Author's Note: Here's another chapter. Hope everyone likes it. There is a time skip. Everything that happened in Harry's life during the time skip will be revealed in later chapters through flashbacks. I am consciously trying to avoid bashing Dumbledore, Snape or anybody else. Any pushback from Harry would only be due to the plot requirement or because his ideals are not in line with the opposite party.

Please don't forget to review if you feel it you finds irregularities.

I don't own Harry Potter. If it wasn't clear till now, I am making it clear. He and everyone in his canon world belong to J K Rowling and any others who have the necessary copyrights.

Chapter 13

Albus Dumbledore had aged considerably in the past fourteen years. It was not however, his multiple positions across the wizarding community that had caused the ageing. It was his inability to reach out to the Potter kid. In the initial years, he had tried reasoning with Sirius. That had not bore any fruit. The Black Regent spent most of his time abroad these days, handling the Black finances. He had sent some of his trusted acquaintances to trail Sirius Black, hoping that he might inevitably lead him to the Potter kid. But Sirius Black proved to be a tricky customer, evading him every time.

Over the years, he had gone beyond acceptable means to get access to the Potter kid. He had reached out to Remus Lupin, and explained the situation. Lupin, a close friend of both Sirius and the Potters had agreed to assist. He had met Sirius and had tried to get him to reveal the boy's location. Sirius had seen through that and had lambasted Lupin for not showing loyalty to his friends and for being Dumbledore's lap dog. One good thing had come out of it- he knew the name of the boy- Harry Potter. Apparently, he had an elder sister as well. Dumbledore didn't need anything from her, but filed the information for later. He waited for Harry's name to come up in the 'Book of Names'. Then when the Hogwarts letter would be ready to dispatch, he would personally go with it.

The fated day had passed three years ago. His name never turned up on the book. Dumbledore had been left perplexed. Surprisingly, neither of the Potter kids' names had turned up- which could only mean one thing- they weren't citizens of Magical Britain. Dumbledore had had a lot of hope on Harry. He would make sure he knew that he had stood for the Light when he had defeated Voldemort and that he would be required to do the same when he returned again.

The signs were already there. Three years ago, he had found the Defense against Dark Arts Quirinus Quirell possessed by Voldemort. He had discovered it before the start of term, and had immediately disposed him off. Unfortunately, Quirell met his demise during the battle and Voldemort had escaped. Dumbledore had to fill the DADA professor role for the first half, before he got a retired Auror to take up that position. He had decided to not continue the job after the end of term.

Then, two years ago, he had hired another professor for the same post. This person was a renowned author with chartbuster publications to his name. That had been a disaster. The professor had turned out to be fake. Two third year students, the Weasley twins had pranked him so much, that he had confessed in the great hall about being a fraud and ran off. It had been a huge scandal, with newspapers running the story for many days. Gilderoy Lockhart had even been hailed in some circles for being the ultimate con-man and even fooling the Great Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore had taken over the DADA classes again. But the bigger shock had been another story, which had been hushed up by Dumbledore. One of his supporters' kids, a first year had come into the possession of a dark artifact. This had led to her being possessed and murdering a muggle-born student from her year. Dumbledore had been successful in getting the girl out of the possession by destroying the artifact. The girl had been taken to St Mungo's for treatment, a false story of the muggle-born being withdrawn from Hogwarts was spread and the muggle-born kid (Colin Creevey) was forgotten. Dumbledore had found further proof that Voldemort was not completely destroyed and would come back and his resolve to find Harry had grown stronger.

Last year, though had been his greatest breakthrough. He had heard from his Potions professor, Severus Snape that a girl in the Slytherin dormitories had supposedly met Harry on her travels. He had summoned her to his office, and used Legilimency on her to find out that Harry was in the United States and supposedly went to Ilvermony. He had in the past tried to search for the Potters in the States, but had been unable to due to the vast expanse of the country and the restrictions for foreigners. He had hit a legal roadblock. This time, he had sent in spies to confirm if Harry was indeed a student at that magical school. And that's when an idea struck him.

