Summary: The Sorting Hat originally wanted to place Harry in Slytherin. It means he had some cunning, right? Growing up with Dursleys made Harry sharp and perceptive. He manages to see through many of Dumbledore's manipulations and decides to create his own path. Diverges from the canon at the end of Chamber of Secrets. Dark (but not evil) Harry & Ginny!

Note that both Harry and Ginny will play central roles. They will be powerful, but not overly so.

Pairings: It's going to be a HP/GW fic. Other pairings haven't been decided yet. Most of them are expected to be canon. And there would be NO SLASH!

Author's Notes: The real divergence from canon begins from the end of Chamber of Secrets. However there are some differences in the earlier chapters as well. They are mostly concerned with Harry noticing things. I'd request you to read at least up to chapter 4, maybe 5, before judging the story!

I have taken some paragraphs directly from books, since there were no major changes, but those paragraphs were essential to maintain the flow. And the chapters will grow longer as the story progresses.

So folks read, review and most importantly, enjoy! This is my first fic, so please be gentle. I don't mind criticism, as long as it is constructive. By the way, English is not my native language, so please forgive some minor grammatical mistakes, if there are any! If pointed out, I'll try to correct them. Although I have already got most of the story planned, I am open to suggestions and will try to incorporate them as long as they don't alter the story too much!

Note that fiction rating may change!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and associated characters are NOT mine! So lawyers, keep away!

Chapter 1: The Boy-Who-Lived

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.

The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that. So they had made it perfectly clear that they didn't want a Potter anywhere near them.

Four Months Ago

Ding-Dong!

"I'll get it Vernon," said Mrs. Dursley while Vernon Dursley was muttering about crazy salesmen. Mrs. Dursley opened the door and –

"YOU!"

"Hello Petunia," said the red headed woman standing in the doorway. "I came to invite you to the first birthday party of my son, Harry. May I come in?"

"NO! How many times do I need to tell you to keep away from me and my perfectly normal family, you freak? Get lost. We want nothing to do with your kind." With these words Petunia Dursley slammed the door in the face of her sister, Lily Potter.

"Who was that dear?" asked Vernon.

"My sister," spat Petunia, as if the admission had caused her a great deal of pain.

"Sister, you never told me about that!"

"Who would, if they had such a freak for a sister?"

And Petunia told Vernon all about her life, her sister, hoping Vernon wouldn't be too furious with her. She needn't have worried. In the end, Vernon was too shocked to be furious. When he returned to his senses, he agreed with his wife that such people should be kept as far away as possible.

After that incident they had not mentioned the Potters again and hoped that they would never have to see one of those freaks again.

Unfortunately, destiny had different plans for them!

It was a perfectly normal morning when Mrs. Dursley opened the door to put out milk bottles and screamed. Lying on the doorstep was a basket. However it was not the basket that that caused her to shriek. In the basket, there was a raven haired baby. The baby, roused by the shriek, chose that exact moment to open its eyes and start wailing. It was the eyes that clued Petunia to who he was. They were a brilliant green – same as her sister's. Another thing that drew her attention was the letter clutched in his tiny hand. It was not written on ordinary paper. It was a parchment, like the ones she had seen her sister – no; that little freak – use. Her first instinct was to slam the door and call the authorities. But she reasoned that it would call attention to her family and disrupt their normal lives, especially if that letter was found. So she took the baby inside – in case some neighbours woke up early and saw him – and opened the letter. It said –

Dear Mrs. Dursley,

It is my sad duty to inform you that your sister, Lily Potter, and her husband were murdered last night by an evil wizard who calls himself Lord Voldemort. Lily, being a gifted witch, had apparently placed some protection on young Harry. This protection caused the curse to backfire when he tried to kill young Harry. Due to this, Lord Voldemort was vanquished last night. While many believe he is dead, I don't think so. It's my belief that he has merely been weakened and fled for his life. I believe he will return someday and would want his revenge. So I have invoked an ancient protection which will keep him safe till he is old enough to defend himself. For this protection to work, it is required that young Harry stays with his mother's blood relatives. Since you are the last blood relative of Mrs. Potter – and Mr. Potter has no living relatives either, I'd request you to raise him. By raising him not only will you keep him safe, you will be safe from anyone who wishes harm to your family – wizard or muggle. While Lord Voldemort may be gone for some time, his followers are still at loose, and they love killing muggles such as yourself, for sport. So raising Harry will be beneficial to both of you. And don't worry about finances; you will receive 5000 pounds a month for this purpose. It will increase as young Harry grows up. Expect the first instalment to be deposited in your account within a week.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore,
Headmaster – Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Order of Merlin – First Class,
Grand Sorcerer,
Chief Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump – International Confederation of Wizards

At first, Petunia was furious. How dare those freaks die and dump that little freak at her doorstep! The boy would be going to an orphanage! But the prospect of protection from those crazed lunatics and the money changed her mind. Petunia was no fool, she had heard of Lord Voldemort from Lily and those awful friends of hers. Due to her excellent eavesdropping abilities, she knew more about those freaks than anyone would expect her to. All she'd have to do now would be to persuade Vernon. Wouldn't be too difficult, would it? After all, Vernon would love to lay his hands on more money. And if they kept the boy downtrodden enough, they might even be able to eliminate the freakishness from him. Yes, that's what will happen; they will make the most out of the burden placed upon them.

So, Harry Potter, The Boy-Who-Lived, was placed with his relatives, who had vowed to make his life a personal hell, not knowing that the witches and wizards were celebrating his defeat of one of the most evil wizards of all times, not knowing that he was famous – a legend, nor that he would spend his childhood being bullied by his cousin and doing slave labour for his relatives.

Author's Notes: Hope you enjoyed it! Please review! I'll be back soon, as I already have a few chapters written!