I don't own Harry Potter. I do own the story and any original characters that I create. I seek no profit from my writings in the Harry Potter Universe. The rights are owned by J K Rowling and whoever happens to own Warner Bros.
Harry Potter returns to 4 Privet Drive a broken boy. He's seen another boy callously cut down in front of him, he's been forced to duel Voldemort, seen the ghosts of his parents and been told how proud they are of him. Then Dumbledore makes him return to Durzkaban, instead of spending the Summer with Sirius. Harry is emotionally exhausted.
Harry had found his birth certificate. He was Henry James Potter. He'd found an envelop from Sirius containing his blood adopted name. That was Hadrian James Aquila Potter-Black. As long as it was not for a formal event, Harry was more than happy to use Harry as his name.
Harry knew from what Sirius had/would tell him that Hagrid told him he was taking Harry to Hogwarts for Dumbledore. Had Hagrid said anything else, there's no way Sirius would have let Hagrid take Harry anywhere. Dumbledore still had no right to order him removed. Harry was sure of this. He needed to talk with Amelia Bones or someone she recommended. Dumbledore had taken Harry's blood for both the Blood Ward at 4 Privet Drive and for Hogwarts so Dumbledore could track Harry anywhere in Hogwarts.
Harry wanted a Board of Governors that Dumbledore could not control. Harry wanted Amos Diggory as Minister. Harry was a ten-year-old boy who had already killed two men. Killed, murdered, yet Harry saw himself as an avenging angel. Grindelwald had wiped out his American relatives, Harry had wiped him out. He had given him the tools to take down Dumbledore. Pettigrew had betrayed his parents to Voldemort. Harry did not feel guilty about either death. Harry also owned Nurmengard and all its treasures both magical and monetary.
His schoolboy tormentors required a special solution and one that required no magic. The Dursleys were away on holiday. That was perfect for a night time excursion to firebomb the other members of the Harry Hunters besides Big D. These illegal activities did not bother Harry. The Dursleys spread lies about his criminal proclivities. Harry was only trying to live down to their expectations.
Harry liked his 9" redwood wand with the tail feather from a Thunderbird core. He liked that it was an illegal wand. He'd dealt with the illegal blood wards that drained his magic. He'd accessed the Hogwarts wards. It was not that he minded Dumbledore knowing where he was all the time, it was the additional power drain he did not like.
Harry liked reading his parents' journals. He did not much like the fact that his father and his friends had bullied Severus Tobias Snape. His mother's journals were much more sympathetic to the man highlighting his beatings at the hands of his father who had murdered his mother. Lily had not covered up the fact that Severus had murdered his father. She had thought it justified. Harry wondered why this Severus had waited until his mother had been murdered before he'd acted. Harry would not kill the Dursleys. He could quite easily. He cooked for them. He could have poisoned them. He had made his house Unplottable, Untrackable and Untraceable. He could use magic on them any time he wanted.
Harry had not taken nearly being killed for having a better report card than Dudley lying down. He had taken to fabricating report cards. Most of the time he got out of showing them any report cards just by saying they were worse than Dudleys. Harry had now managed to remove all the bindings on his magical power. He had not been able to end the magical redirect on his mail. Harry was not sure he wanted to.
The bookstore in Knockturn Alley had been a boon for old books that dealt with magical families and their genealogies. Harry had learnt that he should have had a Regent established for him. That he hadn't lead Harry to believe that his father had not known he was Lord Potter.
After the Dursleys returned, Harry asked Aunt Petunia about the Evans' family tree. Dudley though this was a good idea, too. Petunia didn't. She had been adopted. Dudley had pouted and had not even needed to threaten a temper tantrum. Vernon had enquired why Harry had not suggested he research his family history. Harry had replied that he had thought Uncle Vernon would have done that years before. Vernon had preened. Harry had not got any better treatment as a result, but he did have more information about the Evans' and Petunia's actual family. Fortunately, he was alone with Petunia in the kitchen when he told her,
"You had enough magic in you to be magical, had you wanted."
"Not that," Petunia had said.
"Both you and Vernon have squibs in your family lines. Whilst Dudley's not magical, any children he fathers will probably be magical."
