Chapter Text
The sun was streaming through the windows when the boy who lived was woken up by a series of storming and banging noises followed by a loud knock on the door.
"Boy, we are leaving. Don't you dare touch anything and don't try anything funny."
The laud and gruff voice of Vernon Dursley came through the door. Although listening to his uncle the first thing in the morning wasn't pleasant, the fact that his family would be gone for the next week made him incredibly excited.
"I won't, Uncle Vernon!"
He replied in a sickly sweet tone. It was always fun to get on his uncle's nerves so why not give it a go before he leaves.
He heard a string of curse leaving his uncle's mouth before the main door was slammed. The silence that followed the loud noises was blissful.
Soon, Harry got out of his bed to start the day. He walked over to the half-broken vanity after stretching his tired muscles to check on the progress he had made. He had been trying to get taller and tanner this summer. The progress had been quite impressive due to the hours of outdoor work he had done this holiday and the work also helped him take his mind off the events that took place in the Triwizard tournament. However, he suddenly stopped moving when he looked himself in the mirror.
He didn't recognize the person staring back at him and he wasn't exaggerating when he said that. In the course of one night, he had grown taller by more than a few inches. Dark curls had replaced the wild and spiky raven hair. His cheeks had become more hollow and his face looked more angular. His famous green eyes had also changed their color to stormy grey. When he stretched out his hand, he saw pale ivory skin cover the expanse of his skin which reminded him of Draco Malfoy and so the day couldn't get any worse.
This wasn't possible but who was he kidding, if something impossible were to happen it would happen to him. The onslaught of what's and why's were giving him a headache. He was broken out of his mulling by the sound of rapping on his window.
When he turned around, he saw a few owls outside. They all had packages or letters tied to their feet so he went and opened his window for them. As soon as he did that, all the owls came rushing into the house. Surprising pigwidgeon did not crash land this time. As he started untying the packages he realized that they were his birthday presents. He had turned 15 last night. He forgot about all his worries when he started opening the gifts. He had got a gift from each of the Weasleys, Hermione, Sirius, and Remus.
When he opened all these, he realized that there was one more owl remaining. It looked official and was carrying a letter made up of expensive paper. When he unloaded that owl, it went to join the other owls that were drinking water from the bowl that Harry kept for Hedwig.
The letter that the owl gave was addressed to him. The inside of the letter said that it was from Gringotts and an elegant script followed the address.
Dear Mr. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you can control all your accounts in our bank now that you have turned 15. We would like to discuss your accounts and inheritance. It would best to visit at the earliest since the charm that had concealed your identity for the last 15 years must have worn off or might be on the verge of it. The letter has a message attached from the late Lily Potter née Evans.
Ragnok
The letter had left him more confused than he already was. What did he mean by concealing identity? But Harry pushed aside these thoughts to read his mother's letter.
Dear Harry,
If you are reading this then it means that your father and I didn't make it. If I was there I would have told you the truth myself but unfortunately, this letter will have to do. Before I tell I need you to know that James and I love you and we had no other option. So here it is, James and I are not your parents.
James was on a raid when he found you. As James was an Auror, he was on a mission to raid a death eater hideout. When he entered a room, he saw you crying in a crib. He thought that you would have a better life with us. Since my baby was born still only a few days earlier, it seemed logical bring you home and give you the Potter name.
Since that day James and I have loved you like we would have loved our baby. I hope you understand our situation and forgive us. We did it for you. It has been 3 months since we got you home. We haven't told Sirius and Remus about your identity and we probably never will till you want that. Just know that we love you, my baby, no matter what.
We are not sure of your parentage but you do resemble a black quite a lot. And one more thing, the glamour I put on you would make you look like a Potter for roughly 15 years. It is one of a kind so I don't think anybody would be able to replace it. After it has worn off you can renew the charm on a daily basis or adapt to your original look.
We are glad to call ourselves your parents. We love you no matter what. Now, I must go.
Love,
Mum
Tears sprung out of his eyes as he finished reading the letter. He could not believe what he had just read. He walked over to the vanity again. This time he noticed that he hadn't been wearing his glasses since he got up that morning and it didn't seem like he needed it. The uncovered half-lidded grey eyes staring back seemed arrogant and bored. Now that he looked close enough, he looked quite a lot like his godfather. He didn't know if it was for the better or worse.