A/N: This idea came to me earlier today and i just couldn't help, but start writing it. One of my favorite Harry Potter story lines is when Harry, as an adult, wonders through the world meeting the different races of the world and discovering different things, before returning to wizarding Britain a man with more power than anyone.

Normally he does this after losing everyone he cares about and eventually finds a way to go back in time to change everything. And I really like stories like this, but i wanted to throw my own spin on this and i think I did a good job. There will be a bit more on my thought process towards getting to this concept at the end of the story, don't want to spoil anything.

And the time span is moved up because I don't know shit about the nineties and I don't want to fuck something up on accident.

This is my fourth-ish fic. While i'm writing this bit I only have two stories posted on my account, but i have the first chapter of a third story almost ready and i don't know if this will come out before that and I have another fic i'm kind of working on, but have little more than a concept, so yeah… whatevs. This is also my first Harry Potter fic, by the way. I'm really excited to get into it.

[Generic I'm not JK Rowling disclaimer]

"Speech"

'Thought'

"Other Language"

Chapter One: Two Piles

The night of October 31, 2001 is known throughout the magical world as the night He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named was vanquished. Little is known of what happened, but the common belief is that the late Harry Potter somehow mirrored the Dark Lords killing curse back upon him. All that was found of their remains was a silver gray dust. From that night on Harry Potter was hailed throughout the magical world as a savior of the people.

And rightfully so. The belief of most scholars, the few that cared to think about it that is, were in agreement that Lily Potter's willing sacrifice created a small shield over the young Potter that mirrored all damage done to Harry on his attackers. So upon killing Harry the Dark Lord's attack was mirrored on himself, killing him. They were right to assume so, as well. The truth was rightfully unbelievable.

Harry Potter was simply too strong for the killing curse to affect him. When the Dark Lord cast the curse Harry's magic recognized it as a threat and reflected it back at He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The reflection of the killing curse, a feat unparalleled in the magic world for eons, forced ripples through the earth's ambient magic. Ripples that went undetected by all of the magical world. Well, all except for one person that is.

The moment after the killing curse was reflected and the Earth's magic was so subtly shooken a man appeared upon the grounds of the Potter home. A tall man who couldn't be older than fifty with short cut graying black hair, and striking silver eyes, with a sort of rugged handsomeness to his features. He walked through the house, taking care to mask his presence entirely. His eyes saddened slightly at the sight of James Potter's dead body.

He walked into the room of the Dark Lord's demise, and gazed upon the scene of one of the most important moments in modern wizarding history with nary a glance. He scoffed slightly at the silver gray dust within the dark robes gathered on the floor before gingerly walking towards the crib on the other side of the room. His offered the corpse of Lily Potter a saddened glance, but his attention was geared towards the crib, or more accurately the child within.

He walked towards the small boy and noticed a small lightning bolt shaped wound on his forehead. He scowled slightly at the wound, and with a wave of his hand a black mist seeped from the scratch. A second wave set the mist ablaze. A small screeching sound accompanied the burning of the odd mist and when the flames stopped all that was left of the odd substance was a small amount of silver gray dust piled next to the Potter boy. The man studied the boy intently for a few moments before reaching down, gathering the boy in his arms, and leaving the wrecked household.

A few minutes later the news of the dark lords vanquish by the hands of Harry Potter would begin its spread throughout the wizarding world. Solidifying the name Harry Potter in all of wizard history. And while that was happening the infant was soundly asleep in the arms of a stranger.

[July 23, 2011]

[Location: Hogwarts]

Hogwarts castle is one of the most wondrous places in existence. Since its creation there have been thousands who have walked its halls, searching for all the amazing secrets of the castle. In all of its existence no secret has been left unfound… except one. The Room of Admittance. A secret room created by the founders, hidden away by the combined forces of their magic.

Within this room lay one of the most important parts of Hogwarts. The admittance quill. A quill charmed to write the acceptance letters of Hogwarts. Every year the quill comes to life, and, on permanently conjured parchment, begins writing every letter and envelope required to be sent out. It then sends those letters to the deputy headmaster or mistress. This person, whoever they may be, charms a quill to write the materials list for every student. The letters and lists then get sent to the owls to be shipped to the students.

On the 23rd of July, 2011 the admittance quill wrote down a name known by all wizards and witches in the magical world. The name of a child thought long dead. Harry Potter. It was then sent to Deputy Headmistress McGonagall's office where a charmed quill was currently writing out the materials list for every student. Had the Deputy Headmistress been in her office, she would have seen the letter to the Harry Potter and have been aghast. But she wasn't in her office. She was nursing a glass of fire whisky in her private quarters. So Harry Potter's letter was sent to the owls unseen by any. Within a few minutes a small brown owl retrieved Harry Potter's letter and began it's flight.

[Next Day]

[Location: Unknown]

After a long long night of flying a small brown owl could be seen flying towards a large snow capped mountain. On tired wings it flew past the small village at the mountains base and began it journey up the mountain. Midway up the owl seemingly began to dive bomb the mountain. Any person watching would assume the owl would splat against the mountainside, but the moment the owl hit the side of the mountain, instead of going splat, it seemingly phased through the mountain.

In all actuality the side of the mountain wasn't the side of a mountain at all. It was a portal! The owl flew through the portal and collapsed to the ground on the other side, in what appeared to be the sitting room of a house.

"Oh, what do we have here, I wonder?" said a young male voice. Through a door in the room walked in a young boy. The boy appeared to be no older than eleven years old. Although he was well built for his age to say the least. With short black hair spiked atop his head, one could clearly see his emerald green eyes. Ones attention, however, would more prominently be pulled to the jagged scar on his forehead. The boy, currently in muggle clothes, approached and kneeled down in front of the owl.

"Hmm, that must've been a long flight, young one. Here," the boy held up his hands and a small vile appeared in his palm. He reached down and carefully coaxed the owl into drinking the vile's contents. Almost immediately the owl perked up. It got onto its feet and hopped around energetically a bit before turning towards the boy..

