A/N: This update is slightly later than I wanted it to be, but I assure a majority of that time was spent trying to justify the actions of Dumbledore. I stopped trying. I was going for a senile angle, but it didn't work. Just consider it a plot device. JK Rowling used plenty during the Harry Potter series… I must say, I can't sneak any details past some of you people. The things I learned about the Black family were numerous after a PM asking how Sirius could be Lord Black. A quick check of the HP wiki showed that Sirius shouldn't have been Lord Black in 1981. I'm going to conveniently ignore that… However, I did get some ideas for subplots for this story, or other stories to be completed at a later time based on some of my discoveries. Sorry for the long Author's Note. Thank you to all that reviewed and/or followed and/or favorited. The fact that I'm popular enough to earn over 100 follows on this story for one chapter that was incredibly short makes me smile.

Disclaimer: See Prologue. (Though I would contest to the reviewer that said JK Rowling and Warner Bros. would be within their rights to sue for an OC I claimed as mine. The fact remains that I probably won't add one, so it is a moot point.)

Chapter 1

Emerald green eyes looked out a window that overlooked the vast grounds of Potter Manor. With a sigh, Harry Potter considered how his life was different from many other people his age. 9 years ago, to the day, a madman had taken the lives of his parents. Then, when said madman tried to take Harry's own life, his curse had somehow backfired, killing him, and forever making Harry a celebrity. The aftermath of that event would forever be known as Dumbledore's Folly. Somehow, the supposed Leader of the Light had forgotten that Harry actually had living magical relatives in his grandparents that had custody rights to him. And even if they had been unable or unwilling to take him in, Harry also had a godfather in Sirius Black that also would have had a claim of guardianship over Harry. So when Dumbledore had sent Harry to live in the muggle world with his maternal aunt and uncle, it came as no surprise that the ensuing lawsuit filed by Dorea and Charlus Potter, Harry's grandparents, tarnished Dumbledore's reputation, and completely threw into question his previous actions' credibility. Within a matter of months, Harry had been returned to his grandparents; along with a compensation sum of 10,000 galleons that Dumbledore had been forced to pay.

Harry's time growing up with his grandparents had been spent enjoying the company of his family and friends. Harry's closest friend, Neville Longbottom, who was in a similar boat with Harry in regards to his parental situation, came over often, and the two often gained comparisons to their fathers from both Dorea Potter and Augusta Longbottom, who also had a friendship going.

Harry was also able to spend a lot of time with his godfather, Sirius Black, who had been invited to stay at Potter Manor for a few years after the sudden deaths of James and Lily Potter. Sirius had eventually married Emmeline Vance, but due to pregnancy complications, had named Harry Heir to House Black. Combined with Harry's status as Heir to House Potter, and Neville's status as Heir to House Longbottom, the friends stood to become one of the most politically influential duos in the wizarding world.

When Harry was 5, the elder Potters had also managed to track down another friend of James and Lily's in the form of Remus Lupin, and offer him residence at Potter Manor. Lupin had originally declined, but later changed his mind to be closer to his two remaining links to James and Lily, those being Sirius and Harry. Remus and Sirius often regaled Harry with tales from their Hogwarts days; stories of pranks, Harry's parents, and other close friends they had. One name they tried to avoid as much was Peter Pettigrew.

When Harry wasn't with Neville, Sirius, or Remus, he was often learning what was expected of him as the Heir of two Ancient and Most Noble houses in the wizarding world. As a result, Harry had become well versed in the history of many pureblooded wizarding houses, wizarding politics, etiquette, dancing, and everything else that came with being a member of wizarding nobility. Along with this were a number of political parties and social functions that families such as the Potters, Longbottoms, and Blacks were invited to based on their elite positions within society. Through these, Harry had made a number of friends and political allies that were around his age. Among them were Susan Bones, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, Tracey Davis and the Greengrass sisters Daphne and Astoria. Harry was well aware that many of them had a parent that was a Death Eater, but since most Death Eaters were imprisoned in Azkaban, their influence on their children was minimal.

Harry was brought out of his reflections when Tipsy, one of the Potter house elves popped next to him.

"Master Charlus requests young master Harry's presence at once," said Tipsy, bowing, and leaving as quickly as he had come.

