Saturday, 31st October 1881

Dumbledore stood outside the once-quaint cottage in Godrics Hollow and felt a pang deep inside his chest. He had known that a fidelius wouldn't have been enough, but James and Lily had disagreed. The whitewashed walls were blackened around the edges of the explosion, and the wards that had survived were struggling under the heavy pressure of the residual magic.

Bolstering himself, he stepped inside, spotting James lying at the bottom of the stairs. Fearing the worst, he strode over and felt his pulse, finding nothing. His hands were shaking slightly, but a still heart did not necessarily mean death. Casting a diagnostic charm over James, Dumbledore was relieved to see that he was alive, though under a magically enforced artificial stasis not unlike the Draught of Living Death. Immediately, he frowned. Why would Voldemort go to the lengths of breaking Fidelius if he wasn't going to kill the Potters?

He climbed up the stairs with trepidation, his lithe movements odd for someone his age. In the doorway of the nursery, he saw Lily similarly indisposed, lying prone on the floor. Stepping over her, he saw three identical cots with three very similar children sleeping; the only difference was a bright, silvery scar unnaturally placed on the middle twin's forehead. On the floor in the middle of the room was a pile of robes, the body that used to inhabit them nowhere to be seen. Laying next to them was the wand that had been used to commit the crime.

Dumbledore steadied his heartbeat with the trained ease of a well practised Occlumens and quickly analysed the most probable situation. Voldemort had snuck into the Potter's Cottage that James, Lily, and their three children inhabited. This was likely due to the prophecy, the one that Voldemort had only heard half of. The frown that remained on Dumbledore's face deepened. He had hoped to have some time before the next part of the prophecy became apparent, but unfortunately, it appeared he didn't have that luxury.

and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal…

The rune on young Hadrian's forehead that had dimmed slightly was likely that mark, but he had never seen anything remotely similar to it, neither in shape nor colour.

An idea striking him, he cast Prior Incanto at the dropped wand, and only three ghostly images emerged from the tip. The first and most recently cast was a bright green flash that' unnatural sense of horror still managed to permeate the room even in memory form. The next was a red spell that he didn't recognise; it looked much like Stupify, though the red sparks were tinted black. Perhaps the most worrying of all, however, was the first that had been cast within the past hour; Defodio, the gouging charm. Used for little other than forming runes, it gave no indication of what Voldemort had been planning, though every ritual required a sacrifice, and if one had not yet been given the ritual could gain some semblance of sentience and become hungry.

He quickly cast homenum revelio, and was surprised to find one more magical signature that he had not yet discovered. Setting the conundrum of the children aside for a few seconds in favour of the new threat,, he turned and followed his wand to the far side of the room. Training his wand on the discarded pile of clothes on the floor, he was momentarily shocked when a grey rat scurried out and towards the gaping hole in the house, a long thin wand in its mouth.

"Animagus hominibus!"

The space around the rat distorted and Albus quickly began the incantation for a stunner. With a quick glance at the old man, Peter Pettigrew stepped into nothing and disappeared just as a bright red light hit him straight in the solar plexus. Dumbledore debated on whether to follow him, but eventually decided there was no sense in following the tractor right into a trap. No, not when such a delightful opportunity for discovery had just revealed itself in the form of Hadrian Sirius Potter.

A/N: You don't have to read this, but it contains some interesting information pertaining to the future of the story.

I will only put an A/N in this chapter and the last one published because I think that they disrupt the flow too much.

The story will go over all seven years, in the first year, it may seem similar to other WBWL fics, however I assure you it will change very drastically as time goes on. It will follow the central cannon, but very loosely. E.g. Philosophers Stone first year, Chamber of Secrets second year, Azkaban third and Triwizard Tournament fourth etc... Here are the short descriptions for the following books:

Year 1:

After being locked away in the Department of Mysteries for his entire life, Harry is finally let free into the world, only to realise he has parents as well as a twin brother and sister. A blank and damaged slate from his tortured past, Harry throws himself into the monumental task of rising to the top, and mastering the cutthroat temperance necessary to stay there.