"There yah go, young one. You're lucky you caught me when you did, I was just about to leave."

The owl hooted softly and hopped over to the boy before offering it's leg to him. The black haired boy smiled at the small owl and took the letter attached to his leg.

"Thank you. Now let's see what we have here."

He looked down at the envelope in his hands to see this:

Harry Potter

The House in the Mountain

Fourth Mountain to the Right

Markis

'Detailed', he thought as he opened the envelope and took out the letter. He scanned the letter through before saying, "It looks like I owe you five gallions father. I did get my letter." The boy sighed, a small sad smile on his face.

He walked over to one of the bookcases in the room and grabbed some parchment and a self inking quill before scrawling a quick, 'I'll be there', and sticking it back in the envelope that came with the acceptance letter. He smiled at the young owl and tied the letter to it's leg.

"You can stay here as long as you'd like, but you have to get this letter to Professor McGonagall by the end of the thirty-first, okay?" The owl bobbed it's head before flying to perch on the couch and watch Harry. Harry smiled at the bird before looking down at the second piece of parchment that came with the letter. The materials list.

'Looks like I'll have to go back sooner than I thought.'

[July 31, 2011]

[Diagon Alley]

With a soft pop Harry appeared outside the Leaky Cauldron. Clad in dark black robes he walked through the dingy door into the old pub. A slight wave of his hand placed a minor notice me not charm on him and he made his way towards the back of the pub. Slipping through the door and into the entrance of Diagon Alley, he took a wary breath before pushing magic into the proper locations on the Wall and watching the bricks slide away.

He strolled through the gateway, notice-me-not still in place, and quickly made his way up the busy alley towards the large white marble building. Dropping the notice-me-not as he walked up the steps of the white building, he smiled at the guards stood on either side of the door, earning a confused look from both of them. He sighed at that and continued on into the building.

Looking around the room he spotted the goblin with the largest desk and longest beard and strolled up to his line. He listened as the people in front of him conducted their business and was frankly disgusted with the openly rude attitude they took with the goblins.

The line dwindled slowly and Harry began running through exactly what he'd have to do. His father gave him very specific instructions and he would do his best to follow them to the tee.

When finally the line cleared in front of him he took a deep breath before stepping up to the teller. He bowed his head to the goblin and said in smooth, slightly accented, Ghukliak, "Good morn, Master Teller. May your vaults flow with gold and your enemies entrails be spilled."

Upon looking up he was graced with the sight of a very shocked goblin. He couldn't help the slight upturn at the corner of his lips as he waited for the goblin to collect himself. Eventually the goblin shook his head slightly and a wide, decidedly creepy, grin came to his face as he said in Ghukliak, "Good day, Young Wizard. May your pockets be full and your enemies blood boil. What might you need?"

Harry smiled slightly as he said, "I would like an lineal test."

"Hmm, might I ask why?"

"Before my father's passing, he left instructions to come here upon my eleventh birthday and ask for a lineal test, both magic and blood. Today is my eleventh birthday, so I'm here."

"Interesting. Very well then, follow me." He said as he put up a sign denoting his booth as closed before jumping down from his tall chair and walking away. Harry followed behind him as they walked up to a small golden door. The goblin knocked on the door thirteen times before stopping. A few moments passed before a small slit opened in the door and a beady pair of goblin eyes appeared in the slit.

"What is it?" asked the goblin on the other side in a grouchy, impatient tone.

"A wizard has asked for a lineal test, Ritual Master Bloodspiller."

"Hrg, okay. Follow me." he grunted out.

The door swung open and the teller motioned for Harry to follow. The door wasn't very large, at least not for humans and Harry had to bend down slightly cursing his taller than average height, and not for the first time.

"Humans never ask for this ritual, so the only chamber is in the goblin tunnels." said the teller.

Harry noticed the Ritual Master looked confused when the teller spoke, probably thinking he was talking to him. So with a slight grin he said, "That makes sense, I guess. And yes, Ritual Master Bloodspiller, I do speak Ghukliak."

Bloodspiller stared aghast at the young wizard he was guiding through the goblin tunnels. He shakingly said, "H-how?"

Harry smiled at the goblin and said, "I spent some with the goblins of Normandy when I was three, they taught me."

That seemed to catch both goblins up. Normally they'd be hard pressed to believe goblins would teach a human anything, but the unrelenting certainty in his voice and the fact that he did speak Ghukliak made them think he might be speaking the truth.

"W-well this is the place. Take off your clothes and sit in the center of the floor." Harry pulled off his clothes, discarding them on the floor, before walking into the chamber and sitting on the floor. When he turned his attention to the two goblins in the room he noticed them staring at his body, or more specifically, his scars. Running up his chest and back was a row of pale, jagged scars.

"My father was a great man and when he was alive he taught me to be curious about the world. When he passed I got a bit reckless in my conquest for knowledge. Two years ago I was studying some dragons in Zambia and... I got to close. These scars are my reminder that curiousness and over-recklessness don't go together."

The two goblins continued staring at the scars for a few moments with a similar question on their minds before Bloodspiller worked up the nerve to ask, "How'd you survive a dragon attack?"

Harry smiled as he said, "Ahh it wasn't that hard. The only reason the cheeky fuck could do this much to me was because he snuck up behind me."

The two goblins were shocked at the nonchalant way he talked about being attacked by a dragon. They shook it off with matching grins and the teller said, "You're crazy, ain't yah?"

"I prefer eccentric," Harry replied with a wide grin.

"I bet you do," Bloodspiller said with a grin, "Now shut up mate, this rituals a right bit complicated."

Harry smiled as he watched the goblins walk around him. What he was planning on doing would be difficult, and being on the good side of the goblins would definitely be beneficial and he would to almost anything to gain their favor.

So when the two goblins said they needed a liter of blood, he barely batted an eye as he held up his arms, wrist pointed down over the large bull. Bloodspiller, apply named, took the ritualistic knife and slit both wrists open. The viscus red liquid seeped from the two cuts down into the large bowl. The moment a liter of blood was in the bowl the wounds closed. Harry could feel his magic immediately working to fix the blood loss, and in a matter of moments the small amount of light headedness he felt was gone. With a smile he let the goblins brush ritual paint, made from his own blood and a mixture of other things, onto his skin and the ground around him.

