Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned in it's entirety (Or majority, idk) By Joanne K. Rowling. I don't own squat.

I may make up new spells and characters, or use others from other stories unknowingly, so if I do please give me a head's up.

Other than that, I might place in easter eggs or cameos from stories I personally enjoyed, just for fun.

Have fun!

-October 31st 1981 , Godric's Hollow-

"He's here, Lily! Take them and run!" James Potter called out to his wife as he tried applying every possible charm and ward he could to fortify the doors to their home. Unfortunately, he wasn't the best at charms and wards. His specialty layed, instead, at Transfiguration, but in the panic he seemingly forgot that.

Well, that may have just saved his life.

Lord Voldemort, the most feared dark lord in history since Gellert Grindelwald (at least that's what he thought), decided that he was going to get to the Potter twins, and when Lord Voldemort decides something, it usually happens. That's why he decided to blow down the door and get things over with.

Walking past the door he just obliterated, he saw the limp and bloodied form of James Potter. 'Probably dead. No, scratch that, absolutely dead. I am Lord Voldemort after all.'

And just like that, James Potter survived.

As he walked up the stairs to where Pettigrew had informed him the twins slept, Voldemort thought about his achievements. 'This whole war deal was easier than I expected, honestly. I was thinking more 20-something years. Merlin bless self-absorbed inbreeding fools.'

Reaching another door, this one actually properly warded (Not that it made a difference, he was Voldemort after all), he decided to follow that centuries-old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!", and once again he blew down the door.

Walking through the door's treshold, he saw the limp form of Lily Potter, tossed against the wall 'Absolutely dead. Now let's go take care of this bugger who's supposed to be the downfall of Lord Voldemort'. Taking the few steps to the crib, Voldemort was met with a somewhat peculiar sight. There were the Potter twins, as he expected, but of the two, only one of them cried.

Ethan Potter, the red-haired, Brown eyed twin was bawling his eyes out at the loud noises and explosions. That was to be expected, as he was, after all, a baby. But the other child, the black-haired, green eyed one, Harry Potter, had an unexpected reaction.

Rather than cry at the mere sight of Voldemort, or show awed fascination at the sheer amount of power, the boy simply looked at him with those Sharp, green eyes, as if measuring him, staring into his soul.

That was quite honestly unnerving. Those eyes showed a degree of intelligence and self-awareness that no child should have. And that penetrating stared was unnerving, which meant more seen as the judgement came from a quite accomplished Legillimens!

Voldemort watched as Harry measured him with those Sharp eyes before the boy's demeanor changed into one of disinterest, as if he had measured him and found him severely lacking. That was both absolutely infuriating, and absolutely terrifying.

Thank Merlin he didn't even bother with the Longbottoms.

Raising his trusty Yew and Phoenix Feather wand, Voldemort leveled it directly at Harry and cast "Avada Kedavra!" , but he saw Harry smile just as the green bolt of light left his wand, the sort of "I know something you don't" smile that promised much trouble, and one thought went through his mind at the moment.

'Shit.'

*BOOM!*

Just like that, the entire room exploded. Voldemort's body was obliterated, leaving behind only his wand and robes. Pettigrew sneaked in after his lord, mourning the loss of two of his closest friends, but squelched down that train of thought with a four word answer 'Better them than me', before taking his Lord's wand and sneaking off.

Sirius Black was the first person to apparate in to take stock of what happened. Finding the body of his brother in all but blood, Sirius almost panicked before his Auror training kicked in and prompted him to cast a few diagnostic charms on James, showing that he was alive, but just barely. He placed an emergency portkey that took James directly to St. Mungo's before making his way to the nursery.

Stepping into the nursery, Sirius repeated the process with Lily, finding her barely alive and portkeying her to St. Mungo's before checking on the twins. He found them on their crib, Ethan Potter screaming his head off, a bloody, V-shaped scar on his forehead, and Harry (his favorite, but he'd never tell) watching him with those same inteligente eyes as always that made him question the boy's ability to comprehend events.

And once more he asked himself how much Harry understood, because as soon as he seemed to ascertain that he was there to take them to safety, he relaxed, laid back into a part of his crib relatively clear of glass and wood shards and promtly took a nap.

Sirius was surprised by Hagrid's appearance at the home, asking for the boys at Dumbledore's orders. He wanted to go after the traitorous rat, but decided to make sure the boys were safe, check on James and Lily at St. Mungo's and regroup with the rest of the Order to decide on what to do.

-November 5th 1981, Headmaster's office, Hogwarts-

"Lily, James, You must understand that this is for the greater good!"

"But Headmaster, declaring Ethan to be the defeater of You-Know-Who is a danger to our family!" voiced Lily Potter as she paced around the office "Plus, no child should grow up with this kind of pressure on their shoulders!"

Dumbledore gave her one of his grandfatherly looks, his eyes twinkling as he spoke "But Lily, just think of it in this way. On the night of Samhain, the worst dark lord in history is defeated by an innocent child. It will bring hope to the wizarding world, that such a dark, corrupted being fell to your child. And hope is what the wizarding needs the most at the moment. Having Ethan Potter as the Boy-Who-Lived would do more good than bad."

Lily kept pacing for a while until her husband, James Potter, spoke up "I think we should let this happen, Lils. The headmaster is right, we need a symbol of hope. A beacon for those who fight for the light."

Lily stopped pacing, looking at both James and Dumbledore before letting out a resigned sigh "Very well, we won't ask the Prophet to print a retraction or correction."

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling tremendously as he spoke up "I knew you'd make the right choice, Lily."

She would come to regret this choice in time.

-July 31st 1990, Potter Manor-

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, happy Birthday dear Ethan… Happy Birthday to you!" came the chorus of voices all around the birthday cake, chocolate and coconut, just like Ethan liked.

Ethan Potter enjoyed his birthdays. He always got thousands of presents, his friends Ron and Neville always came by, as did uncles Moony and Padfoot, and the attention he got was more than usual. But, he deserved all of it and more. He was the Boy-Who-Lived, after all. After blowing out his candles, he decided to start opening presents, starting from the one from his father.

It was a long, rectangular parcel, in red and gold wrapping paper with moving snitches, and by the grin on his father's face, he already knew what he had at it, he revealed a Cleansweep 5 which got ooh's and aah's from his friends. Neville eyed it cautiously, but Ron was almost drooling over it.

A few floors up, Harry Potter was also enjoying his 10th birthday. Although most people forgot about him during the birthday celebrations, holidays, family outings and everyday life in general, preferring to heap attention onto his brother, he didn't feel bothered by it. It just helped him separate those who valued him for him from the sycophantic, Boy-Who-Lived fans. With Ethan so close, they didn't even feel the need to use Harry to try and ingratiate themselves.

The only person Harry knew and trusted at the moment was his godfather, Sirius Black. Regardless of what happened, the man never forgot about him, he never compared him to his brother, and he saw him not as 'the brother of The-Boy-Who-Lived', but as Harry. Other than him, there were his grandparents, but they passed away when he was seven and if they had a portrait, it hadn't been found since.

His grandparents always took care of him, taught him as much as they could (especially since he wouldn't stop asking), with his grandfather, Charlus Potter, teaching him the value of hard work in all fields of life, Potter family History and as much magical theory as he thought Harry could understand.

