It would take a lot for the Dursleys to even consider involving themselves in the magical. Specifically it would take the prospect of a lot of gold. Finding out about Harry's fame and fortune in the wizarding world would do it. After an abortive attempt to get at young Harry's fortune in Gringotts they have to settle for trying to exploit his fame. Enter Gilderoy Lockhart.
Gilderoy Lockhart wants to use Harry and his fame to boost the sales of his books. He collaborates with the Dursleys to have Harry become his sidekick and apprentice. This involves beings seen with they young boy in public and even taking him on some of his 'research trips' to justify his inclusion as a sidekick in Lockhart's books.
Of course Vernon and Gilderoy are happily defrauding each other of their fair chair of Harry's money, while Harry never sees a single pence or knut of it, but Harry doesn't mind. He actually learns a lot as Lockhart's apprentice.
Harry learns about magic at a young age. He gets to travel the world and meet interesting people. He also learns that the true heros who actually did the things that Lockhart claims credit for generally don't mind all that much. Some of the monsters that got slain had angry relatives and if Gilderoy wants to draw attention away from them they are generally okay with. True Heroes don't care about fame and the adulation of the masses. They do what they do because it is the right thing to do. By staying under the radar and letting Lockhart take the credit they manage to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from reprisal and to lull their next opponent into a false sense of security. Allowing Lockhart to think that he stole their memories is part of that. What kind of hero wouldn't have taken precautions against a simple obliviate?
Harry soon realizes that thanks to Dumbeldore declaring him the Boy-Who-Lived and Lockhart's marketing campaign the option of staying under the radar is no longer open to him, so he adopts an alternate plan. He will emulate his mentor, so that everyone who spends too much time with him will soon recognize that Harry is indeed as much a fake as a Lockhart. He will play the role of a narcissist, incompetent blowhard so that soon everyone will know that Harry is completely harmless and not worth the effort of tracking him down and defeating him in an epic duel to prove the world how good they are. Alternately those who will try to kill Harry despite the fact that everyone know that he is a fake will make their attempt under the assumption that it will be very easy.
With this plan in mind Harry goes to Hogwarts. He promptly proves Snape right who predicted that Potter would be an incompetent arrogant brat, much to the dismay of the rest of the staff. Even the students catch on to the fact that Harry is not the hero he claims to be very quickly.
During his first potions lesson Harry will take Snape's comment about being a celebrity at face value and earnestly offer autographs. Snapes attempts to test his knowledge will get deflected towards Hermione with the justification that of course he, the great Harry Potter, knows the answer but modesty compels him to give others a chance to shine.
Generally Harry will frequently try to take credit for things he did not do and put the blames on anyone else. Soon everyone gets so used to this that nobody thinks twice about it when they hear that Harry might have done something heroic. Harry for example distracts a troll and draws his attention onto himself by yelling loudly to spare him and take the bushy haired girl instead. Nobody will afterwards believe him when he honestly states that he drew the troll away on purpose to give his classmate the chance to escape. Hermione and Ron would become frinds over their mutual disgust of the boy who lived.
The only one at Hogwarts to catch on to Harry's game is Potions Professor Severus Snape, much to the man's disgust. It really irks him that he is the only one who sees Harry as the competent and quite selfless wizard he is when everyone else thinks that Harry is an arrogant idiot. He reluctantly becomes a sort of mentor to Harry and keeps his secret.
In second year Ginny would be shattered to learn that her hero is actually a fraud. At the end of the year when Ginny wakes up with a hole in her memory, the sword of Gryffindor in her hand and a dead basilisk at her feet, while Harry spins some story about a possessed diary that made her do evil things she naturally jumps to the same conclusion as everyone else. That Harry stole her memory and switched the identities around for the tale he tells everyone. It makes much more sense this way as everyone knows that Harry is a parselmouth and Ginny isn't. The idea that Harry is telling the complete truth and only stole her memories and planted the sword in her hand to make everyone believe the truth to be a lie never occurs to anyone but Snape.
Another person to see underneath the underneath is Luna Lovegood. She treats Harry like a hero and thanks him for saving her friend. She is either to dim to see through the obvious deception or smart enough to see through both layers. Harry can't tell.
In fourth year Harry makes no attempt to deny that he entered himself into the tri-wizard contest. Instead he openly brags about successfully circumventing the protections. He appears to arrogantly bask in the attention proving everyones worst impression of him. He also sucks up to various teachers, visitors and officials in an attempt to gain an advantage. Privately he reasons that whoever entered him had ulterior motives and likely would want him to win the cup. Thus whoever provides help and is the most willing to bend the rules for him will be the one to look out for.
Curiously enough he finally finds some confidants in his rival contestants who each keep up a public persona themselves. Harry initially tries to make a fool of himself while pretending to fall under Fleurs Vela aura and tries to butter up to the celebrity Victor, but soon recognizes them for kindred spirits and conspires with them. Cedric is also brought into the fold and turns out to be a better fit than anyone expected, he has hidden depths.
