(A/N) Update: 07-08-05: Ok, due to an almost overwhelming number of emails and such,I have decided thatI won't be quiting this fic now. (I was before for various personal, family and work reasons)

This chapter has now been corrected for grammar and spelling errors. If I have missed any (which is rather likely) please send me an email or leave a review to say what and where, andI will get it fixed.

Thoughts - 'Italic'

Letters - -Bold and italic-

Speech - "Normal script"

Anyway ... Read on ... then Review! ...

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Harry Potter is not what anyone would call a normal boy …

To the residents of Privet Drive he is an orphan, a criminal orphan at that,who attends 'St. Brutus's Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys' 'snort Uncle Vernon could have come up with something a little better than that, 'Incurably Criminal'?I mean, come on …'

To his relatives, he is a freak, worthless 'Them think that I'm the worthless one? Ha! That's a laugh'

To the wizarding world in general, he is the 'Great Boy-Who-Lived', an idol, famous, and when it suits them, a scapegoat. 'Famous? For what? Living? Wow, I'm just so great 'cause my parents are dead and I lived ...hey, I can still sound sarcastic through my thoughts, and they turned on me so easily back in 2nd year and last year too'

To Dumbledore he is a weapon, something to lock away and use when needed. 'Thanks a lot old man, I just so wanted to be locked away in this gods forsaken house with my so-called 'relatives', beaten, abused, almost starved to death … but none of that mattered did it? Just so long as I could defeat ole Voldie again for you'

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Harry wasleant back on his chair, but wasstartled out of his musings by a hoot and a soft rap on the window, and gavea quick glance at the broken alarm-clock (only the alarm part was broken which he could be thankful for), whichshowed that it was 2:00am 'Huh, I've been 16 for 2 hours and didn't even notice it … like anyone cares anyway, most of the order just sees me as 'the-boy-who-lived' … except 'Mione and Moony of course …'

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Having nothing to do for the past month except back-breaking labour, Harry had been thinking a lot about his life, the newly revealed prophesy, Sirius's death … a lot of rather depressing things …

Threerevelations came to him during this time in the form of three questions and answers:

Q.1.) How many mothers have died during the whole of history trying to protect their children? And what makes my mum any different?

A.1.)Far too many,and nothing … which brings up the whole 'mothers-love-shield' that Dumbledore was talking about ... meaning either it was the best the old fool could come up with or he was misleading me … again … and the 'Power the Dark Lord Knows Not' must have something to do with it.

Q.2.) How do I feel about Sirius's death?

A.2.) Miserable and a little guilty, 'I did spend the first 3 days just crying before resolving to get on with it like he would have wanted, not nearly enough, but I will do it later, with Moony' but three things I know are that Sirius went the way he wanted too, fighting for what he believed in, he was miserable for the last few months being locked away again and it would literally kill Moony if I sunk into a depression too … I haven't totally come to terms with it … which is why I haven't got more than two hours of sleep per night since then … and the crying … and the mopeing … but at least he has gone where he is hopefully happy and with my parents … I'll see him again yet … 'There will be time to grieve foreveryone after I have killed Voldemort … it's his fault he's gone anyway … Him, Bellatrix and Dumbledore … oh, and Snape too …'

Q.3.) Are my friends really that?

A.3.) Hermione is … I think … but Ron? I honestly don't think so … another of Dumbledore's damned manipulations … it took me nearly 6 Years to figure it out, but Molly Weasley forgetting the platform number for the Hogwarts express back before 1st year? She's far too sharp for that, especially with at least one child attending every year since Bill was 11? Not to mention she went for 7 years herself … Ron sitting with me on the train, the other carriages had more people in them, but he came and asked me for … yes, he came and asked if I was 'The Harry Potter' … that's all he sees … he showed that back in 4th year 'I still get a head-ache when I think about that, and I can't really remember what he said to me … I'll have to find out if there is any way to check for if an 'Obliviate' has been used … knowing how much Dumbledore wanted to keep me 'inline' …' … well I'm not going to fall for it any more …

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Rap, Rap

"Ok, ok, I'm coming" Harry mumbled as he got up and crossed the small bedroom to the small window, looking out he saw four owls that he didn't recognise. Hedwig had gone earlier the previous day and hadn't returned yet, he hoped she did before the Order needed another note from him. Tentatively, he opened the window slowly so that it didn't squeak, 'the last thing I need is Uncle Vernon locking me up again'

Once the window was open enough the five unknown owls waiting outside hopped onto the sill and presented their legs for him to untie the Packages and Letters from three of them and a large letter with the Hogwarts seal and another with the Gringotts seal from the others, reaching out to Hedwigs cage he unhooked the water dish from the bars and offered it to the three waiting owls, the Hogwarts and Gringotts ones had flown off as soon as the letter had been taken, after the owls had had their fill and were gone, Harry turned to the packages and letters he decided to open the packages and their letters first.

