Chapter 1

Harry Potter the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One lay on his bed his thought focused on events in the Department of Mysteryes. The loss of his Godfather Sirius Black hit him hard adding the knowledge of the Prophecy on top just made it worse. Sighing he turned over and looked at the ceiling thinking about his life.

Suddenly there was a loud crash as Harry bolted upright in surprise. Luckily the Dursley' had left for a week long break away so no one else was home. Looking around wand in hand Harry immediately saw the box lying on the floor.

It was made entirely of metal with great steel bolts fitted to the front of it keeping it shut. Looking around for the person who had left the box with him but finding no one after examining the room Harry cautiously approached the box before examining it more closely, he found two letters on top of it one from Gringotts the other from an unknown sender both addressed to him. Curious about what was in the letters Harry picked up the one sent to him from Gringotts, turning it over Harry unsealed it and began to read.

Dear Mr Potter

This box is part of what was willed to you by your Godfather Sirius Black. This box was to be sent to you directly and not be given to any proxy's or any third party. Gringotts has implemented Mr Blacks Will and has sent the object directly to your address along with the letter that was attached

We give our sincere condolences to the loss of your Godfather

Head of the Department of Wills and Inheritance

Breakjaw

Surprised Harry examined the box once more and throwing caution to the wind bent down and picked it up finding the box surprisingly light despite what it was made of. He moved the box onto his desk and picked up the other letter startled when he found that it was addressed with son.

Startled he quickly flipped the letter open and shredded the back fumbling as he pulled the letter out of the envelope

Dear Son

If you are reading this letter then it means that Voldemort has killed us. I'm sorry my sweet son that you are alone in this world without us but I hope that Sirius has raised you well, or as well as a man child like him could... or if in the event he dies it was to be sent to you directly according to his will. Now listen closely inside this box is the oldest artefact belonging to the Potters, no one knows what it is but it is said that whoever successfully unlocks its power will gain power that eclipses even Merlin.

You may be wondering why I am telling you this for you see before you were born there was a prophecy made about the Dark Lord and the one who would vanquish him.

'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...'

This prophecy could be about either you or another boy, Neville Longbottom. Although if you are receiving this letter then it is likely you who are the Chosen One. Dumbledore believed that the power 'he knows not' is love I think that's stupid what are you supposed to do, love him to death?

Then it struck me perhaps this was the key. Its a sort of right of passage for Potters to touch the artefact to see if it connects with them although it has never done so before but call it a mothers instinct's but something tells me that my little miracle will pull it off. Just cut your finger and let the blood run onto the box. It will open only with the blood of a Potter freely given. I hope this gives you the power to conquer your destiny.

Know that your father and I love you dearly and want only the best for you, live your life to the fullest.

Mum

With tears dripping down his face Harry read the letter over again and again. The loss of his Godfather, the letter. It was too much. Stumbling as his legs gave way Harry crumpled to the floor and for the first time since Sirius's death Harry wept, he wept for the loss of his parents, for the loss of a childhood, for the hand fate gave him and for the loss of a man who loved him unconditionally.

After exhausting himself and running out of tears it left Harry with a sense of peacefulness that he had not experienced since Sirius's death. He had grieved and shed tears but he realised that neither Sirius or his parents would want him to wallow in his self pity and grief.

Gathering himself Harry stood back up drying the tears from his face with his sleeve and walked back over to his desk upon which the metal box lay. Harry picked up a paper knife that he had left out and raised his hand over the box before opening his palm and drawing the knife over it leaving a cut in the palm. Hissing in pain he kept his hand over the box watching as the blood flowed down his hand before dropping onto the case. Harry stood there with a baited breath as more and more blood dropped onto the box but nothing was happening. Just as he was about to give up the blood already on the box began to spread out and run along the grooves inlayed in the the box forming a sword held in the talons of a phoenix.

Click, Thud! The bolts that held the box shut moved and Harry was able to feel the numerous Locking Charms on the case begin to break as the wards and runes that protected the box stopped working.

