"And then Jack chopped down what was the world's last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement, and trespass charges already mentioned, and all the giant's children didn't have a daddy anymore. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after, without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done...which proves that you can be excused for just about anything if you are a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions." – Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

Harry dreaded returning to Privet Drive. The last time Harry had seen Uncle Vernon was when he had rushed up the stairs, clutching his buttocks. He knocked and waited. A few moments later, Harry could hear heavy footsteps in the hallway, the door was opened and Uncle Vernon peeked outside. As soon as he saw Harry, his face turned a vibrant shade of scarlet. His uncle took a deep breath, gathering air in his lungs for a rather long rant, but was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Uncle Vernon's eyes swivelled into the direction of the noise. The colour rapidly drained from his face and the air escaped his lungs, making a weak, squeaky noise. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing could go wrong as long as a giant of over eleven feet had his back.

Things were looking up for Harry. He was given Dudley's second bedroom and his number of chores was decreased, giving him enough space and time to properly prepare himself for school. He studied every day, deep into the night, reading every single book, he had bought in Diagon Alley. He also exchanged letters with Hagrid, who not only was an expert on magical creatures but had also been living in Hogwarts for decades and knew a lot about Harry's future school. Harry was really looking forward to seeing the castle for himself. According to Hagrid, it was a sight to behold. To be honest, there was another reason why he regularly sent Hagrid letters. His relatives had started to pretend that Harry didn't exist, which was, in Harry's opinion, a change for the better. However, he worried it wouldn't last until he left for Hogwarts. So he casually mentioned a few times that he was in contact with Hagrid. And that he would worry if Harry forgot to write him. Better safe than sorry.

Ever since Hagrid had showed up in his relatives' home, one revelation had followed the other. Harry had always suspected that the Dursleys knew about magic, since they had always denied its existence with such vehemence as if they had tried to convince themselves. The real circumstances of his parents' death and his fame, however, had taken him by surprise. Harry tried to find out more about what had happened on Halloween 1981, but Hagrid either didn't know or didn't tell. The books, he had bought in Diagon Alley, didn't help him either. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed James and Lily Potter, but failed to kill Harry Potter, who survived the Killing Curse, causing somehow the disappearance of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The whole incident was still shrouded in mystery. There were, of course, a few theories about how he had survived, ranging from accidental magic to a mistake on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's part, but Harry had his doubts about them. In his opinion, the most likely explanation for his survival was that his parents had been responsible. He just couldn't understand how people had reached the conclusion that he had somehow defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Besides, it seemed that the magical community wasn't really interested in how it had happened. The only important thing was that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was gone. Harry had become a symbol. He was stuck being famous. And he didn't like it. His first taste of fame had been being mobbed in the Leaky Cauldron after Tom had blared his name out. The experience had been even more unsettling since he had had no idea what was going on. He hoped that the novelty of his presence would wear off sooner rather than later.