Over the next few months, he along with some lords from his Light faction had proposed a new law in the Wizengamot chambers. As per this law, all heirs of traditional Wizengamot seats needed to have their magical education completed at Hogwarts. They made sure to pass this law when Sirius had been absent, to ensure no opposition. The dark faction was very much in support of the law, as it upheld the traditional values, even if it came from the Light faction. The Neutral or Grey-faction, did attempt to push back stating that it restricts the personal will of the respective family. However, the law was passed with a slight majority. Letters had been sent to all Lords and Regents to make sure they complied with the new law.

This brought Dumbledore to the current year, a year when Harry Potter would finally return to where he belonged. There were other additional exciting things lined up. The International Wizarding Cup was making a comeback after a hiatus of almost 300 years. Hogwarts had been chosen as one of the venues for the events, with other participating schools being the other venues for the events. An event spread across the calendar year, Dumbledore hoped a Hogwarts student would be the victor in the end and ensure that Hogwarts remained the premier institute of magic world-wide.

With all these things in mind, Dumbledore walked towards the great hall. The Hogwarts Express had already arrived at Hogsmeade and the students were on their way for the opening feast. He couldn't wait to meet Harry Potter.

Earlier that day

Harry Potter had walked onto Platform 9 ¾ to get on the Hogwarts express. He didn't want to be here. He would rather be at his old school. When Sirius had come and explained the new law, Harry had been furious. He loved Ilvermony, period. He had friends there, the education had been amazing and Harry had a path planned for him. But this new law had derailed everything.

Harry had known that he would eventually come to Britain, a place where he had supposedly defeated the Dark Lord (which he didn't remember, of course) to take over the Black seat. His sessions with Sirius and the history classes with aunt Bella had made that clear. However, he wanted to make a name for himself before doing that. He didn't want to be pushed into the limelight so soon. He wanted to be known for something he remembered doing, not for something which probably was accidental magic. There was no use crying over spilt milk, the law certainly saw to that.

Sirius had wanted to come with Harry to the platform, but Harry had refused stating he wanted to keep his identity secret for some more time. Sirius' presence would have immediately revealed Harry's identity and he would lose a chance to make real friends. Dora had stayed back to continue her final year at Ilvermony. Dad and Mum (Yes, he called them that) had promised to visit in the holidays and they would spend Christmas in London.

One of the first things Harry had done after coming to England was visiting the Black burial ground. Sirius had taken him to visit his birth parents' grave. Harry had spent a lot of time talking to the graves. He had told them how Daniel and Mary had cared for him and Dora like their own kids, about his studies, about Dora, about Marauder's Inc and a lot of other things. He had found the experience liberating. He had also thanked his great-grandfather for his sacrifice and promised to make his dream a reality.

Harry had also written to Daphne, the only person he wrote letters to in England. He had told her about his enrollment in Hogwarts and asked her not to tell anyone who he was. He had promised to meet her in person on the first Saturday and explain everything in detail. He had accidentally met her at a dueling championship in New York and they had bonded over their similar taste in things. He had invited her and her family to Sirius' place for dinner after the championship (which Harry won; Daphne had been knocked out by Harry in the semis). The Greengrasses realized who the boy was at that dinner. Sirius had already identified himself with the Grey faction with his voting pattern, but hadn't been a part of the voting bloc. This dinner served as the Black family's entry into the Grey faction, and an alliance between the two houses.

Harry couldn't help but smile whenever he thought of Daphne. He thought of her as a very good friend, a person with whom he could share a lot of things. She also helped him with a different perspective to his. Harry and Daphne came from varied backgrounds, Harry a person who acted first and Daphne a person who thought first. It wasn't that neither could do the other thing, it was just how they had been brought up. Harry when in deep thought was probably the best strategist (at least according to Sirius) and Daphne when she acted on her feelings was probably the most expressive. They had a common love for dueling and respected magic for what it was, a gift. Harry and Daphne usually communicated through owl with a couple of letters being exchanged every month. They both had ensured that nobody realized who was sending Daphne letters, his codename being 'Bigfoot', except for Daphne's best friend Tracey who had coaxed the answer out of her.

