A/N:

Hello! For the rest of the chapters, if I happen to pull directly from the original books, I will be italicizing and underlining the phrases as well as giving a heads up at the beginning of the chapter like this one. It shouldn't happen too often, as we are finally about to be with Harry as he journeys through Hogwarts, and the plot is so vastly different from the original, I can't see needing the original past maybe the third book. in case it wasn't obvious, I do not own the Harry Potter franchise-and with that, onto the story!

Harry spent the next one and a half months taking lessons from his parents on all things magic. From family facts to potions basics, he would ask questions, and they would sit down with old textbooks or news articles and explain things to him until he felt like he understood. Of course, it was mere days before Harry had roped Hermione into these lessons as well.

Though they had both studied up on their magical classes before on their own, having experienced wizards who could demonstrate and give verbal advice was something else entirely. Hermione stopped by their house for a few hours everyday, eager to learn all she could from them, and the Granger's were happy to let her.

Soon, it was time for them to go shopping for the term. Elise and Nick followed the eager eleven-year-olds through Diagon Alley as best they could, shaking their heads at the eagerness of the two.

Though Elise had taken careful measures to disguise Harry every time they'd gone out into the wizarding world before, she found herself unable to do so any longer, knowing he wouldn't have this protection at school, and needed to be prepared for the change. So with a sigh she'd removed the glamours she added to his clothes years ago, and his features magically shifted back into his natural appearance seamlessly.

Hermione glanced back at her questioningly, too perceptive for her own good. Elise just shook her head, shrugging.

Soon they had all the necessities. Books had been bought months ago, thanks to Hermione. Today they'd received robes from Madam Malkin's, starter ingredients for potions, feather light trunks, and fresh scrolls and quills. Nick had been sent with most of the stuff to drop it off at home, leaving the other three to wander around for some fun. Elise decided Harry should get a first taste of his power.

"Harry, Hermione." She called.

"Yes, mum?" Harry said, turning to look at her from the store window he was currently looking at.

"There are only a few things left to buy, but I thought we could stop by Gringotts first, what do you say?"

"Alright, let's go." Harry grabbed Hermione's sleeve, pulling her away from the wobbling stack of books she was eyeing.

They made their way over to the massive building, waiting inside the lobby for mere seconds before a goblin hurried over to them.

"Harry Potter." He grunted, eyeing the two women with him strangely. "Right this way."

"Where are we going?" Harry whispered to his mum.

"You'll see." She smiled.

They followed the goblin to Ironmalice's office, much like Elise had done many years ago. When their arrival was announced and the door was opened, she found herself glad to see the cunning account manager.

"Well, if it isn't Mister Potter." Ironmalice grinned, circling Harry like he was an art piece at a museum.

"Hello, sir." Harry said, bowing slightly.

He couldn't remember every custom they'd gone over for interacting with goblins, but he was fairly confident that the strategy was to remain respectful and kind. Everything else should work out in the end.

"What brings you here, young Potter?" He finally asked. "Are you picking up things for school?"

"Yes sir."

"Shall I give you something to keep?" Ironmalice turned to his desk, pulling out a small box.

Harry took the box when it was offered, opening it up to find a small key.

"Your vault key. Well, your trust vault, that is." Ironmalice tapped the key lightly and turned to Elise. "You raised the young lad well, Mrs. Woods. Have you told him his history?"

"I told him what I could." Elise confirmed.

"You see, young Potter, there are lots of complicated safeguards and spells and rituals that make up the intricate web of your guardianship. The woman you call "Mum" is technically not your mother in the wizarding world. Here she is known as your Magical Guardian. This is important, because now you have access to the Potter fortune." Ironmalice flicked his eyes between the people in the room.

"Excuse me sir, you gave Harry a trust vault key, does that mean he owns multiple vaults?" Hermione finally broke her silence, all too eager to know more about the situation at hand.

"Ahh, very observant young lass, who might you be?" Ironmalice turned to her, an eyebrow quirked inquisitively.

"Hermione Jean Granger, sir." She dropped into a perfect bow, her unruly brown hair flipping over and obscuring her entire head from view as she did.

"Well, Miss Granger, you would be correct to assume the young Potter owns other vaults. In fact, he owns many others, but it's only this one he has complete and unlimited access to at the moment." Ironmalice turned back to Harry then, addressing him individually. "You have the choice to make now, young Potter, on how you would like to proceed."

"Proceed with what, sir?" Harry asked, glancing back at Elise.

"Your next steps." He answered. "There are a few things you can do right now to better prepare yourself for your future as the heir of your family. I have the tools to help you build your power and expand your fortune, all I need is permission to act."

What can be done?" Elise asked for him, knowing he was probably overwhelmed.

"First, you can call for an official reading of the Potter's will. This will grant you everything you own by your birthright, although most of it will fall upon your guardian to manage until you come of age." Ironmalice went back to his desk and jotted some things down on parchment, not breaking his speech. "After the will has been read, you will have access to some ancient family magic that will better prepare you to face any challenges brought on by the wizarding world. Alternatively, we could also perform a ritual to emancipate you, making you a legal adult here. This would make you the official Lord Potter, but I'm not sure that's necessary quite yet."

