Harry Potter:Raised by Wolves

Harry left Gringotts with his purse weighed down with gold and his head weighed down with thoughts.

Glancing at his watch, his eyebrows rose—he had only been in there for a little over an hour.

It felt like a lifetime.

So much had changed.

Buying the wand holster was now the last thing on his mind.

Instead, Harry made straight for Flourish and Blotts.

He had already spent half a day exploring its shelves, discovering the sheer variety of books available—no longer just heading straight for the Hogwarts section and ignoring the rest.

Now familiar with the shop's layout, Harry found his way to the shelves filled with books on wizarding history and culture.

A smirk tugged at his lips as he thought about what Hermione might say if she saw him buying books of his own free will.

That smirk quickly faded, however, when he imagined Ron's expression at the sight of the books themselves—titles like The History of the Wizengamot and Inheritance Magic Explained.

His eyes scanned the shelves, then the other customers.

Maybe it wasn't the best idea for Harry Potter to be seen buying books on pureblood culture.

He hesitated, about to put them back, when his gaze landed on the bright paper bag from Gambol and Japes.

Of course!

He had almost forgotten about his purchases there—he had been too distracted by everything else since then.

Rifling through the bag, he quickly found what he was looking for:

Small, egg-like capsules that promised a cunning disguise for up to thirty minutes.

Originally meant for avoiding detection after a prank, Harry had bought them for another reason entirely—so he could go outside without being Harry Potter for a while.

He slipped behind a deserted shelf, broke open one of the capsules over his head, and felt the magic wash over him.

It really did feel like he had just cracked an egg on his hair.

Glancing at his reflection in a nearby window, he grinned.

Staring back was a pale boy with straw-blond hair and dark brown eyes, his square face nothing like Harry's own.

Brushing his fringe aside, he grimaced when he saw his scar was still there—but the disguise's hair was long enough to cover it.

It would be enough.

Now on a time limit, Harry raced through the bookshop, tossing titles into his basket whenever they caught his eye.

He didn't want to look too suspicious by only buying books about pureblood culture, so he added several others that seemed interesting—a book of defensive charms and wards, one titled A Hundred Spells Every Wizard Should Know, a small book called A Muggleborn's Guide to the Wizarding World, and a volume on goblin culture.

The goblins of Gringotts had proven to be valuable allies, and he wanted to learn more about them.

Satisfied, he took his heavy basket to the register, handed over the gold with a smile, and added the large bag of books to his other purchases.

There was a spring in his step as he left the bookshop.

He ducked into a small side-alley and waited for the disguise charm to wear off.

For the first time, he was genuinely eager to get back to his room and read.

First, though, he made a quick detour to Wiseacre's, emerging a few minutes later with a brand-new black leather wand holster strapped to his wrist.

He hadn't entirely forgotten what had started this whole thing, after all.

. . . .

Harry spent the rest of that day—and most of the next—holed up in his room at The Leaky Cauldron, absorbed in his new books.

It felt like he was discovering the wizarding world all over again.

He wished A Muggleborn's Guide to the Wizarding World had been included in his first-year book list—it would have answered so many questions and saved him a lot of trouble.

It amazed him that no one had thought to teach muggleborns this information when they were first introduced to the wizarding world.

Or maybe they did—and everyone had just forgotten that he was muggle-raised.

But then, surely Hermione would have said something?

He made a mental note to buy a copy for her upcoming birthday and see what she thought.

From some of the things she had said and done over the years, he doubted she had been given any real introduction to wizarding culture either.

All the things Ron and the others took for granted—the history, the background knowledge, the everyday spells and customs—were completely new to Harry.

And he couldn't get enough.

The books on pureblood culture, however, were an eye-opener of an entirely different kind.

After everything he had heard about purebloods being backwards and fearful of muggle influence, reading about their history made him understand them in a way he never had before.

Of course, he had studied witch burnings in History of Magic—even had summer homework on it that Florean Fortescue had been surprisingly helpful with.

But those textbooks never went into the detail of how dangerous it had been to be magical during times when muggles were suspicious of everything.

The origin of the Statute of Secrecy and the way the wizarding world had changed because of it made Harry realize just how much history was woven into his own bloodline.

Especially when he saw both the names Potter and Black mentioned repeatedly as notable figures.

He still didn't know how he had been named heir to the Black family, but that mystery could wait.

Right now, he was too busy trying to wrap his head around what it meant to be heir to four of the most prominent families in wizarding Britain.

One of the few times he left his room, he bought himself a blank notebook with a password charm, so he could take notes on everything and keep them secure.

Now, he had pages and pages of writing on all sorts of subjects—not just inheritance.

From what he could gather, being an heir now was a little like being an heir in Regency-era England, when inheritance actually meant something.

All family properties and wealth would pass down to the heir, who would become the head of the family once the previous head stepped down.

That meant control over family magics, wards, Wizengamot seats, and the family name itself.

This was especially important for things like marriage contracts—everything had to be approved by the head of the family before it could become legal.

That meant that when Harry turned seventeen, he would officially become the head of four of the most powerful wizarding families.

He had checked the Wizengamot records.

All four seats were currently being held in proxy.

All four by none other than Albus Dumbledore.

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