Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe is NOT mine! It belongs to JK Rowling, Warner Bros and Scholastic Books, I only own copies of the books and films. I am just having some fun in the sandbox that Rowling created. There will be some OCs that I've created that will inhabit the Wizarding World.

Author's Note: Just want to let everyone know that this story will not completely line up with the canon story as set down by JK Rowling when she created the amazing Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The main change to the Harry Potter timeline is that Hogwarts starts two years later than in canon, so Harry and company start their first year Sept. 1, 1993. The events of the Harry Potter story remain the same, up until the start of this story, so books 1-5 all happen in the same fashion, just two years later. The other main change is that there will be a deeper exploration of the Potter family.

"Have you finished packing Harry?" Arthur asked, looking up from the morning paper he was reading.

Harry paused in eating his eggs, looking across the table at his uncle. "I am nearly done Uncle," he said. "Just a few more things I need to put away."

"Very well," Arthur said. "And how are you doing Harry?"

"What do you mean Uncle?"

"Please don't play coy with me Harry. I have seen you grow more and more sullen and quiet as we have gotten closer to today," Arthur said. He set the paper down by his plate and pinned Harry with a pointed look. "Now will you tell me what is bothering you?"

Harry sighed as he set down his utensils and looked up to meet his uncle's gaze. "I just don't believe I need to return to Hogwarts Uncle," he said. "I have gone through my OWLs, have gotten those results and am now eighteen years old, I can just leave Hogwarts and enlist in the Army."

"You could do that Harry," Arthur said, conceding Harry's point, "but I believe you would be better suited to return to Hogwarts to finish your magical education."

"Why Uncle? I have done everything you have asked of me," Harry argued. "I have gone through all your physical training, I have now taken my A-levels as well, we are just waiting on the results. Why are you so against me enlisting?"

"I am not against you enlisting Harry." Arthur raised a hand to stop Harry from interrupting him. "I am against you enlisting right now. If you were to do so now, you would be restricted in your movements even more so than if you were to return to Hogwarts. You would not be able to go off after Riddle."

"I know Uncle but…"

"There is no but Harry," Arthur said. "You would be required to obey your superiors and their orders. And you would not be able to tell those superiors why you need to leave, they will think you weak or a coward trying to run away."

"I know that!" Harry shouted, slamming his hands down on the table and standing up.

"Sit down young man!" Arthur ordered, his voice echoing around the room like thunder. Harry froze, feeling his face heat in shame at his outburst, and sat back down.

"I am sorry Uncle."

Arthur rose from his seat and walked around the table to stand next to Harry. "Harry, I know you are frustrated," he said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder. "But these things take time, time that can be better used."

"How?"

"Riddle is not the only threat that we face," Arthur said. "Let us take care of his underlings and put you in a position to succeed."

"What do you mean?"

"Have we not already had this conversation Harry?" Arthur asked with a wry smile. "You are not alone in this fight Harry, do not forget that nephew."

"I know Uncle, it is just I keep thinking about the Prophecy."

"Oh, forget about that rubbish Harry," Arthur said, sitting down next to Harry. "It is only powerful if you believe it to be."

"I know Uncle, I know," Harry said, looking down at his hands. "It is just difficult, I want justice for my parents, for Cedric, for Sirius, and getting rid of Riddle is the only way."

"That is true but that doesn't mean you must be a lone wolf," Arthur said. "It is why the Army places its soldiers into groups, it knows that while a soldier by themselves can be strong, they become stronger when part of a unit."

"But isn't that what I would be doing if I joined the Army?"

"Yes but you would need to hide part of yourself," Arthur countered. "Let myself and your other trainers get the situation under control, you focus on the upcoming school year. Keep learning and training. Now Matthew will be here shortly with his family to take you to the train, and you will have packing to do."

"Yes Uncle," Harry said, taking his plate from the table and left the room to clean up. Arthur sighed, rubbing his brow as he watched Harry leave.

After washing his plate, Harry went upstairs to his room. His trunk was open and waiting for him as his bed, nearly fully packed, and in the corner of the room was Hedwig's cage and perch. Harry had let Hedwig out the night before she could make her way to Hogwarts. After closing the door, Harry picked up a slim leather case off his desk and buried it deep within his trunk.

Sitting down at his desk, Harry picked up the stack of parchment that made up the letters he had been sent by Hermione, the Weasleys and Dumbledore. Harry had been concerned when the first letter had arrived but Arthur assured him that the letters were clean of spells or enchantments. Though that confidence wavered when Harry brought up that Dumbledore had a phoenix, there weren't any wards or charms known that could keep a phoenix out if they wanted to enter.

But as the days went by, and there was no flash of fire signaling an appearance by Fawkes, Harry wondered if Dumbledore had forgotten to use the phoenix or if Fawkes had refused to be used by the Headmaster. The letters he did receive from the Headmaster were full of pleas to be told where Harry was, that the Dursleys were concerned about him and that he needed to be protected against Voldemort, and that being under the wards laid down by Dumbledore was the only place he would be safe.