Of course nothing lasts forever and Harry will not be able to keep his mask up to the end. His foes might learn of his true character before his enemies. An people like Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley will not easily forgive him for not being an incompetent fake.
Gilderoy Lockhart wants to use Harry and his fame to boost the sales of his books. He collaborates with the Dursleys to have Harry become his sidekick and apprentice. This involves beings seen with they young boy in public and even taking him on some of his 'research trips' to justify his inclusion as a sidekick in Lockhart's books.
Of course Vernon and Gilderoy are happily defrauding each other of their fair chair of Harry's money, while Harry never sees a single pence or knut of it, but Harry doesn't mind. He actually learns a lot as Lockhart's apprentice.
Harry learns about magic at a young age. He gets to travel the world and meet interesting people. He also learns that the true heros who actually did the things that Lockhart claims credit for generally don't mind all that much. Some of the monsters that got slain had angry relatives and if Gilderoy wants to draw attention away from them they are generally okay with. True Heroes don't care about fame and the adulation of the masses. They do what they do because it is the right thing to do. By staying under the radar and letting Lockhart take the credit they manage to keep themselves and their loved ones safe from reprisal and to lull their next opponent into a false sense of security. Allowing Lockhart to think that he stole their memories is part of that. What kind of hero wouldn't have taken precautions against a simple obliviate?
Harry soon realizes that thanks to Dumbeldore declaring him the Boy-Who-Lived and Lockhart's marketing campaign the option of staying under the radar is no longer open to him, so he adopts an alternate plan. He will emulate his mentor, so that everyone who spends too much time with him will soon recognize that Harry is indeed as much a fake as a Lockhart. He will play the role of a narcissist, incompetent blowhard so that soon everyone will know that Harry is completely harmless and not worth the effort of tracking him down and defeating him in an epic duel to prove the world how good they are. Alternately those who will try to kill Harry despite the fact that everyone know that he is a fake will make their attempt under the assumption that it will be very easy.
With this plan in mind Harry goes to Hogwarts. He promptly proves Snape right who predicted that Potter would be an incompetent arrogant brat, much to the dismay of the rest of the staff. Even the students catch on to the fact that Harry is not the hero he claims to be very quickly.
During his first potions lesson Harry will take Snape's comment about being a celebrity at face value and earnestly offer autographs. Snapes attempts to test his knowledge will get deflected towards Hermione with the justification that of course he, the great Harry Potter, knows the answer but modesty compels him to give others a chance to shine.
Generally Harry will frequently try to take credit for things he did not do and put the blames on anyone else. Soon everyone gets so used to this that nobody thinks twice about it when they hear that Harry might have done something heroic. Harry for example distracts a troll and draws his attention onto himself by yelling loudly to spare him and take the bushy haired girl instead. Nobody will afterwards believe him when he honestly states that he drew the troll away on purpose to give his classmate the chance to escape. Hermione and Ron would become frinds over their mutual disgust of the boy who lived.
The only one at Hogwarts to catch on to Harry's game is Potions Professor Severus Snape, much to the man's disgust. It really irks him that he is the only one who sees Harry as the competent and quite selfless wizard he is when everyone else thinks that Harry is an arrogant idiot. He reluctantly becomes a sort of mentor to Harry and keeps his secret.
In second year Ginny would be shattered to learn that her hero is actually a fraud. At the end of the year when Ginny wakes up with a hole in her memory, the sword of Gryffindor in her hand and a dead basilisk at her feet, while Harry spins some story about a possessed diary that made her do evil things she naturally jumps to the same conclusion as everyone else. That Harry stole her memory and switched the identities around for the tale he tells everyone. It makes much more sense this way as everyone knows that Harry is a parselmouth and Ginny isn't. The idea that Harry is telling the complete truth and only stole her memories and planted the sword in her hand to make everyone believe the truth to be a lie never occurs to anyone but Snape.
Another person to see underneath the underneath is Luna Lovegood. She treats Harry like a hero and thanks him for saving her friend. She is either to dim to see through the obvious deception or smart enough to see through both layers. Harry can't tell.
In fourth year Harry makes no attempt to deny that he entered himself into the tri-wizard contest. Instead he openly brags about successfully circumventing the protections. He appears to arrogantly bask in the attention proving everyones worst impression of him. He also sucks up to various teachers, visitors and officials in an attempt to gain an advantage. Privately he reasons that whoever entered him had ulterior motives and likely would want him to win the cup. Thus whoever provides help and is the most willing to bend the rules for him will be the one to look out for.
Curiously enough he finally finds some confidants in his rival contestants who each keep up a public persona themselves. Harry initially tries to make a fool of himself while pretending to fall under Fleurs Vela aura and tries to butter up to the celebrity Victor, but soon recognizes them for kindred spirits and conspires with them. Cedric is also brought into the fold and turns out to be a better fit than anyone expected, he has hidden depths.
Of course nothing lasts forever and Harry will not be able to keep his mask up to the end. His foes might learn of his true character before his enemies. An people like Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley will not easily forgive him for not being an incompetent fake.
