Disclaimer: I am merely playing with other people's creations, I don't own the game/book/anime/TV-show I am borrowing from, nor am I making any money with this. I am writing for fun and practice, as fan-fiction to be shared with others if I feel like it.

Chapter 1: Meet the Dursleys

Harry Potter yawned loudly as he pulled himself up from his bed, feeling the comfortable mattress beneath him oh so inviting but he knew he had to get up already. Heading over to the door, he stepped out to the hallway and listened for a moment. From the noise in the kitchen his aunt was preparing breakfast, and a look outside from the hallway window showed the car was gone. His uncle must have gone to work already. The snoring from his cousin's room was nothing new, Harry had always been the first one up from the boys, otherwise he didn't get any warm water in his morning shower.

Washing up and returning to his room to change, the young lad pulled on the new jeans, frowning to himself slightly as he slipped his fingers between their edge and his sides, sighing. "No way, I have to start exercising more or eating less." They were new, and yet they felt a little tight. Not too much, they'd still work out fine, but he had thought they'd be just right and a few days later they felt a little tight. Either they had shrunk in the first wash, or he really had eaten a bit too much earlier.

Shaking his head and heading downstairs while tugging his grey t-shirt on, Harry made his way to the kitchen noticing Aunt Petunia was almost ready. With a smile on his lips he moved to get a few plates out of the cabinet, setting them down at the dining table before moving to help his aunt. "Morning aunt Petunia." He said while setting the butter and bread onto the table on a small tray.

"Morning Harry, Vernon had to leave early for a meeting so just set the table up for three." Nodding his head in reply, Harry set things down, hearing the toilet flushing upstairs. Dudley must have finally woken up to the scent of the food. His room was above the kitchen, and both his room's window and the kitchen window were usually open.

"Would you get the mail when you're done?" She asked him in a calm fashion but Harry knew it was an order. She was busy, and he didn't mind, but he had tried to be cheeky about things now and then and learned his aunt didn't really like that. Not wanting to start the day off on a bad foot he nod and headed to the front door, soon returning with the letters and setting them down quickly looking through what they were.

"Bills, bills, magazines for you and uncle Vernon, Dudley's comics, and a letter to me?" Harry sounded a little confused, looking over the old parchment. He had a distinct feeling about it, the same he had felt about a few things in the house in the previous years. Not a good one, a nasty, unpleasant one. He raised a brow, and he felt the nasty feeling in the letter shatter and fade away. It was almost instinctive on his part.

"Morning Harry, hey, Pierce said he found a pond with a lot of frogs in it nearby, do you want to come along and try and catch some?" Dudley grinned slightly while taking a seat nearby, already having thoughts about the frog-races Pierce Polkins and the rest of his friends had been thinking about before. Harry merely shook his head slightly at this and sighed. "Sorry, I got a few library books I have to return today unless I want to get another late notice and I really don't like paying the fines."

Shrugging his shoulders slightly Dudley then attacked the sausage bowl and lifted the largest one on his own plate before starting to help himself on the rest of the food. It was only the raised brow from Aunt Petunia that made him stop from taking any more than he should, Dudley was a bit greedy at times after all but Petunia had promised to help him lose some weight and Dudley would go along with it, though sometimes reluctantly.

"So what's in that letter of yours Harry?" Petunia asked a bit thoughtfully as she eyed the old-styled parchment of it, seeming to have tensed up a little bit. Harry had noticed but given what she had told him before he couldn't blame her. Especially as her hunch was spot on.

"Acceptance letter to Hogwarts. They are just telling me they are awaiting my owl." He frowned slightly and shook his head. Ever since his aunt Petunia had told him about his mother Harry had devoured all the books she had left behind at the Dursleys. They might not have liked magic and the strangeness, but Harry had made sure to not use it at their home, or at least not in front of them. It had taken some effort but they had finally accepted it as just another part of him.