Harry grabbed hold of the lid of the box and slowly pushed it open. Revealing inside was a crystal about the size of a football. Examining the Crystal more closely Harry saw twelve different lights of different colours all seeming to move and wriggle inside the Crystal as if they were alive. Utterly fascinated by the treasure in front of him Harry just stared dumbly at it before shocking himself out of his revelry he realised that this was it, something about this Crystal spoke to Harry's magic whispers of power and strength and he knew that this was it. The power to end Voldemort now rested in his hands.

So it was with slightly shaking hands, Harry reached out to the Crystal and grasped it with his right hand. Picking it up out of the case Harry examined it turning it over in his hands still rather enamoured with its beauty. In an attempt to awaken the power in the Artefact Harry sent a tendril of magic from his core and into the crystal. When his magic interacted with the crystal he was able to feel an immense power emitting from the twelve lights trapped in the crystal but nothing happened, unsure about what else to do Harry shoved an even greater amount of magic down the connection. Suddenly Harry felt the twelve lights in the crystal react to the magic he was sending down the connection. The twelve lights seemed to stir in the Crystal before moving towards Harry palm which was holding the crystal still slightly bleeding from being cut open. The lights seemed to pause for a moment before jumping out of the crystal and drilling into the scar on Harry's hand entering his body heading straight for Harry's magic core, as the foreign power met the edge of his magic core it seemed to pause before the twelve lights pierced his core and the world went white with pain.

Collapsing on the floor Harry began to convulse in pain as his mouth let out a silent scream. Inside his core Harry''s magic had started to interact with the twelve lights and began to merge the foreign power into his core. However the immense power contained within the lights was too much for the size of core he had been using and so they began to push on the sides of his magic core causing blocks on his magic that had been in place since before he started Hogwarts to shatter and break. The lights rushed to fill the void and continued to push further on the sides of his core until they were satisfied and stopped there relentless expansion and returned to a state if dormancy.

Just as the changes to Harry's magic core had stopped Harry felt his magic rush out and wrap around his body and begin to alter it. It wrapped around his bones and began to heal the fractures left from his years of beatings as a child, the magic had also begun to augment and reinforce the bones. Once the magic had finished fixing his skeleton it moved onto his muscles and began to expand them bulking him up before tighten his muscle fibres giving him strength beyond that of a normal human. The magic also concentrated on his left arm condensing and turning it into a focus for his magic to travel through almost acting exactly the same as a wand. The magic had also begun to seep into his eyes fixing the damage done to his eyesight removing his need for glasses. As the magic reached his brain it began to break down barriers of memories that he had been suppressed to forget and rip apart compulsion charms as well as potions that had been used on him. Finally his new, stronger magic reached his famous scar and instantly slammed into the dark foreign magic located inside it and began to force it out.

Meanwhile all this time Harry had been writhing in excruciating pain as his magic and body were reformed. If there was a third party watching what was happening in the second bedroom at Number Four Privet Drive they would have been both horrified and fascinated with the events that were unfolding. The boy on the floor was rolling around, his face contorted in complete agony as he seemed to grow a few inches in height, his muscles expanding and growing before hardening giving him the body of a toned swimmer, his clothes ripping under the strain of his new size. Suddenly the twitching stopped as Harry's back arched as an unholy scream was emitted from the scar in his forehead. Black goo began to weep from the scar as Voldemort's soul shard was destroyed and crushed all the while Harry lays there as strands of his hair turned steel grey due to the enormous pain and stress he endured due to his ascension. As the changes settled down he succumbed to Morpheus's embrace on the floor.

Meanwhile a certain Dark Lord was writhing and screaming in pain as a part of his soul was ejected from it's container and destroyed not that he knew that. All he had noticed was that the connection between him and Potter had flared before excruciating pain racked his body.

Voldemort lay there in his bed panting in pain his body twitching occasionally whilst as he used legilimency to feel out the connection between him and the brat. Surprised to find that the connection had been greatly reduced what once had been Tom Riddle vowed to get his revenge on the boy for not only throwing off his possession and revealing him to the world in the Atrium of the Ministry but also for causing him immense pain.

His burning red eyes the colour of dark clotted blood filled with rage and hate as he twitched again before roaring out "Severus!"