"I, we, don't want that for Dudley."
"If his spouse has no magic in her, maybe not. There are enough squibs and their descendants in the normal human population for there to be an upsurge in the number of magicals. Many muggleborn re-enter the muggle world as they can't get jobs in the magical world. Since most people in the magical world have heard of me, it would not be beyond the realms of possibility that someone will deliberately target him."
Harry frowned. He had revealed something he should not have. Petunia was looking at him with worry.
"Target?"
"Anyone know you and Lily were sisters?"
"Only that boy."
"What boy?"
"A greasy haired git," Petunia said. Harry laughed, internally, Snape.
"No, he would definitely tell the wrong sort," Harry agreed.
"You must promise to keep him safe," Petunia said.
"I will," Harry said, not really knowing if he could keep that promise. Harry did his chores and beyond that the Dursleys left him alone. Harry knew he could not leave the Dursleys, not with Dumbledore able to track him by his blood and had a blasted Phoenix. The spells his mother had provided did not say they'd stop a phoenix getting to him. Harry had no wish to find out. He was a quick reader and retained most of what he read. He was not a speed reader. He could not just flick through a book and know everything it contained. He did not want to use magic to do it, in case there was a spell that could end his knowledge acquired magically.
Harry was in Nurmengard the time the phoenix tried to gain access. The phoenix failed. This raised Harry's confidence somewhat. He looked at his genealogy, as much as he'd been able to piece together. He should have had a Regent drawn from another House of the Sacred 28 to act for him until he was of age. That he had not meant he was the Lord and able to act for his House. His word was enough to bind his House. He had no need of a magical guardian.
Harry managed to deal with the wards at 4 Privet Drive. They now drew 5% of his magical power. He did the same to the Hogwarts wards. Harry found he had some control over the wards there. He worked on those, when he could. Harry had removed the bindings placed upon him, except for the mail redirect. The books at Nurmengard were most helpful in that regard.
At school, Harry learnt as much as he could in the library about Parliament and the Legal Services as he could. It was not much, as children's books did not go into details. Grindelwald had not been one for law and governing, either. He had plenty of books on philosophy and theories on how to run countries, but little on the government of magical Britain.
Harry made contact with the Potter and Fleamont house-elves. A spot of luck, even though he could not access them or have any possessions from the properties. Harry knew that Dumbledore's claims that both Potter Manor and Fleamont Hall had been destroyed in the first wizarding war were false. Harry had met a couple of wizards, well one was a witch, but Harry was convinced they were spying on him for Dumbledore. Harry had no idea how many wizards were on Dumbledore's payroll. He did not know who they were. His big advantage was their terrible dress sense. Their apparel was several decades out of date.
It was September 20th 1990 and Harry had finished school for Thursday and found Mrs Granger in her car waiting for him. Harry got in.
"Harry, something happened that I think I need to talk to you about."
"Nice to see you again, Mrs Granger. What happened?" Harry asked.
"Yesterday evening, we got visited by a Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Hermione learnt that she's a witch. We've until July 31st next year to send an owl accepting her place there from September 1st 1991.
She turned our table in the lounge into a pig and back again. I mentioned that I was Hermione's magical guardian and McGonagall said that was not possible. She said that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster, would be her Magical Guardian, as he was for all Muggleborn at the school.
I repeated that I was Hermione's Magical Guardian and was registered as such at the Ministry. She said she would have Dumbledore sort this out. Then she left.
Hermione wants to go there and she's being talked to by this Dumbledore and being taught spells. That's what she said."
"That's concerning. Even if you got the Ministry to tell him to stop doing that, they could not enforce the ban," Harry said. "Why is Hermione so keen to go there?"
"Hermione has no friends at school. The other girls there use her to write their essays. She's a teacher's pet. She believes what books tell her. I feel terrible telling you this."
"I can see why, Mrs Granger. You think she'll be used the same way at Hogwarts. What other choices does she have? What other schools could she go to? She could be home schooled and you could employ a tutor."
"That sounds less expensive than the £25000 a year Hogwarts will cost. I'll go back to the Ministry I'll see about getting legal representation. This Headmaster who can listen into other peoples' conversations and teach spells to a girl who is not yet attending his school. It is an invasion of privacy."
