Disclaimer- This is not my sandbox but I am going to play in it at least once. The reason for that is very simple, 'The damned muse won't go away.'.

It is not possible to promise something delightfully new when there are over 1000k fanfictions available on the Internet. The least I could promise is for it to be entertaining. Just so people know what this story will entail, I will do the tags here. Smart!Neutral! Harry, Manipulative! Dumbledore. No bashing. If someone feels like I have bashed a character then it would be someone I really don't like. I am not going to go out of my way to bash anyone.

Summary- Harry Potter knew more better than to rely on others. So why did he trust Hogwart's faculty as easily as he did? Harry Potter knew better than anyone to keep his head down and avoid attention. So why did he suddenly have no problems with the attention that was focussed on him while in the magical school? Harry Potter knew better than to charge ahead recklessly. So why did he suddenly feel that it was his job to save the day every time something came up?

A/N :- Harry Potter was a ritually abused and neglected child who considered Hogwarts to be his home. I never understood why he would willingly break as many rules as he did if he feared expulsion so much? This is my version of Harry Potter who has a sense of self-preservation that can match the slyest of slytherins and knows more about his place in the world because of the help of his mother.

HpLcp

Chapter 1

Pivet drive No. 4,

Little Whinging, Surrey.

August 3rd ,1992.

"After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."

Headmaster Dumbledore's words echoed in his mind once again as Harry laid on his cot and stared outside. Dudley's second bedroom, or Harry's room, had another addition to its sparse furniture- bars on the window and a cat-flap on the door.

Harry wondered why his headmaster would tell a twelve-year old that death was an adventure. At first, Harry assumed that the old man was going senile. It was not his fault for thinking that, many students were of the opinion that the headmaster had a few screws lose.

But then he discarded that idea. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was not just a headmaster. He was also the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwamp of the International Confederation of Wizards. Both of those jobs involved politics.

While Harry didn't know much about the things those jobs entailed, he at least understood that they both involved careful use of words. Only a few days ago, he had heard his Uncle complaining about the way the media twisted some politician's words resulting in a lot of slander for him.

And that brought him to the dilemma he was facing. Why did Albus Dumbledore tell a twelve-year old boy that death should be accepted when it came? At the end of his first year, Harry Potter had faced the murderer of his parents and countless others in the form of his DADA professor.

While it was true that Professor Quirrell was possessed by the spirit of Lord Voldemort, it didn't change the fact that he had a close call with death. Nor did it change the fact the he had killed Quirrell in self-defence.

Oh, it was true that Professor Quirrell was almost dead the moment he got possessed by the spirit of Lord Voldemort as Professor Dumbledore told him. But it didn't stop him from having dreams about those cruel lifeless eyes that stared at him and accused him of their murder.

It was true. Harry had killed in self-defence. He had taken a life. And in taking a life he had lost his innocence. Something fundamental had changed within him. He told both of his friends- Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, that he didn't remember what happened when he touched Professor Quirrell. It was a lie.

He had feared that they would turn away from him. That they would not want a murderer as their friend. That they would flinch whenever they saw him. Oh, he knew that they would stare at him in horror and revulsion if he told them how he could feel the skin melting from Quirrell's body when he touched him. There were times when he couldn't look at himself in mirror without flinching at what he had become.

He had spent most of his summer locked in his room where he was only allowed to get out twice a day. Once in the morning to cook breakfast for his relatives, if he could call them that, and once in the evening to use the restroom. The only salvation that he had expected that summer was that he had two friends who would at least send him letters.

And just like everything else in his short life, that had been a disappointment as well. He had waited for the letters from his friends everyday since he got back. And that was all he did for the major part of the summer when he wasn't doing chores for his relatives.

Maybe they don't want to be friends with a murderer? A small voice insisted from the back of his mind. It brought all of his self-doubts and insecurities that he had tried very hard to bury deep inside. He waited and waited for their letters as he himself was unable to send his own.

