Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling. I intend to gain nothing from this work, well, maybe some amusement.
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Harry Potter was, lying on his small rickety bed, in the smallest room of Number Four Privet Drive contemplating his life. He had just completed his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and as usual it had ended in pain and misery. His godfather had died in an incident that had been spurred on by false visions sent to Harry by the Dark Lord, Voldemort.
To be honest, Harry was not affected as much as people expected him to be affected by his godfather's death. True, he loved the man like a parent, but he had spent so little time with him for that love to settle deeply in his heart and for them to truly bond. Some would call it cruel and self-serving but one of the reasons that Harry really wanted to bond with Sirius was because Sirius represented a symbol of freedom for Harry. The emerald eyed wizard knew that if his godfather was declared innocent, he would be free of the blasted Dursley's and even Dumbledore could not stop that.
That brought up something else in Harry's already muddled brain. Dumbledore, that old, interfering coot. At the end of the year the Headmaster had told Harry of a prophecy that explained how the fates of Harry and Voldemort were connected. Apparently only Harry could kill Voldemort. That also meant that only Voldemort could kill Harry. That particular point made Harry Potter sit up surprised. The prophecy basically stated that both Harry and Voldemort were immortal as long as they stirred clear from each other. It did not mean that they had to kill each other did it? This brought up a very scary smile on Harry's visage.
Somehow, the Slytherin traits that the sorting hat noticed in Harry during his sorting woke up from the deep slumber that they were in. Harry had plans to make now, plans that would ensure him his survival for sometime and also give him an opportunity to live his life like his parents and Sirius would have wanted him to.
Another thought entered his mind. His friends. They were the only obstacle that stood between him and his freedom, but then again if they were truly his friends they would understand his need for a break and they would give it to him. If they did not, then they were never his true friends.
Slowly Harry stood up and looked around his room. He had not unpacked yet so it was relatively tidy. He walked over slowly to his trunk and retrieved a few important things from it; his invisibility cloak, the marauder's map, the photo album and a few other knick-knacks that held some sentimental value to him.
He then walked over to his window and looked for any signs of order members. Harry knew that the old coot would post a few of his cronies to guard the house. Just directly under the window he knew, Mundungus Fletcher was there. The strong smell of stale tobacco was testament to that. On the far side of the street sat an old woman reading a newspaper. He knew it was Tonks; after all, how many 70 year olds had pink hair? He was about to walk back to his bed when he heard the sound of wood hitting the ground. Looking at the source of the sound, he saw a man with a bowler hat pacing as he looked around suspiciously. With a snort Harry just said, 'Honestly, do these people know anything about stealth?'
He went back to his bed and started thinking. Leaving the house was now almost impossible. He could not escape three wizards, especially when one of them could see through invisibility cloaks. So he sat back and started thinking hard of how he could leave inconspicuously.
Harry had been thinking for almost half an hour when the answer hit him like a trailer. Sitting up he exclaimed, 'Dobby!' and with a pop the hyper elf was there.
'Yous been calling for me Master Harry Potter', the elf said as it bowed so low its nose touched the dusty floor. Harry was surprised by the calmness of the elf but decided not to comment on it.
'How have you been doing Dobby?' he asked politely.
'Dobby is fine Master Harry Potter, what about you sir? I am so sorry about the loss of your dogfather', the elf answered rather solemnly.
Once again Harry was surprised. Dobby was not only calm but his speech pattern and grammar had improved a great deal. He decided to take a good look at the elf and observe the elf before him. Harry was surprised to see that he had not been wearing the mountain of knitting's that Hermione had left around in the Gryffindor common room but he was well dressed. On his head was a baseball cap, and he wore a miniature T-shirt that had the letters ' WWW' ,a black jeans and miniature sneakers.
'Dobby, thanks for inquiring about my Godfather. I am doing fine at the moment. May I ask what brought about this great change in you?' Harry asked.
'I had the chance of meeting the great masters Weasley and Weasley and on finding out that I was a free elf they offered me a job at their new joke shop which they expect to open in a few weeks. They offered me 20 galleons a week, but even if I am free I could not accept such generosity, thus we came to a deal. They offered to teach me proper speech lessons, human etiquette and accepted dressing norms and a lot less galleons.' The elf answered in a conversational tone.