After about an hour they finished covering Harry and the chamber in intricately painted symbols. With that done the two goblins took out a sheet of parchment, large enough to stretch over the entire ground of the chamber, with a circular hole directly in the center. The parchment was placed on the ground with Harry sitting within the circular hole.

"This parts been known to hurt a bit, so you'd better gear yourself up."

Harry nodded curtly and said, "I am no stranger to pain."

The goblins nodded respectfully as Bloodspiller started chanting in Ghukliak. A small white fire appeared in his hand which he touched to the blood paint under the large sheet of parchment. The fire spread through the paint, across the floor, and up Harry's paint covered body. He sat calmly as the flames spread over his skin until his body was enveloped in the flames. He could feel the magic of the fire seeping into his body, enveloping his entire being, inside and out. A normal person would find the feeling unbearable, like every nerve in their body was being torn apart, but Harry sat calmly letting the magic seep through him.

The parchment, which until now had been untouched by the flames, began burning in spots. Names burned into the parchment, and under them words dictating the type of connection to each name. The goblins wrote down what popped up in interest. When the name Potter popped up in large letters with the words heir by direct line under it their eyes widened in surprise. That surprise increased when the names Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Slytherin burned into the paper with the words, heir by direct line, heir by direct line, heir by direct line, and heir by right of conquest burned under each one respectively. Their shock was unparalleled, however, when the name Emrys burned into the paper with the words heir by adoption ritual under it.

The fire burned for a few more minutes before fluttering out. Harry released a heavy sigh and said, "'A bit painful' was an understatement. Blimey that hurt. Well then, let me get dressed and you can escort me to the bank manager's office, yes?"

The two goblins nodded with blank expressions as they watched the young wizard clothe himself. This would definitely be interesting.

[Bank Manager Ironcrotch's office]

Ironcrotch was not having a good day. That's not to say it was particularly bad in any way. By all means he should be having a great day! Gringotts was making more gold than ever before, his position as bank manager was assured to be continued because of his success. Everything was going great! And yet he wasn't having a good day. No, his day was, for lack of a better word, boring. Very boring. With nothing to do, as everything had already been done, Ironcrotch was bored and yearning for anything to stave off his boredom.

So when a knock was heard at his door, when no one was scheduled to be meeting with him, he almost too cheerfully said, "Come in!"

When the door opened and he saw the head of his Master Teller poke into the room he found himself intrigued. His Master Teller should have no reason to speak with him, and yet here he was. Curious.

"B-bank Manager Ironcrotch, there is a situation Ritual Master Bloodspiller and I believed should be handled by you, sir."

Well that's odd. In general there's very little the bank manager actually has to take care of. Beyond general task assignment and reports to the king there's nothing actually. Well, other then managing the large accounts, but there's only five of those and no one has claim on them so that hadn't been done in centuries.

"Hmm, what is it?" asked Ironcrotch.

"W-well, a young wizard came in and asked for a lineal test, and his results were… shocking. He didn't seem surprised though and asked us to take him to you. We agreed."

"Hmm, do you have the results with you?."

"Y-yes, they're right here," he said as he walked up and gave Ironcrotch's the giant sheet of parchment. To say Ironcrotch's was a bit surprised was like saying the Malfoys are of bigoted, a giant understatement.

"Bring me the boy!"

The teller ran over to the door and stuck his head out for a second saying something. A moment later he came back in with a young boy standing next to him. The boy walked up to Ironcrotch and offered a kind smile.

"I am Bank Manager Ironcrotch. I would really like to discuss your lineal test."

Harry smiled politely, a large grin on the inside at getting to shock another goblin, as he said, "Hello Bank Manger Ironcrotch, I am Harry James Emrys Potter."

The two goblins in the room stared flabbergasted at Harry. One upon learning his full name, and the other upon hearing his name and hearing him speak Ghukliak.

"Y-you speak…"

"I do, yes. Now I think a little explaining will be necessary. When I was an infant and the Dark Lord Voldemort tried to kill me his killing curse was somehow reflected. The reflection of a spell that by no right should be reflected caused ripples in the earth's magic. My father, Merlin Emrys, felt those ripples and came to investigate. He found me in the house with dead parents and a vanquished Dark Lord. A split second decision led to me living with him. Years passed and i began to think of him as my father and he thought of me as a son. He performed the adoption ritual when I was five and appointed me his heir. Then three years ago he told me he had fulfilled his reasons for staying on this world for so long and passed on."

"You're Merlin's heir?"

"I am. I also know of my connection to the four founders of Hogwarts, as well as various other less major houses. I would like to stake claim to all of my heritage from every house. Claim emancipation and take up the lordship of house Potter, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Emrys and any other house I can claim lordship of. Besides those things I require your help in reentering the magical world. I'll be attending Hogwarts this year and would prefer if I don't get looked at like a monster for imitating the great Harry Potter."

"I-i… very well. I'll draft up the emancipation papers, as well as get you a ledger for your inheritance and which houses you can claim lordship of. As for your re entrance into the magical world… I think I have the perfect idea." The grin on his face was decidedly unsettling.

[Harry Potter Memorial]

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was having a decidedly good day. Of course every July 31st was a good day for him. The day of Harry Potter. A year after Harry's 'defeat' of the dark lord, July 31st was labeled a holiday in the magical community, in honor of Harry Potter, hero of Britain. Every July 31st Dumbledore, as the face of wizarding Britain, would give a speech at the Harry Potter Memorial in Harry's honour a task he was happy to do. This year was no different.

Standing at the spot of Harry Potter's 'tomb,' Dumbledore began a heartwarming speech praising Harry and his parents sacrifice when suddenly an odd high pitched humming sound interrupted him. The audience of magicals stared on in confusion as the 'tomb' of Harry Potter started glowing. Dumbledore approached the tomb door and placed his hand on it. He could feel a strange magic leaking from the door. The moment Dumbledore touched the door there was a bright white flare of light. The audience and Dumbledore shielded their eyes and when the light cleared the were surprised to see a young boy on all fours beside Harry Potter's grave.