It certainly did not hurt that Harry helped out with a fair share of the chores, and Petunia's garden was almost magical and a source of many neighbor's envy. It didn't hurt that Harry was polite and well-mannered, making the neighbors praise the Dursleys for their child-raising skills. It didn't hurt that Harry was quite clever and able to help out with all kinds of little mechanical problems, both at home and at the neighborhood. The Dursleys had received a fair share of praise as had little Harry.

Vernon had originally been more reluctant to let him use any magic, but came around when Harry helped out with setting impressive displays together for the meetings, and the guests he brought home always seemed enchanted with the evening. He had been making progress in his career and Harry had even found a few tea-mixtures for him that helped settle his stomach down when the stress was otherwise acting on him and making him irritable. In the end, Vernon had to admit the boy was too useful and downright polite to be mad at for little things like the misfortune of his legacy.

Dudley had not formed much of an opinion of Harry in the early years and though the two fought sometimes, they'd become more or less friendly with each others though Dudley abhorred the idea of how much reading Harry did on his spare time. Of course, since Harry was always ready to play some games with Dudley he didn't mind too much, and the fact Harry was more than happy to help him out with pushing his grades too had won him over. Dudley had started off as a poor student, but he was reaching the high-average by now. He would never be a great student, but with Harry's help he didn't do poorly.

Still, through all of that a decade had passed since Harry arrived on their doorstep and they had come to expect a letter would arrive for him one day. Now that it had, things were likely to change. Dudley was going to start attending another school soon, and would have to do well on his own. Without Harry there the garden wouldn't be quite as pristine as it was when he was around, and little things would get worn down without Harry's eagerness to try and see if he could fix and maintain things. Still, most of all it would mean that Harry would be away learning more about magic.

Reading through the list quietly, Harry shook his head annoyed at some of the choices on the booklist. His mother's old books had come in handy, including the Introduction to Potions which was notably absent on the booklist. He knew that book was essential to know how different ingredients would interact and what the different phases were there for. Why certain potions had to be stirred one way and then the other way so and so many times, why certain ingredients should never be added to a hot liquid while some were more potent if the potion was nearly boiling when they were added in.

"I really think I should go to Durmstrang or Beauxbatons instead, but I suppose I don't have much of a choice right now." He looked up at his aunt who was eating quietly though casting a look his way now and then. "Would it be possible to get a ride to that... Leaky Cauldron later today, to get my school supplies?"

She nodded her head slightly as she set her knife and fork down, humming. "I'll ask Vernon when he gets home, if he isn't willing to drive you I should be able to." Her frown reminded him just how much she despised driving around in the city. She was fine driving in the rural area but she abhorred the rude drivers that a person could run into in a city. Harry didn't argue, he just nod his head in agreement.

With a brief thought he focused on the wards covering the house and most of the neighborhood by now, and quietly accessed them to tweak them a little. Once he would leave the house, the Wards would begin to decay slowly over time, but they would be able to hold a year or two even without him in the house by the sheer amount of magic he had pushed into them.

Assuming control of the wards had been as easy as breathing to him. His natural connection to magic had found them when he was but a little child, and sensing something foul and bad about them, shattered a few parts entirely before securing the others under his control so that nobody else could try and wrestle that control away from him. If he was the one feeding the wards, only he should direct them. That had also shattered several bindings within himself, and given him the worst headache he had endured in his whole life.

Thinking back, he remembered visiting a hospital for that, as the scar on his forehead had erupted with black ooze and entered a few wounds on his hand when he grasped his aching head. His screaming had apparently made the Dursleys think he was possessed for a moment, but thankfully it had quieted down. He had been treated for a blood poisoning, a little white lie having been spun up that he had hurt his hand on a rusty tool while gardening. The scar had since then faded to nothing but a thin white line.

