Prologue: Fate's Hand

November 1, 1981: Daily Prophet

You-Know-Who Defeated! Potter Heir Destroys the Dark Lord!

Last night in the village of Godric's Hollow You-Know-Who attacked the home of James and Lily Potter who had recently gone into hiding to escape the Death Eaters with their one year old son Harry. Though it is currently not know how You-Know-Who found the Potters, during his attack on the house he killed both James and Lily Potter. When he attempted to kill young Harry though, his curse apparently backfired and destroyed him. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, Order of Merlin, First Class, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, confirmed this morning that You-Know-Who was indeed defeated by Harry Potter. Dumbledore went on to say that the young Potter heir is now under protection in the Muggle world for the time being for his safty. (Story continued on Page 4)

August 14, 1986: Number 4 Privet Drive

"BOY! Come here!" Harry quickly got up off his cot and opened his cupboard door. As he walked down the hall he brushed his hands through his messy black hair to get out the spider webs that usually hung around the top of the door to the cupboard. Hurrying as fast as he could Harry walked into the kitchen to see his aunt and uncle sitting at the kitchen table. His uncle's briefcase was still sitting on the table; he must have just got home.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon?" asked Harry as he came over to stand next to the table.

"The new owner of my company and his family are coming over for dinner tonight. They are very important people who invest in promising businesses across the globe. You will not ruin my chances to get in his good graces, you understand me boy. You are to stay in the cupboard and not make any noise, you understand me?" said Uncle Vernon.

"Yes, sir." replied Harry.

"Good now go to your cupboard and remember not a sound."

So Harry walked back into the cupboard and closed the door. Apparently he wasn't getting any dinner. That wasn't very surprising; neither was having to stay in the cupboard when guests came over. Ever since he had been left with his aunt and uncle after his parents death, they had made it very clear that they only where caring for him because they had to. He got nothing new, just his fat cousins hand me downs. He had to do all of the household chores while his cousin, Dudley, was spoiled rotten. Harry lay back on his cot and stared at the bottom of the staircase that was above the cupboard. In a year or two he wouldn't be able to stand up straight in most of the cupboard if he kept growing. There was no way he was going to be moving out of it anytime soon though. Harry sighed, nothing good ever happened to him. He had wished on his birthday that something would change this year but nothing had happened yet. Harry sometimes got the feeling he was special, that he could do things others couldn't, but every time he brought it up his aunt and uncle would get furious expressions on their faces and lock him in his cupboard for a few days with little to eat or drink. He wished every night that something would change but so far nothing had happened. Deciding thinking about what was wrong in his life wasn't going to help Harry rolled over on the cot and tried to fall asleep, it would be easier to stay quiet while his uncle's guests were here if he wasn't awake.

An hour later though when the door bell rang Harry still hadn't fall asleep. Not surprising with all the noise Aunt Petunia was making in the kitchen getting ready. Now he just had to quiet for an hour or two while they all had dinner.

"Mr. Cronos, I am glad you could come, please come inside." said Uncle Vernon "This is my wife Petunia and my son Dudley."

"Thank you, this is my wife Emily and my son Jack. I glad to take the opportunity to come visit my employee's families. I have heard good things about Grunnings and your management. I'm looking forward to working with you," said a voice that Harry assumed was his uncle's new boss.

"Well we are so very glad to have you. Shall we move on into the kitchen? Vernon has been telling me about all the companies you own…." Aunt Petunia's voice trailed off as she moved into the kitchen. Harry could hear them passing his cupboard and curled up on his cot. As he was laying there though something weird happened, it felt like the air shifted a little, like it wasn't the same as it had been a few minutes ago. Well it's not as if he could do anything about it stuck under the stairs. It made him feel uneasy though, his skin was almost pulsing with energy and it was becoming uncomfortable sitting still. Throughout the next hour Harry restlessly tried to stay still and not make any sound. Finally he heard his relatives and their guests finishing dinner and moving into the parlor to talk. Harry couldn't take the feeling on his skin anymore and started rubbing his arms to try to calm it down. Unfortunately he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing and slammed his elbow rather hard into the wall of the cupboard making quite a large bang. Harry froze and waited to see what would happen, maybe they would think it came from somewhere else and he wouldn't get into trouble.