Harry was more than impressed at the change in his friend. He knew that he would be thanking the Weasley twins. What they had done was perhaps the greatest step a wizard had taken in closing the gap between wizards and magical creatures.
Coming back from his daze Harry congratulated the elf and told him of how proud he was of him. Dobby immediately stood taller and his chest puffed out a bit in pride. As much as the twins tried, they could not change one thing: Dobby loved and admired Harry Potter and such words would always mean a lot to him, especially when they were from his most favorite wizard.
'What may I do for you Master Harry?' Dobby asked hoping to serve Harry in the best way.
'I would like to ask you a few favors Dobby. First, can you perform magic without the ministry thinking it was me?' The wizard asked.
'Yes I can Master Harry; house elf magic is different from wizard magic. I can make it look like anyone's magical signature should I chose so.' The elf explained.
'I see. Firstly I would like you to cast a glamour charm on me to make me look different and a bit older.' Harry said.
The elf just concentrated for a bit and snapped his fingers twice. After the first snap, a huge mirror appeared and after the second Harry felt and saw himself change. He grew a bit taller and was more filled out. His pale skin had now acquired a generous tan, his emerald eyes were now hazel and his messy black hair was now silkier and shoulder length. The trademark round glasses were no longer on his face yet he could see clearly. This surprised him the most.
He looked at the now smiling house elf with a questioning look on his face. The elf just shrugged his shoulders and explained,
'House elves, apart from being experts at household magic are specialists at medical magic. We have this affinity passed on from our cousins the High elves who hide themselves from muggles and wizards.'
'How come wizards do not employ you as healers then? Wait! Do they even know about this?' an astonished Harry asked
'Master Harry, wizards in general are arrogant, they refuse to believe that any magical creature can be better than them at certain magic. When we came to this realm we found out about this and thus only offered our services as household keepers because we were afraid they would persecute us, find our secrets then exterminate us like bugs.' Dobby explained with a sad face.
Harry was now swearing in his mind like a sailor. Wizards were truly inept fools. But then again, he had only seen British wizards so he reserved his judgments for the moment.
Turning back to the elf he expressed his thanks and asked how he could get rid of the glamour when he was done. Dobby told him to concentrate on his true form and the glamour would fall. The wizard then asked the elf if he knew of a way for him to travel around without alerting the order.
'Dobby can make you a transportation medallion just like the one house elves use.' The elf said
'Huh? But I thought that you used something like apparition.' The perplexed wizard exclaimed.
The elf just laughed for a while then raised his hand and passed his other hand on top of it while murmuring something. An intricate marking appeared on his right palm. It was like a tattoo yet again it was not. He asked the elf about it.
'When an elf reaches the age of ten, his parent make a medallion out of their magic then inscribe very ancient runes on it, they then place it on a part of the elf's body and seal it there. The medallion melts into the body and cam never be removed. After that, all the elf-ling has to do is concentrate on where he wants to go and he will appear there. Usually there is a small pop but with practice it can be masked.' Dobby explained to the amazed wizard. He then went on by saying that before Harry only one wizard had been offered a transportation medallion and that was the great Merlin.
Harry could not believe what he was hearing. In a less than an hour he had learned more about houselves than he and any other wizard apart from Merlin knew. He looked at the elf before him, and with tears in his eyes just knelt down and hugged him.
'Thank you Dobby, I am honored that you think me worthy of such a gift. Know that I am indebted to you and that should you ever need anything my doors will be open for you.' The wizard said with his voice full of emotion.
After a few minutes of recollecting their selves, Dobby held Harry's left hand, placed his right hand on his heart and closed his eyes as he murmured in an old and ancient language that was so full of magic it was almost suffocating. After almost ten minutes of chanting, Dobby stopped and collapsed panting heavily. Harry immediately carried him to his bed and waited for him to catch his breath.
The elf went on by showing Harry the symbol that had appeared over the boy's heart before he magicked it to become invisible. After a few more instructions Harry started practicing his new form of transportation and he quickly got the hang of it. He found out that it was his favorite mode of transport now.