Harry groaned as he began to automatically scrabble to look for his glasses before freezing and blinking as he looked around the room realising that he was not wearing any glasses and yet he could see even better than even when he was wearing his glasses. Shocked at this discovery Harry reached out with one arm in order to haul himself to his feet before freezing again as he looked at his outstretched arm it was muscled and well defined and he could almost see the power rippling through the muscle. Pushing himself to his feet stumbling slightly as he realised that he was taller than before he moved to his mirror almost tripping over his own feet.

He looked over his body and was shocked at what appeared in the mirror. Gone was the scrawny boy and in his place stood a young man with sculpted muscles and all the baby fat had left his face giving him a much better defined face. But it was his eyes that were now no longer hidden behind his glasses which seemed to shine with the glittering colour of emerald.

Harry was surprised to see the grey hair running through his black mop but he was largely unconcerned about it. Now Harry was not someone who was usually body conscience but even he had to admit that he looked good. He concluded that this was part of what the Crystal had done to him. Remembering that it had done something to his magic Harry closed his eyes and looked inwards.

Finding his core Harry examined it. Saying that Harry was shocked would be an understatement he was absolutely floored because whilst his magic core had been relatively large before it was now absolutely enormous like comparing a lake to an ocean and hidden within the vast ocean of magic was what Harry had assumed to be lights were now twelve powerful beings which Harry could not clearly perceive. Only the outline of some where clear to him for example one was in the shape of a yellow lion with three ruby coloured eyes another a purple sword although Harry did not know what they were he was able to tell that although they were a part of him they seemed to be slumbering and he had no idea how to awaken them. What was clear was the power they held, they gave off an aura of strength and power that eclipsed both Dumbledore and Voldemort.

Suddenly Harry legs buckled out from underneath him as an influx of memories hit him.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir it's about professor Quirell there is something wrong with him. My scar seems to hurt when I am around him."

"I'm sorry my boy but you weren't supposed to work that out so soon" the Headmaster replied with a twinkle in his eye as he rose from his desk his wand pointed at Harry.

"What?" Harry froze in surprise.

"You must understand it's for the Greater Good.

OBLIVATE!"

"Most impressive my boy but why was Miss Granger in the bathroom?" asked Dumbledore as he stood in the bathroom, the troll lying on the ground behind harry as he held onto Hermione for dear life.

"Because Weasley insulted her when she was trying to help him" Harry spat back.

"That's not how it really happened" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.

"What?" Hermione stuttered out.

"OBLIVATE!"

Harry was shaken as memory after memory flooded into his head. Harry curled up into a ball and wept once more as he realised that his first friend he had ever made was not truly his friend and even the event that bought the 'Golden Trio' together was fabricated he also discovered that the meeting between him and the Weasleys at Kings Cross had been staged, that Dumbledore was behind almost all of his problems, keeping Sirius in prison, keeping him locked up at Privet Drive like a prisoner, manipulating events like the Philosophers stone, the Chamber and the Triwizard Tournament in order to test and use Harry in the battle against Tom.

The more memories flooded back into Harry the more he seemed to see how wrong his relationship with Ron and Molly Weasley was. It also made his budding feelings for Ginny vanish as he realised they were probably Potion induced anyway. It did however show Hermione in a new light he wondered why he had never discovered these feelings earlier then he realised that he was probably compulsed not to even consider it.

Harry lay there on the floor in the fetal position rocking back and forth in shock as he realised that a large part of his life had been controlled and or was a total lie. Harry decided then and there that he had no idea who was in on the manipulations and so would trust only Hermione who was also being manipulated like a chess piece on a board.

Growling Harry got back up and realised that he needed to escape Privet Drive and get away preferably to the Grangers in order to warn Hermione but the question was how to get a message to her without the Order noticing, he was already aware that the Order read his post and that there was currently an information blackout on him so there was no way he could send a letter via Hedwig. Then it struck him.

"Dobby!" Harry called out and with a pop Dobby appeared in front of him his ears flapping as he jumped up and down in excitement. Smiling slightly at his nonhuman friends antics.

"Dobby if I give a letter to you can you deliver it to Hermione?"

"Oh, yes Great Harry Potter sir Dobby can do that." The excitable elf replied as he nodded his head vigorously.