"I think she wants to meet the Boy-Who-Lived and be his friend. You cannot let her buy any of the Young Harry Potter books. She would recognize me. That I do not want."
"I get that, Harry, I really do. I just don't know what to do." Mrs Granger looked quite distraught. She'd not have been there, had she anywhere else to be.
"Is there a way to stop Dumbledore doing his eavesdropping. No. A way to detect him. Probably not. Go up to Hogsmeade, both you and your husband. If you see a pile of ruins, you're Muggles. If you can see Hogwarts, you're squibs, magicals who can't use magic or much magic. As long as you haven't mentioned the Dagworth-Granger thing, if she is – yes, I know I said you should - it'll give you additional power, I hope. I know Hermione could go to Beauxbatons. Durmstrang is another option though they'll respond that they don't take 'her sort'.
I think you are right and she'll find making friends difficult. She's competitive, isn't she?"
I know you'll look out for her."
"Of course, I will. I'm where I am because of the Hogwarts Headmaster. I am sure I have tried to run away, more than once. You've seen my back. You know what my relatives are like. He's said I've been safe and well. Untrue on both counts."
"He's a couple more jobs. He's the Chief Warlock of magical Britain and Supreme Mugwump. He recently lost the post of Chief Sorcerer."
"That makes him powerful and dangerous to cross," Harry looked so serious as he said that. He'd kept the mail redirect on so Dumbledore did not know that Harry was free. Dumbledore would seek to control him and who had access to him, when he went to Hogwarts. "If Hermione starts showing an interest in me, have her research my family. If you get removed as Hermione's Magical Guardian, see Ted Tonks in Knockturn Alley. It's the first store on your right as you enter. Don't linger. Make sure it is daylight."
"Thanks for offering such comfort. I was hoping for more from the Boy-Who-Lived."
"I am not the one who has been spreading that idiotic title. I suspect I know who has."
Mrs Granger drove Harry back to the road leading to his address and drove off. The boy was only 10. Hermione had already been shopping for her supplies and Mrs Granger had confiscated the first young Harry book. The real Harry was not like he was in the book. There he lived in a Castle in Wales with friends and had a friendly dragon. He rescued damsels in distress. Saturday coming, they'd drop Hermione off with her Grandma and she and her husband would go to Hogsmeade and see what they saw.
Albus Dumbledore saw letters from Harry Potter appearing in the papers that served magical Britain. He did not know how Amelia Bones was doing this and he could not call her out. First the Hogwarts board of Governors was 9 Light wizards, none of his faction and three Dark faction, but not Death Eaters. For the first time in living memory, Albus Dumbledore had a board of Hogwarts that he did not control.
That spike against him was nothing compared to the election of Amos Diggory as Minister. Fudge was defeated. Amos was a traditionalist. He did not however listen to Lucius Malfoy or Albus Dumbledore. Albus planned a suitable vengeance against Xeno Lovegood. His wife was a spell maker, a notoriously dangerous profession. Perhaps it was time to unleash Severus. Amos had elevated Arthur Weasley to be Senior Undersecretary. Fudge had taken over Bagman's role, as Head of Sports and Umbridge received International Cooperation. She was assisted by Hopkirk moved from Underage magic and Edgecombe from Floo Transportation. Amelia got an expanded department.
Thanks to Harry, Amelia knew she had 15 Death Eaters working in her department. She knew who they were and would act to eliminate them. She commissioned ex-Senior Auror Mad-eye Moody to kill these traitors.
Lord Arcturus Black was going after House Crouch. If he succeeded House Crouch would become a House Black possession. Barty Crouch Senior would be in Azkaban for the rest of his life. He'd been the one who had sent Heir Sirius Orion Black to Azkaban without trial. Lord Black had no way to get at Dumbledore. That made his fury towards Barty all the worse.