Picking up the oddly shaped one, he noticed Ron's messy handwriting and seeing a flash of an image of Ron yelling at him about something that hye couldn't quite make out in thecommon room, then a flash of red accompanied by a wave of nausea, and Harry threw it at the wall as hard as possible … Where it hit with a thud and bounced a little, landing on the ground with a Thup

Harry froze … not wanting to incur the 'Wrath of Vernon' on his birthday of all days, especially with the new temper that he had acquired (as the large bruise on his chest testamented too) … but a snore that seemed to permeate the house made Harry relax a little. 'Ok … What was that? … Why did I do that? … Never mind, I'll think about it later … Deep breaths, deep breaths … man I'm a little on edge, but I can't let Dumbledore or the Weasleys know that I've rumbled them or I'll be in some trouble with freedom, what with the Order following my every damned step … again …'

Opening the next package that had Hermione's neat script on it, he found two books, one with a Post-it attached reading

-Found this, thought of you, ;-P-

Removing the sticky note from the book, then from his fingers … twice, Harry read the title on the plasticky cover … "Dark-Lord Defeating For Dummies …" This brought a small smile to his lips as he tried to stop from bursting out in laughter at the wizarding picture shown on the front of the book, obviously meant to be a Hero, scratching his head and looking lost.

Putting the book down and making a mental note to read it thoroughly later for a laugh, Harry turned his focus the second book "Light and Dark Rituals to enhance the Shell and Core, By Dr. Johann Faustus" was embossed in faint gold on the ancient blood red cover, trimmed with gold … Harry took this in with wide eyes, the thick Tome he held in his hands was a self-updating compilation of all the rituals for everything from checking for hidden abilities and talents, to fixing his eyes, to increasing his power, everything to do with enhancement was in it, but it was rather rare and valuable … There were only about a half dozen copies of it made according to the records scrolls at the Hogwarts library 'one of the homework's from 'History of Magic' to thank for that', Dumbledore has a copy in his study, 'ole Tommy has one, not that he checks the 'light' rituals, and the Ministry has a copy, one was burnt … which means that this is one of the other 2 originals left in existence, if copied thenthe copy would disintegrate immediately … Faust was indeed a strong Mage for that level of copywrite spell …

"Wow, Hermione … I'm going to make sure your birthday and Christmas presents are extremely expensive … and rare … for the next 40 or 50 years …" Harry murmured under his breath.

Resolving to write her a letter of thanks and questioning where she got it, how much it cost, and why she sent it to him (not that he wasn't supremely thankful to her) as soon as Hedwig returned, Harry placed the book reverently under the loose floorboard under his bed, there was no way that any of the Dursleys, or the Order, or anyone else were going to take it away from him, despite the urge to go through the book right there and then 'I need to be fully rested before I start this 'cause I don't know if I'll be able to put it down till I have gone through it all … I need to do it right …'

The third package was a Pensive already swirling with memories under a lid, from Remus with a note written in shaky script

-Harry,

This contains memories of your father and us from our seventh year.

Me and Sirius- this word was the shakiest of the lot -were working on it since you fell into Snapes, we thought the best present you could get for your birthday would be your fathers image restored to what it should be.

Hope to see you soon Bambi, and that you are doing better than I am right now.

Love

Remus, AKA Moony, the last true Marauder.

(P.S. The Pensive is part of the gift too)-

Harry smiled sadly at this and set the Pensive down on the desk carefully, resolving to go into it tomorrow when he was fully rested.

The next letter made Harry frown slightly. 'Why is Gringotts writing to me?'

