CHAPTER 1:
It was Harry's eleventh birthday. Birthdays were supposed to be the best days in the year at least that was what he had been led to believe so far, but for him it was just another day.
He had the same days for as long as he could remember wake up, cook, clean, garden, cook, clean the house then vanish and finally cook some more and finally sleep. It had not changed, not a single day since he had been three. So why should this birthday be any different.
Such were the thoughts in his mind when the door bell rung for the first time that day. He sighed, he still had a lot of gardening left to do and if Aunt Petunia had guests that he would have to cater for then he probably would not be able to finish his work.
"BOY, answer the door." A shrill voice screeched from inside.
Harry looked towards the door blandly, "Yes Aunt Petunia." He replied softly. What were the chances of that being a guest. A hundred percent apparently, although this guests seemed a little different to her usual visitors and far less cheerful.
"May I help you Sir?" he asked politely.
The man stared at him, he was clearly six feet or more dressed completely in black. His clothing style was nothing like what Harry had seen before. He was a dour man with sallow skin and seemed like he had little to smile about in the world. Even through all that there seemed a slight kindness in his eyes.
"Yes, I am looking for Petunia Dursley." The man asked.
Harry nodded, "Please come in, Aunt Petunia will be with you in a minute." He said standing aside so that the man could come in. He swept in his robes flaring as he walked, it was perhaps the coolest thing Harry had seen.
He led him into the sitting room, "Please wait here Sir." He requested, "Would you like a cup of tea or coffee maybe?" he asked. Aunt Petunia had told him to always ask and if he forgot he was in for a lot of pain.
The man nodded, "Yes tea will be fine thank you."
Harry nodded and walked back towards the kitchen. On his way he saw Aunt Petunia coming down the stairs, she must have been with Dudley, "Aunt Petunia there is a man here to see you." He informed her softly looking at the ground.
His aunt murmured under her breath but then sighed, "Very well, bring what he asked for and be quick about it." She ordered and bustled off removing her apron as she went.
Harry nodded and went back to the kitchen to prepare tea. He set the kettle to boil and went about collecting the various things he would need. He did not think the man would appreciate the floral tea ware that his aunt normally used and so for this time he pulled out a plain black set. It was stylish and expensive, it was also his favourite.
Just as he was setting the cup and bringing it towards the living room he heard his Aunt screech, "He will not be going!"
He continued walking slowly though since he balancing a full tea tray, "Petunia he has to go and I do not believe I gave you any choice on the matter." The man said icily. Harry wished he could speak to Aunt Petunia like that but he had never been able to.
He walked into the room, nobody noticed him at first but when he went closer to the table to set the tea tray down they did, "How would you like your tea Sir ?" he asked, just as politely as he had earlier.
The man did not even look at him, "Black please." He said all the while glaring at Aunt Petunia. Harry nodded and poured out the cup. He gave it to the man who took it with a quick nod and moved to make Aunt Petunia's cup. He gave her hers as well and moved off.
"Well Petunia, where is he?" the man asked again. Harry wished he would introduce himself.
Petunia blanched, "Who Snape?" so the man's name was Snape. Strange name but who was he to judge.
Mr Snape rolled his eyes, "Don't play dumb Petunia, Harry where is Harry Potter?" he asked there was not a single trace of kindness in his eyes now. Harry reared back, the man was here for him. He made a move to introduce himself but...
"MOM!" just then Dudley ran in holding a broken toy in his hand, Harry flinched back, he hated Dudley.
"There is Harry." His Aunt quickly said. Harry's face screwed up in confusion, what was his Aunt doing?
Dudley did not seem to know what the game was either because he scrunched his face up looking more comical as he did so, "Mom what are you saying, I am not the freak he is." He screamed pointing at Harry.
The change in the man was immediate, "What was that?" he asked dangerously calm. His entire body had stiffened, he had also pulled out a stick from his robes.
Aunt Petunia seemed at a loss for words, she just looked back and forth from Dudley to Harry with her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "I.. I" the man did not give her a chance to recover.
"Petunia I believe I asked you a question." He growled. Aunt Petunia's face hardened.
"Fine, take the freak, but don't bring him back. I would not have taken him in in the first place had the old man not threatened me and then promised me his money. Take the freak for al I care." She spat and moved over to where Harry was standing.
he trembled a little and looked at her with big doe eyes, somehow that just made her angrier, "Bah, perfect Lily and her perfect self. Take her brat and don't bring him back." She growled and pushed Harry towards Snape.