He slowly made the way to the end of the train and found an empty compartment. He levitated his trunk onto the luggage rack, took out a book on Runes, and was soon engrossed in it. The train had already left London when he came out of the book. He saw a blonde-haired girl sitting in front of him reading a book upside down. She looked lost in it. Upon observing the cover page, he realized the book was actually a magazine called 'The Quibbler'. The girl had an eccentric style of dressing, with a butterbeer cork necklace and radish ear-rings. Just when he was about to go back to his book, she lifted her head and gave him a wide grin

"Hello, Harry Potter. My name is Luna Lovegood."

"How do you know who I am?"

"The Blubbering Humdingers told me."

"What are they?"

"They are magical creatures invisible to the naked eye. They only speak to some people, but they always talk to me."

"Wow! Would you mind not telling everyone who I am?"

"Of course! The humdingers told me that there are many people who do not have your best intentions at heart."

"Well, tell the humdingers that they are incredibly smart. And I someday I would love to have a chat with them. By the way, what's with the butterbeer cork necklace?"

"OH, this is a charm I made. It keeps away all kinds of negative things."

"Hmmm, Interesting. I might come to you for one of those after a few days. So what year are you?"

"I will be starting third year this year. I know you will be in fourth year. Be wary of Gemini, they are the spawn of Loki."

"I will take that under consideration. So, you are taking Divination, I guess?"

"Yes, and care of Magical creatures. Once I finish Hogwarts, me and Dad are going on a world tour to catch some Crumpled horned Snorkacks."

"I wish you all the best for that. Let me know if you need any help in catching them, Ok?"

"Why would you want to help me?"

"Because you are my first friend in my Hogwarts journey. And friends help each other, don't they?"

"Ok. We can be friends."

And the conversation continued. Harry found the conversation easy going, though he found it difficult to follow when Luna went into one of her talks full of innuendos. Harry soon inferred that there was a sweet girl inside all of this who was pure of heart. Harry had grown cultivating such friendships, his sister being his first and best friend. But he also had a handful of friends who he could fall back on, friends who had given him an emotional farewell a few days ago. It gave him more reason to dislike the person who made this all happen, Dumbledore.

In Harry's opinion, Dumbledore was a genius (no doubt about that). But he was past his prime and had a narrow perception of the to Harry, Dumbledore considered himself a peacemaker who believed in maintaining the status quo (which wasn't beneficial to anyone) and survived on his past laurels rather than working towards building the future. He still didn't understand why Dumbledore went to such lengths to get him to attend Hogwarts. He had decided that he would make Dumbledore realize what Harry was losing thanks to his unneeded intervention.

Harry was soon pulled from his thoughts by the arrival of two people, one red haired boy and one brunette girl. The brunette had rather long front teeth, but had a cute enough face. She immediately started talking-

"Are you Harry Potter? He was supposed to start his Hogwarts schooling this year. We have searched the whole train, and you are the first person who looks new."

"No, why would you like to know?"

The red-haired boy spoke for the first time-

"Well, Dumbledore has asked us to escort him and to familiarize him with Hogwarts. We belong to the same house that his father did, which is exactly where he should be going. To Gryffindor" making a gesture of holding an invisible sword like a knight.

"But I heard that his mother was a Slytherin. Shouldn't they have an equal stake to him then?"

"No way. How can the Boy-who-lived be a snake? The snakes cannot be trusted. He is better off in Gryffindor"

"Well, good luck finding him. I wish you all the best."

"You didn't tell us who you are?" The girl questioned.

"And neither did you. Courtesy dictates that you identify yourself first."

"I am Hermione Granger, topmost student in my year. And this is Ronald Weasley."

"Topmost, is it? And which year would that be? If I could guess, you would be a fourth or fifth year."

"Fourth. You don't seem to belong to any house, but don't look like a first year."

"Sorry, my name is Nicholas Dearborn. I am a fourth-year transfer student. You can call me Nick. I studied in the States until the new law for heirs was passed." Harry and Sirius had decided on an alias to use, until it was absolutely necessary to reveal his real identity.

