Part One: The Discovery
The Ministry of Magic's archives were a labyrinth that few wizards dared to navigate. Housed deep beneath the Department of Records, they stretched for what seemed like miles, with corridors that twisted back on themselves and shelves that climbed so high they disappeared into shadow. The air was thick with the smell of old parchment and dust, and the only sound was the occasional creak of ancient wood settling.
Harry moved through this maze with purpose, his wand held aloft, casting a soft blue light that illuminated the narrow path before him. He'd been searching for hours, moving methodically through section after section, looking for records that most people didn't even know existed. The goblins at Gringotts had confirmed that the Prince family had once been prominent, but their records had been sealed away long ago, buried beneath layers of bureaucracy and deliberate obfuscation.
He finally found what he was looking for in a section marked "Sealed Family Records - Pureblood Dynasties." The shelves here were older than those in the main archives, and the papers stored on them were yellowed with age. Harry ran his fingers along the spines of the ledgers until he found one labeled "Prince Family - Genealogical Records and Legal Proceedings."
The ledger was heavy, bound in dark leather that crumbled slightly at his touch. He carried it to a nearby desk and carefully opened it, mindful of the fragile pages. What he found made his breath catch.
The Prince family history was laid out before him in meticulous detail. Birth records, marriage contracts, death certificates, all carefully documented by Ministry scribes over the centuries. The family had been prominent since the seventeenth century, their wealth accumulated through potions mastery, alchemical research, and strategic marriages with other pureblood families.
But as Harry traced the family tree forward through time, he noticed something odd. There was a gap. A significant gap in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Records that should have been there were missing, and in their place were official notices of sealed proceedings.
Harry's curiosity intensified. He pulled out another ledger, this one labeled "Legal Proceedings and Family Disputes," and began searching for entries related to the Prince family. What he found was a treasure trove of information.
In 1960, there had been a major family dispute. Eileen Prince, daughter of the Prince patriarch Abraxas Prince, had married a Muggle. Not just any Muggle, but a factory worker named Tobias Snape with no magical ability whatsoever. The scandal had been immense. The Prince family, with their pride and their pureblood ideology, had essentially disowned her.
But that wasn't the end of the story. In 1961, Eileen had given birth to a son. Severus Snape. A half-blood, born of a union that the Prince family had deemed unacceptable.
And then, in 1963, there had been formal proceedings. Eileen Prince had been formally banished from the family. Her name had been struck from the family records, her inheritance revoked, her claim to any family assets nullified. The papers detailed the process with brutal clarity. The Prince family had essentially erased her from existence.
Harry sat back in his chair, his mind already working through the implications. This was extraordinary. The Prince family was in chaos, their current patriarch Abraxas aging and with no clear heirs to continue the line. The family's assets were tied up in complex trusts and contracts, with no one to claim them.
But there was a loophole. Harry knew it because he'd spent weeks studying wizarding law, learning about the ancient statutes and forgotten clauses that governed pureblood families. There was an ancient law, buried in the depths of the wizarding legal code, that stated a banished family member could reclaim their inheritance if they could prove that the banishment was unjust or that the family had violated the terms of the banishment contract.
Eileen Prince had been banished, yes. But her son, Severus Snape, had never been formally acknowledged by the Prince family. Which meant that technically, he had no legal connection to them. Which also meant that if Harry could prove that Eileen's banishment was unjust, he could potentially claim her inheritance on behalf of her heirs.
And if he could claim Eileen's inheritance, he could claim her son's inheritance as well. Which would give him access to the Prince family's vast wealth and ancient magical knowledge.
It was a delicate legal maneuver, one that would require careful planning and precise execution. But it was possible.
Part Two: The Investigation
Over the next several weeks, Harry became consumed with research. He spent his days in the archives, pulling every record related to the Prince family, building a comprehensive picture of their history, their wealth, their influence, and their secrets.
What he learned was both enlightening and deeply troubling.
The Prince family had once been one of the most powerful wizarding families in Britain. Their ancestral home, Spinner's End, was a fortress of dark magic and ancient power, hidden away in a Muggle town in the North. Their vaults at Gringotts were legendary in their wealth. Their influence extended through every level of wizarding society, from the Ministry to Hogwarts to the various pureblood councils.
But they were also deeply entrenched in the ideology of pureblood supremacy. Harry found records of Prince family members involved in dark magic, in the persecution of muggle-borns, in the cultivation of dark creatures. The family had a reputation that preceded them, and not in a good way.
Which made them perfect for his purposes.
If Harry could gain control of the Prince family, if he could redirect their power and influence toward his own ends, he could use them as the foundation of a counter-movement to Voldemort's rise. The pureblood families respected strength and power. They respected ancient bloodlines and old magic. And the Prince family had both in abundance.