Harry who was still limping from a beating that Vernon had given him the previous day fell at Snape's feet and was unable to hide the whimper that escape when he landed on his bad knee. He had managed to hide the limp so far but he could not now. He gasped when to firm hands pulled him up and held him tight.
"You will pay for this Petunia, how dare you treat Lily's boy this way." The man growled. Harry did not know what to do, he opted for what he knew best, stayed silent.
"What do you mean how dare I. My perfect sister and her perfect life, I did not want her brat infecting my baby. I told you already Snape the only reason I took him in Is because the old man promised me money." She said as she pulled Dudley towards herself.
The man behind him was breathing very heavily now, as if he was trying to control himself, "Very well Petunia Dursley, very well. I will leave now and I will be taking Harry with me, but this is not the last you have heard from me make no mistake." He said finally and with Harry still grasped firmly in his hand left.
The man marched out of the door his grip firm but gentle on Harry's arm. His strides were long and Harry had a hard time keeping up. The marched quickly over to Magnolia Crescent and came to a stop right next to the park. There was no one there during that time as far as Harry could see.
"Hold on tight Mr Potter, we don't want to get lost." The man said suddenly and Harry nodded. He held on tight to the mans long robes sleeve and pressed himself close to the man.
"Ready?" the man asked and he nodded. The he felt the most uncomfortable feeling he had had to date. It was not painful exactly, it felt like he was being pushed through a straw and all the air had been pushed out of him.
It finished almost as soon as it had begun though and for that Harry was grateful. He did almost fall over though when they landed and his stomach felt like it wanted to jump out of his throat. He keeled over and waited for the sensation to pass.
"Are you alright Mr Potter." Mr Snape asked.
Harry stood up slowly and nodded, he was feeling slightly better. He looked at the man again and saw that he had lost the frown on his face and was now looking at him with concern. No adult had ever looked at him that way before.
"Very well. Now I believe you have not had breakfast yet?" the man asked. Harry shook his head, he had not eaten in almost two days now. The man nodded, "Very well, we will have brunch at the nearby pub and then we will get down to our work."
Harry nodded again. The man sighed, "Verbal response Mr Potter." He commanded.
"Yes Mr." Harry said. His voice came out hoarse and sounded alien to his own ear. He did not use his voice often, only when he had to answer Aunt Petunia.
The man nodded, "Follow me please and stay close." He then began walking in the direction opposite to them and once again Harry struggled to keep up with his long strides, his hurt knee was not helping matters.
They finally stopped at a pub called the Leaky Cauldron and Mr Snape escorted him inside. They found an empty table near the back and sat down.
"Now Mr Potter please wait here while I ask for food to be brought to the table." Mr Snape said as he left Harry at the table.
While he was gone Harry had a look around, the place was dingy and dark, it was nothing like any of the places he had seen in Surrey. The people were dressed funny and he could not see a single person who was of his age. Everyone seemed really old. It held a charm though, a rather familiar one at that. Just then Mr Snape came back and Harry turned his full attention to him.
"Now Mr Potter" he began folding his hands across the table, "I would like you to tell me what your Aunt has told you about your parents." He ordered. This man never seemed to request, or at least he seemed like he rarely did.
Harry looked at the table and took a deep breath before he began, "Well Mr Snape, Aunt has not told me anything about them. She has said that they were good for nothing drunks who died in a car crash and left me with them." The man opposite him seemed like someone who did not appreciate lies so Harry told him exactly what Aunt Petunia told him.
With each word that Harry said the man's nostrils grew wide, it would have been a funny sight had it not been accompanied by the man's glare. "A car crash killed Lily and James Potter. A car crash... a car crash would not have so much as scratched them." He said stonily.
Harry reared back, that was not what he had been told. He was out of his depth, this man had come this morning, removed him from his house and was now saying that there was no way his parents had been killed in a car crash. Wait did this man know his parents, suddenly excitement flooded Harry.
"Sir, did you know my parents?" he asked, he could not help it, the only person who could have told him about his parents before had been Aunt Petunia but she would not and had slapped him when he brought them up. He had given up after a point.
"Yes Mr Potter I did. I went to school with them, your mother was my best friend." The man said. "that brings us to why I came to collect you today from your relatives house. Did yo ever notice strange things happening to you Mr Potter, things you could not explain by normal means?" he asked peering at him. The man did not let anything show on his face but it was clear he was watching Harry for some sort of reaction.