Seeing as the boy started raiding the library at Potter Manor when he was 4, it was quite a lot.

His Grandmother, Dorea Potter Neè Black taught him Black family history, telling him about the family she at first felt proud of in childhood, but then watched as they decayed into a bunch of bigoted, blood-supremacist terrorists for the most part, causing her to distance herself from them and eventually join together with Charlus. She saw his curiosity and talent in potions, and helped him as much as he could in the field, teaching him the similarities and diferences between potionmaking and cooking, the best way to prepare ingredientes, the why's and how's of potions, and the do's and dont's in the presence of a cauldron.

Those lessons drove Harry to ask the House Elves to teach him how to cook, which led to his fascination with household maintenance, making him learn how to tend to gardens, keep a room clean and tidy, and deal with animals.

But the reason he was truly happy for his 10th birthday was because that was the day which the wards in the Library would allow him access to the more complex books.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a light knock on the door, turning around to watch his godfather step into the library with a smile, his hands behind his back as he spoke "Happy birthday, pup. I've got you a few presents here!"

Harry's smile widened as he turned towards his godfather, nodding at him and acknowledging his presence "Thanks Padfoot, but you know that simply being here is present enough."

Sirius wanted to scowl at those words. No child should think like that. Yes, they could say it, but unlike Harry, they should not mean it. Children should be excited, ecstatic, jumping for joy and bursting with energy whenever it was their birthday. But he pushed his thoughts aside. 'If Harry doesn't mind, then i don't have a reason to either.'

He pulled a large box from behind him with an eclectic, poorly-applied wrapping paper which showed that he tried to do it himself, making it even more meaningful for Harry. Sirius thought that he did a rubbish job, but seeing the way that his godson eyed the paper reverently, and understanding the significance behind it made him proud in himself.

Harry seemed almost reluctant to tear into the wrapping paper until Sirius gave him a 'Go on' signal with his hand. As soon as he saw what was inside the box, Harry let out a loud gasp.

"Well, I know how much you like reading and learning, and I thought that since occlumency helps organize the mind and keep your thoughts in order, you would like it. Remember, it's a difficult discipline which takes years to learn, and most adult wizards aren't a tiny bit profficient at it, so don't be disheartened if you don't understand it sometime soon" 'Because honestly if you do, I don't even know how I'd react' Sirius said to himself, before continuing "That ring is a portkey that I made for you, this way you can pop into my house and the Black Library at any point in time. I'm trusting you to make responsible use of the portkey, and the library, Harry. I believe you have good enough judgement to keep away from the darker, more dangerous books, but just in case I locked those away. It wouldn't do for my birthday presente to-"

He was interrupted when Harry flung himself at him, driving the wind out of him, and wrapped his arms tightly around him "Thanks, Padfoot."

Sirius smiled and ruffled Harry's hair "No problem, pup."

-December 24th 1990, Library, Potter Manor-

"No way, pup. I'm sorry, but I don't believe you."

Harry shot Sirius a smug smile, buffing his nails on his robes and blowing on them before speaking "Believe it, Padfoot. I've got working Occlumancy."

"But how!? I mean, hell, I was taught from the cradle and only got it at 12, how the hell did you manage in two months?"

Harry's smugness reached a whole different level as he called out "Because I'm Harry Potter, Grandson of Charlus and Dorea Potter, Godson of the great and mighty Padfoot."

Sirius understood just how much his pup prided himself in his relation to his grandparents and him. The fact that he included a randy, immature, rash reprobate like him and none of his parents made him want to go and throttle James, but Harry was more important and he should focus on that.

'Huh, guess I did get more mature.'

"Well pup, you've got me stumped. My Christmas gift for you this year was going to be a few more books on Occlumancy, guides and such to help you progress in it. Now I don't know what to give you."

Harry gave him a mischievous grin that worried the Black man-child more than just a bit, before speaking "Well, Padfoot, you could always help me with my transfiguration. You have to be good at it to be na animagus, after all."

"Harry, as much as I'd like to teach you, It'd be very irresponsible of me to teach you something as advanced as transfiguration before you even got your wand. How'd you even practice it?"

Harry seemed to turn pensive for a while, before his face and his eyes suddenly became serious "Sirius, my gift to you this year was going to be a set of muggle pranks, but… I'm going to give you something more important."

Seeing his godson's demeanor shift, Sirius straightened his back and turned serious as well "Whatever it is, pup, you don't have to do it if you don't want to. I'd honestly be okay with anything, as long as it came from you."

Harry nodded "And that's exactly why I think you, more than anyone else, should know this. But, I am going to need your word that you're going to keep this a secret as long as i ask you to."

Sirius surprised Harry by pulling out his wand and speaking out "I, Sirius Orion Black, Do hereby swear on my life and magic, that I won't divulge the secrets of Harry James Potter unless he allows me to, and only to the people he says it's okay. So mote it be."

A flash of magic filled the library, and Harry gave Sirius a shocked look "You didn't have to go that far, I was good with your word."

"Well, this sounds important to you, pup, so it's important to me as well. So, what was it that you wanted to show me?"

Harry waved his hand, causing a needle to appear out of thin air.

"No bloody way! Wandless magic? Wandless conjuration? " Sirius' eyeballs almost hit the floor alongside his jaw before he asked rhetorically "Got any more surprises for me?"

Harry's response was to smirk at him before his face started rearranging itself, making Sirius stare into his own face. "I'm a Metamorph. Inherited it from Granny Dorea's side, alongside…" Harry seemed reluctant to say the next part, before speaking up "Parseltongue."

Sirius looked shocked and spoke in a tiny voice "You're a parselmouth?"

Harry looked down, expecting rejection from Sirius and nodded mutely.

"Well, that's bloody brilliant pup! You're a Metamorphmagus, and a parselmouth! When you get older, you'll be a ladykiller!"

Harry looked up surprised, before his face set on an easy smile. He should have known Padfoot wouldn't buy into the 'dark wizard' prejudice deal.

"Well, now you know. I want you to teach me transfiguration wandlessly because it would help with controlling my metamorph abilities. I want to keep them hushed up, and having my hair become beet red when teased at school isn't the way to do it. Before learning Occlumancy, i was having a hard time keeping them in check. Now it's easier, but…"

"Better safe than sorry, I understand pup."

"Yes" Harry said with a nod before speaking up "You could also help me with charms. And basically everything related to school material at Hogwarts."

"But wouldn't you get bored at school if you did this?"

"Yes, but rather bored and successful than entertained and struggling. Plus, I want to be the very best, make people see me for my own results and success instead of being the brother of the boy who lived. Being the best student would go a long way towards that goal."

Sirius nodded in understanding "Got it, pup. You can just use your portkey to pop in whenever. If I'm not home, feels free to read ahead in the library. But don't try anything beyond your level without someone presente capable of undoing any damage, and use what you learn responsibly. If you break any of these rules, your lessons stop. Understood?"

Harry nodded resolutely. He already knew much about magic in theory from reading from the Potter and Black libraries, now he'd learn how to apply that theory, just like they usually taught Ethan. But unlike Ethan, he wouldn't let that fact make him arrogant and belligerent. He'd always work harder, strive to become better, learn more and use his abilities responsibly.

-January 4th 1991, Black Library, 12 Grimmauld Place-

"Why do you even need me to train you in combat? You're 10, you're not going to be fighting anyone magically, plus you'll be learning from your DADA teacher soon! Remember, it's just this September!"

