Harry bit down a cackle that was threatening to get out.

"If you think about it, the former host of the body kind of deserved that, he was stealing other people's experiences by wiping their memories. And you too for killing my parents, so really it was only fair, all things considered."

He met the glaring red eyes with a level head, he thought. And is somehow surprised those weren't weaponinzed, it would have been easier to rule the world by getting ride of the obstacles with just a look, he'd say. Then again, Tom Riddle a.k.a Voldemort a.k.a lord Marvolo Gaunt II did waste a lot of chance.

He could have levitate his infant body and throw it out of the window instead of casting the death curse, since after all the protections (fidelius charm with a change of secret keeper, surely his muggleborn of mother had thought of extra protection). Or he could have ordered some snakes in Parseltongue to assassinate toddler him while he was trying to find suitable host during those ten years. Not that he was going to tell him any of that, especially now that he accepted to act as legal guardian till his age of majority, so in almost 5 years.

Convincing the new minister of magic to take the savior of the wizarding world was easy enough. Since the prophecy about them two could still be active with both of them very alive, they also shared a same ancestor from a millenium ago and it could only boost the image of the man to have the wixen community in his hands.

The hardest part was letting headmaster Dumbledore let things happen smoothly.

Like, the old sage strongly advice against due to his suspicions about the actual identity of this newcomer but couldn't say anything because the war's done, you know. Then again, he wasn't related to Harry in anyway, except placing him in the muggle world with his aunt's family without actually explaining anything to her, so another malus for him. And, really, it all depended on Petunia Dursley.

Thus their little trip at Little Whinging, explaining the situation to her and the minister of magic earning two slaps on the face from a mere muggle. 

He didn't do anything in retalation, of course not. 

He really wanted to though. But it wouldn't be good for his name and Harry certainly would give his testimony and no way in hell will he ever allowed the man, his guardian, to wipe his memory. After all, their wand are brothers. So were their family heirloom, well, their original owners that's it.

Hence, Harry mocking Marvolo in the middle of Privet Drive before being beckoned in a recluse area to apparate to their place.

 

Harry stumbled and had to took multiple steps to find his balance as the man almost hurled him as soon as they arrived. As if touching him was a curse, which probably was.

When Harry finally recovered, he could finally notice a house elf flailing around him by prepping afternoon tea for the arrival of her master's guests. He remembered it to belonging to Crouch family, who, after escaping from his father and being literally throw out of his abode, had taken the family's house elf Winky with him to serve someone who had more position in the ministry than mere citizen Bartemius Crouch senior.

Which also meant that Harry will be living with Bartemius Crouch junior, on top of his parents' killers.

Sighing at this thought, he declined the elf's proposition of tea and left what looked like the living area of the underground house. Because, of course, the new minister wouldn't be living in some manor in plain sight but in the basement of the Gaunt shack, family heirloom of some bullshit. Like, on the surface, the shack was still a dingy cabin but there's this trapdoor that lead to his resting place. Which, while spacious and big enough, was still underground so Harry can't even choose a room with the best window because there wasn't any, hah.

After passing what he supposed to be a lobby and the meeting room, then the office and a guest bathroom, he finally reached the corridor for private rooms and promptly stopped before one that had its door opened.

There was another elf there, Harry didn't catch its name, and it was tending at the resident of the room, a woman with black hair and hazy eyes. Bellatrix Lestrange.

Harry stood there watching for a long moment, watching how that cruel woman from the tell was now being moved like some doll but with extrem caring due to her round belly. He should feel sorry but then he remembered Alice Longbottom's bright smile when welcoming Neville on the platform and he can't help but think she deserved that.

"She looked quite pathetic, doesn't she?"

Harry started and turned to look Barty in the eyes. The man was watching him with intensity and a manic eyes. When Harry asked, the man told him he was about his parents' age, but because he was under imperius curse for almost a decade, bags had appeared under his eyes making him look like older. Which gave him more sympathy and points from the ministry he now worked in replacement of his horrible, despicable father.

"Wasn't there a meeting taking place?"

