Chapter Text
Being in Diagon Alley was a dream after the summer he had had. In it, he had complete and total freedom to do as he wished. Never had he had freedom like this.
He was perhaps going a bit overboard with how much he was spending; he was nearly out of spending money after only two days of being there, but he also recalled his vault. According to the Gringotts book Hermione recommended, Harry’s vault, which was massive and located at the bank’s very bottom, was among the wealthiest and most well-protected vaults.
The vault in question was gigantic, bigger even than the Dursley house, and filled with so much gold and books that he could scarcely believe it.
Upon returning to the bank, he gave his key, then descended to vault X32 on a roller coaster-like mine cart. This confirmed its high level of security. Even the vault that held the philosopher’s stone had only numbers in its designation. He wondered absently why that was as surely something that important needed a huge amount of protection. Perhaps Dumbledore had told no one what it was, so the security was not extended to it.
When he arrived, he marvelled at the riches his parents had somehow accumulated. He had researched his family extensively, while the Potters were always wealthy; they were not this wealthy. No, most of the money had been earned by his parents, but no one knew what they had done to catapult them into being one of the richest families in the magical world.
He eyed the books that were in bookcases along the wall and looked through them. Perhaps they would hold a clue to how they had earned that money. Previously, he had never been able to look due to being rushed along by Hagrid and Mrs Weasley.
Skimming the bookcases as he walked by them, he surprisingly found mostly nonmagical science textbooks, particularly on genetics and biology. At the end of the lengthy vault, he found the final three bookcases filled with handwritten books.
The table against the back wall was more intriguing, with only a brown journal on it. Slowly, he approached and opened the journal.
Dear Harry,
I know what you reading this journal means. If you are reading it, it means that James and I are dead. If you grew up where I wished, this journal is mostly useless unless you wish to learn more about me.
However, I know that most likely you did not grow up on the grounds of Manticore in America. I put in my will that you were to go with Lysander Sandeman, who would have raised you there.
However, I know perfectly well that if I am dead, it also likely means that Sirius Black is dead and thus cannot act as the executor of my will as I wished. I wish Remus Lupin could act in his stead, but his affliction means that he is legally barred from doing so. Poor, nervous Peter Pettigrew is far too worried about messing something up to accept the position. Given Severus Snape’s position, it would be too dangerous for him to do it.
That will leave the leader of the Wizengamot, Albus Dumbledore. I wish it was not so, but nonmagicals and Americans cannot act as executors, and they are the only other people I would trust. It will automatically fall to him, I know. Most times, he delegates to his employees who will faithfully follow the word of the will. However, given what we have recently learned, he would never allow someone else to do so.
Nor would he ever allow someone he does not know or trust to care for you. In all likelihood, he will leave you with Petunia, despite the fact that I have told him not to a hundred times. That man’s blind spot in regard to family is a mile long.
All of that to say that I am sorry if you grew up with her, as I suspect you have. She is a horrid shrew, and I cannot imagine what your life was like. I want you to know that I absolutely despise her and whatever she has told you about us is completely false.
We wanted you. We wanted you so desperately that we made you.
I am not talking about in the normal course of things. Your father and I, along with those closest to us, collaborated to create your DNA to be as flawless as we could, using both our genetic material and other sources. I am sure there will be minor mistakes; we were not perfect at genetic modification at the time that we built you, nor are we now, but by and large, I think your body should serve you well in the life you are living.
Harry stared at the words in disbelief. He had been built and not born? How did that even work? Could it possibly be true?
After a long moment of staring in disbelief at the words, he slowly closed the journal, absently gathered some coins in a bag, then went back to Diagon Alley. Once he was settled at Florean’s Ice Cream Shoppe with a large sundae sitting in the warm, soothing sunlight, he felt better able to think about things.
He had been meant to grow up in a place called Manticore. Was that a city in America? Who was Lysander Sandeman? How could he contact him?
Beyond even that, what did it mean that he had been created and not born? He rubbed his forehead and stared at the innocuous looking journal that had already changed so much without even reading the second page.
He picked at his sundae, turning over what he knew, before he finally opened the journal once more.
I know this must come as a surprise. We have gone to great lengths to hide our work from both the magical and muggle communities, so no one would have been able to tell you this. I hope you will understand and agree that this should be kept from them.