Under those wards and with a family he was able to rely on he had been studying magic from his mother's old books, but also learning about the wizarding world from Lily's old journals. The revelations they brought with them were hardly pleasant ones. He had stayed away from most of the wizarding world when Aunt Petunia had showed him the letter he had been left with, after having quickly eradicated the nasty feelings he got from just touching the letter. Thankfully his mere presence seemed to have nullified the impact of the letter, he had a feeling whatever it had been on that letter would have made his life a whole lot worse.

"Well, I'm going to head out and return the books to the library in the meanwhile, see you later Duds." Harry smiled and got up after finishing his meal and his letter, heading back to his bedroom. Gathering a few library books into his backpack, he was back out in a short while and getting on top of his bike riding fast towards the local library. He had a fair share of Lily in him, including a rather insatiable thirst for knowledge, and since nobody tried to suppress that he had taken up trying to learn all he could.

With a wave he greeted the librarian and began to set down the books he had loaned out earlier. He knew he would have to leave Surrey relatively soon and decided against borrowing any new books despite a few interesting items on his list having arrived. The thoughts of being ten months late on returning the books had him shiver at the fee that would build into. He did stay back at the library for a while to read up on a few things, but returned home well before Vernon would be around again.

Taking a look around on his return, he headed out to the garden to do some work there, getting to work watering the flower beds and uprooting any weeds, as well as trimming the grass. He could hear a few neighbors pass by and look after him but say nothing. He was mostly just keeping himself busy for a while, and little bit of hard labor never hurt anyone who wanted to lose a couple of pounds. He would fit comfortably in these new jeans, damn it.

Finally, his uncle was back and by the sound of his humming, he had closed a very profitable deal. Normally Harry would have been happy for his uncle, but today that was rather unfortunate. Having a happy Vernon was a good thing, but when Vernon was this happy it meant he'd get frisky and if his aunt and uncle retreated to their bedroom it would be a while before Harry would get to visit the Leaky Cauldron.

He wasn't going to go interrupt however, just hope that they wouldn't take all day with things if they did decide to have fun. His thoughts were interrupted by Vernon opening the kitchen back door, calling him over. Hurrying there, Harry looked at Vernon's thoughtful expression a bit warily.

"Harry, your aunt and I would like to celebrate a rather good deal I made and we'll probably be busy for a while. She's written down the address and some directions here, and I have some pounds for you to cover the travel and such. You should have some of that kind of money in the bank in that place. Can you go by yourself or do you want to wait?"

Taking a bus was not too appealing prospect, but it would be better than a long wait, so Harry nod his head slightly and smiled. "I'll take the bus, have fun you two." He accepted the paper with the destination and the money, making his way to the local bus-stop. Even if he felt fairly lucky and his family went along with most of his wishes, they still had their own preferences and in this case it would have been rude of him to expect too much.

The bus trip took him a bit of time, and changing busses had him feeling a bit nervous, but eventually he was at the right stop and began walking to the right direction. He idly thought about the small scar on his forehead, but brushed his slightly messy hair down to cover it partially before moving ahead again, finally stopping in front of an old, dingy little bar of some sort. Stepping in a bit warily, he looked about and figured he was in the right place.

An old man had a teacup before him a finger moving in the air above the spoon that kept swirling the contents. At another, a fat, balding man was reading a newspaper with moving pictures in the front page. At one of the tables a pair of women were playing cards but the cards occasionally snapped and disappeared, a few of them even exploding in their hands with a brief snap.

Making his way to the bartender and smiling, Harry raised his voice slightly to be heard by the man but hopefully none of the others. "Good day sir, would you open me a way into the alley? I should do my shopping and I don't got my wand yet." This earned a confused look from the man, seeing a first-year student show up without their parents along at all was odd, but he shrugged it away casually.

"Sure kid, I-" He paused, looking at Harry's face as a realization seemed to strike him, but before he could speak it out loud he saw Harry's eyes widen too and a finger lift to his lips. The bartender nodded slightly and gestured him along at the back door, leading the two into the alleyway.