Harry finally found the section in the 13th Edition that explained why Dumbledore held no title directly. House Dumbledore had backed the Gunpowder Plot lead by Guy Fawkes. That was why the name of Dumbledore's phoenix had always sounded so familiar. The Lord and the Heir had been killed and the House had been forbidden to hold any titles or seats in the Wizengamot in their own right. The Goblins had banned any member of House Dumbledore from holding Vaults at Gringotts or entering Gringotts territory. Forever. House Potter and House Black had lead magical Britain against House Dumbledore and its allies. Harry had no difficulty believing that Albus Dumbledore wanted revenge against both Houses. Dumbledore's own father had died in Azkaban for using magic against Muggles. Yet Albus Dumbledore was the supposed friend of Muggleborns.
Harry had documentary evidence showing a black clothed hooded man speaking with the Evans' at a set of traffic lights. He needed the spell that turned photographs into magic ones so he could see the man's face. So far, no luck.
The Goblins owed Harry for failing to honour the contract with his parents. They raided Hogwarts. The High Throne Dumbledore had sat in the past decade, nearly, was reclaimed as a Potter Heirloom. The Potter Family Grimoire, Invisibility Cloak, Vault Key 687, The History of House Potter and the Genealogy of House Potter were all returned to the main Potter family Vault, with the exception of the Vault Key that Gringotts retained for Harry.
Amelia Bones cleared up the 'confusion' over which Evans James had been married to. MACUSA now had the correct information. Dumbledore had claimed that was just a mix up, a misunderstanding. That 'little' mix up had caused MACUSA Bounty Hunters to try to kill Harry. Friends of Harry's parents had protected him. Many of those Bounty Hunters were buried in the British countryside.
The goblins confirmed that the time turner owned by Charlus Potter was not returned. Harry made it known that, if the time-tuner had not been returned by Christmas of that year to go public and go anti-Dumbledore. The myth of Dumbledore was established by his day long fight with Grindelwald. Harry knew he could destroy Dumbledore. The timing was everything. Harry laughed at his own joke.
Harry suspected Hermione had been recruited by Dumbledore to be his watcher. Friend had been unintended. Ron Weasley would not be given the time of day. The coward would fill a lonely grave, if Harry had anything to do with it. The one time wearing of hand-me-downs, the lying about everywhere else being full and that was just the first day on the train. Harry failing to stop Ron usurping the position of second for a duel that got them detention with Filch was another day. Second day, if Harry's future memory was working. How had the twins known where to come to get him away from the Dursleys during the summer holidays at the end of first year? Harry had never given any Weasley his address. He'd only ever given Hermione his phone number, so she could contact him.
The only other friend he'd had at Hogwarts was Luna Lovegood, made at the end of fourth year. He'd only met her, when he'd gone outside to think. He'd do his best to keep Luna's mother alive, too. She'd had too much organ damage to live, from what Luna had said. The Potters had invented Skele-Gro. Harry just needed something that did the same for organs. 1001 Most Potent Potions had no potion like it. Harry had checked all the way through, four times. He'd have to invent one.
The Fleamont House-Elves helped as best they could. Watching a Potter create a potion was their biggest thrill. Harry worked very hard on it. Harry thought repairing the blood vessels would be the first thing. He asked his teacher at school how that type of injury would be healed. First, he'd need to clean up the injury so that parts that belonged to other things were not where they were not supposed to be. That was the same base as the Skele-Gro potion. Then he'd need to fix everything in its proper place. The anatomy model at school was every so helpful in that regard. He was finished by Christmas.
At Hogwarts, Dumbledore pondered who would be Head Boy and Head Girl for the following year. This year Charlie Weasley and Victoria Pimpelgarde, both Gryffindors, held the positions. Charlie was not playing Quidditch, to Minerva's great annoyance. The last time Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup had been in Bill Weasley's second year. He'd been a Seeker, too. This year looked like another Slytherin year, too. He'd make Nymphadora Tonks the head girl. That would mean she owed him. Peter Blenkinship from Ravenclaw would be Head Boy. He was Department of Mysteries material. Get him out of Dumbledore's way as soon as possible. Dumbledore left to diffuse yet another Snape v Minerva row. This was the reality of Hogwarts. Dumbledore was already planning for Hermione to boss Harry around and for Ron to be the lazy friend who kept everyone else away from Harry. That was the key. To keep Harry isolated. To make sure Harry had no other friends. No family outside of the Weasleys. After the Dursleys that would be easy to manage. Harry was a pig raised to slaughter. For the Greater Good, after all.
