What if the sacrifice of Harry's mother was not intended to protect, but to empower? What if it awoke long forgotten powers, and caused an absorbation of different minds in the baby boy of Harry? Keep in mind that this story strays a lot from canon.

Can a three year old survive by himself in a forest for years? Of course not. But what can happen when the kid's an wizard, and a powerful one at that? You just might get a spirit of the woods...