"Oh, Ok. Well, welcome to Hogwarts. Come on Hermione, we need to find Harry. And one piece of advice, Loony here is weird sometimes. Be careful."

"I am sure I can handle myself. Thank you very much."

And the two left.

Harry turned towards Luna and asked-

"Would you know if we can lock the carriage doors. I would rather not have other disturbances like these two."

"I think normal charms work on them. I haven't ever tried though. People just ignore the carriage I am sitting in and walk away."

"Well, that's their loss. You wouldn't mind if I locked the door then, right?"

"Go ahead, Harry. The humdingers say I can trust you."

"Thank you."

He performed a silent locking charm on the door. They continued talking for some more time. Harry enquired about Hogwarts and her experience. He soon realized that Luna had been a victim of bullying over her two years, but didn't seem affected by it. He silently vowed to ensure she wouldn't have to go through another such year. He also got to know, that Luna had grown up without a mother, who had passed away when she was six. She had been an Unspeakable and had died in a tragic potions' accident. The worst part was that Luna had been in the same room when it had happened. He couldn't imagine the pain she would have gone through. He had been very young when his birth parents had died. It had only been revealed to him when he had turned seven. But his adoptive parents had never made him feel the absence of his parents. In fact, Harry would probably bet that maybe his real parents wouldn't have taken such good care of him and Dora as much, if they had been alive. He and Dora were both indebted to Dad and Mum for all the love they had showered him with. He couldn't imagine a life without them and nobody could convince him otherwise. Whatever, he was today was due to their sacrifice. Which brought him to Luna, a person who he had just met, but was already developing a sibling bond with. He was the little sister he never had, and he would ensure it would be smooth sailing now onwards for her.

Nobody disturbed them after that. Harry had some confectioneries he had brought with him, which he happily shared with Luna. He also introduced her to his pet Hedwig, a snowy owl. He had come across her when he had been camping in Canada with Sirius. She had been attacked by a predator and had been badly injured. Harry had nursed her back to health and she had been with him ever since. She didn't like being put in a cage and was extremely protective of Harry. Harry always felt like she could understand everything he told her and he could always understand her feelings. Hedwig had allowed Luna to pet her and had gone to sleep on her shoulder. Luna didn't seem to mind.

After what seemed like hours, an announcement came through that they would soon arrive at Hogsmeade station. Harry was already in his standard Hogwarts robes. He stepped out to let Luna change. Upon reaching Hogsmeade, they left the luggage on the train. Harry asked Hedwig to fly around and find herself a suitable place to rest. She hooted happily and flew off. Luna had suggested Harry to take the boats, as it was kind of a tradition. That was supposedly how the first years started their Hogwarts journey, and since this was technically Harry's first year, he had agreed to it. He had followed the voice of a huge man towards the boat, and had gotten into a boat with some younger kids. That's how he had ended up friends with Dennis Creevey, a boy with a mission.

"You don't seem like a first year."

"I am not. I am a transfer student and it was told to me that travelling through boats is kind of tradition for your first year at Hogwarts."

"That makes sense. I am Dennis, Dennis Creevey, by the way."

"Hi Dennis. I am Harry."

"Are you also a muggle-born?"

"No, I am a half-blood. Why?"

"Some people on the train made fun of me because I was a muggle-born, though I didn't understand why."

"Don't worry, I will explain everything to you. Though, just so you know, it doesn't matter, if you are muggle-born or not. Come find me once you are settled in."

"There are a lot of things I need to learn. The most important being, what happened to my brother. He started Hogwarts two years ago, but never came home after Christmas that year. The teacher who came to inform me about Hogwarts wouldn't tell us anything. She said she didn't know anybody with my brother's name in Hogwarts."

"That's concerning. I guess we need to have our talk sooner. Tomorrow is a Saturday, so come find me. I would request you to not go around asking questions. I will help you in finding more info on your brother, but we don't want anything happening to you in the meanwhile."

"Thank you so much."

"You are welcome."

The rest of the journey had been boring, in Harry's view. The younger kids had all 'oohed' and 'aahed' upon seeing Hogwarts for the first time. True, Hogwarts as a castle was magnificent. But Harry considered Ilvermony a much better structure than this. He couldn't stop feeling bad about leaving that world behind him.