His relatives had taken away his things and locked them in his previous bedroom- the cupboard under the stairs. They had also locked his owl- Hedwig, inside her cage. So, he had no means to contact his friends. To get the assurance that they still wanted to remain friends with him.

Day after day passed and he resigned himself to the understanding that they didn't want to be his friends. And somehow, he found himself perfectly alright with that thought. See, Harry Potter didn't have friends for the first ten years of his life. So, he was perfectly alright with being alone.

Imagine his surprise when he found out that his friends had sent him letters but they were intercepted by a crazy house-elf named Dobby. The same crazy house-elf whose actions led him to have a broken arm, a warning for unauthorized use of magic and being starved for the past three days.

It was safe to assume that Harry was not amused by this. His temper had always been his biggest flaw and in his temper, he had binned those letters without reading them. His relatives had taken great delight in pointing out the lack of communication from his friends. After all, who would want to be friends with a freak?

Oh, he had tried to retrieve those letters. Unfortunately, they were gone by the time his temper cooled down. So, here he was, staring out of the window and going through the events of his first year. Things that he could have done better.

And he realized, that there were plenty of things that didn't make sense with his behaviour in the first year of his magical education at Hogwarts.

Harry prided himself in the fact that he was not a bigot. After all he was nothing like his relatives. And his relatives were the most bigoted people he had ever seen. Oh, he was biased about them but with the way they treated him, was he wrong in doing so?

But then, somehow before he reached Hogwarts, he had the perception that everyone from the house of Slytherin was evil and the Dumbledore could do no wrong. How did that happen?

Looking back, he understood just how that happened. He didn't think that there was something like a conspiracy involved, it could have just been a strange set of coincidences. Even that theory had many holes.

He was of the understanding that a staff member was required to introduce a muggle-born student to the world of magic. So why was a groundskeeper sent for him? No offence to Hagrid but the big fellow was not the right person to introduce a muggle-born child to the world of magic.

His hero-worship of Albus Dumbledore aside, Harry wan not given anything that should have been and had been provided to other muggle-born students. Things like brochures about Hogwarts, information about magical Britain in general, available subjects, means of magical transportation, a brief guide to magical customs. None of this was provided to him.

And that was before Hagrid introduced him as a celebrity in the Diagon Alley. Why was a grounds-keeper sent for the introduction of a very famous celebrity to the world of magic? He would have hoped for someone with authority over children to do the task. Especially if he was as important as the people considered him to be.

Even more suspect was the fact that the key of his trust vault was with the headmaster of a school. The same headmaster that he had heard nothing about. If that wasn't enough to make him wary, there were many things that seemed suspicious in hindsight now.

Harry Potter thought of himself to be the kind of boy who would avoid confrontation at any cost. Being bullied regularly since the early years of his childhood, he understood very well that he shouldn't antagonize the bullies further by making disparaging remarks.

'Harry Hunting', a game played by his cousins and his friends, taught him to run as fast as possible and to avoid people like them if possible. After all, he was just a little runt with a bad reputation because of his relatives that no one in any position of authority would believe his word over other's.

So, why did he antagonize Draco Malfoy, a boy from a significantly powerful family, in defence of a boy he had known only for hours? No, despite what anybody said, that was not in his nature. He had been a victim of systematic bullying for a long time to make enemies as recklessly as he did.

And that is not taking into consideration that he knew nothing about the term 'blood-traitor' that was used by Malfoy in the first. There might have been a feud going on between those two families that he knew nothing about.

Those two things and the talk with Ronald's father about the houses had worked wonders for his world view. And somehow when the time of his sorting came, he was prepared to do anything he could to avoid being sorted in the house of snakes.

'All the dark wizards come from the house of snakes.'

'Voldemort was said to be a descendant of Salazar Slytherin.'

Be careful of the house of green, they arenever up to any good.'