He thanked the Elf once again and told him that this new development solved all the other issues that Harry needed solved. The elf then told Harry that he would always be available for him. Dobby was about to leave when he suddenly looked at Harry and told him that he should visit Gringotts. Harry told him that he planned to go there but somehow the elf understood that Harry did not get what he meant.
'Master Harry, you should go to Gringotts and ask for a statement of your accounts, a copy of you parents will, status of your godfathers estate and also have a heritage test done. It is very crucial you do so since it will tell you of your heritage and also make your future plans much easier.' The elf explained in a very serious tone.
Harry was once again stunned by the intuition of the elf. He was surprised that he had never thought about his parents will. He of course knew that the Potters were an old pureblood family and it was not plausible that his vault was all that remained of that legacy. He also knew that Sirius had named him his heir when he had visited Gringotts to retrieve some money to buy him his firebolt. He had been told this by Sirius during the Christmas break. How come he had not received any summons to Gringotts or the Ministry regarding Sirius' will. Even with his meager knowledge of how the wizarding world worked he knew that once a wizard dies the Ministry is informed and so is Gringotts. He turned to Dobby with a troubled countenance and thanked him once again, he also asked him to vanish his school trunk and all the magical stuff in the room except his pile of selected stuff. Dobby dutifully did so and after a final farewell disappeared without making a sound. Harry then quickly gathered his stuff and after taking a deep breathe concentrated on the entrance hall of Gringotts.
His appearance caused a commotion; after all he had just passed through Gringotts wards without any harm befalling him. He nonchalantly looked at the dozen or so spears pointed at him and with a careless shrug said, 'Could I meet with your Bank manager, I am in a hurry so please make it nippy.' The Goblins were shocked at how easily their spears and angry faces were carelessly shrugged off so they just nodded dumbly and led him to the bank managers' office.
Harry just chuckled at the look on the Head Goblin's face as the security goblins explained to him what happened in extremely fast gobbledygook. He then turned to Harry, narrowed his eyes at him, then after a second or two his eyes widened and with a very amused smile he placated his guards and dismissed them.
'Quite an entrance you made there Mr. Potter' He said as he took his seat.
Harry did not even bother to ask how he could see through his glamour. His discoveries about the powers of house elves had made him believe that with magic, very little is impossible.
'I want a full account summary of all my holdings in this establishment, a copy of my parents will, my godfathers will and I would like to perform a blood test', Harry said in a no nonsense tone.
The goblin just looked at him and with a look of pride just nodded his head and walked out of his office without saying a word and he was back in a few minutes. In his hands was a very funny looking contraption and floating behind him were two thick files.
'I will need a few drops of your blood, a few hairs and some magical essence from you for the inheritance test and also to prove that you are Harry Potter, the magical essence is to reveal any magical inheritances that you may be entitled to.' The Head Goblin explained
Harry took the offered blade, nicked his index finger and let the blood drop on the bowl that was part of the weird looking contraption. He then cut a few pieces of his hair and placed it on the contraption. He looked at the goblin for instructions on how to retrieve magical essence.
The goblin explained after a sad sigh and a few mutterings about how the wizards of old would be angry with the current state of things.
'Place your wand in the hole that is present on this device and then concentrate on your magic and urge it to travel through your wand.'
After a few tries Harry had finally done it they waited for the contraption to do its work.
'Let me tell you about the Potter and Black Estates as we wait for your other inheritances if any to be revealed. First, with the Potter estate you have three vaults, one of which you already have access to. The other two are also available to you and you should have been informed about them as soon as you started Hogwarts. Only you can access them since you are the last living Potter. This papers show exactly what is in them. With the Potter inheritance you also become Earl of Gloucester. Yes you are Royalty. Here is the Potter ring. Once you put it on, you become emancipated and any enchantments on you become null and void.'
Harry was clearly overwhelmed and furious, but he decided to hold it in for the time being.
'Please proceed with the Black Estate.' He said calmly.