Harry nodded, he had, like the time he set a python on his cousin Dudley or the time he had suddenly appeared on the roof of a building when he had been running from his cousin.
"What kind of things, can you elaborate."
And thus began the conversation of Harry being a wizard. The man sat and patiently explained how he was not a normal boy or a freak as his relatives had put it, he was a wizard. The man had been angry when Harry had spoken about being called a freak and had been quick to reassure him that he was no such thing.
They spoke about how an evil man, the Dark Lord, had come one night and killed his parents. Mr Snape did not elaborate much on that point saying that the information was sensitive and a bit difficult for an eleven year old to grasp in one setting.
Once they had covered all the base points the man sat back and gave time for Harry to process the information. He had given him quite a bit there was no point in telling him anymore if it would juts serve to confuse him.
"Well Mr Potter, do you have any questions or shall we continue?" the man asked once a few minutes had passed.
Harry shook his head, he was happy to know the truth about how his parents had died and he was even happier to know that he was not a freak like his relatives had told him. This was turning out to be one of the best birthdays so far.
"What will happen now Sir?" he asked once he was done processing.
"Well Mr Potter, that is the reason I came to bring you today. Do you remember that I told I went to school with your parents?" harry nodded, that was what had excited him in the first place.
"you will be going to that school as well. All magical children attend the school when they turn eleven years of age. For that we will need to visit your vaults at Gringotts, the wizarding bank, and then we will need to shop for all of the items you will need for your school year. We may also have to see about getting a healer for you, but that can wait." He explained.
After that the both of them finished their lunch in silence, Harry had just had a whole lot of information dumped on him and there was no need to overwhelm him with more. Once they were done, they left and started moving towards Gringotts.
"By the way Mr Potter, I am Severus Snape and I will be teaching you Potions when you come to Hogwarts." The man added almost sheepishly. This took Harry by surprise, he did not think that the word sheepish would be in this man's dictionary.
In any case, he nodded his head politely, "I am pleased to meet you Sir."
The Professor nodded and the rest of the walk to the bank was silent. Harry took the chance to observe the actual alley, there was so much life and laughter around them. For someone who had come from the muggle world it was very much the most magical thing he had seen.
Once they had entered the bank, the Professor explained that the bank was run by goblins and that the place was the most secure place in the magical world. No one had managed to steal anything since the bank's founding.
They walked up to the nearest teller and waited until they got his attention.
"What can I do for you today?" the goblin asked once he was done with his work.
Professor Snape pulled a key out of his robes and handed it to the goblin, "Mr Potter would like to visit his vault and meet his account manager." He said clearly.
The goblin looked shocked for a second but recovered quickly and barked something out in a different language.
Another goblin appeared from seemingly nowhere and hurried over to the. The two goblins had a quick conversation after which they turned back to him.
"Griphook will escort you to your manager Mr Potter. Your companion can either accompany you or wait here." The goblin said.
"Will you accompany me please Professor?" Harry asked. He did not want to go into a new place alone. He did not think he was in danger but it would be better to have the man around anyway.
Professor Snape agreed with a small incline of his head. Harry then turned to Griphook and gestured for him to lead the way. The goblin nodded and proceeded to swiftly lead them into one of the room at the end of the bank. The further and further back they got the more grand it seemed. After walking for almost fifteen minutes they arrived at a solid gold door with a giant knocker protruding at the height of the goblins.
Griphook took it and knocked three times, the noise echoed each time. Harry was in awe, he had never seen something so grand.
They were called to enter at the third bang and the door slammed open. Harry took a hesitant step inside and took a look around. The room was just as grand as the door. All the furniture was made from deep mahogany and the upholstery seemed to be from silk.
Harry followed by Professor Snape walked up to the large desk set in the centre of the room and took a seat. The goblin who was at there seemed to be wearing grander clothes than both Griphook and the goblin they had met earlier.
"Greetings Heir, I am Bloodfang and I am the Potter Family accounts manager. What can I do for you today?" the goblin asked formally.
Harry floundered for a little bit before he found himself, "Greetings Master Goblin, I am Harry Potter. As I have been raised in the muggle world I do not have much information about my accounts and so I would like for information about them." He asked.
The goblin stared at him for a few seconds, "Raised in the muggle world you say? Well Mr Potter in that case I would like for you to answer a few questions of mine and we can proceed from there. I would also like for you to confirm your identity."