"The guests are barely arriving. Shouldn't you be in your room by now? Do you know where it is?"

Harry didn't, but he could open all doors to check, justifying that he had the rights to wander in his current place.

"I'm sure I could manage, I wouldn't want to hold on you."

"How nice. You speak like an adult for a kid raised by muggles."

"Thanks, it's the trauma."

"Relatable."

And that's it. They parted ways, with Harry shooting one last look at Bellatrix, thinking that her term should be due by the end of the summer. And he almost laughed again. The prophecy said a half-blood born in the end of july, right? How ironic for his own blood be born at the same time. If Harry didn't end up being the nemesis, maybe his own flesh will and Harry will have a field day.

 

Two weeks later, after done with personal shopping in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade, at arm's reach thanks to the flee network opened especially by the minister himself (and he got the trick to make it work, he had to throw the powder first, wait for the green flames to raise and let the soot subdue before stepping into the fireplace and state his destination), Harry was laying in his bed and was bored out of his mind.

Time couldn't flow quicker and even getting to know the elves wasn't enough. Though, he had to admit that the one that came with lord Malfoy was entertaining, Doddy was his name. His squeaky voice and flatteries were grating at first but then he had so many stories when he let him rant.

This time wasn't exception, after all the minister's most important followers were locked inside the meeting room with their leader, the elf went to his room to chat with him. But Harry had other plans.

"Hey, Dobby, you know if there are extra wands in this place? Like, a wand that could perform magic because it belonged to someone of age but not having any owner?"

Harry knew there must be. At least the one having once belonged to Gilderoy Lockhart as lord Gaunt was using his actual wand that he managed to pull the hidden spot from one Peter Pettigrew using legilimency (and that's why Harry needed a wand, it's something he'd like to try). And the one belonging to Dolores Umbridge because having extra wand is always useful. Tom Riddle was short sighted, but lord Gaunt planned long-running strategy because he intended to keep running the wizard community for a long time.

"Sir, Harry Potter needs a wand he could do magic with? Dobby will find it for sir Harry Potter! Dobby remembers following master Lucius and seeing two wands being presented, Dobby will get it for you, sir!"

And he's gone in this elf like apparition. And immediately back empty hands. Trembling on his knees with a pitiful expression.

"Dobby is sorry, Dobby didn't bring the wand sir Harry Potter wanted so much! Dobby just can't disobey master Lucius because master Lucius told Dobby to not enter in the meeting room when the meeting is about, so Dobby failed sir!"

"Don't worry and don't punish yourself! I got it!"

That said, he marched to the meeting room and opened the door like it was no one's business. He ignored the looks he got, used to that, and scanned the room for the wands that were supposed to be put on display right behind lord Gaunt's seat.

"What are you doing?" Lord Gaunt demanded calmly after watching him cross the room to get to the wands.

"Borrowing the wands, I'd like to perform magic since I'm done with my homeworks and I rather not receive a warning for doing magic if I use mine. And the wands aren't being used at the moment. It would only be good if the minister's ward was advanced for his age, right?"

"Why are you taking both?"

"Well, obviously, the minister's ward can't be hanging with a muggleborn who wasn't as highly educated as himself, am I not right? And Kevin also needed a wand to not receive any warning, otherwise that wouldn't be good for the image."

The implications were easy to pick and lord Gaunt yielded even quicker.

"You are not practicing here. I'm sure Lucius will be willing to house you and your friend, I heard that your son Draco is also receiving some friends to do advanced works."

Harry quickly closed his mouth that he opened, ready to argue why not here. Having the chance to talk to other age mates was great too, as he couldn't due to lack of owls getting him any letters, thanks for being underground. And Harry bet that lord Malfoy would be thrilled to have a muggleborn in his house, not like he could say that to his lord.

"Oh, can I ask Dobby to apparate me there?"

Lucius Malfoy, of course, nodded to assent, not like he had choice. And Harry was gone, picking up his friend who was also doing muggle homeworks before being dropped at the Malfoy's. And as expected, Draco was doing extra homework of ancient runes with Daphne, Theodore, Pansy and Blaise. Harry noted with amusement Lily Moon's absence despite the girl being in the same curriculum than them, probably due to her status of half-blood.