'Well, as you already know, the last Lord of the Black Family Sirius Black made you his Heir two years ago. Thus you are entitled to everything except a few million galleons that were willed to other people. With this inheritance comes another title, but not as grand as the Earldom. You gain a seat at the Wizengamot and also a permanent seat as a Hogwarts Governor. With these two inheritances you become quite wealthy. With an almost endless supply of galleons and properties in almost every country you can think of you have the type of freedom people only dream of. The Blacks and Potters were quite influential and had hands in many places.'
Just as the goblin finished his speech the contraption made a ping sound and a parchment appeared out of no where. The goblin snatched it and looked at it. The widening of his eyes made Harry a bit wary. After a long silence Harry had had enough and just snapped at the goblin.
'Would you get on with it? I'm in a bit of a hurry.'
'So sorry Mr. Potter, it's just that I did not expect the parchment to be blank. With a reputation like yours I expected a few inheritances.'
Harry just let out a sigh of relief very happy with the fact that he wouldn't have more responsibility than he already had.
He then looked at the Goblin and stared at him as he debated whether or not he should ask him for the favor he wanted to. The goblin unsettled by the intensity of the young wizards gaze asked him to just say what was on his mind.
'I plan on having a meeting with Lord Voldemort soon and I wanted to use one of your warded boardrooms, as you can already guess, privacy is a matter of importance. I of course will reward Gringotts generously for those services.'
'I see. You do realize that it is a very risky thing for Gringotts to play host to two rival wizards that are considered the most powerful in a few centuries??'
'As I said, I plan to make it worth your while.'
'I'm listening Mr. Potter'
'Well, I glanced through this paper and found out that the Goblins do not entirely own this bank. You just happen to have controlling stock. Since I am sure the Blacks would never consider selling you the 49% of stock that they currently own, I would be willing to sell you the whole 49%'
'An interesting offer Mr. Potter, but buying the stock from you would not be a fair reward since we still have to pay you, and as you might not know, one share of Gringotts is worth 900 galleons, and your 49% of stock is equal to two and a half million shares.'
'I see, I had thought that the Goblins would want to be in total control of their bank but it seems that I was wrong. Well thank you for your co-operation but since you are not satisfied with my offer I will look for an alternate meeting place. Good day sir.'
Harry had made it to the door when an obviously flustered Head Goblin shouted for him to wait.
'I accept your terms Mr. Potter. Let me draw up a contract for you to sign' the goblin said with a devious glint in his eyes.
'Oh don't worry Master Goblin, I will have my lawyers contact you with the relevant documents and then you can straighten up any issues before I sign the final documents.'
The Goblin had a crestfallen look about him as he nodded and watched the not so gullible young wizard walk away.
Harry walked out of Gringotts after retrieving some galleons, and went straight to Madam Malkin's and acquired some robes to wear that would make him look like the royalty he was. He then went to the leaky cauldron to have a nice meal.
After a satisfying meal the young wizard sat sipping on a cup of tea as he contemplated what he was about to do. His red headed friend would have said,
'Bloody Hell mate!!Have you finally lost it?'
His bushy haired friend would have looked at him scandalized and asked
'Harry do you know what you are about to do is a suicide attempt? Have you even discussed this with Dumbledore? I know he wouldn't approve'
Somehow he believed Sirius would have gone all protective on him, but if he explained it in terms of a prank Sirius would have tears of mirth in his eyes and he would have even encouraged him to do it.
Sighing, Harry just paid for his meal and walked back into Diagon Alley. He then just concentrated on where he wanted to be and with a pop vanished.
The boy who lived knew that he had arrived at the correct place on seeing how dark and scary the place looked like. Turning around he saw that he was standing behind a huge throne like chair that could only have been conjured by someone that was a master at the use of magic. Taking a deep breathe he walked to the side of the throne and with a soft voice said, 'Good afternoon Voldemort'
A very wicked looking orange spell hit the shield that he had already raised.
'Potter? What are you doing here? How on earth did you get in here?' a very incredulous and surprised dark lord exclaimed.
'Relax Voldemort, how I came here is not of your concern, but why I am here should interest you. Now be a good host and offer me a chair and perhaps a beverage.' Harry answered cheekily. Somehow, seeing a flustered looking Voldemort had helped Harry forget about his nerves.