Let me start from the beginning with things that Petunia would not have told you, I do not think.
Our father, Casper Evans, was a world famous geneticist. He discovered a great deal about genetics and taught us everything we knew. No matter how idiotic my sister acts, she is a genius, the same as me and our father. Even our mother was highly intelligent before she died in childbirth with our younger brother, who also died.
We grew up travelling the globe, going to meet ups and universities, when he was not home working in the lab. Everything I learned before I was eleven was taught by him. I think it is understandable then why I love genetics. Petunia did too, for a time.
Then I learned that magic was real and instantly my first thought was to figure out how magic worked genetically. My father fully supported me in this and together we spent two years studying it before we found the magic genes. To put it simply, it is a series of genes that are usually considered junk genes in nonmagicals.
I decided that I wanted to learn how to magically genetically alter things and I spent the rest of my life studying that in between classes with first Severus Snape and then your father and his friends, who became my friends. All were instrumental in helping start my genetics research and modification lab in America once we graduated, which we called Manticore, along with Lysander.
Lysander was a wonderful man that worked with my father for many years before his death. It devastated me when my father died in my seventh year at Hogwarts, and I reconnected with him to find a piece of him. Lysander quickly became a second father to me.
The things we achieved were wondrous. We successfully genetically modified first animals, then humans. Before we left Gillette, Wyoming, America, we had almost successfully modified a mixed animal-human hybrid. I am sure they have achieved it by now.
To be truthful with you; I did not want to come to England. It was too dangerous with a war on, but James could not stand the thought of our home country being destroyed, so the six of us (Sirius, Peter, Remus, and Severus, along with your father and me) returned.
If I had known that we would get mixed up in a prophecy, I would never have agreed to us coming here. My dear, I hate this with all my heart, but you are the subject of a prophecy. I have no doubt no one told you this, despite my explaining to Dumbledore in small words why you ought to be told it. As such, it is listed below.
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
It is vile in every sense, but unfortunately, fate is not easily avoided. When I heard that prophecy, I contacted my friends and employees at Manticore, and we have all agreed that they will be a ready fighting force for you. It was already militant in style thanks to the military grants we have received. That said, it became even more so with our plan. So, by now, they should have mostly functional super soldiers available to you.
Harry stopped reading again and stared at his mother’s words in complete disbelief. Slowly, he closed the journal and stood.
He spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the alley, scarcely able to believe what he had read. A prophecy dictated that he was going to defeat Voldemort, his parents had created super soldiers, and he had an army waiting for him.
What on earth was his life?
After dinner, he returned to his room at the hotel, settled on the bed, and opened the journal once more. He reread what he had already read, all the way to the third page, where he once more read new material.
I cannot say for a fact that these soldiers have magic. Thus far, our attempts to activate the magic genes in nonmagicals has not worked. We can manage it before birth, but after birth has not worked. They may have by now, but I cannot guarantee it. What I can guarantee is that the soldiers will be highly trained against magic and loyal. They will fight to the death as needed.
Harry stared at the words in horror. He did not want anyone to die!
I do not know at what age you will read this. I hope eleven, but I cannot be sure. Regardless, I want you to contact Lysander and have him train you. Given how negligent Dumbledore is, I doubt he will watch you closely unless something prompts him to do so. If you feel he or anyone else is watching, then do not go to Gillette, but you absolutely should contact Lysander.
He will help you learn to fight and also how to manage Manticore, as you will inherit a large part of it when you are eighteen. This journal will also help you. In the following pages, you will find lists of books to read that will help you understand genetics so that you can know how the work at Manticore happens. Even if you do not wish to be a geneticist, it is a good idea to know what is happening in the company. If you have any questions, Lysander can help.
I love you dearly, my wonderful son, and I hope you have the best life.
Below that was a phone number labelled as for Lysander Sandeman.
Harry had no idea what to do with the knowledge he had been given. He sat in bed, staring at the words for an incredibly long time. His entire world felt completely different.
How was he meant to defeat Voldemort? How was he meant to run a genetic research and modification lab?
Eventually, he laid down to sleep, holding the journal tightly as he did so. It took a long time as his mind continued to race, but finally, he drifted into an uneasy sleep.