"Hey Dad, what was that? It sounded like it came from under the stairs." said a voice Harry assumed was this Mr. Cronos' son. Great he was going to be in so much trouble now, even if they ended up not realizing he was in here. Footsteps could be heard approaching the cupboard and Harry held his breath and tried to be as still as possible so he wouldn't be heard.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure something just fell off a shelf in the cupboard." Uncle Vernon said, though his voice sounded strained and worried.

Everything had gone completely silent as the footsteps stopped in front of the door to the cupboard that Harry got very worried. He couldn't hold his breath much longer and he needed to breathe. Hopefully whoever was outside the door wouldn't hear him, Harry thought as he breathed out. His luck of course was not nearly that good.

"Dad I think there is someone in there!" called the voice that he had heard before. Crap he was in so much trouble. The latch on the cupboard was flipped and the door swung open. Harry found himself facing a boy about his age with dirty blond hair and sapphire blue eyes. He knelt down and stared into Harry's eyes. "Hi there, I'm Jack. What's your name?"

"Harry." Came out of his mouth before he could stop it, oh crap he was in trouble now. Uncle Vernon was going to kill him. The boy, Jack, reached down and grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him out of the cupboard. The second Jack touched him the pulsing feeling peaked and then settled down. Harry could still feel it but it was a barely perceptible hum. He stood up next to Jack meekly. He had no idea what was going to happen now that he had been found.

"Dursley, why was he in that cupboard and why is he dressed in clothes that are clearly too large for him?" said the man Harry assumed was Jack's father. He was a tall man with light brown hair and blue eyes like his son. His eyes swept over Harry and settled on the lightning bolt scar that was on his forward. Harry could have sworn there was a flash of recognition in the man's eyes but he didn't say anything.

"Uh well the boy is my nephew. He has mental problem and refuses to sleep anywhere but under the stairs. As for the clothes they are Dudley's hand-me-downs. The boy ruins anything else we give him. He barely listens to us and causes a lot of trouble. We got stuck with him when his parents died." Uncle Vernon sputtered, his face looking like he couldn't decide between being terrified that Harry had been seen or enraged at Harry for making noise. Aunt Petunia was ghostly pale standing in the door way between the parlor and the hallway. Dudley was standing next to her with the look

"Darian, look at the boy, he barely looks like he is feed. But his eyes the look to intelligent for him to have mental problems, Harry is what your uncle said true?" said the woman standing next to Aunt Petunia. She came over and knelt down next to him and looked straight at him. Her hair was a light blond and she had warm brown eyes. Harry couldn't decide what to do, if he said Uncle Vernon was lying he would be in so much trouble, but he could tell this lady wanted to help him.

"No, I don't have mental problems and these are the only clothes I have ever had. I don't cause trouble, I do all the chores Aunt Petunia gives me and I am getting a lot better at cooking so I don't burn things as often. I do my best." Harry shakily said, he was in enough trouble already and he didn't think these people would let his family hurt him.

"Dursley this behavior is completely disgraceful! He is your nephew for God's sake man! I don't care why you dislike him so much but this is neglect and abuse and I will not tolerate any of my employees treating their children like this. You will make the time to treat your nephew correctly or not only will I report you for abuse, you will lose your job and I will blacklist you in every country I own a company in so no one will hire you!" Darian Cronos said without truly raising his voice but emphasizing everything he said nothing less. "Into the kitchen now and we will discuss this. The children do not need to hear it. Jack, stay here and entertain Harry please."

"Of course, Dad." Jack smiled as his parents followed Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia into the kitchen. A rather pointed discussion could be heard, but Harry couldn't tell exactly what they were saying. Dudley came over and pushed Harry up against the wall.

"You're in so much trouble now you freak. Dad is going to kill you for coming out of your cupboard."

"I doubt that once my dad is done with him I am pretty sure your father won't be doing anything to Harry anytime soon. " Dudley turned toward Jack and then balked, for Jack was twirling a coin between his fingers which wouldn't be impressive except the coin was glowing and changing colors. Dudley squeaked then turned tail and ran up the stairs and the door to his bedroom could be heard slamming.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked

"Magic."

"But magic isn't real; Uncle Vernon has always said so."