Harry wiped the sweat from his forehead and swallowed down his glass of water. Splitting your focus between mantaining conjured rubber balls and levitating them before banishing them at a wall was tiresome. He might be Harry Potter, but he was still a 10 year old.

A 10 year old with more talent and ability in wandless magic than 99% of the magical population, but still.

"Then why do they keep training Ethan, Padfoot? They're expecting him to need to fight. If someone targets Ethan, be it Death Eater, Gigglesnort or any other, they'll try to go after the 'weak, helpless potter', which means that I am the number one target, not Ethan. I want… No, I need to be strong, padfoot. So please, teach me how to fight. Not dueling, dirty, back-alley, go for the soft tissue fighting."

Sirius was reluctant, but seeing his godson giving him the puppy dog eye look (With actual dog eyes!) made him incapable of saying no.

"Fine pup. But the best way to learn how to fight, is by fighting. From now on, You'll learn by getting the tar beaten out of you."

Harry nodded before the hairs on the back of his neck rose, forcing him to throw himself on the ground.

"Good reflexes pup, that was a nasty stinging hex. And there'll be more from where those came from."

And for the following months, Sirius beat the tar out of Harry. He'd fire stinging hexes at him at any occasion, be it in bed, in the library, in the shower, or in the middle of another lesson. Ethan witnessed this once, and thinking that it'd be a fun way to mess with Harry, decided to take up the practice without saying anything to either of his parents. They'd probably get mad at uncle Sirius and he'd be unable to have fun.

Instead of saying anything about it, Harry didn't complain and simply turned it into more training.

-July 31st 1991, Backyard, 12 Grimmauld Place-

"Stupefy!" Sirius called out, throwing the stunner at Harry while he balanced his conjured lead balls in the air.

Harry felt the build up of magic behind him, rolling to the side to avoid the stunner before turning around with his hand raised, wordlessly casting a protego which absorbed Sirius' follow up stunner, bludgener, disarmming hex combination, before twirling his fingers to pull his fist-sized lead balls to him, banishing them one after the other at Sirius.

Sirius dodge the first two before snapping up a shield to block the third, which impacted into his protego with a loud, gong-like sound. He fired out increasingly dangerous spells, starting with a stunner, then a bludgeoner, disarmming hex, before going for concussive hex, cutting hex and bone breaking. Harry managed to easily sidestepp the stunner and bludgeoner, shielding the overpowered disarmming hex, and the normal concussive one. He got clipped by the cutter on the leg, before getting hit by the bone breaker on the left shoulder.

Clamping down his occlumancy shields, he didn't lose a second to move or even acknowledge the pain before throwing himself behind a tree, shooting a large group of bludgeoners and bone breakers back at Sirius.

While Sirius was distracted with the frontal attack, Harry surreptiously summoned the three lead balls, causing one of them to strike sirius on the leg, one in the back and the las tone on his wand arm.

Dazed, Sirius conjured a marble slab in front of him which caught the next round of bone breakers and cutters. Suddenly he found himself surrounded by various bees, blocking his sight and keeping him from casting before al lhe knew was darkness.

"…oot. Get up, Padfoot. You need to get ready to put in na appearance at Ethan's birthday party."

No matter how much time passed, the fact that Harry recognized it not as their birthday party but Ethan's always made him want to curse someone. The fact that Sirius' own presence at the party was more importante than Harry's only made it worse. Harry, understanding his godfather's train of thought, spoke up.

"It's fine Sirious, I'm used to it."

"Doesn't mean that it's right."

"Right or not, it is as it is. The party is not importante, the gifts are not important, their attention is not important, and they themselves are not important. I know you'll always have my back, and that's what matters"

Sirius pulled his godson into a quick hug before pulling him inside "Come on pup, let's get you cleaned up so you can check out what i got you for your birthday"

Harry smiled at his godfather, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with a conjured towel as hem ade his way into the house, only to stop mid-step into the kitchen, mouth gaping as he saw the things on the table "No bloody way!"

"Yes way, Harry. Yes way."

"You got me a book on Animagus, and a Nimbus freaking 2000! This is too much, padfoot! Either of them was a good enough gift!"

"Well, I remembre you asking me last year to teach you transfiguration for your metamorph powers. I'll forever be stumped as to how you managed it, but you can actually conjure things and use them with skill, merlin knows how, so maybe you're ready for the next step. You are Harry Potter after all, the young man who learnt Occlumancy in two months!"

"No, Sirius, I learned the basics of Occlumancy in two months. I learned actual Occlumancy from then to now. If you want to be a proper godfather for the mighty Harry, you need to know these types of things." He said with mock haughtiness, perfectly mimicking the 'Malfoy face'.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll make sure i don't make the same mistake again, pup." Sirius said with a bow.

"Better."

And just like that, they both cracked up laughing. Which was a mistake, since both were injured from their impromptu fight.

A few bone-knitting and pain relieving potions later, both were ready to go back to Potter Manor. Harry and Sirius tried sneaking past the living room door where the party was full swing, intente on stowing away Harry's new broom and book, but they suddenly found the door being pulled open by Neville, intente on going to the bathroom.

"Uncle Sirius!" called out Ethan Potter excitedly, before seeing Harry and letting his smile falter lightly. His frown disappeared as he saw what was under his arm "A Nimbus 2000? You got me a Nimbus 2000 uncle Sirius?"

Sirius gave him a sheepish smile as he spoke "No, that was Harry's gift. I actually got you this" before handing him the book 'Quidditch through the ages'.

Ethan scowled as he spoke "I think you confused our gifts, uncle Sirius."

"Nota t all, Ethan. Your father already gave you a broom, and I know you enjoy playing quidditch, so giving you a book with the rules, strategy and tips from pros would help you with your game. On the other hand, Harry is constantly reading and is very knowledgeable, but he needs to lighten up a bit and exercise more" Harry barely managed to hold back his snort at the bold-faced lie "So I got him a broom."

"Sirius" James said as he got alongside Ethan "Maybe you should rethink this. I mean, Harry isn't much for flying. He probably doesn't even know how to mount a broom."

"And whose fault do you think that is?" Sirius asked with more heat than intended. He wanted to say more, but he heard Harry speak up for the first time in a steely, glacial tone, causing James to pause and Lily's eyes to widen.

"Whether I know how to ride a broom or not doesn't matter. This broom is mine, and mine alone." And like that, Harry walked away, leaving a frowning James, satisfied-looking Sirius, scowling Ethan and pensive Lily. Before anything else could be said however, Lily managed to get everybody's attention and turn it back to the party, though the atmosphere just wasn't the same.

Up in his bedroom, Harry was exercising his Occlumancy. He was already used to being ignored and passed on for anything by his parents, and it no longer affected him, just as Ethan's insults and attempts at bullying. But blatantly trying to take away something that is rightfully his, given to him by his godfather, to give it to Ethan? There were limits to even his patience.

A knock to his door got his attention, forcing him to pull in his aura and school his features before calling out in a neutral tone "Enter."

Lily Potter slowly opened the door to his room and stepped in, gaping amazedly at the organized and book-filled state of the room she hadn't been in for years. She shook off her surprise and amazement at Harry's look, before speaking up "Harry, I just came to know if you didn't want to join the party downstairs."