When Harry showed the letter to his uncle, Arthur had to laugh. When Harry asked what was so funny, Arthur told him, "If he can't find you, how does he expect Riddle to find you?" And that response made Harry laugh as well.

Harry then picked up the most recent letter he had gotten, a relatively short one from Hermione, and began to reread it.

'Dear Harry,

I know you won't tell us where you are, so I will not ask you to tell me. You have said that you are safe and happy, and so I will trust you that you are telling the truth. I do hope you are doing well and not keeping yourself away from those who love and care for you out of some misguided belief that the bad things that have happened in your life are any fault of yours. They are not Harry James Potter!'

Even though Hermione was nowhere near Harry, he still felt a shiver run up his spine at Hermione using his full name in her letter.

'Everything that has happened is the fault of Voldemort. He was the one who killed your parents, no you! It was his followers that killed Cedric and Sirius, not you! It was Dolohov that cursed me, not you!

I have not told anyone, at least no one in the magical worlds, this but I know what you are going through Harry. The year before I came to Hogwarts, I was involved in a car wreck. I suppose it was my magic that protected me from more serious injury but my uncle was driving and he was killed. My uncle was babysitting me as my parents were working, and he was taking me for some ice cream after I had gotten a perfect score on a test.

If I had not begged my uncle, we would not have left the house and he would still be with me and my family. I still have nightmares about that day, and I won't lessen the pain you feel at the loss of Sirius because it is a pain that never truly goes away. What has helped me is remembering all the good times I had with my uncle. I didn't get to spend a lot of time with him, he was in the Army so he was frequently away but that both made the loss harder, and those memories of the good times more precious.

So, Harry, I know how you are feeling and what you are going through, so I can tell you that Sirius would not blame you, nor would your parents, or Cedric. And if you need to be reminded of that, I will do so every day.

I hope to see you on the Express come September 1st.

With love,

Hermione'

After getting Hermione's letter, Harry went to Arthur and asked him about Hermione's uncle. It took a couple of days but Arthur was able to confirm that Hermione's uncle, a Nathaniel Richard Granger, a captain in the Royal Marines, had been killed in a car wreck by a drunk driver. Harry felt slightly sick to his stomach when he learned about Hermione's uncle, as there had been a brief moment where Harry felt joy at the news when he realized that he was not the only one who had gone through such a loss. That feeling of joy was immediately extinguished by the realization that Hermione had suffered an immense loss, and Harry was just thinking of how it made him feel better, not how to make Hermione feel better.

Harry placed Hermione's letter down on the desk and walked over to the window that overlooked the back garden. The sun was peeking through the spotted cloud cover but the rolling green grass stood out from the segmented gardens of Privet Drive that Harry had grown up around. It had been immensely freeing to go on runs through the open country around Arthur's home; just him, the fresh air, and his uncle shouting at him to keep up the pace.

"Harry, Matthew is here," Arthur's voice echoed up the hallway. "Are you ready?"

"One moment Uncle Arthur," Harry said, closing the window before walking back to his bed. Harry quickly ran through his mental checklist to ensure that he had not forgotten anything. Satisfied that he hadn't, Harry shut and locked his trunk, then activated the Featherweight Charm to make it easier to carry downstairs.

It had been one of the new purchases that Harry had made when he and Uncle Arthur had managed to go to Gringotts, and Diagon Alley earlier in the summer.

"I haven't been back to Gringotts in ages," Arthur said as he and Harry entered the gleaming and slanted main hall of the bank. "My father brought me here after I graduated Sandhurst to set up an allowance from the Potter accounts."

"You haven't been back since?"

Arthur shook his head. "Gringotts has contacts with the non-magical banking world, so there was no need too," he said. The pair walked up to an open teller window. "Good morning Master Teller, I was hoping to speak with Manager Gruffnut if he is available?"

"Who is asking to meet with Manager Gruffnut?" the teller asked.

"The family whose account he runs," Arthur said softly, causing the teller's eyes to widen.

"Very well, I shall inform Manager Gruffnut of your arrival," the teller said.

"Thank you."

Arthur led Harry over to a bench along the wall of the hall while the teller stepped away from his window and vanished through a doorway behind the desk.

"Um Uncle, what's going on? I thought we were just getting some gold from my vault," Harry asked.

"We will Harry but first I want to know why you have so little idea of what the Potter family legacy is," Arthur said. "And that is no fault of yours Harry," he added seeing Harry's face flush. "You said that you have not been to Gringotts since the summer before your third year."

"That's true."

"And that you have not received any mail from the bank either, that troubles me," Arthur said. "As the last magical in the main Potter line, you should have been informed of your holdings and account here after your seventeenth birthday and yet you have not heard anything from them. That troubles me very greatly."

"Sir, if you would both follow me," the teller goblin had returned. "I shall escort you and the young sir to Manager Gruffnut's office."

"Thank you," Arthur said. He and Harry got up from the bench and followed the goblin back behind the teller desks and into a richly decorated hallway with dozens of doors lining it.

"Here we are sirs," the teller said, stopping in front of a door with the name Gruffnut on a golden plaque. The goblin knocked sharply on the door three times.