The boy, breathing heavily, looked up at the audience and said, "W-what just happened?"

Dumbledore stared confidently at the boy for a few seconds before bending down and putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm not so sure myself, young man. What's the last thing you remember?"

"I-I was at Gringotts talking to the goblins about something called emancipation and lordship when I suddenly started glowing. T-there was a bright flash and I was here."

"Hmm… very peculiar. Might I ask your name?"

"Y-yeah. I'm Harry, Harry Potter." There were exclamations of confusion and disbelief from the crowd, but Dumbledore found himself noticing a shockingly familiar facial structure and startling familiar green eyes. He couldn't help but compare this boy to the students he had all those years ago, and finding an almost perfect match. Impossibly the boy was Harry Potter.

"H-how can this be?" Dumbledore asked hesitantly.

"Well I don't know. Like i said there was a flash and then i was here."

"That's not what I mean, young man. I mean you. The name Harry Potter is known throughout the wizarding world. The boy-who-died is the symbol of peace in the magical world. You're supposed to be dead."

"W-wha-" Harry trailed off and developed a contemplating look. "I… I think I know what's happened. Before my father died he told me he found me as an infant in some place called Godric's Hollow. My parents we're dead and I was alone, so h-he took me with him and raised me until he died three years ago."

"Amazing. All this time we thought you had died, and yet… here you are. Magic is a mysterious thing indeed." He stood up and helped Harry to his feet. He turned to the crowd and said, "Well everyone. I would like to introduce, our savior, Harry Potter. Not the boy-who-died, but the boy-who-lived!"

That quickly dissolved into cheering and yelling. There were various flashed of cameras from the reporters who were originally reporting Dumbledore's speech. Harry was asked countless questions. Under the guise of a confused young boy he answered them all. He told them how he had been traveling the world with his father sense he was young. He told them about living alone for the past three years. He told them about receiving his Hogwarts letter and how that brought him to Diagon Alley. At that he used the excuse that he actually had to resume his shopping to excuse himself. Dumbledore himself then side-along apparated them both to the alley.

"Thank you, Mister."

"Think nothing of it Harry. I feel hesitant to leave you alone here, but i trust you will be able to find your way, yes?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry smiled at the old man and said, "Yep. Well good bye, Mister, I hope we meet again." With that Harry turned and walked into the alley without looking back. He had finished everything with the goblins and would receive an owl with all the paperwork at his room in the leaky cauldron. He had also bought everything he would need, except for his wand, which he'd need to fit in. So with a smile he opened the door to Ollivanders and entered the old shop.

It was empty inside so with a smile he walked up and stood in the center of the room. He could feel the magic of an older gentleman moving towards him. And low and behold an older man with white hair came out of the back of the shop with a smile on his face. Harry smiled at him, but before he could say anything the other man spoke.

"Ahh, Mr. Potter. I've been expecting you."

Harry stared at the old man for a few seconds in confusion before he let out an understanding sigh and said, "You knew my father."

Ollivander smiled and said, "Your father was the one who taught my ancestors the art of wand crafting. My family has been allied to him ever since."

Harry shared a sad smile with the old man and said, "I take it you know of his passing?"

"I do. He came to me shortly beforehand and told me he would be moving on. I have to say I was a bit surprised he'd named you heir. I was under the impression he'd never be willing to pass on. I guess that means he trusts you."

Harry smiled and said, "I like to think so."

"Hmm. Well then, before we start i must ask why you are in need of a wand at all, Mr. Potter. From what i know, your father didn't need one and I'd be hard pressed to believe he didn't teach you the same way."

"To fit in mostly. I might not need a wand, but everyone else does. If I show an unnatural disposition to wandless magic it could draw a lot of unwanted questions. The wand will stall that."

"Interesting. Very well then, how about we get you your wand, yes?"

It took hours. Ollivander kept running back and forth through the shop looking for more wands. So far no wand felt right. There was one wand, a hollywood feather core wand that felt nice, but not perfect. Finally Ollivander developed a thoughtful look before running to the back of the store and returning shortly there after.

"I made this wand in my youth. I was experimenting with the idea of creating wands made of multiple woods and cores. I tried countless times, but this is the only one that worked. A beech, applewood, and sycamore blend, with a weave of a dragon heartstring, a phoenix feather, and a thestral feather for a core. Go ahead then."

Harry could feel a tangible connection to the wand without even touching it. Upon lifting his hand the wand flew from the table into his grasp and he felt a warmness flow through him. He could feel the three heartstrings connecting to his magic, both separately and together at the same time. He could feel the wood channeling his magic and connecting to himself. It was in short, "Amazing."

Ollivander smiled at the boy. He could feel the connection the wand had with the boy and was positively astounded. Never had he seen such a flawless link between a magical and their wand. It was simply breathtaking.

"That will be seven gallions, Mr. Potter."

Harry smiled as he handed the old man his money and left.

Harry smiled as he walked down the alley. His wand tucked into his pants pocket. He loved the way it caressed at his magic, learning what it could about him. His focus was torn away from his wand, though, when he felt a sudden pull at his magic from his left. Looking that way he found himself staring at an owl shop.

With confusion he walked into the shop and was greeted by the sight of dozens of cages filled with owls. He paid them no mind as he walked through the store. He could feel the magic of the shop owner near the front of the store, but his interest was geared towards the peculiar source of magic pulling on him from the back of the shop.

Approaching the back of the shop he stared at the source of the odd magic in some surprise. In front of him was a cage holding a beautiful snowy owl. At least that's what most would think, but Harry knew more than most.

"What are you doing in a place like this?" Harry asked quietly with an awed look on his face.

"Yeah, she is a beauty. Pity she won't let anyone near her," said a voice behind Harry.

Harry gave a small startled shout and turned to the man behind him. Of course Harry knew the man was there so the jump was purely for show.