Harry gave her a piercing look which froze her, before shaking his head and speaking softly "Thanks, but no thanks."

Understanding a dismissal when she heard one, Lily left the room still wondering about the tone she heard Harry speak in downstairs, the organized room and the piercing gaze he gave her.

A few minutes after Lily left his room, Harry sighed. 'After what happened downstairs, why the hell would i want to return to the party? Brightest witch of the age? As if.'

That night, Ethan Potter tried sneaking into his older brother's room, to take the broom that he knew should be his. He slowly opened the door, doing his best to not make a sound, before he started tip-toeing his way to the broom, which was propped up by the closet. But, stangely, the more he walked in, the further away the bed, broom, closet and everything else on the other side of the room seemed to be. After 15 continuous minutes of this, Ethan gave up, turned around and angrily made his way of the room, slamming the door behind him. To further aggravate him, the door refused to make noise, clicking as quietly instead.

Harry turned around towards the door, his book on Animagus about 1/5th of the way already read. He held a smug, self-satisfied grin on his face. Empowering his everlong ward and asking the house elves to strengthen them was a stroke of genius.

-August 13th 1991, Diagon Alley-

"James, you should take Ethan to get his familliar and trunk, I'll go get his books. Then we can meet up to get his potions supplies and wand, then we get his robes. After that we can have ice cream at fortescue's." Lily managed to tell her husband over the buzz of the rest of the shoppers at the Alley over the Potter family and The-Boy-Who-Lived, getting a nod in response as James made a path with Ethan towards Eeyelop's Pet Emporium.

Following the plan, Lily and James each went to do their part. After leaving the Apothecary, they made their way into Ollivander's.

"Mrs. Potter" the voice of Garrick Ollivander sounded behind the group, making them jump lightly "9 ½ inches, Swishy, made of Willow, a great wand for charms. I hope your wand still functions to your standards?"

Sighing lightly, Lily turned around to answer Ollivander before the bell of the door being opened attracted their attention. She was ready to ask for privacy so her son could be outfitted with his wand when Ollivander said without as much as turning "Mr. Black, 10 ¾ inches, birch with a unicorn hair core. Rigid, good for dueling. And here we have the other Mr. Potter, though I expected both of them to come in together with their parents." He said before turning to Lily and giving her a disapproving look, which disappeared instantly as he clapped his hands together and called out "Good, now which one is going to be outfitted for his wand first?"

Sirius answered to that "Since they arrived earlier, they can go first"

"Very well." Ollivander said before pulling Ethan forward and asking him "So Mr. Potter, which is your wand arm?"

"The right one" he said while raising it. Ollivander nodded before allowing a measuring tape to freely measure his arm as he started pulling wands boxes from his shelves, stacking them up on his desk. Snapping his fingers, the tape measure fell limply on the floor before Ollivander placed a wand on his hand, before pulling it back immediately. He kept giving different wands which were dismissed either outright, or after a swish set something on fire, or exploded it. 30 minutes and various wands later, Ollivander puto n a pensive face and murmured "I wonder…" Before going deeper into the story, pulling out a box and placing it on the desk, removing the wand and handing it over to Ethan "Holly and Phoenix Feather, 11 ½ inches, give it a swish Mr. Potter"

As soon as the wand touched his hand, Ethan felt a warmth shooting up his arm. With a flick, golden sparks emerged from the tip of his wand. Ollivander looked at the wand inquisitively before saying "Curious, Most curious indeed…"

"What is?" asked James Potter, glad that Ethan would finally be allowed to stop using training wands or pilfering his own and finally have one belonging to him.

"That wand… The Phoenix that gave it's feather gave only one other…" He said before leaning in close to him, brushing his fingers against the V-shape visible on his forehead "It was the one that gave you this scar. I was the one that sold that wand, yew, 10 ½ inches. Had i known the things that it would cause…"

Harry's eyes widened in realization and he murmured quietly "Priori Incantatem…" Ollivander's eyes widened and shot directly at Harry "What did you say?" he asked critically. Harry gave him a look that said 'Not now' before looking at the other Potters, before answering "Oh nevermind that, sir. Could we get my wand now?"

Ollivander gave him a look before nodding "Of course Mr. Potter. Step up here please." Harry took a step forward before Ollivander asked "Which is your wand arm?"

"Both. I'm ambidextrous."

Lily found herself surprised at this. By the look of it, so did James, which Ollivander didn't miss. Compounded with the fact that Harry had gone into his store with someone other than family without them knowing, and the look he gave him previously painted na image that he would rather not believe in. Before he could walk to the shelves, Harry spoke up.

"Actually Mr. Ollivander, I'd like a custom-made wand if you'd please."

"Are you sure Mr. Potter? Those are quite expensive."

Sirius answered for him "Don't worry about the price, his wand's on me."

"And why would you pay for my son's wand, Sirius?" James asked with a frown "Are you implying that I can't pay for him?"

"No, James, the reason I'm paying for my godson's wand is because I actually remembered the fact that Harry is going to Hogwarts and needed his school supplies." Sirius said tersely. James looked a mix between embarassed and angry, Lily looked abashed, and Harry and Ethan were both scowling, though for different reasons. Ollivander broke the tension by placing a hand on Harry's shoulder and pushing him towards the back "Let's go craft your wand then, Mr. Potter"

As soon as they got into the workshop, Ollivander pulled out his own wand and cast all manner of locking and privacy charms on the door before speaking up "Now Mr. Potter, will you tell me how you know the term Priori Incantatem? I am quite curious as this is not something widely known."

"I read a lot, sir." Harry answered before a thought popped into his head "About Ethan's wand… It doesn't predate the end of the war does it? I'd hazard a guess and say that it was comissioned by Dumbledore, tuned to him through blood and that you choosing any wand other than that one was just a show so Lily and James wouldn't suspect anything?"

Ollivander pursed his lips and didn't answer, but he did not deny it either so Harry understood what his silence meant. Seeing the look on his face, he spoke up.

"Don't worry, I won't tell them or anyone else about this except for Sirius, if you keep how much I know away others, especially Dumbledore. And don't worry about Sirius, he knows when not to talk about something. We could each swear a wizard's oath if need be."

Ollivander nodded apprehensively before lifting his wand and saying "I, Garrick Ollivander, do hereby swear on my magic to not reveal the extent of Harry Potter's knowledge to anyone he does not authorize me to as long as he does not mention the specifics about his brother's wand, so mote it be." After the flash of magic, Ollivander handed his wand over to Harry who raised it up.

"I, Harry James Potter do swear on my life and magic to not reveal the specifics about Ethan Potter's wand and Ollivander's involvement in his acquiring it to anyone that he does not give me leave to say to other than Sirius Orion Black, as long as he does not divulge the extent of my knowledge of magic or wand lore to anyone I do not allow him to, So mote it be."

After the flash, Ollivander put away his wand clapped his hands together, his tone of voice becoming cheery again "Now, let's make you a wand."

Ollivander placed him in front of a row of wooden blocks and told him to choose his own. As he progressed through the line, he felt his magic pulling him directly to two blocks of wood, Spruce and Ebony. Taking him over to the cores, once again Harry let his magic guide him to the hearstring of an Elder Dragon and Feather of a Royal Phoenix. After that he was asked if he wanted any specific stone for his wand, and he chose a diamong, to better focus the power without handicapping it by giving it a specific inclination.