They entered the building through a port built in a cave and made their way towards the main door. They were greeted there by a plethora of ghosts and one stern looking professor, who did a double take on seeing him. She briefed them on the house selection process (Harry knew about it, thanks to Sirius) and upon the ring of a bell, promptly ushered them into the great hall.

Another round of 'oohs' and 'aahs' followed. For once, Harry accepted that the magic which caused the roof to reflect the sky outside was impressive. He had his qualms about it, but decided to keep his thoughts to himself. The bunch of new students were led to the front where on a stool was a hat.

As soon as the first years had entered the great hall, everybody present couldn't take their eyes off one tall student following in the back. Rumors had already spread that the 'Boy-who-lived' was coming to Hogwarts this year. And boy, he didn't disappoint. He looked fit, tall and brimmed with confidence. He had a sense of authority around him. He had unruly black hair and green emeralds for eyes. He looked every bit like a heir to the family he represented. Boys were all looking dumb-struck, while girls couldn't help swoon over the celebrity who had walked into the school. Only two people weren't affected by the boy's entry, one who wrote letters to him every once in a while, and another who had shared a carriage on the way here. Though both were smiling on the inside for having him there. It was like an unknown force which made them feel safe and secure, which they had never felt in the past, particularly not in this school.

The teacher's desk had a varied level of emotions. Some like, the students were in awe at seeing the 'Boy-who-lived' in person. But it was the emotions displayed by two that caught Harry's attention. He knew who both of them were, Sirius and Bella had made sure of that. One, a teacher in black with greasy hair. This person was Severus Snape, who had been instrumental in killing Harry's grandparents. Snape looked at Harry with equal loathing. Sirius had explained how Dumbledore had vouched for Snape after Voldemort's fall, and Bella had told him how he had personally gone to kill Harry's family. Harry had long decided that this man would suffer. All that was remaining to be decided was when that would happen. The second person of course was Dumbledore himself. Sitting on his high chair with a twinkle in his eyes and a satisfying smile on his face, he looked like he had achieved something. Harry knew what it was. He would let him have this moment. He wasn't here to antagonize Dumbledore; this had been drilled into him by Sirius ever since the news of the new law had been passed. Harry had made one promise to Sirius though- He would not antagonize him until he felt that Dumbledore wasn't trying to control him. Harry had always grown up in an environment where free will meant something. If his free will was being taken away for something that wasn't his fault, he wouldn't let it pass. After learning that his birth-parents and his great-grandfather had also been advocates of the same philosophy, it had become one of his most important principles of life. His sessions with aunt Bella had only strengthened his views on the same.

Dumbledore was ecstatic at seeing Harry Potter for the first time. He couldn't wait to have his first conversation with him, and get him on track to complete the prophecy. He had no idea what Harry knew or how skilled he was, but he was confident that he could get Harry to follow him to support the Light. There was no other option.

Soon the hat went into song mode-

"Once upon a time, when things were different,

A threat to kids born with magic was apparent,

Together came four learned minds,

To build a school for all different kinds.

Godric Gryffindor, one of the brave,

A true friend who would fight to the grave.

Rowena Ravenclaw, a lady with smarts,

Witch extraordinaire with a love for tarts.

Helga Hufflepuff, caring and friendly,

To her enemies, she was known to be deadly,

Last was the sly and cunning Slytherin.

Potions and strategy were his domain.

They built the school on this moor,

To teach the students knocking on its door.

To sort students, they created me,

A job I still perform wiith a lot of glee.

So come wear me and I will guide you,

On the journey to find the true you.

Don't be scared, I am just a thinking hat,

You and me, we will have a chat."

Everyone clapped at the song, The stern looking professor (McGonagall, apparently) instructed the new students to sit on the chair and wear the hat, when called upon. She started calling the first years one by one. Soon, Dennis was called. Harry saw a slight frown on Dumbledore's face when Dennis's name was called. He was sorted into Gryffindor. Slowly, the number of unsorted students trickled down until he was the only one left. Harry had expected him to be sorted last.