Sighing, Harry got to his feet, and made his way to his grandfather's bedroom. Things hadn't been looking good for Charlus recently, as he had been struck severely ill, and every healer that had seen him hadn't been able to do more than extend his life span. By how much, no one really knew, but it seemed like it would take a miracle for Charlus to see the New Year.

Arriving at his grandfather's bedroom, Harry knocked on the door.

"Come in," called a voice from the other side of the door, and Harry entered. It was still shocking to see the once strong and proud figure of Charlus Potter look so weak and frail, lying in bed with the bedspread up to his chin. Harry knew that he was extremely skinny under that bedspread.

"You wished to see me, Grandfather?" inquired Harry, respectfully.

"Yes," rasped Charlus. "I can feel that my time will be coming soon. I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you."

Harry felt tears coming to his eyes, and he shut them, trying to keep them from falling. "Don't say that, Grandpa," he said. "You must have faith, certainly it isn't too late to figure something out!" Harry cried in desperation.

"Harry, please don't delude yourself. You had to know this was coming, sooner or later. Everyone dies; it is a part of the circle of life. I need to trust that you will take care of your grandmother, and carry on the tradition of House Potter when it becomes time for you to ascend to the Head of House position."

"Of course, Grandfather," Harry said, wiping the tears from his face, and nodding in the affirmative. It was hard for him to see the closest thing he to a father on his deathbed.

"You're a good kid, Harry. I have no doubt you'll be a better man than I ever was," said Charlus, who finished his statement with a huge, rattling cough. To a ten year-old Harry, the thought that he could ever be a better man than his grandfather was absurd, and he said as much. "Don't sell yourself Harry, you have the potential to be great. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your grandfather. Just remember to keep your friends close, and you'll be able to do anything. Now come give me a hug."

Harry gave his grandfather a hug, told him he loved him, and with one last look behind him, shut the door.

The following morning, Potter Manor was in an uproar. Charlus had passed sometime during the night, and there was a lot to be done. Augusta had come over with Neville to help Dorea with the funeral arrangements, Sirius and Remus were busy filing the death with the ministry of magic, and Harry was just sort of in a funk. Not even the appearance of his best friend did much to help Harry get out of it. It was extremely hard on Harry, as Charlus had the most impact on his early life, and it would take a while to get used to life without him.

Later in the day, Dorea took Harry to Gringotts. Technically, Harry couldn't claim Lordship of House Potter until he was 17 years old, however, as the oldest surviving male of the House, he could claim status as Heir Apparent to House Potter, which meant he could get involved with minor politics of his family, including forming and dissolving alliances with other Houses, but could not, say, vote on the Wizengamot. Dorea would be the acting Head of House Potter until Harry came of age, much like Augusta Longbottom was the acting Head of House Longbottom until Neville came of age. While Harry and Dorea were there, they withdrew the necessary funds for the funeral, and set a date for the will to be read, November 4, which was in three days. The funeral would be held on the 6th.

The will reading went as expected, with Harry officially being named Heir to House Potter, negating anyone else's claim, regardless of how unlike such a claim would be. There were a number of people that were given small amounts of money, and that was that.

The funeral was a somber affair, with Harry looking completely lost throughout most of it. His friends tried to be respectful of his feelings, while trying to get him involved in their conversations. It broke their hearts to see the usually energetic Harry looking so dead. The only one who could really get Harry to open up was Neville, and even then, it wasn't much. Eventually, the funeral ended, with Harry making a short speech during it, and Harry retreated to his room in Potter Manor.

Eventually, Harry got over it, and by the time the annual Christmas Ministry Ball came around, he was back to his normal self. Harry walked down the stairs in his best dress robes to see his grandmother waiting for him. This would be the first ball she would be attending without Charlus in more than 50 years, a fact which weighed heavily on her heart. However, seeing her grandson dressed so splendidly helped her to forget that fact, somewhat. "Are you ready, sweetie?" she asked. When Harry replied affirmatively, she turned towards the fireplace, grabbed some floo powder, and firmly stated "Ministry of Magic Ballroom." She stepped out of the fireplace upon arriving, just in time to see Harry land on his butt, coming out of the fireplace next to her. For someone who had been trained so thoroughly in Wizarding culture, it was beyond Dorea, Harry, and all of his friends how he could be so bad with all forms of magical travel.