Ollivander took the ingredientes behind a curtain, and 15 minutes later emerged with a beautifully crafter wand. It was in an intertwined black and white braid-like pattern, 12 ¾ inches, the handle had a few grooves in the shape of figers for a better grip, and in it he recognized a few runes. His wand was, for all intents and purposes, unbreakable and impervious to any damage below something along the lines of fiendfyre. Ollivander handed it over to Harry, and as soon as he took hold of it he felt a warmth shooting up his arm, it was extremely hot, but somehow at the same time not hot enough to hurt him. Ollivander tossed na auror-grade leather holster at him.

"That i sone of my best Works Mr. Potter, please mantain it properly and keep it safe. And if, hypothetically, i noticed that you had an illegal, trace-free wand in a holster strapped to your left arm, I'd advise you to protect it properly under better enchantments unless you wanted trouble with the ministry. All Hypothetically speaking, of course."

Harry nodded his understanding, he had already decided that he wanted better defenses for the other custom wand Sirius and him had gotten earlier in Knockturn Alley. 'Maybe a small-scale Fidelius for the holster and the wand itself, me as the secret keeper and Sirius knowing the secret'

Undeterred, he attached his new holster to his right wrist before placing his wand inside it, flicking his wrist to eject i tinto his grip before sending it back in one move. Nodding to himself, he left to the main room with Ollivander "Sirius, I'm done."

"Yes, indeed he is done. I have just crafted Mr. Potter a good wand, my best work to date I'd say. The price for Ethan Potter's wand comes at 7 Galleons, and Harry Potter's at 735 Galleons, plus 15 for his holster, Disillusionment and anti-summoning."

Lily choked and James balked at the price, but Sirius simply shrugged and handed over a Money bag. "There's 1000 Galleons there Mr. Ollivander, please keep the change"

Ollivander nodded and placed the pouch behind the counter. As Harry and Sirius started making their way out of Ollivander's, Lily called out "Wait! Harry, you and Sirius could have some ice cream with usa t Fortescue's and Harry could come home with us."

Sirius looked at Harry who shook his head before speaking up "Me and Sirius have to get the resto f my supplies, then I'll be over at Grimmauld place."

Lily deflated at that once again, before Ethan dragged her and James away to Fortescue's.

-3 Hours later, 12 Grimmauld Place, Dueling room-

"Merlin's hairy balls, pup! You were already a menace wandlessly, but now I know I'm never winning a against you again. What's that wand made of anyway?"

"Oak and Sequoia wood, Basillisk Eyestring and Nundu Tooth core, 11 ½ inches, Emerald for better battle magic" Harry said with a smirk.

Sirius mock-scowled "I know that one, I was with you when you had it made after all. I meant the Ollivanders one."

"12 ¾, spruce and ebony, Elder dragon heartstring and Royal Phoenix Feather"

Sirius fainted.

-August 31st 1991, Potter Manor, Library-

Harry was reading a book on Law and Tradition when Lily Potter made her way into the library and stood straight across from him, waiting for him to acknowledge her. 10 minutes later Harry kept steadfastedly ignoring her and paging his book, prompting her to clear her throat. Resignedly, Harry lowered the book to his lap and looked at Lily, disinterest clearly projected from him, and raised na eyebrow.

"Well, erm… Harry, I just wanted to know if you were all ready for Hogwarts."

"I am." Harry said before looking down to his book. Before he could back into the groove however, he was interrupted again.

"No, I didn't mean about your things. Well, your things as well yes, but what i really ment was… Are you okay with going to Hogwarts? Spending 9 months away from home, amongst other people your age? Often children your age can be cruel without even intending to be."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said that spending 9 months away didn't bother me. I'll miss Sirius, the elves and the library. But I'll manage somehow. Is that all?"

Lily swallowed before asking "You'll miss Sirius, the elves and the library and nothing else?"

"Nothing at all."

Lily's train of thought was taking her to depressing places before she reminded herself 'I may notteach him but I'll still be at Hogwarts as the Muggle studies professor. He probably knows this, right?'

"Well, you'll have your brother there with you at school, and I'll be there as the muggle studies professor so you'll have company if you need it."

Harry spoke in a disinterested tone "You're the muggle studies professor? I had no idea."

Lily felt her heart hit her stomach at that moment, but before she could say anything else Harry stood up and stretched "Well, I'm going to bed early. Have a full day tomorrow." And just like that he walked past her and left the library. Lily watched her older son as he left the library, and a random thought popped into her mind. 'He's quite tal for his age.'

Back in his room, Harry flicked his Illegal wand. He was reticente in fideliusing the wand itself, afraid of having the enchantments and the charm clashing and getting adverse effects. He limited the fidelius to that holster, keeping the wand in the holster Ollivander gave him with standard disillusionment and anti-summoning charms for aurors. Ethan was green with envy at the fact that Harry had gotten a holster when his parents didn't allow him to have one, and Harry felt like that memory alone could power 1000 patronuses.

-September 1st 1991, Potter Manor-

Harry sighed for the nth in a mixture of exhasperation and boredom. Sirius was unavailable to take him to platform 9 ¾ , and Lily suddenly decided that she wanted to exert her authority as a parent 'Bit too late, methinks' and did not allow him to head on to the platform on his own, so now he was forced to wait for Ethan to get his school things organized, then head to the station to be met by the Weasleys and the Longbottoms.

'I wonder if death isn't the best answer?... Nah, Granny Dorea would probably give me "The Look" ' Harry thought before shivering. To him, disappointing his grandparents and Sirius was the worst thing possible, just the thought of any of them giving him the disapproving look, the one that says "I'm not mada t you, just disappointed" was enough to give him shivers and make him break out in cold sweat.

He was broken out of his musings when Ethan went into the living room carting his trunk behind him. Lily looked him over, seeing the state of his clothes, and wiping a bit of chocolate from his cheek with her handkerchief.

"Ethan, are you all set to go? What about you, Harry?" Ethan nodded eagerly while Harry shrugged before getting up from the armchair he was on "I've been ready since breakfast."

Lily nodded appreciatively before looking around him and asking "But what about your trunk?"

Harry placed his hand inside his shirt, pulling out a square attached to a chain "Shrunken, one of the features."

Lily was uncertain at it, James being na active auror nodded approvingly, while Ethan once again scowled, not knowing that he could have had a trunk like that to have asked his parents.

"Where did you even get that… Lame trunk?" He asked petulantly. Harry just shrugged non-commitaly before making his way to the fireplace.

Lily took charge from there "We'll floo to the Leaky Cauldron to meet up with the Weasleys and Longbottoms, then we'll take the ministry cars to the station." Before turning to Harry "Remember Harry, to use the floo, you just-"

"The Leaky Cauldron" and just like that, Harry threw the floo powder and was gone from Potter Manor.

Arriving at the cauldron, Harry changed his hair and face to make himself unrecognizable before asking Tom for a butterbeer. One of the things that Harry couldn't fault the Potters for was the fact that he and Ethan got the same monthly allowance. Of course, in the end Ethan always spent all of his within the week and just asked for more money to burn and got it, but Harry had his own alternative incomes. Sirius too kit upon himself to give him a monthly stipend as well despite his best protests, and his grandparents, knowing that Ethan had basically gotten his life given to him in a silver platter, left all of their personal money and non-family related investments to Harry, which were netting him quite a pretty penny. That meant that Harry always had money for himself, Potters and Sirius aside.