"Magic is real Harry, and its everywhere you look." Jack said smiling, and then he flipped the coin into the air and caught it in his palm opening his hand almost as quickly as he closed it. The coin was gone and Harry had no idea where it had gone. Jack turned his hand over and made a fist. Suddenly he was flipping the coin between his fingers again. Harry was flabbergasted, how had he done that?

"See Harry, Magic." Harry just stared. He couldn't believe it. Was Uncle Vernon wrong, was magic real? Harry didn't know what to think, but for some reason deep inside him he felt it had to be true. Not knowing what to say Harry just sat there as Jack continued to flip the coin between his fingers. Eventually Jack's parents came back out with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon who both looked very pale.

"Now Dursley, we aren't in the country very often, but I will be sending someone by occasionally to make sure Harry here is being treated right. Now thank you for dinner but we need to be off. Come along Jack."

"Nice to meet you Harry, I'm sure we will run into each other again." Jack said as his family walked out the front door. Harry stared after them wondering what would come of the strange visit. He was pretty sure his life wasn't going to be the same anymore.

August 27, 1987: International Wizarding Gazette

International Businessman Darian Cronos Dies in Car Crash!

Renowned wizard and businessman Darian Cronos and his wife Emily were killed early this morning in the streets of muggle London when the muggle automobile they were riding in crashed. How this happened and why they were unable to escape the crash with magic in still unknown. Investigators from both the British Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards are working to find answers to this tragedy. This has been complicated of course by the muggle authority's interest in the case. Darian Cronos and his wife are well known in both the Wizarding and muggle world for their numerous businesses, charity foundations, and land ownership in most countries in the world, most notably Great Britain and the United States of America. Alumni of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's Slytherin House, Darian Cronos was considered by most to be the greatest wizard of his generation. Many consider him to be as powerful as Albus Dumbledore after he single handedly stopped an attack on Diagon Alley by the Dark Lord You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters. Though not many details of the incident are known though shortly after Mr. Cronos confronted the Dark Lord he retreated and the attack ceased. Emily Cronos, a former member of Ravenclaw House at Hogwarts, is best known for her work in the relief efforts in Great Britain after the fall of the Dark Lord. It is a great loss to the world as a whole to have this great couple stolen from us. Their seven year old son Jack survives them as he was at the families London townhouse at the time of the crash. He is currently in the care of his godfather Lucius Malfoy at his family home in Wiltshire. What the young Cronos heir's plans for the future are though is unknown at this time. Anymore information about this tragedy will be printed as we receive it.

September 1, 1987: Malfoy Manor

Lucius Malfoy looked out from the window of his study on to the gardens below. His normally lively godson was just standing there looking out at the grounds as still as a statue. Not even Draco could get his mind off his parent's death, not that Draco wasn't still down about it as well, Darian being his godfather. Damn it all why did Darian have to die? They had been best friends since Hogwarts even if they didn't agree on most things politically. They had raised their sons together; Jack and Draco were practically brothers. Narcissa was never going to get over Emily's death they had been so close. Sighing Lucius picked up his glass of fire whiskey and sipped it. Darian had helped him stay out of Azkaban for Merlin's sake, though he had never really forgiven Lucius for becoming a death eater in the first place. That had been quite the argument; they hadn't talked for months afterward. He still asked Lucius to be Jack's godfather though. They just avoided the topic of the war, especially after Darian made it very clear that he was not going to get involved on either side. But they were gone now in a muggle car accident no less. That confused Lucius most of all. After the war had ended Darian had insisted that Lucius get to know the muggle world better, and had taken on a tour of all his businesses in the muggle world to see what they were capable of and how they operated. Lucius couldn't help but be honestly impressed with everything he had seen, but he still hadn't reconciled that trip with his views on muggles and blood purity yet though. The main thing he knew from that trip was that that wreck should not have killed his friend. Lucius had no idea what magic could have been involved that would have prevented Darian from averting his and Emily's deaths. Damn it Darian was more powerful then the Dark Lord or Dumbledore, not that he ever used that power. He was too much of a good man, he didn't seek control or power of any sort, only seeking to do everything he could to help others. Lucius turned back to the window. Jack was so much like his father, if his parent's death didn't destroy him. If Jack fell apart Draco would soon follow he looked up to Jack so much. That unnerved Lucius sometimes that his godson had more influence over Draco then he did. He had raised Draco in the pureblood ways like his father had raised him. Jack though had his father's views, that there was no difference in blood and that magic power and personality were better measures of a person's worth. Darian had never begrudged Lucius his views, but never gave credibility to the idea of blood purity. It infuriated Lucius to no end, but now though he needed to be there for his godson, the mystery surrounding his friends death and their old arguments could wait for now. "Dobby!"