Still shocked, Voldemort just waved his hand and immediately a grand looking armchair appeared. With another flick, a tray with some drinks and a few snacks was on the coffee table.
'Let it not be said that Lord Voldemort does not treat his guests well. Especially those that come to him calmly begging for their death' The Dark Lord said after regaining his composure.
'Cut out the theatrics Voldemort. We all know that you will never kill me unless you find out what the prophecy says. Oh and before you try Leglimency on me, be warned that there is a spell on me that obliviates me of the prophecies contents if my mind is attacked.' Harry said.
He was of course bluffing, but what Voldy did not know wouldn't hurt him.
'You have my attention Potter so please proceed.'
'Well, I know of your quest for immortality and I am sure that you almost have achieved it, after all how would you explain your resurrection. Now, according to the prophecy both of us are immortal. It says that neither of us can live while the other survives. Fools like Dumbledore and his merry crew will easily believe that it means that only I can kill you and vice versa. Now Slytherins like us-
'You are not a Slytherin Potter'
'Do not interrupt me again Tom.' Harry said with a venomous voice.
Now Voldemort was itching to use his wand on the boy, but he knew that Potter held all the cards right now so harming him would be out of the question.
'The sorting hat clearly told me that I was to be in Slytherin, but after meeting that Malfoy brat I wasn't ready to go to that house especially after being told that you were in Slytherin. So consider me a snake in lions clothing. Now as I was saying this prophecy makes both of us immortal as long as the other is alive. Why? Simple. If you kill me, the prophecy is fulfilled meaning anyone else can kill you. The same goes for me. Now why would I be telling you all of this? Well, that is simple too. I want a temporary truce. After your resurrection, you claimed that I had taken 13 years away from you. What you might not know is that you took the same from me. Because of my parents death I lost 13 years of my life to the mercy of my muggle guardians and that blasted coot Dumbledore. I want this truce so that both of us can get back their 13 years. If you agree, I leave Britain for 13 years, I stay out of your way, and you stay out of mine. That's all. After these 13 years the truce is over and you can seek me out if you want.'
Voldemort sat on his throne intrigued by the young boy sitting before him offering a truce and the conditions too. It was as if Potter was confident that he wouldn't say no to it.
'What makes you so sure that I will accept the truce?'
'Well, you being a cunning and clever Dark Lord wouldn't say no. I have been a thorn in your side, the past 14 years all your plans have gone to hell because of me. Besides if you do kill me right now, apart from losing you're 'only Potter can kill me advantage', you will look like a fool. I am after all just a 5th year student. What glory will you claim by killing a wizard that has not even finished his magical education?'
'So what you basically want is for me to leave you alone so that you can go and train and come back much stronger and powerful and then get a better chance at killing me? How daft can you get potter?'
'Suit yourself Voldemort; I came here to make a truce so that I could get a break from the wizarding world and all its problems. I wanted to have a go at enjoying life before finally getting killed by a psychopath. Since you feel that you don't need a break from me too I'll just say goodbye and good luck.'
Once again just like at Gringotts Harry was about to live before he was stopped.
'Potter, I see you truly have the traits of a true Slytherin. Your truce is really intriguing. How do I know you will not go back on your word?'
Harry just snorted.
'And you were calling me daft. We make a magical contract of course.'
Harry retrieved a parchment from his robes and threw it at Voldemort. The dark Lord deftly caught the rolled piece of parchment and went through it looking for any foul play.
'By the way Voldemort, when I say The Dark forces I mean you and your death eaters. Since I am working alone and have no allies as of yet, that means If a death eater attacks me in any way, the deal is off and I come back in all my annoying glory.'
'It's done then. I Lord Voldemort and by extension my forces will not actively pursue Harry James Potter with the intention of harming him, spying on him or making contact of any type for a period of 13 years. So mote be it.'
The expected tendril of magic did not leave the dark lord and thus he was perplexed. With a smirk Harry said,
'It seems Lord Voldemort, that magic doesn't recognize you as a Lord and neither does it recognize a person by the name Voldemort.'
The furious expression on the Dark Lords face would be something that Harry would always remember.