James Potter was the next one off the fireplace, followed by Ethan and then Lily. Lily tried searching for Harry, but found herself being mobbed by the people already in the cauldron who all wanted a handshake from The-Boy-Who-Lived and his family.

A while later, Harry watched Frank and Alice Longbottom emerge from the floo with their son Neville, and a good while later the entire brood of the Weasleys. When they all got together Lily started searching for Harry again, who suddenly showed up next to her and called out "I'm here."

They were all directed outside to the Ministry-provided cars who took them to Charing cross station. Lily watched Harry walk ahead of them, but before she could call out to him he had already walked past the barrier. She sighed in resignation at her older child's dismissal of their family. She had been jolted awake to what she had been doing by the fact that she had spent well over a year without even entering Harry's room:

She had neglected him. She tried to remembre any good moments between her, James, Ethan and Harry, but she only remembered James, Ethan and herself together. All her memories of Harry from his 2nd birthday onwards were with either Charlu, Dorea, Sirius, or on his own with a book. Everytime she tried to correct that mistake and bring him closer to the family, he rebuffed her.

She could hardly blame him.

-September 1st 1991, Platform 9 ¾ -

Harry slipped in and as soon as he could made his way into the train. He decided to find a compartment as far back into the train as he could, and after a long journey he slipped into na empty compartment, pulled a book from inside his robe pocket and set to reading about sumerian runes.

Soon the train whistled sounded, and the train started moving, the urban cityscape of London gradually changing into scottish grasslands. Harry was startled out of his reading when a redhead girl opened the compartment door as she chatted distractedly with her blonde friend "I told you Hannah, there was na empty compartment we could find."

"There probably is, but it isn't this one" Harry said in an amused tone. The redhead squeaked in surprise as she turned around to see who spoke, before scowling disgruntedly "Hello, Harry."

Harry chuckled lightly before answering "Hey Susan, Hannah. How're the two of you?" Susan Bones is the niece of Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, or DMLE, which James Potter and Sirius Black work in. Harry met and befriended Susan in one of the ministry dinners a few years ago, back when his grandparents were still alive. At 6 years old, Harry and Ethan attended a ministry Gala which their family had been invited to, alongside various other influential families. Ethan and Harry were introduced around, with na emphasis on Ethan. Susan disliked the boy's attitude, and decided to befriend the calm brother. They ended up becoming fast friends, which lead to Susan introducing Hannah and Harry to eachother.

Hannah grinned at Harry, she and Harry made it a game out of teasing Susan whenever they could and they absolutely enjoyed it. Hannah Abbot was a fair-skinned, blue-eyed girl like her Susan. Unlike Susan, however, her hair was blonde and kept in a pair of pigtails. Hannah was a shy girl, but Susan, and later on Harry broke her out of her Shell. Now she was a very outspoken, bubbly girl, capable of bouncing from any bad mood and mostly found with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Hello Harry, I see you've started early in teasing Susan. Guess I've got to make up for that one…"

Susan playfully frown at Hannah before turning to Harry and smiling widely "So, Harry, how've you been?"

Harry shrugged as he slipped his book back into his robe pocket "I've been well. Sirius is a man-child, like always. And I've been keeping up with my reading. How about you two?"

Harry took the trunk of each girl on an arm before placing them on the overhead rack, stunning the two of them as neither of the trunks had been lightened. They didn't need to know that he used wandless magic to reduce the weight of both trunks by about 30%.

Susan was the first to recover "Well, I've been alright. Auntie's been busy, but that's not new. She did take me aside and teach me a few spells to defend myself with. Can't have the niece of the head of the DMLE defenseless at school, now can we?"

Harry chuckled lightly "Can't have that indeed, how about you Hannah?"

"I've been having fun. Me and Susan spent a lot of time sleeping over at each other's house, and I learned some of those spells with her so if you're not careful you can find yourself hexed"

Harry grinned at her before drawing his wand in a smooth, nearly instantaneous movement "Can't hex me if I get the draw on you." Before he could Re-holster his wand, his compartment door got opened.

"Sorry, I didn't know this was occupied. I'll go find another compartment." Said a girl with Brown, bushy hair, slightly oversized front teeth with moist eyes. Harry frowned before speaking up "You don't need to find another compartment, you could sit here with us. That is, if you want to."

"Really? But I don't want to be a bother…"

"Nonsense!" Hannah called out, already pulling the girl by the hand and seating her next to Susan "My name is Hannah, the redhead over there is Susan, and the hired muscle is Harry. Speaking of hired muscle, chop-chop!" she quipped.

Harry stood at attention and saluted before flicking his wand at the trunk, levitating it up alongside Susan and Hannah's, causing the girl's eyes lose their previous moisture and gain a curious glint before she started firing off questions "What spell was that? It was the levitation spell, wasn't it? I've read all of our course books by now and I remembre mosto f the spells, but when I tried one I received a notice saying that I couldn't do magic out of school. Speaking of which, aren't you going to get in trouble for this? Oh, my name is Hermione by the way. Hermione Granger."

Susan's jaw hit the floor, Hannah felt breathless just listening to that diatribe and Harry's eyebrows nearly hit the roof. The three of them were thinking the same thing, 'She said all that in one breath!'

Harry was the first to recover, and spoke up "Well, Hermione – you don't mind if I cal you Hermione, right?" At her headshake he continued "That was the levitation spell, Wingardium Leviosa, which we will be learning sometime next month. I've been reading ahead on our course books – Susan stop snickering! – and I tried a few of the spells using someone else's wand, since that's how they track our magic. That magic out of school rule doesn't apply to the train, so you could start casting here and no one would bat an eye. And by the gods, you have a set of lungs on you."

Hermione had the decency to blush at the last comment, before remembering something else "But isn't it wrong to use someone else's wand to geta round the rules?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair, drawing slight blushes from the three girls in the compartment with him before speaking "There is actually no law against using someone else's wand as long as they allow you. And the underage use of magic law is a stupid one, only the british use it. Abroad you could be freely using magic as long as you didn't bring it to notice of the muggles. Other than that, most of the homes of the old families are warded so heavily that the trace can't detect magic cast by minors, which gives na advantage to their children in spellcasting. The best way to even the ground would be to abolish the law completely…"

"But the old, traditionalist purebloods want to always be above everybody else." Susan finished for Harry, who passed his wand over to Hermione before pulling out his book and placing it on one of the empty seats "You try it, you said that you've read the theory on the levitation spell."

Hermione nodded and turned to the book, before giving her wrist a flick and a swish, and intoning "Wingardium Leviosa". The four of them eyed the book expectantly, but it didn't budge even an inch. Hermione seemed to have started to panic, but Harry called to her.

"Hermione, using magic isn't just about incantations and wand movements. Empty your mind of all useless thoughts, and don't simply think about the words. See the words causing the action, Picture the effect of the spell you're casting and focus on that and that alone."

Hermione nodded, breathing in deeply before repeating the process "Wingardium Leviosa". Harry, Hannah and Susan watched the book shakily rise into the air, but Hermione didn't let her focus waver. She managed to keep the book in the air shakily for a full minute before it dropped.