One thing common that everyone he met before the school started said along with vilifying Slytherins were the praises of Albus Dumbledore and House of Gryffindor. He still couldn't understand how he became a bigot in such a small amount of time.

Oh, don't get him wrong. He was bullied by some slytherin over the course of the year but it was not like his house didn't add fuel to the fire. Especially the Weasley-twins. He understood that they were just trying to be funny most of the times but they were doing it at the cost of other's humiliation. That just made them bullies in his mind.

There were many such inconsistencies that he noticed over the year. Ronald Weasley and his family being one of them. The boy himself was very lazy with only two things that he focussed on. Quidditch and Chess. None of them were especially desirable to Harry.

Oh, he was seeker of his team but only because he was too afraid that he was going to be expelled that he didn't realize that he got drafted for the house team. He liked flying, there was no doubt about it but quidditch was far too dangerous a game for him to enjoy. Seriously, what kind of game had people targeting each other with large metallic balls?

The boy, Ronald, was the sixth youngest of the seven children their family had. From what he was told, his eldest brother worked as a curse breaker with the goblins, his second eldest brother who studied dragons.

They had their own experience with dragon that year too. And Harry was sufficiently convinced that he didn't want to see another for a long time. They had helped the grounds keeper in illegal transportation of a dragon to the continent. And had gotten caught after that. Enough said.

Their third youngest Percy was perhaps the only one he could respect. Not because of his stuck-up attitude or his desire to follow rules but because the boy had his priorities straight. Unlike his younger siblings, Percy was more serious regarding his studies and career.

The twins, while talented, seemed to have more time to cause mischief and bully others and Ron spent his time learning things about quidditch and practicing chess. And somehow, Harry got involved in being lazy and wasting time with him. That attitude, like many other things, didn't make sense to him.

When he was preparing to go to Hogwarts, the first thing that he realised was that he would no longer have to score less than his cousin. He was going to a completely new world and he had a desire to learn everything about it, just like every other muggle-born student.

The fact that he wasted his time in meaningless things like quidditch and chess and exploring and butting his nose in others business worried him. That was not how he normally behaved.

All these things weren't what made him wary of the Weasley family. No, it was the pity-gift that they sent him on christmas that made him dislike them. It was not like they knew each other well enough to send gifts.

He considered it extremely rude and decided to stay away from such presumptuous people. The fact that they were called blood-traitors in their own society was a factor too. He understood that he didn't know much about the wizarding society to make judgement but he knew enough to understand that anything that ended with traitor was not good.

Then there was the troll incident of the night of Halloween, what possessed him to jump on the back of a mountain troll and stick his wand in its nose? While he didn't mind the results of his actions, they saved a girl, he was shocked at the way he acted.

The troll was more than twice his size and he jumped on his back. That was so much out of his normal character that he almost considered it a dream. But it had happened and he didn't know why he did the things that he did.

And all these things brought him to the heart of the matter- the philosophers stone. He wondered if he had not interfered with the traps then the Dark Lord would have spent eternity in front of the mirror. After all, that was what the 'Mirror of Erised' was for. The mirror that showed the deepest desire of the person.

It was a trap for the thief that was trying to steal the philosopher's stone but instead of a normal person, they were dealing with a professor who was possessed by a Dark Lord. I wouldn't have had to take Quirrell's life if I had not poked my nose into others business.

That was all it was for. The school was used as a trap to draw out the thief. A bloody school was used to draw out the thief who was courageous enough to try and steal from a goblin bank. And three first year students were able to go past all the traps and stop the dark lord.

Ronald had once said that they were tests put up for Harry Potter. Harry was re-evaluating the credibility of that statement. And he didn't like the conclusion he was reaching.

The dark lord was trying to make a come-back.

The headmaster didn't seem too shocked by that.

The same headmaster set a trap in a bloody school by bringing a very valuable artefact.

The headmaster advises a twelve-year boy that it is alright to accept death.