The war was of special interest to Harry. It had shaped the magical world of Great Britain, leaving deep scars. People were still terrified. Too terrified to speak the name of the wizard, who had terrorised their world for eleven years, using 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' or 'You-Know-Who' instead. Lord Voldemort had been active since the 1960s, recruiting and killing in secret. Several of his followers, so-called Death Eaters, had occupied strategic positions within the Ministry of Magic or had been placed there in the following years, promoting Pure-blood supremacy and providing information from inside the Ministry. It was even suspected that one of Voldemort's followers had been behind the mysterious illness of Nobby Leach, first Muggle-born Minister of Magic, who had resigned in 1968. The war had officially begun in 1970, when Lord Voldemort had put his plan into motion to overthrow the Ministry and establish a government of his own design, run by pure-bloods and with himself as supreme leader. His followers had started hunting Muggles for sport, leaving death and destruction in their wake and risking the exposure of the magical world. They had also increased their influence by using blackmail and the Imperius Curse, while the Ministry had been focused on covering their tracks. Harry wondered if some Death Eater attacks had been disguised as IRA bombings to prevent the Muggles from finding out about the Wizarding world. Once Voldemort and his followers had gotten bolder, they had begun to target Muggle-borns and blood traitors, creating even more chaos. Vigilante groups had appeared and had supported the Ministry under Eugenia Jenkins, Leach's successor. Dumbledore's secret organisation had been most likely among them, but information on the groups was scarce and Hagrid still avoided speaking of the 'Order'. Unable to handle the situation, Minister Jenkins had been replaced by Harold Minchum, who had managed to make some progress. However, significant victories hadn't been achieved until Millicent Bagnold succeeded Minchum in 1980. It had been the height of the war. More and more people had disappeared without a trace. Others had been found brutally murdered. Entire families had been wiped out. The Aurors under Bartemius Crouch responded by killing entire tribes of giants and forcing the survivors into hiding. Several Death Eaters were identified and captured. According to Hagrid, the Ministry had been fighting a losing battle, but only one history book agreed with him on that point. One book even stated that Voldemort's forces had been on retreat. They agreed on one point though. The war had come to an abrupt ending when Voldemort had vanished on 31 October, 1981, after attacking the Potters. A few Death Eaters, however, had still continued their mission. Peter Pettigrew as well as twelve Muggles had been killed by Sirius Black, who was also suspected to have played a role in the death of Harry's parents. The Lestranges and Bartemius Crouch Jnr. had abducted Auror Frank Longbottom and his wife Alice Longbottom and had tortured them into insanity, believing that they had information on the whereabouts of Lord Voldemort. They had been arrested, trialled and sent to Azkaban, along with several other Death Eaters. A few others, however, had escaped punishment by claiming to have been a victim of the Imperius Curse or by using their wealth and influence. Just my luck.

Harry didn't like how the war had ended. He was especially worried about the open ending. People had celebrated the day after You-Know-Who had vanished, believing him to be truly gone. However, once the initial elation had receded, they had been left suspicious and wary. They were afraid that he was still alive, waiting to return. They feared that one day the time of peace would be over and You-Know-Who would continue his reign of terror. Harry absent-mindedly twirled his wand between his fingers. Holly and Yew. The same phoenix feather core. Harry had checked the meaning of the wand woods. Yew was a symbol of death and rebirth. Holly protected against evil spirits. Like destined adversaries. No, Harry didn't like it at all. If You-Know-Who was alive and if he should return, he would come for Harry without a shadow of a doubt. No respectable Dark Lord would let the symbol of their downfall live. The same was true for his followers. Some of them were most likely still holding a grudge against Harry. For that reason – to protect him from Voldemort's remaining forces – Harry had been hidden in the Muggle world. On Dumbledore's orders, Hagrid had rescued him from the ruins of his old home, which had lost part of the roof during the attack, and had brought him to the Dursleys, Harry's only remaining family. For years he had hoped in vain, a distant relative would show up and take him away from the Dursley. However, there was no one left on his father's side of the family. Harry was the last Potter. The last descendant of Linfred of Stinchcombe, called 'The Potterer', who had developed early versions of medical potions. Until Harry had been born, the family had been considered pure-blood. However, they hadn't been added to the 'Sacred Twenty-Eight', because both Ralston and Henry Potter, who had served in the Wizengamot at different times in history, had spoken up on behalf of Muggles and had preferred to peacefully co-exist and help each other in time of crisis. As if Voldemort had needed more reasons to target his family.

Their interest in the Boy-Who-Lived hadn't worn off in the years after You-Know-Who's downfall. Harry's absence from the Wizarding world had actually increased their appetite for information. Unable to talk to him personally, they had turned to the only person, who was able to answer their questions. It was, after all, Albus Dumbledore, who had ordered to hide Harry Potter with the Muggles and had promised to keep an eye on him. And year after year, he had assured the Wizarding public that the Boy-Who-Lived was safe, enjoying a normal and happy childhood.