"I did it!" she started happily, before deflating "But I barely kept a book up! What if I'm too weak and they send me back? What if-"

"Calm down, Hermione." Harry calloud out with a laugh before taking his wand back from her "You just managed to get a levitation charm on your second try with a wand that isn't yours! We're supposed to learn this after a full month of theory and starting with feathers. The fact that you kept it up for a full minute means that you're at least somewhat above average in terms of magical power."

"But you lifted my entire trunk, how powerful are you then?"

Harry shrugged "I have no idea where I originally placed in magical power, but the reason why I can 'flex' my magical muscles is because I've been training since early using someone else's wand."

Susan nodded before asking "So, have you been training with…?"

Harry shook his head "Oh god no, no way. I'd rather stick to theory or potions if that were the case. It was Sirius."

Susan nodded "Didn't see you practicing magic alongside him and preventing yourself from accidentally levitating him off a staircase."

Hermione's eyes widened before Harry answered "Now Susan, why would I waste magic doing that?"

"Who are you talking about?" Hannah, Harry and Susan turned to Hermione, before turning back to eachother. Susan scowled and Harry gave a resigned sigh before Hannah looked at Hermione and spoke up "Ethan Potter."

Harry's eyes lost any warmth and his face became perfectly expressionless "My dear brother."

"You're brothers with the Ethan Potter? I've read all about him and your family, you're on th Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Notable Events of the 20th Century!"

She managed to catch herself mid-diatribe to see the faces of the people around her before speaking up "You don't seem to like him…"

Harry and Hannah said nothing, but Susan exploded "How could anyone like that Irresponsible, Immature, Arrogant prat! Always 'Boy-Who-Lived' this, 'Dumbledore' that, and he doesn't seem to understand where and when he isn't wanted!"

Hannah spoke up next "Susan really dislikes him. He always tries to act friendly towards her even though she does her best to stay away from him."

Hermione nodded, and decided to try and change subjects "So, which house do you think you'll be in? I'm hoping for gryffindor, It's where Dumbledore was in his youth you know."

Harry snorted "Well Merlin was a Slytherin but like hell I'm going there. You shouldn't base your choice of house on who was previously on it, but on which traits the house prizes and with which you identify the most. Honestly I'd say the best homes for you are either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, which are the best for me too actually. Gryffindors aren't much well-known for their intelligence, and they tend to shun those who go against the norm."

"But Dumbledore was in Gryffindor and he's the wisest wizard alive!" Hermione exclaimed, as if it explained everything.

"Nowadays" Harry said "Dumbledore is the wisest wizard alive, smart, knowledgeable. But back then, he was none of those. Back then, he was simply magically powerful and gifted in transfiguration. He didn't suffer from it. And on the Slytherin side of things, unfortunately that house instead of being the house of the sly and cunning, is currently the house of the dishonest and biggoted. The majority currently there are the children of blood supremacists, raised from birth to despise anyone not a pureblood, and not from an old, distinguished family. Hufflepuff value Loyalty and Hard Work, so as long as you're both those things, you'll have no problems with them. Ravenclaw focuses on knowledge and intellect, and it's where I intend to go, and advise you to consider as well."

Hermione looked pensive and stared out the window for the resto f the trip, while Harry read and Susan and Hannah chatted.

"5 MINUTES UNTIL THE TRAIN ARRIVES AT HOGSMEADE STATION!" the voice of the conductor sounded out across the train. Harry simply got up "Well, I'll let you change here and change in the one of the toilets."

Harry walked out of the compartment, walking into the loo before drawing his wand and waving it around himself, transfiguring his clothes into the Hogwarts robes. He made his way out of the toilet and as he made his way back to his compartment and bumped into someone he knew well .

"As I live and breathe, if it isn't She-Who-Must-Not-Be-First-Named Tonks, my second favorite metamorphmagus!"

Tonks was a third year student, metamorphmagus daughter of Andromeda Tonks who had been cast out of the Black family for marrying the Half-blood Theodore Tonks before being re-admitted into the family by Sirius after the death of all of the previous members during the war. Due to constantly spending time at Grimmauld Place, Harry had gotten very close to Andromeda and Nymphadora and they, in turn, with him.

"Second, Harry? You wound me truly." She said while clutching her chest dramatically.

Harry smirked "Well, I can't really say that I'm not my own favorite person, Nymmy."

Tonks frowned lightly "Don't call me that!"

Harry shrugged at her "Whatever you say. It could be Dora, or Nym, maybe Nymph, Or just the full form Nymphadora"

"Harryyyyyy" she whined, eliciting a chuckle and a hug from him "Go find your friends Nym, I'll meet you at the castle."

"Oi, why're you acting like the grown up here!" Harry grinned "Because you look cute when you're annoyed."

Tonks' skin and hair changed to a bright red before he walked off laughing "I'll get you for this, Harry!"

Harry shook his head fondly before walking back into his compartment, finding the three girls dressed and good to go. The train stopped and the conductor's voice sounded out.

"PLEASE LEAVE YOUR LUGGAGE AT THE TRAIN, IT WILL BE PLACED IN YOUR DORM FOR YOU"

Harry shrugged "You heard the man" before opening the doo rand allowing the girls to walk out ahead of him.

-September 1st, Hogwarts school of witchcraft and Wizardry-

Harry was bored. The gamekeeper, a Half-Giant called Hagrid had collected the first years and taken them on a boat ride to Hogwarts, giving them their first sight of the castle. While to castle itself was impressive, Harry's gasp had been nota t it but at the sheer amount of magic in the air. He could feel the ripple of the wards on his skin as he passed them, and the sheer amount of electrifying magic coursing all around him from centuries of students taught and spells cast. After a while he got used to the feeling, and managed to put it at the back of his mind. Hagrid had then knocked (relatively speaking of course) on the large, wooden doors to the castle, before the first years were given a speech by McGonaggal, the transfiguration professor, about each of the houses, how they were to be your family and house points, and then were taken to an ante-chamber outsider of the great hall.

He had a bit of fun watching Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley get into na argument, before Ethan jumped in and made his first oficial enemy at school. Then, a few passing ghosts elicited a few shrieks and screams from the students.

"Come with me now" McGonaggal called out to the firsties, before leading them into the great hall. Harry heard Hermione comment on the enchanted ceiling and chuckled at her antics. Soon, McGonaggal place a three-legged stool at the front of the great hall, and, on top of it,an old hat.

A tear soon appeared at the brim before the hat sung a song detailing the supposed traits of each house. In the end, almost everybody in the great hall clapped at the hat who bowed to each of the tables before the sorting started.

"Abbot, Hannah" Harry watched the blonde girl make her way forward, sitting herself on the stool before the hat was placed on her head. A few seconds later it called out "Hufflepuff!" to the applause of ¾ of the hall (After all, slytherins detested the 'dufferpuffs' as they called them).

"Bones, Susan" "Hufflepuff!"

Harry tuned out at that moment, letting the sounds of the sorting wash through and around him. He perked up slightly at hearing "Granger, Hermione" being placed in Ravenclaw and tuned out again, until…

"Potter, Ethan."

"Ethan Potter?"

"The Ethan Potter?"

"The-Boy-Who-Lived?"

Harry watched his brother strutting forwards towards the stool, sitting on it imperiously. The hat barely touched his head before…

"Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers loud enough to shake the castle (at least that's what it felt like), interspersed with two chants of "We got Potter! We got Potter!" from the weasley twins. Ethan walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down as if he owned the place. As the noise died down, McGonaggal called forth.

