Disclaimer: I'm too young to be Rowling, so Harry Potter sadly cannot be mine…
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooseriously?!Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooseriously?!Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Prologue: Chess Pieces and Pirates
sSs
Of chess pieces…
"Finally it's time" Albus Dumbledore thought while he was looking at the baby boy Hagird had brought him just a few minutes ago. "Finally Tom Riddle found his end – even if it was just a temporary one…"
Finally his plans could begin; plans that maybe would end with the death of a now fifteen month old child. A child, Albus Dumbledore was going to refuse to train beyond the curriculum of Hogwarts, school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
But Albus Dumbledore knew why he would not train the child. Albus Dumbledore knew that whatever he would do in the next few years, he would do the right things in the end.
He had his chess board set. And he would win.
The answer to this firm belief was simple: Albus Dumbledore was a great man. He was old, he was wise and he knew how to play chess quite well.
The newest game of chess Albus Dumbledore had started to play was called "Finish off the Dark Lord". The game had started with a prophecy, a prophecy by Sybil Trelawney; a prophecy about a boy, born to defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort.
The chess game was a great game. The pieces had been put into place and a part of the prophecy had been brought to the Dark Lord's attention. Albus Dumbledore had also been able to convince the lovesick childhood friend of Lily Evans Potter to spy for him as long as he kept Lily safe.
Then he had hidden the Potter and the Longbottom family away while he waited. He knew that one of these boys would be the saviour.
And he was right.
On 31st October 1981 the Potter family was killed by Lord Voldemort in Godric's Hollow – the only survivor the fifteen month old child of the Potters.
The Boy-Who-Lived.
After that there was one thing left to do: Albus Dumbledore had to bring the saviour of the Wizarding World to the Muggle world to be raised far away from magic.
It wouldn't do that the young boy knew about his heritage. It wouldn't do to raise the boy like a pure-blood with all the traditions of the Wizarding World.
Albus needed a pawn.
The boy needed to be melded into a weapon.
When Lord Voldemort would return, the boy needed to win and to die – like all good pawns should do…
So Albus Dumbledore needed an environment that helped him with his plans. And he had found the perfect environment to place the boy.
He remembered quite well that Lily had a jealous sister. A woman that would spite at the blood-connection she shared with Lily. A woman so jealous that she would never tell little Harry anything about magic and his heritage; a woman who would not love but despise her nephew. A woman and her family that would be the boy's nightmare – a nightmare Albus Dumbledore would rescue him from when he turned eleven. Albus was sure that he would be able to meld the boy in his perfect little pawn when he finally rescued him from his relatives.
And so he placed the boy on the doorstep of his relatives in the middle of the night, after he heard Minerva's protest of the "most terrible Muggles" she had ever met.
And with that he left content, that his plans would unfold like he wanted them to do, not knowing that the Dursley – no, the Evans Family had a secret he had never unravelled before. A secret, he could not even guess about.
A secret, that would guarantee Harry Potter a childhood Albus Dumbledore never ever dreamed of – a childhood that would have been the nightmare of one Albus Dumbledore…
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
…and Pirates
"Every normal family has its secrets" she told them, when they were really little. "And we are an especially normal family."
"So we have secrets?" the younger one asked interested while looking up to her silent form which sat between the two young children – boys, to be exactly.
"Of course we do" she said and smiled. "We are, after all, especially normal."
"So… when we are especially normal – does that mean we have especially secrets, mommy?" the older boy asked.
"Special secrets, Diddy-bum" the woman replied. "We have special secrets."
"Like what?" the younger asked interested, sitting up in bed.
"Like the truth about our family, Harry-bear" she said. "And that's a very important secret to keep."
Harry-bear stared at her uncomprehending.
"What's special about our family?"
"Simple: we have an outer appearance and the truth – think of it like when you play a pirate. When you play a pirate, you are dressed like a pirate, you act like a pirate and you have a name fitting for a pirate – but in truth you are still you. In truth you are still Harry."
The boy thought about it a while.
"Oh" he finally said. "So I will need a pirate costume for going outside?"
"Something like that, Harry-bear. Something like that" the woman replied and smiled. "Don't worry. Your uncles and I will train you and Dudley to be a pirate for the outer world."
"Yes, Aunt Petunia!"
"Yes, Mommy!"
And with that two little boys closed their eyes to sleep.
The aunt stood up and left the room.
"So you told them?" a voice asked softly.
Petunia startled. But when she turned she smiled.
"Yes, I did. Shouldn't you be somewhere else, R'is?"
The answer was a shark-like smile.
"You guessed wrong again, Caspet," he said. "What would Lily say if she saw you?! Tut-tut-tut…"
Petunia just snorted.
"Shut up," she said. "Even she or James were unable to keep you two apart – and you were practically attached to their hips for years! How should I, poor left-out, good-for-nothing not-wizard do what they were unable to?!"
The answer was a quiet laugh.
"Simple. You are our big sister after all. You knew us since birth – and you normally do not mix us up. So why tonight?"
The answer was a trembling smile.
"Are we doing the right thing, Rus?" she asked.
The answer was a snarl.
"He was left on your door-step at three o'clock in the morning. A fifteen month old child in a simple baby blanket – now answer your own question, Caspet!"
The aunt's eyes hardened.
"You're right, Rus. That was definitely the last straw" she said. Then she turned and walked down the hallway to the stairs.
"What are you waiting for, Rus?! We have some planning to do!"
And he followed her like he always had and always would. She was the head of their little group after all…