'Fine then, I Tom Marvolo Riddle and by extension all my forces will not actively pursue Harry James Potter with the intention of harming him, spying on him or making contact of any type with him for a period of 13 years. So mote be it.'
A tendril of blue magic shot from Voldemort and stopped in front of Harry waiting for his approval.
'I Earl Harry James Potter accept. So mote be it'
The tendril hit Harry and disappeared within him. Harry looked at Voldemort and with a small bow said farewell and disappeared on the spot.
He appeared in a room in the shrieking shack and let lose a cackle of very evil sounding laughter. He Harry James Potter had just tricked the most feared Dark Lord in a century. If the throbbing of his scar was any indication, then the dark lord had just realized that point too.
Harry had not sworn any oath to not attack Voldemort or his forces he had just sealed the oath that Voldemort had made saying that he and his forces would not attack Harry.
After regaining his composure Harry called for Dobby and told him to inform Dumbledore that he expected to find Dumbledore and all his order members plus the teenagers in Grimmauld place in 45 minutes or he would not hear from him in a very long time.
He then took out the box that the goblin had shrunk for him and placed it on a table. Harry then removed the Potter and Black rings from his pocket and quickly put on the Potter ring. As soon as he did so he felt his magical core for the first time and he also felt that it was caged by enchantments. Luckily these enchantments were no match for the ancient magic in the Potter family ring. In a moment all the enchantments were off and he could feel his magic, finally free wash over him and embrace him like a long lost friend
He took his wand intending to cast a spell to test if the ministry was still tracking his magic use, but as soon as he touched it, the wand exploded and the song of phoenix could be heard. The feather that was his core was suspended in the air for a moment before it sort of dissolved into the air. Instead of feeling like a part of him was dead due to the loss of his wand, he felt liberated. Harry looked at his ring as if wanting for an explanation and thus was shocked when a soft feminine voice whispered in his head.
'Go to the Potter Family Vault. You will find what you seek.'
Sensing the urgency of the voice he nodded and quickly put on the Black Family Ring. As soon as he did so, the snake that was on carved on the onyx ring moved as if it was alive and hissed,
SS Welcome Master SS
Harry looked at it with nothing short of amazement.
SS You speak? SS
SS Yes Master. You are the third wizard who was able to speak the noble serpent tongue since the making of this ring SS
SS I see. Do you have any hidden powers? SS
SS Yes Master. Since you are now the Master of The Black Family, you can now control the wards of any of the Black properties.SS
SS Please explain this further SS
SS For example, you can ask the wards to prohibit the use of magic in the house for all but you SS
SS I see. Thank you for your help SS
SS I am glad to serve Master SS
After finding out that little tidbit of information Harry was very happy and excited. He quickly popped to Gringotts and asked to be taken to the Potter Family Vault.
On arriving there he couldn't help but stop and admire the huge amount of galleons stacked in the vault that was roughly the size of the great Hall at Hogwarts. The precious stones and metals that filled the barrels lined on the walls were simply flabbergasting.
But he was not there for that, he quickly walked further into the vault, passing the rows of shelves that were filled with numerous books and artifacts. As he kept on moving deeper and deeper into the vault, a sense of anticipation filled him. He was quickly approaching the end when he felt a slight tug at his magic. He quickly followed it to the source and was totally unimpressed by what he saw. Leaning unobtrusively on the wall was a piece of gnarled wood that was almost a meter and a half in height.
'Take it,' said that feminine voice in his head. This time it was amused.
Shrugging slightly, he walked towards the wall and took the piece of wood. No sooner had he done this than he was engulfed in a bright light and he felt the wood changing in shape. He was stuck to his spot for almost 10 minutes before the light died down.
What appeared in his hand made him gasp in awe. In his hand was a beautiful staff that was intricately carved. Runes adorned it from top to bottom, and at the top of it was a beautiful blue diamond that was firmly in between the wings of a phoenix that was carved on it.
He was wondering how he would learn to use the staff and how to carry it around when the voice came to his rescue again.
'You shall learn, young one. For now concentrate on the image of your old wand as you hold it.'
He did as he was told and there in his hand was an exact replica of his old Holly and phoenix wand.
'Cool' was all he said.