This didn't put a good picture in his mind. And now there was warning from a crazy house-elf that there was going to be danger at Hogwarts. From his limited interaction with the elf, Harry also realized that the elf was crazy enough to do anything to make sure that he couldn't reach Hogwarts.

A soft hoot from Hedwig brought his attention back to her cage in the corner of his small room. "I am alright, Hedwig. The pain is dulled enough that it doesn't bother me too much." He smiled when she hooted a reply. He was always able to understand his owl. Or at least the gist of it.

"Yes, I will be fine as soon as I get back to Hogwarts. Madam Pomphrey would be able to fix it in a jiffy." He smiled at the bird. "Hedwig? Do you think that the Potter's had house-elfs?" He cursed himself for not taking any initiative to know more about his family.

The bird hooted something in answer. "You think I should try calling for them?" A hoot later, he shrugged and tried. "Uh, Potter elf?" He had not hoped for there to be loud pop in the room. Nor did he expect an elf to answer the call.

"Who's is calling Mispy?" The little elf looked around the room before she spotted Harry. "Young master Harry." The little elf squealed and rushed forward dancing circles around Harry. "I's been waiting for your call for a very long time." The elf bowed and touched her head to his hand.

"What are you talking about?" Harry frowned. "I didn't even know the Potter family had any elf." The little elf seemed to straighten up at that and looked around. Frowning Mispy scrunched her face and closed her eyes.

A few moments later her eyes snapped open and widened. "You is not supposed to be here." Her shrill voice made his frown. "Nobody wants to be here Mispy. It's not like I have anywhere else to go to." He shrugged while scratching his neck with his unbroken arm.

"No, no." The little elf said in distress. "You is not supposed to stay with Mistress Lily's muggle sister. You is supposed to stay with magical family." Harry frowned in confusion. "No magical family has said anything about that to me through any means."

"I have spent one year in magical Britain now. I do not think I would accept their offer, if they ever contact me." He sighed. There was no way he was going to go live with a magical family he knew nothing about.

At least with Dursley, he knew what to expect. He was not going to go with the first family that showed their face. He was not that desperate. Mispy closed her eyes for a few more moments before snapping. He didn't understand but he was certain the little elf did magic. Great, now he was going to receive another warning.

"Then I's must follow Mistress's instructions." Her ears flapped as she nodded enthusiastically. "You's be going to live at Lily's Pad. Mistress Lily's instructions were precise." Harry frowned as he saw the elf move around and make his things disappear with a snap of her fingers.

"What were these instructions, Mispy?" He asked to the enthusiastic elf who had managed to get his things from the cupboard they were locked in and had made them disappear along with Hedwig. "I's sorry but Mistress Lily's orders were precise. I's not supposed to tell anyone. You will know when you get there."

She took his and snapped her fingers. "Wait…" Harry never got a chance to protest as he felt his first apparition.

Had Harry stayed, he would have received the warning from the underaged magic control department.

Had Harry stayed, he would have seen the purple face of his Uncle shouting at the department member that was sent to investigate the lack of reply to his underage use of magic hearing with Madam Bones.

Had he stayed, he would have seen how his uncle saved him from getting expelled by denying that Harry was present in the household. Instead, they told the member that Harry had gone to attend a summer camp and then proceeded to rip him a new one while shouting about disturbing normal and upstanding citizens.

Had he stayed, he would have witnessed the somewhat heroic attempt by Ronald Weasley and his twin brothers to rescue him. Well, he would have read about it in the Daily Prophet. The large fine that Arthur Weasley had to pay for his son's stupidity was laughed about in many pureblood circles.

HpLcp

Harry blinked when the sensation of being forced through a very tight rubber tube diminished and promptly threw up. "My apologies Master Harry, but I was specifically instructed by Mistress Lily to not tell you anything until we were in Lily's pad."