"Sorry there, didn't mean to startle yah, lad."

Harry smiled at the man and said, "That's okay, really. I was just admiring this beauty right here. I think I'd like to buy her."

"Hmm, well I'd love to sell er to yah, but she doesn't like people much. She's been returned a few times already cause she keeps on biting people."

"Well, that's just because they didn't know how to handle her," Harry said as he reached through the cage bars and stroked the beautiful owl's feathers. The snowy owl hooted softly and leaned into Harry's touch.

"Well, I'll be. She's never let someone touch her like that. Well then, bring her to the front of the shop and we can get yah checked out."

Harry made his way quickly to his room at the Leaky Cauldron with his owl. He slammed the door as he rushed into his room and placed the cage with his new owl on the desk before opening the cage door and letting the owl hop out of the cage onto his desk.

Staring at the owl with a smile Harry said, "Are you gonna drop that mask then? I do know what you are."

The owl stared at Harry for a few seconds before hooting softly. Suddenly the owl started glowing a bright white. Harry shielded his eyes from the bright light with a smile. When the light died down Harry's smile grew into an awed grin.

"A spirit owl."

Where was once a beautiful snowy owl now stood a pure whispy white owl that seemed to give off a faint glow.

Harry shared in awe at the beautiful owl for a few moments when he was pulled out of his surprise by the feeling of the owl's magic reaching out and touching his own. With shock he felt the owl create a familiar bond between the two of them.

It was with even more shock that he heard a soft, female voice in his head.

Lord Emrys, said the voice in his head.

Spirit owl? Harry questioningly thought back.

Yes, Lord Emrys.

Wow, I never thought I'd meet one of you again, not since father passed on. What were you doing in that shop?

Waiting.

For what?

You, Lord Emrys.

Me?

Well, not specifically. I've been waiting for someone pure of heart. You are the first I've met in the three years I've been waiting.

Wait, three years?

Yes. When one spirit owl passes another is born into the world. My mother passed on with your father and I came into being.

Wow. I wondered what had happened to father's familiar. We'll I'm honored you've chosen to be my familiar.

The honor is mine, Lord Emrys.

[Hogwarts' Castle]

Professor McGonagall was very confused, to say the least. She was sitting in the headmaster's office, watching Dumbledore stare at the envelope she had just received. She was utterly confused when she read it, unable to make the connection to what it implied. She expected to see similar confusion from the headmaster, but instead saw only a smile and a strange glimmer in his eye.

"I was wondering when his letter would arrive," said the old man.

"I do not understand, headmaster, what's this mean?"

The aged professor stared into the eyes of his deputy headmistress for a few moments before saying, "Earlier today, while I was giving my annual speech at the Harry Potter monument the most peculiar thing occurred. There was a flash of light and a young boy appeared. He was as confused as all of those in attendance and when i asked his name he said Harry Potter."

"B-but Harry Potter died! H-h-he couldn't have been Harry Potter!"

"That was my belief as well, but then I looked closer at him. His face was so much like James', and his eyes were just like Lily's. I talked to the goblins and they confirmed it. Harry Potter did not die that night in Godric's Hollow."

Minerva was stunned. The child of her favorite, even if she wouldn't admit it, students was alive. A smile came to her usually stern face. A very rare smile that none had seen in a very long time.

[Harry Potter]

The days passed by slowly for Harry, which seriously grated on his nerves. He lived his life for excitement and adventure and the quiet boring life in the Leaky cauldron was unbearable. Not to mention the constant bombardment of people trying to talk to him. He didn't mind it much when he wasn't doing anything, but he didn't like not being able to walk to his room without being surrounded. He was still polite, mind you, but that didn't mean he took no issue with it.

To keep from sitting around doing nothing, which he found unbearable, he found things to busy himself with. Such as conversing with his new familiar and going over the information provided by the goblins. His inheritance was inordinately massive to say the least. At the bottom of his bank statement, denoting the number of gallions he was privy to, was a number Harry couldn't even name that was entirely too many digits long. According to the goblins he was very easily the richest person alive, without contest. Other than that he owned countless properties, including Godric's Hollow, the Leaky Cauldron, some property in Hogsmeade, and some place called Hogwarts castle… yeah, it was a shock to him as well. He also owned a few businesses that were steadily increasing his wealth, although the amount trickling in was tiny compared to to whole it was contributing to, and he had a few seats on the Wizengamot that he could claim. Which he planned on doing when he got out of Hogwarts.

Other than the financial things Harry was also happy to receive a few books as well. One on them on the magic political world. He didn't care much for politics himself, caring more about adventure and learning new things, but he knew the information of who's who in the world would definitely be important knowledge. He also got a book on wizarding traditions and customs. He learned how to address other people when dealing in a political manner, he learned about houses, lesser houses, nobel houses, ancient houses, and so on, information he knew somethings about already because of his father. He found it fascinating and spent a large amount of time making sure he knew everything. It was the traditions of his family and he would learn as much puff it as he could.

[September 1, 2011]

[King's Cross-Platform 9 ¾]

Before he knew it Harry Potter found himself on the Hogwarts Express. Using a powerful notice me not charm on himself allowed him to make it onto the train without being noticed and to find a compartment all to himself. His owl, which he'd named Hedwig, was flying to Hogwarts by herself. He sat down before pulling a shrunken book out of his pocket. With a wave of his hand he enlarged the book and began reading.

The trip to Hogwarts would be a long one and he fully expected he'd finish the book before they arrived, if he wasn't interrupted that is. He had found the book in one of the shops in the Alley and was immediately drawn to it. A book about his father, Merlin. The book was pretty interesting, in that it was entirely wrong. Sure they got some of the major events correct, but other than that it was completely wrong. They painted his father out to be some justice seeking hero who lived to protect the people. And while it's true that his father did help people from time to time, his passion in life was adventure, not justice and heroism.

He was midway through a chapter about how his father had apparently slain a dragon, something he'd never do as he believed all life should be considered sacred, when he heard a knock at the compartment door.