Mrs Malfoy wasn't going to like his and Kevin's presence. But it was her husband's boss' order, so yeah.

Anyway, Harry didn't mean to bother anyone, just to practice news spells he didn't had the chance to try when at Hogwarts because of distraction in other area. And after learning all second, third and fourth's years spells for both charms and transfiguration, Harry's got distracted when he heard Draco writing a diary. Thrilled after casting so many spells at once, he summoned said diary, supposedly from his room, offending the owner that couldn't cry for invasion of privacy if Harry didn't step into his room, now did he?

"You still can just take my diary like it's yours! Mother, stop him!"

Harry raised a brow at the lady, wand still in the air and waiting for the diary to arrive, defying her to stop his spell. Narcissa Malfoy raised a perfectly trimed brow and flicked her own wand.

"Experliamus."

Harry's wand got yanked out of his grasp and flight to his opponant who didn't even aknowledge it, instead stretching her hand to grab the flying diary and cutting short its way to Harry. She then handed it to her son, who ran out to hide his diary, though a little useless without casting an anti-thieft charm. Harry just stood there, coudn't comprehend what just happenned. He just learned about the disarming spell, how did it not came to him that he could be disarmed?

Kevin cackled besides him.

"What did you expect? She's an experienced witch. If I may, mrs Malfoy. Accio Harry's borrowed wand. There."

Harry mumbled his thanks, totally defeated. To change the mood, mrs Malfoy suggested the kids brew potions, as it was her expertise. Before evening set down, it was time for everyone to go home and Harry insisted to be here when Dobby dropped Kevin to his place before being send home too. The two wands were back in the meeting room.

It was a good day.

 

On the day he received the letter from Hogwarts, Harry was talking with the house's pet snake.

It would be more fair to call it (her) a familiar, as Nagini was actually a maledictus. According to Crouch, it's a witch who got cursed to be animal for the rest of her life. At first, they could transform into any form, but gradually they're stuck on only one form and not even able to change back to their human form. How did she get by lord Gaunt's sides? Well, supposedly he gained her when he found where his wand was hidden.

And Nagini had some years behind her.

Once learning that he was an Obscurial, she told him about her last lover being one too. His identity shocked Harry to his very core. Credence Barebone, actual identity being Aurelius Dumbledore. And he was the headmaster's nephew, not son, the father being his brother, Aberforth Dumbledore who lived at Hogsmeade. Well, guess Harry knew were to do his shopping, especially that he didn't need more having already done it during the first two weeks of summer break.

Credence was a rare case of Obscurial, having survived till his thirties, though still ended up dying prematurely. Nagini presumed it's the Dumbledores' blood. Harry only thought about how the boy must have suffer to end up being Obscurial and that the headmaster had quite the backstory. Then again, he was century old.

Anyway, dropping by Hogsmeade again, he asked around where did Aberforth Dumbledore live. The owner of the pub three broomsticks showed him the way to Hog's head inn and Harry went confidently. Then, seeing the old man that did strike resemblance with the other old man, Harry blurted out what he knew without regard of how the man could react. 

He found himself feeling quite guilty when Aberforth looked crestfallen for a moment before asking to take a room and paid before even going inside. Small compensation. Before getting in one room, thankfully because one glance at the pub groundfloor gave him an idea how the place was taken care, he saw a huge portrait of a lovely girl in the sitting room. Wondering if the paint had a name, he managed to pull the portrait on the side to reveal a passage.

Because he's a curious little gremlin, he went inside. After a long walk, he ended inside the Room of Requirement. Bet neither Sirius nor Remus knew about this passage. And now that he was in the castle, why not explore when it's supposed to be empty. But with his luck, he ran into someone.

"Potter?"

"Professor... wait, who are you?"