Year 2:

After Harry's confrontation with Professor Quirrel, he is determined to study all of the secrets he has unlocked. However, just when he thinks the stress is over, a string of petrifications run through the school and he slowly begins to realise that Gilderoy Lockhart is not who he appears to be.

Year 3:

Harry has slain the Monster of Slytherin, only to foray into the myriad of secrets hidden away in Salazar's Chamber. After the exposure of the last Defence teacher, Harry is even more determined to be on his guard, but upon receiving an offer he can't refuse, Harry realises that the Wizarding World is far larger than he previously thought.

Year 4:

Harry has been forced to look ahead into the future and has realised that not only does he need Britain to be on his side, but also much of the magical world. He is given a perfect opportunity to foster relations with the dawn of the Triwizard Championship, but little does he know that there are forces at play that will sacrifice anything to get what they want, including Harry himself.

Year 5:

The war wards activate around Hogwarts – centuries of headmasters' work all preventing anything entering the walls, but also anything leaving. It just so happens that the only person capable of bringing them down is trapped in a magically induced coma. The last thing Harry hears before isolation, is the rumour of a goblin rebellion brewing on the horizon. It seems that the world is on the precipice of tipping into anarchy, will Harry be able to keep his head above the water and drag himself and his friends through to safety?

Year 6:

Harry's ally has a proposition for him when Harry loses one of his most prized possessions. He offers to take Harry back through his ancestry, and capitalise on what his heritage actually means. The political climate of the wizarding world has grown far more strained, and both sides are forced to compromise their ideals in order to continue recruitment. Harry's situation as a newly formed side is under threat as previous familial connections begin to pull people away from him.

Year 7:

Everything Harry has built has come crashing down on top of him, the most recent betrayal has forced him out of every position of power he has ever coveted, and even some of his most loyal followers and friends are beginning to doubt him. Will he be able to rebuild and place himself in a position that will set him up for the rest of his life, or will he fail and be buried by his own history? Only time will tell.

A quick warning; what characters say or think may not be true. They could be just wrong, they could have biases, they could be attempting to manipulate people. Harry will be immensely strong, but he is still human. He is susceptible to subtle machinations, and that may effect his decisions in ways nearly unnoticeable but vital, just as a butterfly's wings may herald a storm. A good example of this is in one of the first chapters when he meets someone who finally doesn't treat him like a stray coin they might pick up on a street. Every single other person he has met has hurt him in some way or another, so meeting someone that hasn't, and doesn't, effects him deeply even though he doesn't know it. Even when he is told horrific war stories, he thinks they are exaggerated, or he makes excuses, and while they are correct, they are also blown out of proportion. You'll need to keep your eyes out to stay entirely neutral, although let's face it, everyone's human, even me, so I'm likely to form biases as well. That being said, during fights I will roll a dice to determine the outcome. That should keep you on your toes - no one is safe.

Disclaimer about reviews: If you have a criticism, please phrase it constructively. For example:

Don't say this: I despise your story, never write again.
Instead phrase it like this: I despise your story, the interactions between characters are insipid and unrealistic in [this chapter] and [this scene]. Fix it.

If you do, I will probably assess the issue (so please review and say your criticisms anyway, nothing will be fixed if you keep quiet). That being said, if it is a comment about the core of the story, don't expect me to change it just for you. There are plenty of other fics out there, go read one of them instead of putting people off who might enjoy another WBWL fic. (That being said, you have absolutely no idea what's going to happen. I'm predicting this story is going to be like a bunch of randomly colored threads, and it is only near the end of each scene/book/fic that they will finally be woven into a tapestrey)

Anyway, thanks for reading the first chapter. I hope you enjoy the rest, and please don't let me waste any more of your time; Onwards!