"Sorry, but can I sit here? Everywhere else is full?"

Harry didn't know what to think about that. The train was highly saturated with magic, so Harry could sense everything that was going on in the train, and there was definitely space in other compartments. In fact there was one compartment that was completely empty. This guy was blind, lazy, or he wanted to sit with him for some reason.

"Hmm, sure I guess," said Harry with a contemplative look.

"Hi. My name's Ron, Ron Weasley."

Harry quickly realized he didn't like Ron much. He seemed like a nice enough bloke, but all he wanted to talk about was quidditch, food, and chess. Harry was all for discussing those things as well. He liked food as much as the next guy, he played a mean game of chess, and he considered himself a pretty decent seeker, but he didn't like talking about those things for hours on end. And he also couldn't help, but notice the boy spent more time staring at his scar then anything else.

Harey eventually grew tired of talking to the dim boy and asked for silence so he could resume reading. This seemed to confuse the boy. He apparently couldn't understand reading for any other reason than being forced to which he made sure to voice adamantly. Harry did his best to ignore the red head, but eventually had enough and wandlessly placed a minor silencing charm on him.

Finally, in blissful silence Harry resumed reading his book… Only to be interrupted by the compartment door being pulled open.

"Have either of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville lost his," said a young girl with bushy brown hair.

Harry thought about it for a few seconds, before flicking his wand into his hand from the holster on his wrist.

"Accio Neville's Toad."

The two other occupants of the compartment stared at Harry in confusion, until a toad flew over the bushy haired girl's head and landed in Harry's outstretched hand.

"W-wow! That was magic!" said Ron. Harry had dropped the silencing charm when the girl entered the room.

"I see your decisive powers are top notch Ron."

"That was amazing! What spell was that?" asked the excited girl.

"The summoning charm. As the name suggests the spell summons things to the user."

"Is that a first year spell? I haven't seen it in any of the books?"

"I don't know. I was reading through my father's library a few years ago when I came across it. It's not very difficult, but it takes a lot of magic so most first years wouldn't be able to cast it."

"Why not?"

"Well, humans and some other races have something called a magic core, which is basically a source of magic within all magicals. And the size of a person's core dictates how much magic a person has. The larger your core, the more magic you can use. Our cores can grow a few ways. They grow as we age, they grow even more when we use magic, and under some conditions a person's core can be forced to grow. So we learn the less taxing spells in our first years, and more taxing spells as the years go on. The summoning spells not the most taxing of spells, but your average first year wouldn't be able to cast it."

Harry finished his little speech and wasn't shocked by the cabin occupants reactions. The bushy haired girl looked positively fascinated, and Ron… well Ron looked like he hadn't understood a single word Harry said, go figures.

Harry sighed and said, "Either way, here's Neville's toad. I think I'd like to give it to him myself, if that's alright with you?"

"Oh! Of course, follow me."

Harry gave a sigh of relief at getting to escape the redheads drawing as he stood up and went to follow the girl before noticing Ron was going to follow as well. That would defeat the entire purpose of giving the toad back in person so Harry quickly said,"Why don't you stay here, Ron. This shouldn't take long."

"Uhh, okay," was Ron's elegant answer.

Harry shook his head as he followed the girl into the train corridor.

The girl, who Harry found out was named Hermione, stopped in front of a compartment and pulled the door open. On the floor was a young boy looking around for something, probably his toad.

"Neville, I presume?" asked Harry as he stepped into the room.

The boy jumped slightly before quickly scrambling to his feet and turning to Harry.

"Y-yeah," stuttered out the boy.

"Hermione here came to my cabin looking for your toad and I decided to help out," Harry said as he held the toad out to the boy.

"Trevor!" exclaimed the boy as he lunged forward and grabbed the toad from Harry. "Th-thank you f-for y-your help."

Harry smiled at the boy and said, "Don't mention it, mate. I have to confess I had some ulterior motives to helping out."

"R-really?"

"Yeah. This guy named Ron was being bloody annoying."

"Ron Weasley?" asked the boy with a soft chuckle.

"Yeah. Do yah know him?"

"Y-yeah."

"So your parents must be magical. Are you from a house, by chance?" asked Harry curiously.

"W-well, yeah. I-I'm a Longbottom."

"Oh, your Neville Longbottom! Perfect, that saves me the trouble of tracking you down later."

"F-for what?"

"Well, Heir Longbottom, I, Harry Potter, Lord of House Potter, would like to formally request a meeting with you head of house."

"Uhh, what?"

Harry chuckled softly and said, "I would like a meeting with your grandmother, Neville, to discuss house matters."

Neville kept staring at Harry for a few seconds before saying, "Y-your, Harry Potter."

Harry smiled and said, "That I am."

Harry, Neville, and Hermione then had a long conversation about Harry and how he'd been exploring the world since he was a year old. He did leave out who his father actually was. They listened to his stories with apt attention. And right as he started his story about the dragons in Zambia, the apartment door was pulled open and a young blond haired boy walked in. Behind him were two heavy set boys with dumb looks on their faces.

"Can we help you?" asked Harry.

The boy sneered slightly at Hermione and Neville before looking at Harry and saying, "I heard Harry Potter was in this compartment. I suppose that's you, then?"

"Unless I'm mistaken, it's proper edicate to introduce yourself, before asking others name," said Harry.

The boy flushed slightly, in anger or embarrassment Harry couldn't tell, then said, "I'm Draco Malfoy, this is Crabb and Goyle."

"Oh, so your Heir Malfoy. Well that's odd, I thought the Malfoy's respected tradition"

The boy seemed indignant at that and said, "Of course we do!"

"Oh really? Because the way i see it, your disregarding lots of tradition."

"What?"

"Well, Neville here is heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Longbottom and I'm Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. Last time I checked, as heir of the Noble House of Malfoy you are below our station and should therefore show the proper respect when addressing us."

Draco flustered and shook his head before saying, "I-i, uhh-."

"Before you make more a fool of yourself shutup and listen. House Potter has no intention of dealing with House Malfoy. Leave me alone and I will do the same, understood Heir Malfoy?"