Despite being pretty sure the man before him was Severus Snape, the former professor of potion, Harry could only note he looked sorely different. First, the man had shorter hair and he just looked less brooding and even his clothes bore more light ton (grey and probably on the silver spectrum to relate to Slytherin, as he also have an emerald brooch)

"Well, since that our little snooper is here, I guess I could inform you that I will be your future professor of Defense Against Dark Arts in this upcoming term in September. Severus Prince."

Harry took his time to digest the news. He had a feeling the name Prince was a known one in the wizarding world, he had to ask Draco about it. And that, like the former dark lord, Severus Prince was a heir of Prince family from one of his parent magical side.

"Harry? What are you doing here?"

Harry blinked at Remus, who was also coming out from the staffroom and beamed at the werewolf.

"I was dropping by Hogsmeade for shoppings. Then, I decided to spend the night at Hog's head inn and discovered that a passage connected to the castle!"

"Oh, how surprising, I wasn't aware of that."

Hah, bet. "If you're here, I can assume that you got hired as professor?"

"Well, now that you're here, I guess there's no wrong in telling you. Yes, I will be your History of Magic professor by September. Thanks to the new legislation from the new minister, we werewolfs are given more suitable schedule and professor Binns will replace me when we're near full moon."

"Brilliant! Well, I'm not going to take more of your time, professors! I still have to go back to Hogsmeade or the barman of Hog's head will wonder where his young inn customer vanished."

"Considering it's his inn, I doubted as owner he wouldn't be aware of the passage, mister Potter."

Now that he was a new man, professor S- Prince could be decent, now. Well, more than what he last appeared after realizing that Harry was an Obscurial.

"Touché, professor, touché, but I still have to go back because I'm not planning to run into all the professors staying in the castle."

"Wait, Harry, would you like a chat around a cuppa with Sirius and me? For the 31st? We'd like to spend time with you."

"Oh, would Sirius be available?"

"I'm sure he would. Despite having his name cleared, it looks like the mutt doesn't have any attention to go back being an auror. Life in sedentary must be too appealing."

"Professor, you know that Sirius is an animagus?"

"He just got registered, Harry. And Severus, Sirius doing plenty work at home. He brew decent potions and sell them."

"If they're only decent."

"You would know about potions, professor Prince."

"Careful of what you're insinuating, mister Potter."

"Or what? You're going to dock points? Before term start?"

"Do not tempt me."

"Message noted. And sure, Remus, I see you two at the Three Broomsticks, then. Let's say, eleven? Let's seal it here, I'm not sure I can receive a lot of owl from where I live."

"I heard it's quite guarded," future professor Prince probed.

"It's under the ground, but very huge. Immense, even. And Probably under fidelius, yeah. I do not lack anything, not even house elves, that's to say. Anyway, I had to go, have a nice day!"

He took the passage within the West Well, because he's not going to show them (if they had time to spy on him) the passage of the Room of Requirement and the secret passageway to hog's head inn. He got out to the fountain of the village and ran into an elderly couple that introduced themselves as Scamander.

And Harry felt compelled to talk to this magizoologist about his Obscurus, that he knew from Nagini had possessed one in his magical trunk. Not that Harry could see any there but it didn't hurt to ask advice to someone who had experiences. Also, he could listen to the man's adventures, under his wife exasperate but fond look.

Which lead Harry to think about the other magic school.

There were eleve in total, including Hogwarts. And if he convinced the minister himself to allow him to participate in exchange programme, it could be a good way to make Kevin stay at Hogwarts longer, as his friend dropped hints that his parents wanted him to focus more on muggle educations now that he was so advanced in magic. Three different magic school every year, so by fifth year when they will have to pass the O.W.Ls. And for the finances of the exchange, he could just use the Flamel's philosopher's stone. That he did not steal, he asked permission from the man himself after he retrieved it from Hogwarts at the end of the year, because he was well raised and not a brute that conquered what he wanted like that terrorist Tom Riddle.

Alright, it was the perfect plan and Harry knew he will enjoy his futures school years.

Oh, and if by the end of his birthday, spending it with two of his parents' best friends was a great time, he may as well keep it annual and maybe even start to accept those two men who wanted to be in his life.

It'll take time, but Harry shall find a place where he could belong.