Nodding his head in acknowledgement Harry turned back to his desk and brought out parchment and a quill and began to write his letter to Hermione and upon finishing it he handed it back to the hyper elf he said "Thank you Dobby. I really appreciate this... just, thank you"

"Thanking a house elf, Dobby knew that Master Harry Potter was a great wizard." He replied whilst tearing up as he popped away.

Sighing Harry realised that he would need flush the potions and remove the charms and oblivations from Hermione so she could see the truth luckily for him Potions could still be brewed without breaking Underage Magic Laws and so he began the task of creating a full Flushing Potion.

Meanwhile in a house in Crawley Hermione sat on her chair at her desk finishing off her Transfiguration homework as her mind wondered to a certain green eyed hero. Hermione was worried about Harry, she had tried to send him letters but there had been no reply, she knew that Dumbledore was not letting anyone contact Harry and she didn't like it but Ron had agreed to it and both of them had only Harry's best interests at heart didn't they?

Shaking her head at that thought she jumped in her chair and scrabbled for her wand as she heard a pop behind her whipping around she pointed her wand at whatever had apperated into her room a Hex on the tip of her tongue. Surprised to see the big eyes of the House Elf Dobby who jumped back in shock only to have another wand poke into his back. Twisting his head to look at whose wand was dug into his neck he met the cold eyes of the 'Ice Queen' of Slytherin Daphne Greengrass. Ever since third year when both of them had been partnered for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes they had become friends and Daphne came and visited Hermione in the summer. They didn't meet at school because of the problems that would be created by the House rivalries as well as Ron's hatred for all things Slytherin.

Squeaking Dobby began to shiver in fright before holding out the letter to Hermione who had begun to lower her wand upon seeing the elf. "This letter is from the Great Harry Potter sir, to Miss Grangy."

Shocked Hermione asked "from Harry?"

Nodding his head up and down fast enough to cause his ears to flap. "Yes Miss Grangy."

Daphne who had lowered her wand cocked an eyebrow at Hermione who was scrabbling to open the letter. "So I take it this is Dobby, Malfoys former elf that Potter freed."

"Hmm... yes that is Dobby."

Hermione meanwhile had manged to open the letter and began to read.

Dear Hermione

I hope that Dobby has reached you successfully. I believe that I have found the 'power the Dark Lord knows not' and there are things that we need to discuss urgently. If you agree I would like to come around to your house tomorrow and we can talk then. Do not contact Ron, Dumbledore or the Order yet I plan on telling them separately. Ill have Dobby bring me over.

Yours

Harry

P.S Don't worry if I look slightly different its part of the changes from the 'power upgrade'.

Confused but happy that Harry wanted to come around to her house. Hermione got up and rushed down the stairs to her parents finding them both in the kitchen drinking coffee. "Mum, Dad Harry sent me a letter asking if he can come over tomorrow is that okay."

Turning around Emma Granger looked at her daughter and said "Sure honey ask him when we need to go pick him up."

Shaking he head in reply "No Harry is going to come through magical means, hes trying to slip past the guards at his house."

"Oh Okay then."

Hugging her mother Hermione just said "Thanks mum." before rushing back upstairs to tell Daphne.

"Well this will be interesting, I cant wait to meet her best friend." Then lowering her voice to a whisper "or perhaps something more..." she trailed off. Dan just smirked in reply.

Coming back into her room Hermione just turned to Dpahne and said. "Harry's coming tomorrow."

Raising one delect eyebrow Daphne asked. "Do you want me to leave I know he doesn't like Slytherins."

Shaking her head Hermione replied. "No its fine he doesn't hate Slytheins just Malfoy and his bunch, beside i am allowed to have other friends he respects that. Ron on the other hand..."

"Yes well you know my opinion on the Weasley." Ron was a bit of a taboo subject for the two as Daphne had an intense dislike for the red headed boy.

"Well it looks like tomorrow will be interesting." Hermione said.

"Indeed." Daphne nodded in reply.

Harry wiped the sweat from his forehead as a bottled the Flushing Potion and flopped onto his bed. Dobby popped back into the room and Harry looked at the elf and asked. "Did she agree?" Getting a nod in reply Harry just closed his eyes and prepared for the events that would take place the next day.