But to gain control of the Prince family, he would need to become the administrator of their assets. And to do that, he would need the goblins' verification of his legal claims.
Harry spent weeks building his case. He gathered evidence of the Prince family's mishandling of Eileen's inheritance. He documented the unjust nature of her banishment, using the family's own records against them. He compiled a comprehensive legal argument for why her assets should be restored to her heirs.
He also made discreet inquiries about Severus Snape. The boy had no knowledge of his mother's family, no connection to his heritage. He was being raised by a Muggle father who resented him, in a house filled with darkness and anger. It was a recipe for disaster, the kind of childhood that would drive a young wizard toward darkness.
But it was also an opportunity. If Harry could reach Snape, if he could offer him something better than what he had, perhaps he could prevent the boy from becoming Voldemort's servant.
Part Three: The Legal Battle
The legal proceedings took time. Harry hired the best magical lawyers in Britain, men and women who specialized in pureblood family law and ancient statutes. He presented his case with meticulous care, walking the Ministry's legal experts through his research, showing them the evidence of Eileen's unjust banishment.
The Prince family contested his claims, of course. They had everything to lose if Eileen's inheritance was restored. But their arguments were weak. The law was on Harry's side, and the Ministry's legal experts agreed that his case had merit.
The case dragged on for months. There were hearings, depositions, and countless arguments before the Wizarding Council's legal committee. But slowly, inexorably, the evidence mounted in Harry's favor.
Finally, after six months of legal battles, the decision came down. Eileen Prince's banishment was deemed unjust, and her assets were ordered to be restored to her heirs. Since Eileen was still alive, technically the assets would go to her. But since she had been estranged from her family and was living in poverty with her Muggle husband, Harry arranged for himself to be named as her representative and administrator of her estate.
It was a legal fiction, but it was one that served his purposes perfectly.
Part Four: The Inheritance
The Prince family holdings were substantial. There was the ancestral home at Spinner's End, which Harry immediately began restoring. The house had been in decline for years, its magic fading, its former glory evident only in the crumbling architecture and the faint echoes of ancient spells.
There were vaults at Gringotts filled with gold and magical artifacts. Ancient texts and grimoires, some of them dating back centuries. The family's magical research, generations of knowledge about potions, alchemy, and ancient magic.
But more than that, there was the connection to Severus Snape.
Harry arranged a meeting with the boy, using his newfound authority as administrator of the Prince estate. He made it seem like a simple matter of business, a formality related to Snape's mother's inheritance. But when they met in a private room at Gringotts, Harry revealed much more.
"Your mother was a Prince," Harry said simply, watching Snape's reaction carefully. The boy was fifteen years old, brilliant in Potions, and deeply unhappy. There was bitterness in him, a sense of being an outsider, a hunger for power and recognition.
Snape's face was a mask of shock and confusion. "My mother never told me."
"She was ashamed," Harry said. "Not of you, but of what her family had done to her. They disowned her, banished her, stripped her of everything. She wanted to protect you from that pain, so she kept it secret."
"What do you want?" Snape asked, his voice cold and suspicious.
"To offer you a choice," Harry said. "Your mother's family has rejected you, yes. But that doesn't mean you have to reject them. The Prince family has vast resources, ancient knowledge, and a legacy of magical excellence. These things are yours by right of blood."
Snape's eyes narrowed. "And what's the price of this generosity?"
Harry smiled slightly. The boy was suspicious, which was wise. "I'm establishing a program to identify promising young wizards and provide them with mentorship and resources. I want you to be part of that program. In exchange, you'll have access to your family's magical knowledge, funding for your education, and protection from those who would seek to exploit you."
"Who are you?" Snape demanded.
"Someone who believes that talent should be recognized and cultivated, regardless of blood status," Harry said carefully. "Someone who wants to see young wizards like you reach their full potential."
It wasn't a complete answer, but it was enough for Snape. The boy was hungry for recognition, for power, for a sense of belonging. Harry was offering him all of those things. And in exchange, Harry was gaining influence over one of the most brilliant minds in the wizarding world.
Part Five: The Mentorship
Over the following months, Harry worked to integrate Severus Snape into his growing network. He provided the boy with access to advanced potions texts, arranged for him to study with some of the best minds in the field, and offered him a sense of purpose and direction that he'd never had before.
Snape was suspicious at first, wary of Harry's motives. But as time went on, he began to trust the mysterious man who had appeared in his life and offered him everything he'd ever wanted. And more importantly, he began to see himself as part of something larger than his own miserable existence.