Harry looked to Elise for help, but she put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. This was a decision for him to make. He even spared a glance at Hermione, who appeared deep in thought.

"I think…" he started, taking a deep breath to steel himself. "The will. I'd like to read my parent's will."

Ironmalice snapped his finger and a goblin near the door left to retrieve it. Elise nodded, attempting to prepare herself for any change this brought on.

"Harry," Hermione whispered.

He leaned in, wondering what she had to say.

"I'm here for you." Was all she said, wrapping her pointer finger around his own.

He smiled, his nerves settling instantly. Just then, the goblin returned with a scroll. The potter family crest sealed it off, Harry assumed it had never been read.

"This is the last will and testament of James and Lily Potter. It has been opened and read once before, by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

Elise stopped mid stride, she was going to get a closer look at the will, but why had Dumbledore read the will without anyone else present? Harry glanced at her, wondering why a man he'd only ever read about would have opened his parent's will.

"I will now open it once more, for Harry James Potter and his magical guardian Elise Woods as witness." Ironmalice sliced the seal open with a magical knife, and it unfurled before them.

He began to read. Harry listened with rapt attention, taking in every word. Elise stood behind him, nodding along. There was the separation of their assets of course, Harry was entitled to most everything, the only other person explicitly mentioned being Albus Dumbledore. Interesting.

After that, it discussed Harry's future. Things such as who should gain custody of him should they unfortunately pass. Elise noted that neither Dumbledore, nor the Dursleys were ever mentioned. The Longbottoms, Sirius Black, and even McGonagall were.

His Godfather was of course, Lord Black, although Elise was unsure how that worked if he was locked away in Azkaban. His godmother was equally an unfortunate circumstance, seeing as Alice Longbottom resided at St. Mungos, broken after suffering torture from Bellatrix Lestrange. Elsie noted again, Dumbledore was never mentioned as the intended magical guardian. She grimaced.

Towards the end of the will, Ironmalice paused. "Interesting…"

"What, what's interesting?" Harry asked, hanging on his every word.

"Put your finger here, young Potter." Ironmalice answered, handing the scroll to him.

He did so, placing his finger on a rune etched into the bottom. It lit up gold before shooting off the paper and morphing into two ghostly figures. Harry stumbled back, fully grasping Hermione's hand now.

The figures solidified little by little, eventually becoming the people he'd seen only pictures of before.

"Harry, my baby…" the ghostly voice of Lily Potter flowed through the room like a gentle breeze. "I'm so sorry that this is the only way we can talk with you, but there are things you must know that can't be written down."

Harry stood there, shocked. Hermione wrapped both her arms around Harry's right arm, pulling him close for support.

"Son, your lineage is very important. It will be useful to you in the future, so we must disclose that to you. Not only are you the Potter heir, but you also happen to be the heir of Gryffindor. I wouldn't be shocked if Sirius names you the Black heir as well. You have ties to most of the oldest and most noble houses, including Slytherin as well." The ghost of James Potter's voice spoke, deep and warm.

"You will do well to take advantage of this in your fight. We know that despite what the news has confirmed, Voldemort is still very much alive. Unfortunately, only you have the power to defeat him. But, you have a while left. For now, your biggest problem is saving two men who have all the answers to help you in this war." Lily said, an inexplicable emotion showing on her face.

"Despite what our will says, Sirius Black was not our secret keeper. That man is innocent, and you need to find a way to prove it. He will be one of your most valuable assets in the future. He was also my best friend, and I'll be damned if I let them lock him up for nothing." James said.

"Yes, he was innocent. The man at fault here is Peter Pettigrew, he lives, though where we haven't got a clue. But, more importantly, your biggest ally will be Dumbledore." Lily added.

Elise frowned, surely they were aware of how Dumbledore had wronged them.

"That man is under a very powerful curse right now. His mind is fogged, and his judgement is clouded. Help him break this curse and he will be most useful to you. That is your first step to freeing yourself from this cycle of violence." James nodded at him.

It was strange, Harry thought, staring at a man who looked so much like him that he had never met. He looked between his parents as they spoke, remembering every detail. It was only when they paused that he spoke up.

"This is a lot to consider and figure out, but I will do it. Is there anything else that will be helpful to know?" His voice shook as he spoke, much as he tried not to.

"Yes, Harry." Lily came close, placing a ghostly hand on his cheek. "Your magic is strong. You are strong. We had to bind your magic just so you wouldn't hurt yourself when you were born. Now that you have better control, you will be able to grow into the remarkable man you were always meant to be. Elise has done a wonderful job preparing you, and now you must continue to rely on her for any guidance you might need in our absence." She spoke softly, and placed a kiss on top of his head as she finished speaking.

James came closer as well, putting a strong hand on his shoulder. "You are our son, our brilliant, beautiful boy. We hate to have to ask you to do any of this, and we hate that we can't be there to help you every step of the way, but we'll be watching, just as we have been. We have full and complete confidence in you." He smiled broadly, patting him on the back.

