Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. Likewise, Prince of Persia The Sands of Time is copyrighted to Ubisoft Entertainment and Jordan Mechner. Copyright or trademark infringement is not intended.

Author's Notes: Well, here is the first real chapter of Harry Potter and the Sands of Time, the last being more of a prologue. I'd like to thank the two reviewers I've gotten so far, their kind words were very lifting. Especially Forget-Me-Tomorrow, I didn't think anybody would like this that much :). And also, Prince of Persia is a video game, so there's not much you can read, except for the story synopsis at the Prince of Persia website. You don't have to know the PoP story to follow this, but it could help a little. I'll try to explain to the casual reader what they might not know about PoP. Alright, enough author's notes, onto the chapter!

Time is like an ocean in a storm...

Harry awoke with a start, his hand clutching his chest, trying to fight off what ever had attacked him. After a few frantic moments of flailing about and getting himself twisted in his bed sheets, Harry stopped and looked around. He realized that what attacked must have been just a dream. He untangled himself from his comforter and reached for his glasses, gently thrusting them onto his face. His vision cleared and he glanced at the battered digital clock beside his bed: 5:35 a.m. Harry sighed, and pushed himself out of bed. It was no use trying to get back to sleep, he'd just have to wake up in an hour to prepare the Dursley's breakfast. He decided to take a shower to get ready for the day.

In the shower, Harry let the water wash away the remnants of the dream, a dream he couldn't even remember. It was nothing like the nightmares or visions Voldemort would send him; no, this seemed very real, like he had lived it before... the only problem was, he couldn't remember what "it" really was. Turning off the shower after a good half hour, Harry stood in just a towel and stared at himself in the foggy mirror.

He had grown a bit since the summer began; he was a little taller, a little broader, but still a little on the short side for his age. His hair would still stick up in every direction, but it seemed appropriate somehow, like it wouldn't be Harry if it wasn't a mess. His eyes were still shockingly green, and they shone in the half-lit bathroom. How many times had he been told he had his mother's eyes? A lot, and he would still be reminded from time to time, but he grew to like being complemented for having his mothers eyes, and even his father's unruly hair. At least it was something that reminded him of his parents. He didn't have much to remember them by...

Moving on, Harry noticed that he had grown some stubble on his chin and jaw line. A little surprised, he realized that he'd have to let it stay for now. He didn't have his own shaving kit, and he'd be damned if he'd touched Vernon's. Harry traced a finger across his chin and jaw and decided he liked it. If it grew in right and not in patches, he would leave it for a while. It'll be good for a small change like this he thought to himself.

Harry left the bathroom and changed into some fresh clothes in his bedroom. The sun was just starting to peek over the trees, and the Dursley's would soon be awake. As he was making his way to the door to go downstairs and make breakfast, Harry heard a small tapping on his window. As he fetched the window open, he noticed it was not Hedwig as he had thought. It was a sleek black falcon with a regal look about it. Carefully, Harry untied the parchment on it's talon and the falcon jumped out of his window and into the morning sun. Harry stared at it for a moment before looking at the letter in his hands.

To Mr. Harry J. Potter
Smallest Bedroom, No. 4, Privet Drive
Surrey, England

Dear Mr. Potter,

We regret to inform you of the passing of your godfather, Sirius R. Black. We at Gringotts would like to offer our deepest condolences for the deceased. In the wake of Mr. Black's passing, we are in charge of delivering to you his last will and testament. Enclosed, you will find a personal letter from Mr. Black addressed to you. The following are the items that Mr. Black has left you:

No. 12 Grimmauld Place
A summer cottage on the island of Crete
The entire contents of the Black Family Vault, minus the sums he has left for various distant family and friends
A 1979 Harley-Davidson XLH Sportster motorbike (currently in the care of Rubeus Hagrid)

If you have any questions about the will of Sirius R. Black, please come into the London Gringotts branch.

Gerkori Griggen
Junior Gringotts Officer

Harry read the latter without any emotion on his face; he was saving that for the letter Sirius left. With a slight pain in his chest, Harry tore open the letter and began to read.

Harry,

If you're reading this, then I guess I bit the Big One, eh? I know you'll be sad, but don't wallow in your grief. And don't you dare feel guilty! I know you always take blame for everything, even if you had no control over the situation. Don't blame yourself for my death Harry. You have to continue to live, and keep fighting the good fight. It'll be hard, I know, but you have to believe in yourself. Don't let anything keep you down, and keep on going. You owe it to your friends and even more to yourself. You have people that love you, don't ever forget that. And your parents and I love you, and we'll never leave you. We'll always be with you, inside your heart.

Listen to me, I sound like a big softie! Keep your chin up, kiddo, and stay alive. You deserve a good life more than anyone else. Have fun, and kick some Death Eater ass for me!

Eternally Your Friend,
Sirius (a.k.a. Padfoot)

P.S. -- Make sure you get my old motorbike from Hagrid. It's rightfully yours, and you'll need it to pick up the ladies! Have fun, Harry!

With tears leaking from his eyes, Harry gently lay the letter down. He would always miss Sirius, but he had taken his letter to heart; no longer would he sit down and feel guilty for things beyond his control. He would rise and take charge of his life. He would become a great man, not only for his friends, but for himself. He would not let his life be ruled by anyone anymore.