Upon their arrival, Harry and Dorea had to pass through security, which was the same as it was every year. Predictably, the guard did a double take when Harry introduced himself. After they got through the security checkpoint, Dorea told Harry to meet her back there at 10 o'clock, and the two went on their separate ways, mingling with the crowd that was already there. Harry found Neville, Susan, and Draco already there, and was told that Pansy was getting something to drink, and Tracey was using the restroom. Blaise and the Greengrasses hadn't shown up. The trio was quickly rejoined by Pansy, with Tracey showing back up a minute later. A few minutes after that, Blaise, looking cocky as he usually did, joined them. Upon asking about the Greengrass sisters, he was told the same thing Harry had been told: they were yet to show up.

Sure enough, about 20 minutes later, Daphne and her younger sister Astoria showed up, effectively completing their social circle, which was among the most formidable in their age group. The only one that could claim to challenge them was one featuring Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Terry Boot, Mandy Brocklehurst, and Millicent Bulstrode. Both groups had allies that were both older and younger than them, but the cores of the groups all happened to be the same age. Both groups knew they were minorities as compared to the Wizengamot as a whole, but Harry was positive his group would be able to persuade more of the neutral families, and have the most significant political clout. Being the Boy-Who-Lived did have its political advantages, after all.

That was another reason both groups were excited to begin Hogwarts. To muggleborns, some half-bloods, and a select few purebloods, mainly the ones that had fallen from the ranks of the elite generations ago, Hogwarts was just a school. To everyone else, it was not only a school, but a political playground; a place where life-long alliances were formed; where powerhouses were created. It was a site of courtship between the main political groups and the as-of-yet unattached families. Everyone that had a seat on the Wizengamot knew that Hogwarts was where the most important political wheeling-and-dealing would be done for their entire lives.

The ball was fantastic, as it was every year. There was the usual political talk going on among the adults, but the children just enjoyed socializing with each other. Harry got at least one dance with each of the girls in his group of friends, and danced with a wide variety of people, from his grandmother, to Dolores Umbridge, a toad-like woman who gave Harry the chills. He got away from her as soon as it was acceptable to still be considered polite.

Eventually, 10 o'clock came, and Harry said his goodbyes to his remaining friends, as a few of them had already left, and then met with his grandmother at the security check-point, where they floo'ed back to Potter Manor.

The next seven months were spent by Harry preparing for his first year of Hogwarts. He didn't actually learn any magic, but he spent his time reading up on much of his first year material. It wouldn't do to be unprepared. On August 1, Harry and Neville had a joint birthday party at Longbottom Hall, where their closest friends were invited. The highlight of this was when Susan kissed Harry on the cheek, following a dance. Harry had a hard time focusing on much else the rest of the night, being the now-11-year-old that he was. The group made plans to meet up in Diagon Alley the following week for school shopping.

The trip to the Alley was routine. Harry got a snowy-owl from his grandmother as a going-away gift, which he named Hedwig, a name out of his history book, and the group got their supplies. By far, the most exciting part was getting wands, where Harry learned that his wand was the twin to Voldemort's. Harry didn't know if there was any significance to this, but decided not to dwell on it, as Voldemort had been dead for nearly 10 years. The group finished their shopping by getting ice cream, and they said they would meet on the Hogwarts Express come September 1, except of course for Astoria, who wouldn't start Hogwarts for another 2 years.

A/N: Bleh! I don't like this chapter one bit. It is quite dull, but I suppose necessary. It is the layout that bugs me. I might revisit it later (code: probably won't), but it serves its main purpose of giving some background into Harry's past. The next chapter will contain some actual substance, I assure you. Before everyone starts digging me for making Malfoy Harry's ally, just remember his daddy is securely locked up on an island. I'm going on vacation for Thanksgiving, but I think I will be able to post a chapter or two while I'm gone. If I'm not, then the next update won't be for a little while.

Also, if anyone has any preference as to where Harry is sorted, please tell me. It won't make a bit of difference beyond quidditch (maybe?), and perhaps who Harry gets paired up with en route to his final pairing with Ms. Greengrass. Oh, whoops, I gave it away. I hope no one was expecting him to end up with Neville or Dorea, though…

TheDarkMind10