Malfoy started for a second before nodding, and saying,"Yes, Lord Potter."

"Very well, you're dismissed. Unless you have anything for him Heir Longbottom?" Harry said.

"U-uhh, no."

Harry nodded to Malfoy who stood like a deer in headlights for a few seconds before turning and bolting from the compartment.

Harry stared at the door for a few seconds before cracking a smile and turning to the other two in his compartment. "Did you see the look on his face? Priceless."

"Y-yeah."

"I don't understand," Hermione said in confusion.

"It's pretty simple, really. In magical Britain there is something called the House System. A house, in the most basic terms, is a family lead by a single person. There's a lot of logistics that go into forming a house, which don't matter much sense a new house hasn't been formed in over a hundred years. Now these house can have different levels of… certification you could say. At the bottom are your average houses, above them are the noble houses, like the Malfoys, then you have the ancient houses, like House Weasley, then you have the ancient and noble houses like House McGonagall, then the most noble houses, like House Nott, then the most ancient houses, like House Ollivander, then the ancient and most noble houses like House Prince, then the most ancient and noble houses, like House Longbottom, then the Most Ancient and Most Noble houses, like House Potter, then you have the four Royal houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff, and finally you have the Most Royal House of Emrys. Although the last five haven't been around for centuries. Traditionally the lower houses are supposed to show respect to the greater houses. Me and Neville more so because he's an heir and I'm a Lord. Magical Britain still follows those traditions so traditionally Malfoy shouldn't even enter our compartment without permission from one of us. The utter disrespect he showed to not only Neville, but to you Hermione, as one of my associates, is honestly appealing to your average traditionalist."

"I had no idea."

"Of course you didn't, no one actually takes the time to educate first-generation magicals like you, which is actually appalling to me. I suggest finding some books on the subject."

"I will."

"L-Lord Potter?"

"Just Harry, Neville. My titles are for official matters or talking to arrogant pricks like Malfoy. "

"O-okay, Harry."

"Well then, we're about to reach the school so we should get into our robes."

-LINE CUT-

Harry was sitting in a small boat with Neville, Hermione, and Ron, who had joined them when Harry wasn't looking.

They just turned a corner and got their first view of the castle they'd be learning in for the next seven years. It waa a beautiful sight, to say the least, and even though Harry had seen many castles non had seemed so… full of life such as this one. He couldn't wait to be inside it.

Finally, after a short laugh at being told to duck below somes vines that definitely wouldn't have been able to hit anyone but their large guide named Hagrid, they were walking through the halls of Hogwarts approaching a stern looking woman Harry recognized as Professor Minerva McGonagall.

"'Ere ya go, Professor."

"Thank you Hagrid. I can take it from here." She then led the group to a large door and said, "I will be right back," before turning and walking around the corner.

Only to come right back around disillusioned. 'I wonder what she's looking for?' thought Harry.

Immediately the group of first years started talking, mostly about the school and how they would be sorted. Which led to a multitude of risculus ideas which included, a written test, a practical test, a magic level test, a inheritance test, fighting a troll and taming a dragon. How they went from writing tests to taming dragons and fighting trolls Harry would never know.

After a few minutes of that ridiculousness Professor McGonagall reappeared and led them into the great hall. The group of first years found themselves in awe for the second time as the looked upon the large room filled with people, floating candles, amazing architecture, and a ceiling that looked like the night sky. Harry passingly noted Hermione listing off some fact from Hogwarts a History about Rowena Ravenclaw enchanting the ceiling.

They approached the front of the room, to see an old hat sitting on a stool. Suddenly the hat seemingly came to life! A tear around the rim appeared from which a voice could be hear. The hat the sang a song about the qualities of each house before sitting still.

"When your name is called please come and sit on the stool to be sorted," she then took out a large sheet of parchment and began reading, "Hannah, Abbot."

Harry payed apt attention to where each person. Hermione went to Ravenclaw, which he had convinced her would be a better fit for her on the train, Neville went to Gryffindor, Malfoy went to Slytherin. And then it was finally his term.

"Harry Potter."

The room, which moments ago had been filled with the murmurs of new and old students alike, suddenly went silent. Harry approached the stool and could the murmuring pick up again. He smiled as he sat down and Professor McGonagall put the hat on his head.

Immediately Harry felt something pushing against his occlumency shields. He let it push on shields for a moment before closing his eyes and pulling the presence into his mindscape with him.

-LINE CUT-

Harry and an old, bald man with a bushy moustache in old dirty clothes appeared in Harry's mindscape. It appeared to be a large field that went on for as far as the eye could see.

Harry studied the man for a few seconds before saying with a smile, "Hello, Francis."

The man, now known as Francis, wxas shocked at what was happening. Never in his time as sorting hat had a new student been able to block his scan. Sure, there had been a few kids with newly forming shields before, but they were like toddlers trying to fight a fully grown man they didn't even know was a threat. This boys shields we're like three feel steel protecting another three feet of concrete protecting the entrance which also requires a twenty digit password to open. He hadn't seen shields as strong as this since he was created. But what shocked him even more was the boy calling him Francis. No one knew his real name, at least no one who was still alive, partially because no one had asked and partially because he probably wouldn't tell them even if they did.

"W-what-how," Francis tried to say something but was simply flabbergasted by this young boy.

"I think it would be easier to show you," Harry said with a chuckle. Then, without waiting for a response, he stepped forward and grabbed Francis by the arm. Before Francis could ask what he was doing the two of them disappeared with a soft pop, and reappeared in seemingly the same spot.

"What was that?"

"Elf apparition. We've moved a few hundred miles south. You'll understand in a few minutes," Harry said as he reached down and touched one patch of grass that looked like every other patch of grass in the large field. Directly in front of him the ground parted slightly and a small panel with a keypad on it appeared. Harry punched in some code and the key pad retracted. A few feet ahead of them the ground parted again. Harry led Francis too the new hole in the ground to see a later heading down a very deep hole. Harry went first and Francis hesitantly followed.