The so-called pig, was behind the attacks on Dumbledore and Snape that started that Christmas. Amelia Bones and Griselda Marchbanks added the detail for the attack on snape. No new Aurors, healers and Potion Masters had come out of Hogwarts since Snape started teaching there. Snape's policy of accepting Outstanding OWL students only was in violation of the Hogwarts Charter which laid down that any pupil attaining an Exceeds Expectations in an OWL could study the NEWT in that subject.
MACUSA could not do enough to make it up to Harry for getting his mother wrong. They'd provided copious notes on Grindelwald's last stand. Albus Dumbledore was only a schoolteacher. He could not fight all day. Molly Weasley was the loudest defender of Dumbledore. Harry had Tonks fire back that Molly was not there. She could not repudiate the testimony of those who were. She was the one who used amortentia on Arthur Weasley at Hogwarts.
Amos Diggory took exception to Molly Weasley using amortentia on his good friend, Arthur. He was determined to get to the bottom of things. Amelia Bones held a trial. Molly was found guilty. Veritaserum was not required. Molly had bragged to women at Hogwarts. One of whom had been Arthur's intended. She relished the chance to get revenge. Arthur divorced Molly and dismissed her from the family. Molly went back to the Prewetts forbidden to have any further contact with the Weasley children.
It did not take long for Mad-Eye Moody to go through 15 Death Employees at the Ministry. They liked going around in groups. 5 in Knockturn Alley got hit by a group of thirty hags. They killed ten of those hags before succumbing. The hags ate well that night. MacNair was sent out on a kill mission for some misbehaviour creature only to find Moody waiting for him. Moody made it look like the creature got him. The remaining 4; Dolohov, Mulciber, Jugdon and Antonovich displayed considerable cunning after MacNair's death. All 4 resigned their posts in the DMLE. Crabbe, Nott, Avery and Rowle put them up. As Lords and members of the Wizengamot, they believed themselves immune from actions of the DMLE.
Harry started learning Karate, after Christmas. Harry was able to move into his House in Godric's Hollow. Not full time as yet. The attic was set up for potions. Harry continued his preparations for treating Mrs Lovegood. He prepared 4 Dittany potions. He was going to use 2 episkey spells to knit the flesh together. Followed by a petrificus totalis and incarcerous to keep the body rigid whilst the organ regrow got to work. He believed he needed to be at the Rookery for 10am on February 9th 1991. Harry was sure the day was famous in the Muggle world, but he could not remember why that was. He'd need to give himself ten minutes to get to the lab. He'd floo from Godric's Hollow.
Harry had done very well in his 11+, coming in second behind Hermione Granger with an IQ of 170.25. That was a score he did not show the Dursleys. Most of Harry's weekends were spent away from 4 Privet Drive. Harry told the Dursleys that he was off doing freaky things, just not around them. The library at school was his hidey-hole for when Dudley decided to hunt him. He also needed the anatomical information, to help his treatment of Mrs Lovegood.
When the 9th rolled around, Harry floo'd in at 9:50 am. He caught Snape casting the spell that resulted in Mrs Lovegood's injuries. He tried a diffindo that hit, but Snape escaped. Harry was too late to stop the attack. He arrived to find Luna cradling her mother. Harry saw her, crying.
"Luna, I can help, but you need to get your father to patronus message St Mungos." Luna looked up, gently lowered her mother to the ground, nodded and took off.
Harry pushed the organs back into the body. He cleaned the wounds using the base of the skele-gro potion. Harry fed Mrs Lovegood the four Dittany potions. A couple of episkeys and the skin joined up again. He just about managed the last two spells. He got the organ regrow potion down Mrs Lovegood's throat and then had to grab his portkey. It was the wrong one. This one took him back to the cupboard under the stairs. He thought of his bed at Godric's Hollow and apparated using the last of his strength.
The St Mundos healers who arrived on scene performed their diagnosis spells. Xeno arrived shortly after them and asked,
"What's going on?"
Luna answered. "Mother was creating a new spell. Something went wrong and the backfire opened up her chest. A boy helped her."