-Mr. Potter,

As I am no doubt sure you are aware from your Financial Advisor, one Prof. Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore,- 'He's. My. What.!' -the reading of the deceased Mr. Sirius Black's will was last week- '…' -in which you werenamed Sole Heir to the Black fortune, this was contested by Mrs. Narcissa Black-Malfoy, but the Gringotts council held a hearing and the Potter family solicitor from Slant Solicitations represented you as we could not contact you for some reason-

'Dumbledore …' Harry's eyes narrowed a bit with a slight feeling of contempt and a whole lot of Anger. It even deserved the use of a capital.

-as a result of this, you are now the official Heir of the Black family as well as the Potter family, as you are now 16 and without a magical guardian, we require your presence at Gringotts no later than the 15th of August to make this legal and to go over a few details with your bloodline.-

'What does that mean, my bloodline? What for? To check I'm me?' Harry raised an eyebrow.

-Please present this letter to one of the tellers along with your trust-fund key and you will be shown directly to me.

We are sorry for your loss.

Ragnar

President of Gringotts-

'Trust-fund? I thought that my vault was all of my families wealth? … Well that's going to be explained, along with all the advisor and solicitor things … not to mention bloodline … I'll make sure of that … but … how am I going to go? Dumbledore will say that its too dangerous or something … tomorrow … think about it tomorrow ... I do know that I'm accepting whatever Sirius left me … Dumbledore be damned …' He set the letter down on the desk

Harry then picked up the last letter, the one from Hogwarts, it seemed a little thicker than usual. When he opened it, he pulled out 2 sheets of parchment and another package.

The package was a list of the Owls he achieved and a list of the courses he could take, reminding himself of the promise he made Hermione about opening them all together at HQ when they were all together (Dumbledore had told Harry he was to go there for the last 2 weeks of the holiday … Told him … 'maybe I can go to Gringotts when I go to Grimmauld Place … But I doubt he'd allow that … I bet my stuff will be waiting there and he will have forgot to tell me that I wont be able to leave the house …') He set them on the side by the Pensive.

The first sheet was a permission form for Hogsmede visits, sighing, he set it with the others.

The second sheet was notice that his lifetime ban from Quidditch was lifted, and if he wanted to be Quidditch captain he had to sign his name near the bottom of the sheet, he did so as soon as he found a quill and a small pot of ink, all the while thinking about how much better pens were. As soon as he signed, a pin appeared in a red and golden light at the bottom of where he had just signed, looking closely, he saw that it was red with gold trim in a shield shape with a golden 'C' in the centre, and a Lion embossed onto the crimson background, Quidditch is what he missed most about the Wizarding World, it made Harry feel just so free … flying … he closed his eyes and relished in merely thinking about it …

Opening his eyes he yawned, He noticed that it was now 4:25 … Slightly puzzled by this, Harry decided to get some sleep and deal with the forms and things in the morning when his brain would function properly.

Switching off the lamp that was the only source of light in the room, (apart from the soft glow of the Pensive) Harry drifted off to a dream-filled sleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow, but unlike normally, these dreams weren't of innocents being tortured, or nightmares of his godfather falling through the death-veil, or of anything bad at all … for the first time in 16 years, Harry had a normal dream, a normal dream that involved just himself and an attractive … no, beautiful … girl … no … not girl … Woman, a beautiful woman, with her normally slightly bushy brown hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail … doing something that best friends generally don't do …

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Roughly 80 miles away, said person smiled slightly in her sleep and rolled over contentedly moaning softly '… mmm … Harry …' …

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Up in a castle in Scotland an elderly man was working over several sheaves of parchment while the portraits along the walls snored fitfully in their sleep, all except one who rose an fine black eyebrow when one of the twinkling silver instruments arranged on a long table at the other end of the office gave a little judder and puffed out a stream of crimson smoke, followed by a short puff of green, before it settled down dull and seemingly tarnished.

The older man looked up sharply, narrowed his eyes and muttered "so … they have managed to break through the first barrier. Harry, it's for the greater good … forgive me" before walking over to the instruments with a grace and speed not expected from his weak frame and tapping the now silent instrument with his wand, muttering in a strange tongue, it flashed gold, then silver and started twinkling again "For the greater good …"

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(A.N.) There we go.

Expect chapter 2 to be updated soon. If not during the week, then at the weekend along with the rest of the chapters.