"Harry Potter"

Harry didn't move. Snape looked mutinous. Dumbledore looked eager for Harry's reaction.

McGonagall called again

"Harry Potter"

Harry didn't want to cause a huge scene so soon. He turned towards the professor and said- "You seem to have my records wrong. The name is Harry Potter-Black. It would be good of the school to remember how they were able to get me to attend here."

Dumbledore looked angry, but didn't react. McGonagall gave a quick look towards him with pursed lips.

Harry walked to the stool and sat down. He pulled the hat onto his head.

"Hmmm. A trained mind, it's very rare that I come across such minds. You don't want to be here, but have been compelled to. Plenty of smarts, and an urge to change the world. The headmaster wants you to be sorted into Gryffindor, gave me subtle hints, if I can call them that. Where do you want to go? You can fit into any one of them."

"Mom was in Slytherin, Dad in Gryffindor. I am my own person, and want to create my own destiny, so both of them are out of question. I would prefer Ravenclaw, as Luna is already there. She will keep things interesting."

"So be it. Be wary though. There are many people in this castle who want to influence you."

"So, I have been told. Thanks for the advice."

"I expect a great many things from you. All the best in – RAVENCLAW"

Harry's robes changed to reflect the Ravenclaw colors of blue and bronze, and the house symbol appeared on the crest of his robe. Harry kept the hat back on the stool and walked towards the Ravenclaw table, who were cheering loudly for him. The other houses looked dejected, Gryffindor particularly and so did Dumbledore. Harry would have said he looked furious, but he didn't know the man well. He settled into a seat next to Luna, who had been given a wide berth by her housemates.

Dumbledore slowly rose up from his seat and addressed the gathering.

"Welcome back to our old students, and Welcome, new ones to another year at Hogwarts. I have some notices to give before dinner is served. So, let's get them out of the way.

This year is going to be special for many reasons. We already know of one. After a long time, Harry Potter has returned to England and has happily agreed to continue his education at Hogwarts. I welcome him to the premiere magical education institute in the world and request you all to make him feel at home.

Next, Hogwarts along with other magical institutes has come together to host a tournament to showcase the best magical talent of their schools. I am happy to announce that the International Wizarding Cup will be held this year, after a hiatus of close to 300 years. This event will take place throughout the year at different places across the world and will be open to all above 17 years of age. However, only one student will represent Hogwarts as its champion. Hogwarts will also be hosting one stage of the tournament. We will play host to the participants, guests and judges. The event will be flagged off on Halloween and will conclude on the summer solstice. The champion of Hogwarts will be exempt from all end of year exams. The winner will win a combined pool of 50000 galleons and eternal glory. Further information will be posted on the noticeboards in the common rooms.

Mr. Filch has reminded me that the list of banned objects has gone up to 422 items and a detailed list will be posted on his office board. The Forbidden Forest is exactly what the name suggests, forbidden. Quidditch tryouts will be held for all the teams and further notices will be provided by the respective captains.

So, without any further ado, let's all eat." He clapped his hands and food suddenly appeared on all the four tables.

Harry had listened to everything that Dumbledore had said. He would be asking Dora to participate. If he had been older, he would surely have. Maybe in a few years, he might get another chance.

His housemates had all been very excited to meet him. Some had asked him to come sit with them. A cute Asian girl and her friend had been particularly incessant. They had even thrown a dirty glare towards Luna. Harry had politely declined all their requests and was happy sitting with Luna. He had happily feasted on the food. He did miss the traditional American food of Pizza, hamburgers and the like. Even the desserts were weird here. Harry absolutely loved donuts. He didn't find them anywhere here. His life had taken a turn for the worst. Only time would tell, if he would like Hogwarts or not. Except for Luna, it hadn't been a very good first impression at all. Hopefully the classes would be better.

End of Chapter.

AN: Daphne was only passingly mentioned. She will become more prominent in future chapters. Hermione and Ron wouldn't be that important from a plot perspective. But Harry will surely have some debates with both of them and some others. Again, i wont be bashing them, only putting across a difference of opinion. Thank you for stopping by. Happy reading.