"Bless my Heart if it isn't Harry Potter. Welcome back, Mr. Potter, we've raised plenty of toasts to you for getting rid of you-know-who back then." He smiled cheerfully and Harry shook the man's hand warmly. He wasn't too awkward about this but he didn't want the whole room charging in on him, and felt relieved the man had realized that too.

Tapping his wand on the stones, the man let the young lad head on over to the alley, waving after him and then heading back into his bar a grin on his face. As Harry viewed the surroundings he felt a bit awed for a moment, but having read about it in his mother's journal had given him some idea of what to expect. Seeing was believing however, and Harry had to admit his mother had been right. The first time seeing it was an experience he would remember a long time.

Smiling as he made his way hurriedly down the alley, he made his way to the goblin bank walking in and finding a place in a line to a teller. It wasn't that long, as most of the people just got a pouch of galleons or sickles and headed out afterwards, but a few people asked to be taken to their vaults and got directed to follow another goblin to the depths. After a short while, Harry found himself before the teller who nod his head slightly in greeting, a gesture Harry answered with a nod of his own.

"Good day sir, I was hoping to take my inheritance test today and see about what my parents left me." He spoke politely, but lifted his hair slightly to show the faint line of his scar, earning a raised brow from the goblin who nodded to him. "Certainly, young man. Glibrock and Burnstone are in charge of the testing, I'll show you the way." He set down a sign reading 'next teller' and got up from his seat to show Harry the way.

Given that there were three other tellers present and the bank wasn't that busy at that hour, Harry didn't pay it too much attention but more than a few people were surprised and watched him and the goblin. Most of the tellers would call a younger goblin to show the clients the way, not get up and show the way themselves.

Oblivious to this little bit of news, Harry followed the goblin man along to an office where a pair of goblins were checking through rolls of parchment, both of them appearing quite busy. As Harry and the teller stepped in however their gazes rose and they looked between the boy and the teller curiously, before the goblin that had lead Harry there smirked and spoke up. "Mr. Potter has come to take his inheritance test."

The younger of the two goblins hurriedly moved back to retrieve a particular sort of parchment from the shelf, with old runes drawn all along its sides, as well as a small knife to go along with it. "Please cut a little hole into your left index fingers and squeeze out a few drops of blood onto this parchment young man." The goblin spoke seriously but all three of them were looking at him curiously.

Harry watched the goblins curiously but followed their instruction, stabbing a small hole into his fingertip and then letting a few drops of blood drip onto the parchment. After the blood began to sink into the parchment he drew his hand back, only to receive a small bit of cloth from the goblin that he used to wipe the spot clean, finding the finger a little numb for a second before seeing the small wound was gone. He handed the cloth back, and the goblin cleaned the knife on it, the cloth seeming to be spotless afterwards still.

"Enchanted so it helps a client heal and destroys the blood it comes in touch with so it cannot be used against the client." The goblin explained to him noticing the boy's curious expression, taking delight in seeing someone without any scorn or pompous behavior in them among the goblins. True, several muggle-born did the same but many of them were scared, and this boy wasn't that either. He was just curious.

The writing began to appear, and a few curse words were quickly whispered as the goblins read through what had appeared, the teller who had lead him there hurrying out while the other two looked at each others and presented the document to him to look through, muttering to each other in their own tongue.

Taking the parchment, Harry Potter started reading it curiously, wondering what had got such a reaction out of them.

Harry James Potter, Heir of House Potter, Age 10, nearly 11 (First-Year 1991)

Son of James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans.

Magical Guardian: Sirius Black (Godfather), Imprisoned (Still Eligible)

Proxy: Albus Dumbledore (Self-Proclaimed, Restricted)

Last of his Line, to be Emancipated after completing his Owl-levels or turning 16 at latest.

Assumes Head of House status after acquiring his Newt-levels or turning 18.