"Somehow, I doubt it was a boy, Miss. This is Potions Master Potion work," the lead St Mungo healer said. "Skele-gro will be needed for the ribs, but we'll hold off on that until the organs are regrown. The rigid body and binding means that the organs will grow where they are supposed to. Never seen that potion before. We'll take her to St Mungos for observation. You'll be able to visit around teatime today. We'll be able to give you a much more in depth report."
Amelia Bones heard about the accident and assigned Shacklebolt to stand guard, just in case it had not been an accident.
Severus Snape got back to Hogwarts. "Albus, Xeno almost caught me. His cutting spell almost drew blood."
"Did you achieve the death we talked about?" Albus asked.
"She was doing a good job of dying when I left," Severus assured Dumbledore.
"Saturday March 7th 1991 for the end of 4 Blacks and a Malfoy," Albus said. "You'll be helping them work out who or what is behind the killing of all these Death Eaters."
"5 more victims of Dragon Pox. Such a shame," Severus said, insincerely.
Xeno and his daughter went to St Mungos. The healers were sure Mrs Lovegood would make a full recovery. In 48 hours they'd be able to take her home. Luna tugged at her father's coat.
"I saw someone cast a spell at the spell mother was working on. I think it would be better if we announced her death, despite the healers' best efforts." Luna spoke so quietly only her father heard her. He then told them to prepare for a funeral to let those who had attacked think they had succeeded.
When Harry read of Mrs Lovegood's death and funeral in the Daily Prophet, he was very down. Snape was very lucky he was no where in the vicinity, for Harry's spells had an extra edge. Mrs Lovegood was in fact hale and hearty and fully understood the need for secrecy.
Harry made 5 Dragon Pox Cure potions. He knew these worked. He delivered them and a handwritten note, in his best hand writing, telling them that Snape who they'd meet on the morrow would poison them with Dragon Pox, the potions being the antidote. It might be wise to allow those who would profit from their deaths to think them dead.
Kreacher released a statement that 4 Blacks and a Malfoy had perished due to Dragon Pox. Lucius Malfoy wasted no time declaring himself to be head of the Malfoy family and the Lord. Abraxas Malfoy swore the air blue at Grimmauld Place. His son would have no life after Abraxas returned 'from the dead'.
Harry still went to the zoo with Dudley for Dudley's 11th birthday. Dudley managed to avoid falling into the snake's home. Harry did free the snake. He thought it was unlikely that the snake made it back to Brazil, but who knew.
The next big event for Harry was the Hogwarts letter and who delivered it. In the event on July 24th an OWL delivered the letter. As Vernon was about to rip it up, Harry spoke. "You do realize they'll just send more OWLs until I receive it, don't you?"
Vernon shoved it back to Harry. "I'll ask to have someone visit tomorrow to tell me all about the wizarding world, since you have not. My father was known for his pranks. Let me start the way I mean to continue. I take it that as long as it costs you nothing, me leaving today and coming back next summer would meet with your approval, if you'll drive me to the Leaky Cauldron."
"Grab your stuff, boy, we'll be leaving right now," Vernon said. Before they did, Petunia gave Harry some information. Harry smiled. So did the Dursleys. Harry was soon at the Leaky Cauldron. Soon at Gringotts and had a nice ten-minute chat for a couple of knuts with his account manager Stoneaxe. The time turner was still outstanding. He had 50000 galleons in his trust vault. It would not refill. He did all his shopping. He picked out Hedwig again. To be fair, Hagrid picked her out first time around. Harry bought Wizengamot robes from Twilfitt and Tattings and some Muggle clothes from a store near the Leaky Cauldon. Harry ordered a Muggle telescope. He spent 5000 galleons. He had about 500 galleons in change. He bought a trunk that was Ron proof. At least, he hoped so. The Leaky Cauldron would be his home until he caught the Hogwarts Express September 1st 1991. That was the day, his solicitors in Godric's Hollow would write to his three tenants telling each of them that their tenancy would end 31st August 1992.
Minerva McGonagall was not looking forward to talking with the Dursleys. They'd be her first afternoon appointment at 2pm. If she had her way, Harry would not be staying a minute longer in that house.