"BOY!" came a voice from downstairs. "Get down here and start out breakfast!" Vernon commanded. Harry wiped the tears from his eyes and clenched his fists. I'm not going to take anymore of their shit! He thought angrily to himself. Harry stomped down the stairs and into the kitchen of No. 4 Privet Drive. Vernon glared at him over his morning paper. Dudley was sitting, waiting for his breakfast, and his Aunt Petunia was dusting off the counter.

"What's all that racket for?" Vernon said, his voice angry.

"I'm not making your breakfast anymore," Harry said, his jaw set. Uncle Vernon's eyes widened in fury.

"You will do whatever I saw while you live in this house!" he shouted, throwing down his paper.

"No!" Harry shouted back. "I'm not your fucking slave! Get you fat-ass of a son to do something for a change!" Vernon's face turned purple and a vein on his head began to pulse.

"You will not speak of my son that way!" Vernon screamed.

"Are you gunna stop me?" Harry challenged. Vernon rose from the table.

"Why you--," Vernon grabbed Harry by the collar, but as soon as he did, he was thrown back into the opposite wall from a small burst of magic from Harry. The Dursley's looked at Harry in fear. Without missing a beat, Harry strode over to Vernon, lifted him to a standing position, and grabbed him by the collar.

"I'm not taking orders from you anymore," Harry stated in a cold voice. "You've treated me like shit ever since I was a baby. Soon, you'll face your karmic repercussions." With that, Harry let Vernon go and made his exit from the house and into the front lawn of No. 4. When none of the Dursleys came outside, Harry let out a breath of air, and turned to take a walk in the neighborhood park.

After a few steps down the sidewalk, Harry felt as if he were being watched. He turned his head slightly to look behind him. No one was there. He shrugged it off and continued walking. But soon he got the feeling again. Deciding on a plan of action to rouse his invisible stalker, Harry kept walking. He casually quickened his pace, before he turned it into a flat-out run. He ran for a few yards, then stopped almost at once, pivoted on his heel, and stuck out his elbow in front of him.

Sure enough, a body collided with Harry. They met with enough force to make them both topple over. Harry snatched at the Invisibility Cloak his stalker was wearing. He felt the silky texture of the cloak and whipped it off of his assailant. Harry stared at him for a moment,a surprised look on his face.

"Remus?" he asked, the Invisibility Cloak still in his hands.

"Hello, Harry," Remus greeted, a pained smile on his face. "Mind getting off my chest?" Harry made to move, but instead glared at Remus with a suspicious look.

"How do I know you are who you say you are?" he questioned, his hand grasping for his wand. Remus's smiled widened.

"My name is Moony, your Patronus is a stag, and you absolutely hate chocolate after I gave you so much in your third year." Harry blinked and grinned. He moved off of Remus and helped him up, and quickly gave his old professor and friend a hug.

"It's good to see you Remus," Harry said, a grin still on his face. Remus, nodded.

"Yes, it's good to see you too." Remus quirked an eyebrow. "You seem awfully chipper, considering..." Remus looked away, letting his words hang in the air. Harry's grin dimmed somewhat, before he gave Remus a genuine smile.

"I got Sirius's will today, and a letter from him with it," Harry explained. "In so many words, he told me to stop being an idiot and move on. I mean, I still feel sad and i always will, but I know now that he would have wanted me to move on and become a man." Harry didn't notice it as he was bending over to retrieve the cloak, but Remus smiled at him with pride. "So, what were you doing following me, Remus?" Harry asked, handing him back his Invisibility Cloak.

"Oh, you know, the usual," Remus replied casually. "Making sure the Death Eaters haven't got one of their nefarious plots to steal you away from the Dursley's, is all." Harry grinned and shook his head.

"While I appreciate your concern, Remus, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself," Harry explained. Remus began to reply, but Harry cut him off. "I know, I know, you're under Dumbledore's orders. Can't break those, can we?" Harry joked. Remus just shook his head, his grin still plastered on his face. "Well, since you're here, I was wondering if you can take me to Gringotts." At Remus's questioning look, Harry continued. "I want to see if Sirius left me anything useful in his vault. Like spell books or anything."

"I dunno Harry. I have to check with Dumbledore first." Remus explained. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Just take me to Headquarters then. I mean, it's rightfully mine now, and I don't want to stay here anymore."

"Harry, you know you can't leave until Dumbledore gives us the 'okay'," Remus reminded him. Harry sighed.

"It's past my birthday now, Remus. The wards have recharged. Besides, It'd be safer for me to be surrounded by Order members than by relatives that hate me," Harry said. Remus thought for a moment before nodding his.

"Alright. We'll go get you packed and then we'll head over to Headquarters. Come along now," Remus said and they both headed into No.4 to pack Harry's things. Neither could fathom the events that would occur when Harry finally claimed his inheritance from the Black family vault.

Extended Author's Notes: Ah, sorry for such a boring chapter, but I had to get that out of the way. Had to get Harry over Sirius and technical details like that. This story is set in 6th Year, BTW. So... no HBP, sorry. I didn't want to have to incorporate the information from HBP into this story. It leaves quite a bit open, really. And that's what I need with a story like this, freedom to write just about anything. I don't even know if there any other HP/PoP crossovers. If there are, someone please direct me towards them. Anyways, next chapter, the action should start to pick up a bit.

Next Chapter: Harry visits his new vault and discovers the treasures within... not gold or jewels, but something ancient and forgotten over the ages. Can this strange artifact unlock the key to Harry's supposed powers?