"How do I do that?" harry asked. It was fair that he was asked to confirm his identity.
"Simple, place a few drops of your blood on this parchment." Was his reply as Bloodfang placed a rather thick paper in front of him and handed him a knife.
Harry cut his palm carefully and allowed seven drops of blood to fall before Bloodfang stopped him. Professor Snape healed his palm immediately and they watched as writing spread out on the parchment.
Name: Harry James Potter-Black
Mother: Lily Rose Potter
Father: James Charlus Potter
Godfather: Sirius Black(trial pending)
Magical Guardian(self appointed): Albus P.W.B Dumbledore
"That will do for now, we still have quite a few things to do but for now that is enough." Bloodfang announced as he rolled up the parchment. Harry had so many questions, who was Sirius Black and where was he. Why did it say trial pending and a whole slew of others. Something told him though that now was not the time.
"Now Mr Potter, I have a few questions for you to answer."
Harry nodded, "Ask away." Bloodfang pulled out a parchment and poised himself to take notes.
"Do you know who your magical guardian is?"
"No." The answer seemed to anger the goblin as he growled and scribbled quickly onto his parchment.
"Are you aware of the transactions that have been done from you vault?"
"No." Harry answered again, what transactions, as far as he knew he had no money.
This questioning session went on for a while and with each answer Harry gave the goblin got more and more agitated. Even Professor Snape was agitated as the time went by. It seemed Harry was woefully ignorant of things he should have known and that if he did not get on with it soon he would be in trouble.
When they were finally done almost an hour later Harry was exhausted and he was not the only one. The goblin sat up and shuffled his notes, he had a rather large pile. Once he was done he set it down and hung a bell on the side of the table.
A tray of tea appeared on the side and they were motioned to help themselves. Harry waited for both Professor Snape and the Goblin to finish before he made his cup. He took a biscuit as well and leaned back.
"Mr Potter, " the goblin began after a few minutes, "You are ignorant of a lot of things you should know and if you are to continue in the wizarding world then you will have to educate yourself and quickly."
Harry nodded, he had caught onto that.
"The first thing the you will need to know is that your magical guardian Mr Albus Dumbledore has not done right by you and I suggest you remove him from your post. Until you choose a replacement you will be a warden the bank and the Goblin nation" The goblin continued. They were not going to risk their most high profile client.
Harry looked confused, "ward of the bank?"
"Yes Mr Potter, you will need a guardian and your muggle ones will just not do. I will need you to do a lot of reading over next few days for a lot of what I am about to say to make sense. I will give you a list of books to read and you will purchase them and read them." Bloodfand explained.
Harry nodded, he could do that. "By when must I finish them?" he asked.
"By next week at the maximum, If you can finish before that I will be most pleased but next week really is the maximum you can go." The goblin shuffled his papers again and pulled one out.
"Now coming to the matter of your muggle relatives, I cannot allow you to return to the I am afraid. You will remain with the bank till the beginning of your school year and during the course of the year, we will find suitable accommodations for you."
"So I will not be returning to the Dursleys again?" Harry asked just to clarify. He did not want to get his hopes up unnecessarily.
Bloodfang nodded, "Yes Mr Potter that is correct. You will be allowed to visit them of course at you leisure but you will no longer be living with them."
Harry beamed at the goblin, that was the best news he had ever heard. He was so happy.
"Now continuing on with our agenda for the day. I recommend that you take the list that I give you and purchase all the books in the list. Then you will return straight here and I will tell you what to do from now on." The goblin continued.
"Now Mr Snape, I understand that you were sent by Mr Dumbledore to retrieve Mr Potter yes?" Bloodfang clarified tuning to Snape.
The Professor nodded, "that is correct, I assume you do not wish for me to tell him of the developments for some time yet?" he asked looking at the goblin.
"Yes Mr Snape. If you freely comply then we will be finished with our business for the day. Else we will have to keep you here to convince you." Something about the way he said it made Harry shiver.
Severus straightened up and nodded, "I will not say anything. I will even go a step further and modify the muggles memories to something suitable for the situation should anyone ever go knocking."
Bloodfang smirked a toothy grin, "Yes Mr Snape that would be most appreciated and do remember that we will know if you go back on your word."