The ghostly figures stood then and grasped each other's hands.

"It's time for us to go." James said.

Lily nodded, turning to Elise with a smile. "Thank you. Thank you so much for taking care of him."

"Always." Elise smiled, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Goodbye, Harry." They said before fading away completely.

A heavy silence filled the room. Harry didn't know whether to smile or cry. He'd just met his parents for the first time, at age eleven. How was he supposed to react? And, not to mention, he found out he has quite a lot of influence, and even more power to go along with it. He stared at his free hand, wondering just how powerful he truly was.

Hermione took a step back, dropping her arms. Harry almost found himself thinking he'd like it better if she hadn't, but now wasn't the time. She put a hand to her chin, deep in thought.

"Ironmalice." Elise spoke up finally. "Can I put you in charge of hiring people to manage his assets and properties as you see fit. Whatever can be done to ensure that everything is in its best condition for when he takes over as Lord."

"Of course, I will get started immediately." He resealed the will and summoned more goblins to his side, giving them each a task.

"We are going to take only his trust vault key today, thank you Ironmalice." Elsie stopped into a curtsy, tapping the children on their shoulders. "There's still one stop left in our trip, and I think we could all use a bit of fun after that."

They followed her out of Gringotts, their worries temporarily overshadowed by excitement. It was time to receive their wands.

Ollivander's came into view soon, and they hurried inside.

"Ladies first." Harry said, ushering Hermione in front of him at the counter.

An older man stumbled out of the back, looking somewhat frazzled. "Hello young lady, here for your wand I presume?" It was less of a question really, more of a statement, and he hurried back to a wall of boxes before she even got a chance to answer.

A wand was handed to her then, 11 inches and a bunch of descriptors that he shot out that she didn't quite catch. She held it firmly, but frowned. Something felt…incomplete. He shook his head, taking the wand back from her and immediately grabbing another box.

"Try this." He said, a wide grin on his face.

Hermione clutched it confidently, laughing as air rushed past her and light flowed from the wand.

"Excellent. 10 and inches, vine wood." He tapped the tip of her wand excitedly. "Dragon heartstring."

She turned to show Harry and Elise giddily, who were both celebrating behind her.

"Well…if it isn't Mister Potter." Ollivander breathed. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

Harry smiled. "You gave my mother her wand, sir?"

Ollivander chuckled. "Well, the wand chooses the wizard you know. I merely help guide the process along. Your father got his wand here too, eleven inches. Pliable. A little power and excellent for transfiguration."

Harry nodded along, wondering which wand he might receive. Ollivander spoke some more, giving him some different wands to try. Each one seemed to go worse than the last. He'd already almost fried off Hermione's hair and accidentally caught his mum's shoe with a spark of magic.

"Hmm, I must admit you are quite the picky wizard, Mr. Potter. I wonder…" he trailed off, his pale eyes darting to a box somewhere in the back of the shop.

Harry watched him go pick it up, taking the offered wand with bated breath. As soon as his fingers touched the wood though, warmth flowed through them. Just like Hermione, air rushed past, and light poured out from the wand, his magic bouncing off the walls in glimmering spots.

"Well, well, well…how curious...how very curious."

"Sorry," said Harry. "But what's curious?"

Ollivander thought for a moment, considering his next words. "Eleven inches, Holly. A phoenix feather core. It's a good wand, Mr. Potter, powerful." He paused, obviously wanting to say more. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather—just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother—why its brother gave you that scar."

Elise gasped, and Hermione looked between Harry and the wandmaker in disbelief. Harry simply set his jaw. His scar had almost faded completely—almost. He knew it would come up with people he met, just as it always did with wizards he'd met in the past. Still, he found himself simply annoyed at the mention of the man who caused so much hurt and strife to his family. He pocketed his wand, dropping the cost for both he and Hermione's wand on the counter before turning to leave.

"Thank you, Mr. Ollivander." Came his curt farewell as he exited the shop, Hermione close behind him.

The old wandmaker looked down at the counter, his mind racing with the implications of this revelation. He barely registered Elise's hasty farewell, only noticing they had all left when the door closed behind them.

"Harry?" Hermione grabbed his arm to stop him from walking further away.

"Sorry–just…didn't want to hear about him again" Harry mumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Kids!" Elise called from in front of the shop. "Nick's back, are you hungry?"

They ran back to her, grateful for a distraction. The four of them headed into a small cafe nearby, walking toward an empty table. Just as Harry was about to sit, a voice cut through his thoughts.

"Watch it, I was walking there." The voice said.

Harry glanced up to see a snobby looking kid. He must have been around their age, as he currently clutched the same shopping list for Hogwarts first-years. His pointed face and bright blonde hair stood out against the dark green of his dress robes. A man of equal snobby-ness stood behind him, an ornate cane in one hand and the other clutching the shoulder of his son protectively.

"Let's not mingle with the riff-raff Draco." Harry heard the older man speak quietly, leading his son away from Harry and his family.

"Yes, father." The boy–Draco–sneered down at him.