Harry also ensured that Snape understood the value of his heritage. The Prince family had a long tradition of potions mastery, of alchemical research, of magical innovation. By connecting Snape to that legacy, Harry was giving the boy a sense of identity and purpose that he'd never had before.
It was a calculated move, designed to prevent Snape from becoming Voldemort's servant. But it was also genuine. Harry did believe in Snape's potential, did want to see him reach his full capabilities. The two goals weren't mutually exclusive.
Part Six: The Restoration
As Harry settled into his new role as administrator of the Prince estate, he reflected on how far he'd come. In just a few months, he had secured control of two major pureblood families. The Black family was his through his claim to the lordship. The Prince family was his through his legal maneuvering and his connection to Severus Snape.
He had wealth, resources, and influence. He had the foundation of a network that could eventually grow into a counter-movement against Voldemort's rise.
But he was only just beginning.
Harry walked through the halls of Spinner's End, watching as the house began to recover from years of neglect. The magic was returning, the ancient protections reactivating, the artifacts coming back to life. It was a resurrection of sorts, a restoration of something that had been lost.
Much like what he intended to do with the entire wizarding world.
The timeline was still ticking. Voldemort would rise in less than ten years. Harry needed to accelerate his plans, needed to establish himself more firmly in wizarding society, needed to build the network that would eventually stand against the darkness.
But for the first time, he felt truly confident that he could do it. He had the tools, the knowledge, and the determination. All he needed was time.
And time, ironically, was the one thing he had in abundance.
Part Seven: The Deeper Implications
As Harry worked to restore Spinner's End, he began to understand the true scope of what he'd accomplished. By securing the Prince family's assets and influence, he'd gained access to generations of magical knowledge that most wizards didn't even know existed.
The Prince family library was extraordinary. Shelves upon shelves of books, grimoires, and scrolls, many of them dating back centuries. There were texts on potions mastery that made the standard Hogwarts curriculum look primitive. There were treatises on ancient magic that predated the modern spell system. There were grimoires bound in leather that felt almost alive to the touch, their pages filled with handwritten notes and diagrams.
Harry spent hours in that library, absorbing knowledge, learning secrets that had been kept within the Prince family for generations. He discovered that the Prince family had developed techniques for magical enhancement that went far beyond what was taught in schools. They had mastered forms of alchemy that could strengthen magical cores and extend lifespans. They had created protective rituals that could safeguard entire estates from dark magic.
This knowledge would be invaluable in the coming years. When Voldemort rose, when the Death Eaters began their reign of terror, Harry would have resources that most wizards couldn't even imagine.
But there was something else in the library, something that caught Harry's attention and held it. Deep in the lower levels, in a section that was sealed with ancient wards, Harry found a collection of texts about Horcruxes.
His blood ran cold when he realized what he was looking at. The Prince family had known about Horcruxes. They had studied them, documented them, written about the dangers they posed. And more than that, they had discovered methods for detecting them and destroying them.
This was crucial information. Harry knew from his time in the future that Voldemort had created Horcruxes, had split his soul into multiple pieces to achieve a form of immortality. But in this timeline, Voldemort hadn't created them yet. He was still just Tom Riddle, a young researcher working in the Ministry.
If Harry could learn the Prince family's methods for detecting and destroying Horcruxes, he could potentially stop Voldemort before he even had a chance to create them. Or if Riddle did create them, Harry would know exactly how to find and destroy them.
The implications were staggering.
Part Eight: The Shadow of the Future
Harry stood in the deepest part of Spinner's End, in a chamber that had once been used for dark rituals. The walls were covered in ancient runes, and the air felt heavy with magic that had accumulated over centuries.
He thought about what he'd learned, about the path he was walking. He'd come back in time to prevent Voldemort's rise. But in doing so, he was becoming something darker himself. He was manipulating people, forging documents, orchestrating the movement of vast wealth and influence. He was using people like Severus Snape, offering them opportunities while secretly guiding them toward his own ends.
Was he any better than Voldemort? The thought troubled him.
But then he remembered what he'd seen in the future. The death and destruction. The war that had consumed the wizarding world. The friends he'd lost, the people he'd failed to save. And he steeled his resolve.
He would do what was necessary. He would become whatever he needed to become. And when it was all over, when Voldemort had been defeated and the wizarding world was safe, then he could worry about the cost to his own soul.
For now, there was work to be done. The Shadow of Eileen had cast a long shadow indeed. But from that shadow, something new was beginning to grow. Something that would eventually reshape the entire wizarding world.
Harry smiled to himself. The game was truly in motion now. And he had all the pieces in place.
He just needed to learn how to play them.