Once that was sorted out, another parchment was pulled out and a long list of books was compiled for Harry to read over the course of the next week. Harry began to feel tired just looking at the long list of books. But he would do it, if not for himself for the Goblin that had taken the time to help him out so much.
Besides this world was fascinating, he was getting a series of recommendations without having to ask for it. He was more than happy with this outcome.
"Mr Potter that is the list of books you will have to purchase from Flourish and Blotts. There will be a goblin waiting outside for you with a bag of gold sufficient or you to buy all the books and a few more if you find anything interesting. Some of them may not be available there and if that is the case then mark them and I will have them brought for you from a different place." Bloodfang spoke as he handed Harry the long list.
Harry took the list with apprehension. What if he was unable to finish the list, what would he do then. No he would not think like that, "Thank you Master Goblin for you guidance." He said sincerely.
"It is my duty Mr Potter, I cannot have one of our most high profile clients so woefully ignorant." Bloodfang replied. "Now it will take you a while to find all the books on the list so I suggest you get moving."
"Mr Snape will you be willing to take him or shall I find a Goblin escort?" was the last question just as they got up to leave.
"I will, it will be strange to see a eleven year old boy with a goblin escort."
The goblin nodded and the door shut behind them. Just as Bloodfang had said there was a goblin waiting for them with a bag of gold. Harry took it from him and nodded his head in thanks. He let Professor Snape cast an anti theft and feather light charm on it before attaching it to his belt.
Then they set off for the book shop. Their instructions had been clear and so they had little confusion. They walked quickly along the alley and arrived at the bookshop in record time. As it was still early there were only the regular customers and not the Hogwarts crowd.
"Well Mr Potter, let us divide the list by half that way we will be done sooner." Snape suggested as they stepped inside. Harry nodded, that was a good idea. He pulled out the list and handed it to the professor who cast a neat severing charm near the middle of the page. He handed one half back to Harry and made of with the other.
Harry took a deep breath and looked at his list, first were a series of books related to history of the magical world and then there were a series of books on etiquette and other titles that he could not understand. He decided he would figure it out as he went.
the first book was titled, A History of the Magical World by Dominic Aristo. Harry prowled through the history sections and when he finally found the book he froze from shock. The book was huge. It was the size of his head easily. Gulping he pulled the book off the shelf and added it to the basket he had picked up on the way.
The next was Hogwarts: A History and The Founders and their Legends. Those books were rather big as well but they were not as big as the first one. He then continued prowling along getting many titles; The Pureblood Directory, A Pureblood Lord: Directory, Courting and Betrothals: A Comprehensive Guide, Bonding Rituals and Vows, Family Magics: A Summary and others. These books were each huge and he doubted he would be able to finish one in a week let alone all of them and then some.
These were only the etiquette books, he still had some law books such as Magical Law: A Guide, Extraordinary Trials in History, Laws of Conduct When Dealing with Muggles and many more. They all seemed to be the beginners basic books but they themselves were so long and seemed to be packed with information.
Then he had banking and economics books, not that he was surprised considering the questions that Bloodfang had asked him that morning, Banking for Beginners, Investments for Beginners, Monetary Policies and how they affect you, were a few titles. He also had quite a few dictionaries and thesauruses for various topics.
He then had a healing book called, Common Magical Ailments and Afflictions. He then had a few other titles but this seemed the most comprehensive one. One the one hand he was happy that someone had taken the time to think about his education and make sure he was ready for the magical world but on the other he was overwhelmed and exhausted.
He also had books on creatures, it seemed that most of the titles he saw classified them as mindless beasts but this one did not. Instead it defined each as a magical race with its own language and customs. He was very excited to read it.
That was the last of it, he sighed with relief. He had no clue how he was going to read all these books but he was certainly going to give it his best shot. He moved over to the till where he could see Professor Snape waiting for him and handed him the books and his sack of gold.
"Mr Potter, I added a few more books I felt were necessary before you begin your education at Hogwarts. Please read them carefully." His Professor instructed as he paid for the books. It came up to almost 200 galleons which was a huge amount almost a thousand pounds. He also did not realise that this was pocket change for him.
Once they were done with their shopping a tired Harry and an equally tired Professor carried the shrunken books back to the bank. The professor dropped him off near the gates and promised to come pick him up on the first.
Author's Note:
I am well aware that this story trope has been done over and over again. However, there is a quote that I read a while ago that will hopefully justify this: "Yes every story has been told, but they have not been told by you."
Thanks and I hope you like it.