"Potter, Harry."

As Harry made his way forward, he heard various whispers around him.

"Harry Potter?"

"Brother of The-Boy-Who-Lived…"

"I hadn't heard of him before."

"He's hot."

Harry had to hold back a smirk at the last comment. Not all whispers were bad. And it wasn't a lie, since he did look good. He was slightly above average in height measuring in at 5ft1 , his personal efforts at cooking meant that he wasn't subjected to the usual greasy british diet, and his training with Sirius made him quite athletic. Add to that his tousled black hair, and his Sharp, soul-searching green eyes… And when he gave the 'Harry Potter Grin™' he knew that tummies flipped, knees turned to water and cheeks heated up. Unfortunately for most, he kept mostly to himself and showed little emotion, meaning people don't notice this until it's too late.

He sat down at the stool, back straight and rigid enough to make McGonaggal proud, his face mostly expressionless with the exception of his Sharp eyes as the hat was lowered onto his head.

"Morgana's tits, is this a child's mind or a book cemetery!?"

'Hello to you too, Mr. Sorting Hat.'Harry though amusedly.

"Err, sorry for the outburst Mr. Potter. I hadn't met a child with a head as full as your own before. Ever."

'Well, I am one of a kind, you know.'

"And very humble too i can see. Now let's get to it." The hat said before focusing, and hmm'ing and ahh'ing for a while.

"Loyal and Hardworking, Noble and Honest, with nice amounts of Cunning and Slyness, and a Great mind to boot, with a thirst for knowledge nigh 'd do well in any of the houses, Mr. Potter. But if i were to make a suggestion…"

'Ravenclaw.'

"Are you sure? After all, you do have ambitious goals, first of all being recognized by yourself and not as the brother of The-Boy-Who-Lived. Based on the many minds I've been seeing since the end of the war, that is goin to be quite na undertaking. And your goals beyond that…"

'If you put me in Slytherin, Malfoy might just disappear mysteriously from bed during his first week you know…'

"Ruthless enough to reach your goals, you are not helping your case at all Mr. Potter. But it is quite brave to so openly state your intentions, even when they're criminal in nature. How about Gryffindor?"

'If you put me in Gryffindor, I will steal you from the Headmaster's office, set you on fire and piss on your ashes. Ra. Ven. Claw.'

If a hat could sweat, it would be by now. He knew the boy's threats were not iddle at all.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Harry stood up from the stool and removed the hat from his head, letting a small smile appear on his face as he made his way to his house table amidst claps and cheers.

Back on the stool, the hat thought tiredly 'Thank god that's over.'

-Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, same time, staff table-

Four different staff members were thinking about the latest sorting, for different reasons.

Lily Potter was sad that Harry, her son, hadn't gotten into the same house as his mother, father and brother.

Fillius Flitwick was curious about the abilities of Harry Potter, having not heard much of him in favor of his brother.

Severus Snape was bemoaning the fact that this time around, he would have to deal with two arrogant, cocky, insufferable Potters.

Albus Dumbledore was thinking about the repercussions of the boy's placement. He hadn't been watching him closely, focusing instead on his brother, but based on everything he knew he believed the boy would be either in Hufflepuff or Slytherin. His reasoning was that since the boy tended to be in the background willingly and never try to attrack attention to himself, he was either lacking in any possible positive traits, which would land him in Hufflepuff (Well, don't all the duffers end up in Hufflepuff?) , or he knowingly kept to the background, planning, scheming and proffiting off of his brother. Seeing that the boy wasn't a Slytherin soothed his fears, but seeing him in Ravenclaw was a surprise, which meant that the boy had to be kept na eye on.

The sorting ended with Zabini, Blaise ending up in Slytherin, and soon everybody was eating. While most people ate normally, with the exception of the pig-like food disposal called Ronald Weasley, Harry mantained his composure. Charlus and Dorea Potter drilled etiquette and manners into him, and he'd take those lessons and principles with him wherever he went, whenever it would be.

It was awe-inspiring for the other claws to see someone eating and feel the urge to call it art.

After dessert, Dumbledore stood up and clinked his fork on his goblet, getting everybody's attention.

"To Every new face, welcome! To the old ones, welcome back! Another year of magical excellence will be had in Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, as long as we follow the rules. The forbidden forest is, as the name implies, forbidden to all students. The caretaker, Mr. Filch, has a list of forbidden items affixed to the door to his office. And stay out of the third floor corridor on the right hand side unless you wish to die a most painful death. Now, with that out of the way, let us sing the school song!" And like that, Dumbledore raised his wand and shot off a ribbon which turned into the lyrics to the school song "At your preferred pace!"

Harry's preferred pace was the one that he didn't sing on. So he didn't. Instead, he was calling Dumbledore an insane, senile old fool for basically announcing the danger in the way that would interest children (read, idiots) into exploring the most!

After the end of the school song, by which time Harry felt as if he had lost more brain cells than if he drank a lead slushy, the first years were escorted to their houses by the prefects. The one guiding them was a 5th year girl, Amanda something-or-another, who took them to a tower on the 6th floor to the statue of a raven.

"Now listen here, firsties. In Ravenclaw house, instead of a password, you need to answer to the Raven's riddle to gain access. If you fail three times in a row, you'll need to wait for someone else to show up to answer their riddle. Now let's hear it."

Everybody turned to the statue which started talking "I am better than good, and worse than the evil, wetter than water and lighter than light. A poor man has me, a rich one does not. What am I?"

"So" Amanda asked "Does anyone know the answer?"

"Nothing." Harry called out, causing everyone to turn towards him "Nothing is better than good, nothing is worse than evil, nothing is wetter than water, and nothing is lighter than light. A poor man has nothing, while a rich man does not, for he has much. So, the answer is nothing."

The raven nodded appreciatively at Harry before a doorway came into existance on the wall next to it, admitting them in. Once inside the common room, Hermione walked up to Harry and said "I'm glad that you convinced me to give Ravenclaw a shot. I saw the way the Gryffindors were behaving during the feast and I have to say, I didn't particularly like it."

Before Harry could say anything, Amanda and the male Prefect, Geoffrey Blazio instructed the first year claws on their room arrangements, group escorts for the first few weeks so they didn't get lost, and student-made study groups,for whoever feels capable of helping others learn more, and for those who feel they could learn more from their peers. As the other firsties were sent to bed, Geoffrey pulled Harry aside "Err Harry, your trunk didn't come in. The house elves said they didn't see it at all."

"Oh, don't worry about that." Harry said before pulling the chain off his neck and showing him the shrunken trunk "Bought a shrinkable, multi-compartment one, for privacy. I'm not a fan of others having access to my things."

Geoffrey nodded "That's smart, maybe I'll do the same next year and spread the word. I'll give the information to professor Flitwick."

Harry nodded and went to bed. His first day at Hogwarts was finished, but this was just the beggining. From now on, Harry James Potter would become his own person.

Merlin's saggy balls, 12k words!

I got distracted when writting and forgot to split the content into chapters, and like hell I'm going back to do it. Honestly speaking, I don't rightly know where to finish this chapter other than where I did.

Please, Rate and Review, tell me if it's good, bad or inbetween so that my writing may improve. Ciao.