grow in his heart a purpled robed wierdo approached him enthusiastically causing a big fuss while trying to get a look at the boy.
His mood ruined he called the whole afternoon trip off and time and time again bits of misfortune would ruin his trips and so he brough Harry on fewer and fewer outings until the boy was not allowed to leave the house at all.
When his aunt Petunia Dursley went to feed her babies one early morning and felt her heart start to swell with maternal love for Harry and Dudley the unfortunate lad would experience a bought of accidental magic blowing up Dudley's smushed carrots all over her apron and son causing her little Dudley to cry. Bitter memories of her sister took the place of the fondness that would have formed if given the chance and the unfortunate boy found no love in the home of his Mother's family.
You see life is made up of moments. Good memories build up over time of simply living life together and that grows into bonds that can last for a lifetime. For young Harry, those good moments were constantly being ruined because of a Prophecy and a large number of Wizards and Witches who wished him harm. And so, his childhood from the ages of one to four were plagued by misfortune.
It was nothing special that curbed the misfortune of Harry Potter.
You see as life goes by with every yesterday feeling pretty much like tomorrow most found that the grudges, they held for the young boy faded and soon almost no one kept Harry in their hearts for either good or ill.
And so, Harry's luck evened out into something a bit more normal just in time for the boy to start his mundane schooling.
He enjoyed his time away from the Dursley house immensely. He got the same snacks and playtime as everyone else and had no trouble taking part in arts and crafts and was even one of the fastest children to memorize the entire alphabet song.
He got a gold star sticker for that.
He even made a friend or two though he soon found the friendship of toddlers to be fickle.
It was Dudley that taught him that. You see Dudley had spent the last few years being assured that he was better than his cousin and, being the young boy he was, had believed it. Seeing Harry succeed was not bad to the child for in his mind he was better than Harry so Harry succeeding simply meant that he must be even better than that.
And so Dudley went about his own days making friends, doing his numbers and letters and singing songs content with his life.
Until Harry got that golden star sticker.
Dudley had waited until they were on the playground with his new friends who also wanted the sticker. They waited until teacher looked away and pushed Harry over and took the star for themselves. Making mean faces at the other children who quickly turned away.
Now Harry was no stranger to Dudley pushing him around and had come to accept it. This moment had nothing to do with magical bad luck yet it still effected Harry's life after the effects had faded. Harry did not sniffle or yell or cry he just brushed himself off and went back to playing. This might seem a mature response, but it was unfortunate that it taught the other children a lesson. Dudley was allowed to bully Harry.
His classmates no longer wanted to be Harry's friend.
At first Harry was fit right in with the other children. Though his clothes were slightly too large for him, being Dudley's old castoffs, they were still new enough and close enough to the right size that no one even noticed.
But as the boys grew and the size difference between Harry and Dudley grew as well. His castoffs began to look silly on Harry and the other children noticed and took it as just another reason to avoid the young Potter.
So the next year of life went for Harry no longer cursed but still suffering the aftereffects.
Then the Wizarding World changed his life once again.
It had been years since the fall of the Dark Lord and the emotions that had once burned for Harry Potter had died down.
People remembered him but it was far more important to pay the rent or get the latest broom on the market than wonder about the Boy Who Lived.
That all changed with a young muggleborn witch who dreamed of being a reporter.
Helga Scribe had just gotten back a letter from the Daily Prophet rejecting her application in favor of "Someone more suited to the position." Which she had learned was code for them giving the job to a pureblood.
She had very little money left in her vault and rent was coming up soon. She would need to come up with something fast or be forced to move back in with her parents.
Tapping her quill to her chin in contemplation leaving several ink stains on her already frazzled face Helga weighed her options.
There was another newspaper in Wizarding Britain. It was called the Quibbler and only ever put out silly made up stories, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
But what story should she write it had to be gripping and fun to read and since it was for the Quibbler she did not have to worry about fact checking. Now what would grab the most attention possible.
She smiled and put quill to paper the words flowing freely as she was struck with inspiration. This was turning out really good maybe she wouldn't give this to the Quibbler, maybe she could publish this as a book.
She put down her quill and took a breath of satisfaction as she read what she had wrote.
"The Adventures of Harry Potter Volume 1 Harry Potter and the Dragon Princess"
Helga smiled to herself, this was gonna be big she just knew it.
And so, Harry's Luck changed again.