"Enter," a deep voice growled from inside. The teller pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Arthur and Harry inside.

"Arthur?" an older goblin asked as Harry and Arthur entered. "That can't be you, can it?"

"Good morning Gruffnut, it certainly has been a long time," Arthur said.

"Thank you Griphook, that will be all," Gruffnut said. The other goblin nodded and closed the door behind him. "Where have you been all these years?"

"Living," Arthur said. "But my survival is not the reason we have come today."

"I suppose not," Gruffnut said. "So this is the young Mr. Potter. We have quite a bit to discuss, starting with why you have not returned any of our correspondence?"

"I have never gotten any mail from Gringotts in my life," Harry said. "I have only been to Gringotts a couple of times in my life, and no one ever told me that my family had an account manager. I just thought it was just that one vault, and nothing more."

"That is most troubling," Gruffnut said. "We have sent dozens of letters since you first reappeared and got no reply. Learning that you never received any of those letters is very troubling indeed. I shall enquire about why you haven't been getting our missives but that can wait until after our meeting. Let us begin."

It became readily apparent to Harry that his family's holdings were much larger than a single vault. The vault that Harry had visited was just the Heir's trust vault, and now that Harry had received his OWLs and was considered of-age, that vault had been closed and its contents transferred back to the main Potter vault.

"I am sorry that was all dumped on you Harry," Arthur said as the pair returned to Arthur's home. "You should have been told this by your rather, not some old man like me."

"No Uncle Arthur, I mean yes, I do wish my father had been the one to tell me all this but at the same time, I am glad it was you," Harry said. He looked down at the ring now adorning his right ring finger. When he had been presented the Head of House Potter ring, and had put it on for the first time, both it felt as if a great weight was placed upon his shoulder as well as a weight coming off his shoulders as Arthur had told him that both Harry's father and grandfather had worn the ring in their lives.

"You wear it well," Arthur said. "Just as well as my father and brother did during their time, and as well as your father did I am sure."

"Thank you Uncle."


"Cousin Harry!" a young girl's voice cried out in delight as Harry came down the stairs.

"Good morning Beth," Harry said, setting his trunk down just before the young girl slammed into him. "Are you ready to go to Hogwarts?"

"Of course cousin Harry, I am so excited!" Elizabeth 'Beth' Anderson beamed up at Harry. "I hope I get into Gryffindor like you cousin Harry."

"I am sure that whatever House you are Sorted too will be happy to have you Beth," Harry said.

"Are you going to tell me how I get Sorted?"

Harry laughed. "Sorry cousin, can't do it, it is tradition," he said, laughing some more at Beth's pout.

"Good to see you Harry, everything ready to go?" Beth's father, Matthew Anderson, asked stepping out of the sitting room along with Arthur and Matthew's wife Danielle.

"Yes sir," Harry said.

"Good, we better get going if we are going to make it King's Cross in time," Matthew said.

"Yes, London traffic will be a nightmare," Danielle said.

"Bye grandpa!" Beth cried, hugging Arthur.

"Goodbye Beth, I expect to hear all about your adventures, so don't forget to write," Arthur said.

"I won't, I love you Grandpa."

"And I love you little Beth."

"Come on Beth, let's get Harry's trunk into the car," Matthew said, picking up Harry's trunk while Danielle guided their daughter out to the waiting car.

"Watch out for her Harry," Arthur said.

"I will uncle," Harry said. "I will not let anyone harm Beth, she is a Potter. We protect our own."

"And watch out for yourself Harry," Arthur said. "I am sure that you will be questioned as soon as you arrive, are you prepared for that?"

"I believe so," Harry said. "I will just tell them that I was with family and let them draw their own conclusions."

Arthur nodded. "Be careful regardless Harry," he said. "They will notice that you have the ring, and while that provides some protections, it will open up some avenues as well. They will no longer need to treat you as a child."

"I can handle myself uncle."

"Don't get cocky," Arthur said sharply. "More soldiers have been lost to overconfidence and arrogance than enemy action. Do not underestimate the old man or his followers."

"I won't uncle, I promise."

"Good, now get moving, you shouldn't keep your cousin waiting," Arthur said.

"Goodbye uncle, and thank you for finding me," Harry said, wrapping Arthur in a firm hug.

"Of course nephew, we do not leave a man behind," Arthur said, patting Harry on the back. "Now get going."

Harry nodded and headed out to the car, climbing into the back seat next to Beth who immediately began chatting Harry's ear off.

Arthur waved from the top step as the car pulled away and rounded the corner out of sight. He turned back inside once the car was gone and made his way back to his office. Sitting down at his desk, Arthur quickly dialed a number. The phone rang twice before someone picked up on the other end.

"The boy has left," Arthur said. "How goes things on our end?"

"It is slow going sir," a male voice said. "The targets have very little in the way of actionable intelligence, they very rarely leave their holes but we do have them under surveillance."

"Thank you, keep me posted."

"We will sir."


A/N: Well there is the newest chapter in this tale. Little bit of world building before we head off to Hogwarts next time. Let me know what you all think, and until next time M.T.F.B.W.Y