The little elf snapped her fingers and handed him a vial of potion. "Here, drink this. It will cure nausea and help settle your stomach, sir." Without thinking, Harry uncorked the vial and drank its contents.

The effects were instantaneous and Harry felt better than before. He looked around and saw that he standing in a small room that was connected to another room. "Where are we?" He asked in wonder as he saw the various strange silver magical instruments that puffed smoke at regular intervals.

"We's in Lily's pad, Young master Harry. Your mother lived here before she married Master James and moved into the Potter family house. We are in Diagon Alley." Harry's eyes widened when he saw people moving around in Diagon alley.

"Can't they see us?" He noticed that nobody saw in his direction as if he was invisible. "This place is under Fidelius charm of potter family magic, young master. Only those of Potter blood will be able to see it as there is no Lord Potter present." The elf squeaked as she waited patiently beside him.

"Master James was not able to pass the requirements for being the heir of house Potter." The elf squeaked out when Harry prompted for more information. "Why was my father not able to become Lord Potter?" He asked in confusion.

"The Lord Potter bows to no one." The elf seemed oddly proud when she said that. "Master James followed the leadership of someone from a lesser house despite many warnings from Lord Charlus. The ring of Potters rejected master James because of that." The elf looked about ready to cry so Harry hurried to change the topic.

"But I don't have any heir ring to get the knowledge of this place." He wondered out loud. "You's don't need it. The blood knows, the magic knows." He titled his head and wondered about it. "You mean that the family magic is sentient?" He had heard a few purebloods talking about it. He never thought that to be true.

"Yes, it is." Mispy said with narrowed eyes. "You's must go to sleep. Mispy has to heal your body with potions and begin your lessons. Mistress Lily and Mistress Dorea knew you's would be left uneducated in the ways befitting of a Potter if there was no one left to guide you's. Vultures, they claimed, would ensure that the scion of the ancient and noble house of Potter would not know his place in the world."

"Potters have been here for long. Potters must stay for a very long time. They's have a duty, Lord Charlus claimed. They must be taught their ways before its too late." Mispy claimed with a faraway look in her eyes.

"How many elfs do we have, Mispy?" He made a mental note to learn about house-elfs as soon as he could. "Only I is left Master Harry. Other were there. They were bound to Lord Charlus and his lady wife Dorea. They died when Lord and Lady Potter left us." She bowed her head but Harry could hear her sniffle and winced.

"Some bonded with Master James and Mistress Lily, they too died when they left us." Harry closed his eyes as he remembered killing Quirrell and the spirit of Voldemort leaving the body. Feeling dizzy, he asked Mispy to take him to his bedroom.

Had he asked, he would have known that the potion had a diluted sleeping draught mixed in it too. He would stay asleep for a week while his house elf healed his body with various potions and prepared a ritual room to deal with the soul leech stuck in his scar.

Lily Potter had studied the ancient spell she used to protect her extensively. She understood, that the chances that a very small part of Voldemort's soul would get stuck in any nearby living body were great. Just as she understood that the chances of that being her baby boy were very high as well. She didn't want her little baby to deal with a dark lord trying to take over his body.

A week later, Harry Potter would wake up feeling like a completely new person with a new body. He would miss learning about the Weasley incident but by the time he would learn about it, he would be past the stage where he cared about the Weasleys anyway.

HpLcp

A/N :- Yeah, I am not going to buy the whole blood-wards thing. If a crazy house elf was able to find Harry, then I am sure any death eater would have been able to find him if they wanted to. Death eaters are sure to be smarter than a house elf.

Lily Potter was the smartest witch of her age. Or at least people claimed that she was very brilliant. Then, why would she rely on just a piece of paper (Potter's Wills) to ensure that her son got the upbringing that she would have been satisfied with? No, she would have done her best to ensure that her son was safe or she would have left the magical Britain all together. Her son was more important than a thousand strangers to her. Nothing new about it.