Right to name his own Proxy at age 11

Possessions:

-Potter Family Vault (Relics, Tomes, Portraits) (Restricted until age 15)

-Potter Finance Vault (Deeds to owned Properties, investment contracts) (Sealed until age 21)

-Potter Main Vault (15,256,105 Galleons, 626,521 Sickles, 125,521 Sickles) (Restricted till Age 15)

-Potter Trust Vault (5,000 galleons, limited to 1,500 galleon withdrawal/year) (Annual deposit of 500 g)

Properties:

-Potter Manor, Britain (under war-wards, sealed)

-House in Godric's Hollow, Britain (destroyed, landmark status, tax-free property)

-Potter Chateau, France (under war-wards, unplotable)

Note:

Repeated attempts of illegal access to Potter vaults recorded by Proxy,

Proxy holding illegal possession of Potter vault keys.

Contracts:

-One (1) marriage contract for Ginevra Molly Weasley (invalid, illegal, placed by Albus Dumbledore)

This was certainly a nasty bit of news, no wonder the goblins were looking more than a little angry. The fact his family had millions of galleons had him feeling a little faint, but the fact that his self-proclaimed proxy had apparently tried to set him up with a marriage contract and access the vaults containing his inheritance had him feeling a measure of dread about the coming school years.

As he was still thinking things through a group of goblins entered the room, some of them armed with halberds and carrying metal breastplates that made them look tough and dangerous. Harry felt a bit of worry cross through his mind, but seeing the goblin who seemed to command respect from all the others with his mere presence hold out a hand towards Harry and the parchment the young man hurriedly handed it over.

Reading the parchment through, the goblin man grit his teeth together, and Harry could tell they looked pretty sharp. The goblin man was a bit older than some of the others, but definitely not elderly. He had strong arms in the sleeveless shirt he wore, but the black cloth held a number of small insignias to it. He wore a few simple but powerful seeming rings on his hands, and the insignias made Harry think they held power too. This was a powerful goblin, both physically and in terms of possessions, Harry had a feeling the goblin man could have taken down the armed guards himself without breaking a sweat or taking up a weapon.

"Mr. Potter, I am Director Ragnok, and I am the chief of the British Gringotts clan. I assure you that you are not in any trouble, but the last parts of this document raise some concerns for us. Sirius Black has been imprisoned for several years, and Albus Dumbledore was an important part of making sure of that."

There was a serious expression on Harry's face as he nodded, considering the news he was receiving. The more he heard about the magical world the less he liked it, but leaving Britain would mean starting up a huge mess that would probably work against him. That did not mean he had to go along unprepared though, especially with the concerns that had been raised with this latest piece of information.

"Thank you, Director Ragnok. If I may ask, could you explain to me the difference between Restricted and Sealed in this list though?" He wasn't sure if it was a bit rude of him to ask but the thought about the family portraits had him silently hoping his parents had made ones, and if they had they would likely be in that restricted family vault then.

"Restricted means that you are not allowed to remove anything from the vault yourself, but you have access to it. Your Hogwarts tuition would be paid from your Main Vault for instance, as would any of the payments and taxes your family properties might require, but you could not use the funds from it to cover say a shopping trip for books, potion ingredients, or other such purchases. Those would have to come out of your trust-vault. You would be able to visit the family vault and see about any tomes or portraits there, but you would not be allowed to remove them from the vault."

Explaining this the goblin man had a rather calm tone to his voice, though a few people had looked at him a bit worried when Harry spoke up to ask him that question all of a sudden. Still, the Director did not seem to think it beneath himself to answer the young man, indulging his curiosity. Seeing the smile on his face seemed to amuse the goblin a bit as well.

"Could I see if my parents made portraits before their passing?" He inquired a bit hopefully, and after receiving a confirming nod he bowed his head respectfully, earning a chuckle from Ragnok. The goblin chief was pleased, the Potter boy had as good manners as his mother had, and he appeared to not get held down by fear such as armed goblin guards being around or asking a rather mundane question from a goblin chief who's time was money.