Thirty minutes of climbing later and the two found themselves in a long hallway that disappeared off into the distance. On either side of the hallway were doors. Lots of doors evenly spaced going off into the distance as well. Harry led Francis down the hallway and after about a half hour of walking Harry stopped in front of a door and knocked exactly twenty-three times. Next to the door a panel slid open to reveal a keyboard. Harry stepped up and typed in something and the keyboard disappeared back into the wall. Harry then opened the door and led Francis inside.

The room they entered wasn't very large, and looked like a sitting room to a house. There was a couch and a few books shelves on which sat some empty frames.

'Through here," Harry said as he walked through a door on the other side of the room.

Francis followed him through and was shocked at what he found. A giant library filled with books that went on farther than he could even see. The shelves reached up to the ceiling that was a few stories above their heads.

"W-what is this?"

Harry chuckled softly and said, "My memories. At least some of them are, there are also fake ones mixed in as well. Of course i can do this," Harry snapped his fingers and the book shelves shortened and the room shrunk to the point that he could actually see the back wall now, even though it was still pretty far away.

"What just happened?"

"I removed the fake memories for you. I can instinctively tell the difference between each memory, just as i can't tell which door is the correct one, or where the entrance to the hallway is. You can't so I got rid of the fake memories for now. Oh and," Harry snapped and a bunch of signs appeared. Some had words on them, and others had arrows on them, "Those signs dictate the different categories of memories and the arrows will lead you to a door. Behind said door are my emotions, character traits, and everything that makes me, me. As well as my magical core if you want to see that as well. I leave you to it." Harry walked away leaving Francis to stare after him.

Francis turned to the different book shelves and said,"Well, let's get to it, i guess." He walked towards the bookshelf and as he did, what appeared to be a second Francis stepped out of his back. The two Francis paid no mind to each other and started opening up books and reading. They also paid no mind to the other Francises coming out of them. By the time more stopped appearing there were dozens upon dozens of Francises walking around Harry's mind looking at memories. A few had also gone to look at the door Harry had told them about.

Harry watched the multitude of people walking around with a smile. Occasionally he'd hear and 'oh my' or a 'wow' or other exclamations of disbelief and wonder that made him chuckle softly.

After a good half an hour one Francis walked to the center of the Library and clapped. Immediately the Francises started flying at him, becoming one with him again. Harry then snapped and the signs disappeared, the room and bookshelves expanded again and ee could distantly hear the lock on the door too his emotions clicking.

Harry walked up to Francis who was silently going through everything he had just learned. Francis turned to Harry and dropped down to a knees, "Lord Emrys."

Harry smiled as he said, "If you've seen my memories you'd know I've never cared much for formalities."

"I know, Lord Emrys, but will you deny this humble servant the chance to respect his lord?"

"Of course not Francis, but I'd appreciate it if you'd chill out on the Lord Emrys stuff around other people. That's supposed to be a secret."

"Of course my lord, the enchantments on me keep me from sharing anything I find in your head without permission anyways."

Harry smiled and said, "Thank you, Francis. Now if you'd rise so we could have a proper conversation?"

"Of course, Milord."

Harry lead Francis back into the sitting room and the two took a seat.

"So, what do you think?" asked Harry

"Of your mindscape?"

"Partially. And the rest of the things you saw."

"Well, I've never seen a mindscape like yours. It is amazing really, especially for one so young. And your memories, well I have hardly seen a witch or wizard twice your age who's seen so much. And not to mention being Lord of Hogwarts herself."

"Yes. I wanted ask you about that. Father said you'd know how I could speak with Lady Hogwarts. Is that true?"

"Yes, of course. Just ask one of the house elves to bring me to you tomorrow. You should be able to call to them."

"Thank you, Francis."

"Think nothing of it, Milord."

"What about the other room you saw?"

"It was...it was stunning, Lord Emrys. Your core, well I've never seen anything quite like it. It was beautiful, for lack of a better word."

"Thank you. I'll have you know it wasn't always like that. It was a giant mess until a few years ago when I learned to enter my mindscape and sorted it out."

"Well of course it was. The amount of magic in that thing, I'm surprised you're able to control it at all. Simply remarkable. And don't even get me started on the rest of the stuff in there. I have no idea how I'm going to sort you."

"Well I was thinking we could reopen father's house."

"Yes, I suppose we could. You obviously meet the requirements. Hmm, I'm not sure if any others will fit in though, what if you're the only one, Milord?"

"Then so be it. I knew that was a possibility before I made the suggestion. There is a reason Emrys house has been empty for so long, and it's not because no one's asked. The traits for Emrys house aren't very common. A thirst for adventure and a love for all life? Maybe one or the other, but rarely both. I am content to be by alone if I have to be."

Francis smiled and said, "You are quite amazing, Lord Emrys. I know of few others with the resolve you show. If you are sure then?"

"I am."

"Then if you could let me out?"

Harry smiled and with a snap of his fingers the two people disappeared.

-LINE CUT-

The great hall was getting antsy. Harry had put the hat on a good ten minutes ago. None of them, including the staff, had ever seen a sorting last this long. Then, just as someone was going to see what was taking so long, the hat straightened out and began to speak.

"There is a fifth, so very rare,

that might suit you better.

If you seek adventure,

This house is what you're after.

For those that think all life is sacred,

Each day you feel blessed,

This house might be just right for you,

The great old house of EMRYS!"

With the call of the last word the great hall began to expand. The four house tables were pushed to the side a bit and the ground between the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff table opened and from it another table came out and took its place in the middle of the four tables. Harry smiled as he took Francis off and handed him to Professor McGonagall, who mechanically took the hat with an absolutely shocked look on her face, and then walked towards his new table. As he walked the colors on his robes changed to a silvery white color. He walked right up to his table and sat down then turned to watch the rest of the sorting… only to see everyone staring at him in absolute shock.

"What? Is there something in my teeth?"

-LINE CUT-

[A/N: I hope you liked the chapter. It was a lot of fun to write. If you could leave a review that would be very much appreciated. Thanks for reading. See you next time.]