"Yes master?" said that house elf as he popped into the room bowing.

"Go tell my godson to come up to my study."

"Of course, right away master" Dobby popped away and Lucius watched as he appeared in the garden and told Jack to come up. Jack turned and looked up at him then turned and began walking toward the manor. Those eyes were just as piercing as his father's, like they can see all the way into your soul, Lucius thought shivering. He had always tried to display an aura of power and authority to those around him, and he succeeded well if he did say so himself, but Darian and Jack had that aura without trying. It was one of the things that had attracted Lucius to Darian at Hogwarts when they first met, as it was the same kind of thing that attracted him to the Dark Lord. Lucius rubbed his left arm almost reflexively. It was not time to think about the Dark Lord though. He needed to figure out how to get Jack out of the state he was in and to convince him to stay at the manor for the time being. It would be better for his godson to stay with them for now, and probably until Hogwarts, four years away. He would be safe here and hopefully out of reach of whoever killed his parents. Lucius looked up as the door to his study opened. Jack stepped in and walked right up to one of the chairs in front of the desk and sat down.

"You wanted to see me godfather?"

"Jack, I want to talk about how you are doing. You have been quieter then I have ever seen you. I don't mean to say that you shouldn't grieve but this does not seem like you."

"I know Uncle Lucius. It has been a lot to deal with, more then you know. I can't believe they are gone. Its' too soon, they were so young, I'm still so young. It shouldn't have happened."

"I know Jack, I wish there was something I could do to bring them back but there isn't. Their death will hang over us for a long time. But we will keep on living to honor them and their memory."

"Yes and to figure out who killed them. It might take me years Uncle, but I will find was responsible."

Lucius choked, "How do you know they were killed? Why are you so sure?"

Jack looked directly at him, "You know how powerful my father was and I know better than you what he was capable of. My parents wouldn't have been killed in that wreck unless someone had intentionally prevented them from escaping. You know how good of an enchanter my father was. Both he and mom had multiple artifacts on them at all times not to mention portkeys that could have saved their lives. No Uncle, someone neutralized all the ways my parents could have magically saved themselves and when I find them I will kill them." Lucius nodded and then looked away. There would no be way to talk Jack out of revenge, and he was right anyway, his parents had to have been murdered. But the look on his godson's face unnerved him a little bit, the intensity and determination was to mature for someone his age. That was something to deal with at another time.

"Jack, I also wanted to talk about your living arrangements. Narcissa and I would feel a lot more comfortable if you stayed at the manor with us, and I am sure Draco would love to have you here as well."

"No, I am sorry Uncle. I am going to go live at the family manor. It's safe and secure, don't worry, and I will make sure to come and visit, but I can't stay in England right now. I will come back to go to Hogwarts so Draco will be happy."

"Draco will be going to Drumstrang as you well know." Lucius stated.

"No offense or anything Uncle but Aunt Narcissa is going to win that argument hands down. You don't stand a chance." Jack said grinning. It was the first time Lucius had seen him look happy since the accident, better not to argue with him then.

"Will you at least tell me where that manor of yours is?"

"If you could never get it out of my father why do you think I am going to tell you? No it's a family secret, only our family knows how to get there, which makes it the safest place in the world for me to be, and you're not going to convince me otherwise. I am going to leave after dinner tonight by the way." With that Jack turned and left the room still grinning.

"Well at least he seems to be in a better mood." Lucius turned and sat down at his desk. Darian and Jack were infuriatingly alike. He couldn't talk either of them out of anything they did want to do or tell him, so he had stopped trying years ago. Hopefully Narcissa and Draco would take the news of Jack leaving well. He would be safe at least. Lucius knew the location of all the Cronos family homes except their manor; even the Dark Lord hadn't been able to find that. Jack would be safe there; Lucius just had to make sure he did come to visit. He wouldn't here the end of it from Narcissa and Draco otherwise.