"Certainly, Mr. Potter. I will let you get right to it and retrieve some gold from your trust vault as well while you are at it, but I would like to ask if you would want to change Proxies when you soon turn eleven years old? If you wish, you can write down such an order on parchment to wait for the day so you do not need to appear here again at a later time if you would rather have the business taken care of here and now. I cannot imagine that Albus Dumbledore has acted in your best interest after what this parchment has revealed."

Harry considered it a moment. Applying for another proxy was a bit risky, he didn't know anyone he could trust that well just yet, but there was a point to the remark he couldn't leave it in Dumbledore's hands. The man might have tried to marry him off as a proxy, who knows what else the man might still try if Harry did not take action. Considering things a moment he looked at Ragnok seriously.

"Would you be willing to name a good goblin to take over as my proxy until such a time that I am eligible to take care of those matters by myself?"

You could have heard a pin drop in that room after he voiced his question, before a moment later the goblin man barked a laughter and shook his head amusedly. Positively delightful! The boy would have a goblin stand in as his proxy, that would certainly send a message to the wizarding world, that the boy would choose a goblin over Albus Dumbledore would drag the old wizard's reputation to mud.

"It would upset a lot of purebloods but I believe I could name someone into the position if you so chose. If you would write such a note and sign it with a blood quill, it would be irrefutable." He smiled in a calm fashion, and Harry nodded his head while a younger goblin clerk rushed off to retrieve the document necessary. Ragnok had a feeling that the wizarding world would be in for some nasty surprises and long-due changes soon if the Potter heir would keep up this kind of behavior.

"All things considered, are you still going to attend Hogwarts however? We can hold the tuition payment for a while if you wish to apply to other schools abroad." He asked this seriously but left the choice in Harry's hands, and was not disappointed to see the boy shake his head. "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

Ragnok grinned even wider, he was really taking a shine on this boy. Someone who understood those truths even without goblin blood in them at such a young age was going to be an interesting person to know. Not only that, but Ragnok could feel the amount of power flowing through the boy while standing this close, and the way he had eyed Ragnok's runic vest the boy seemed to have divined some of his protections from them.

He might not be wearing a heavy armor but he was a chief through the grace of being the most cunning, powerful person in the clan, a strong but dumb chief didn't live long, nor did a weak though intelligent one. Champions and advisors were better position for those, and Ragnok had worked hard to fulfill the requirements to ascend to his position. He had a similar feel about this boy, he'd work hard to assume his own rightful place too, given the chance.

End Chapter

A/N: Another bit of brain storming came together as a strange little challenge for myself originally. I thought it worth a thought and wrote down a little bit for it, and ended up coming up with this.

If Dumbledore is the Manipulator of Destiny, then Harry is the Master Controller of Magic. More specifically, he twists wards, he can tweak spells, he can flat out ignore some and turn others back around. He was born under a prophecy and Dumbledore's efforts to manipulate his destiny have pushed his powers to grow stronger yet, breaking free.

His scar is no longer a horcrux, and the Potter vaults are his, and things are going to be interesting in the coming years. This Harry will be learned, clever, and willing to use sneaky tactics when necessary. He will also act in a way a warrior has to at times, that is, without mercy. He is unlikely to take prisoners when fighting death-eaters, and he will be fighting, not dueling but fighting.

This is Harry the Inglorious Bastard when he needs to be.

If someone else happened to want to use the weird bit of idea of mine for their own attempt, I could try and outline the self-challenge into another chapter's end as an Author's Note, but I doubt its unique, and it is likely to be too over-powered for a true serious tale in some cases, but it seems curious enough it might be worth the effort.

But on that note, this is one of those ideas that may get built up over time or stay as a one-shot for a bit. I'll mark this story -completed- when posting this, but switch it over to 'on-going' if I start writing the second chapter and so on so forth.