He quickly left the vault. He had a meeting to attend.
The young Earl quickly concentrated on Sirius Black's old room a split second before he appeared there. He felt the wards humming across his skin as if welcoming him. The feeling was just like that of an embrace of a loved one. Looking around the room he let out a sigh as he wished that the house would lose its dark and dreary appearance. To his surprise, the wards gave him a felling of approval before the house started shaking and rumbling.
Harry's mouth kept on widening as he saw the whole appearance of the room change. In about ten minutes the rumbling stopped and Harry could finally move. The walls no longer had a moldy look, instead they looked freshly painted. The dark portraits were gone and it generally looked like a house fit for Royalty.
Harry just shrugged his shoulders once again thinking that he had a lot to learn about magic and its intricacies. He therefore walked out of the room and slowly headed for the kitchen where order meetings were usually held. Even before he had reached the kitchen he could imagine the chaos taking place in it. After all, since when does Harry Potter call for an Order meeting and since when do houses change from dark and depressing to fairy tale like mansions?
He politely asked the words to disallow the use of magic by everyone except for him. The pulse of approval he felt assured him that it was done.
Walking into the kitchen he couldn't help but smile in appreciation of the wards when he saw a few people looking at their wands in astonishment. It seemed that they had just realized that they couldn't do magic.
'Hello everyone'
'HARRY JAMES POTTER HOW DARE YOU-'
'Harry mate what-
'Mr. Potter what do you-? '
'Cub could you explain-'
BANG
'Would you all just shut up and let me speak for a start' Harry shouted, already feeling the beginning of a headache.
'Now please take a seat or remain standing, whatever suits you? I am here to explain a few things and as I do that I want no interruptions. Whoever interrupts me will be kicked out of the house. That goes especially for you Potions Master Snape'
Snape was about to give an acrid retort before he realized the title Harry had used to address him. Looking at Dumbledore, Harry couldn't help but wince at the intensity of his twinkling eyes.
'Good. Now I just came from a meeting with Tom Riddle. Some of you know him as Lord Voldemort and some as You-know-who.'
There were cacophonies of gasps, flinches, intakes of breathe and many people about to shout out something but remembering Harry's warning chose to remain quiet.
'How I was able to set up such a meeting is none of your concern but just know that I did. The reason I met him was to offer him a truce. He would leave me be for 13 years and I would leave him be for 13 years. Unfortunately for him he wasn't as brilliant minded as I expected him to be. He made a magical oath saying that he would not harm me and by extension his forces would not harm me for a period of 13 years. I accepted the oath and quickly left the meeting before I could make my oath and he realized my trick.'
By this point Remus, Tonks and the twins were rolling on the floor laughing. The rest of the Order was looking at him as if he had finally lost it. Dumbledore no longer had a twinkle in his eyes and his mouth was wide agape. Harry quickly summoned a camera from the twins' room and was clicking away happily. The image of Snape's eyes bugging out in amazement would always be used as something to interrupt his bad moods.
'I also went to gringotts and claimed my rights to the Potter and Black Heritage and thus have become fully emancipated by law. Before we go further, Professor McGonagall, please be informed that I will no longer be returning to Hogwarts next year. As by law 6th and 7th year are not mandatory. I also plan to leave Britain and travel around the world and use my thirteen Voldemort free years enjoying myself and learning about the world, both muggle and magical. Professor Dumbledore, just know that Voldemort now knows of the rest of the prophecy. Also be informed that nothing you can do will make me attend Hogwarts next year or even go back to the Dursley's. Voldemort's use of my blood in his resurrection makes you argument about blood wards null and void. Now do you have any objections, questions and the like? I am all ears'
Before anyone could speak Dumbledore was standing and was staring at Harry with an unreadable look.
'I am afraid Harry that I cannot let you do anything of the sort. You need to be trained in order to face Voldemort in your final encounter. Besides if not the Dursley's then Grimmauld place should be safe enough for you'
'Are you done Professor? Anything you would like to add perhaps?'
'No Harry, I'm done'
'I see'
Harry walked to Remus Lupin and hugged him tightly as he whispered to his ear.
'Take care of yourself Moony. I will be fine. If you have to contact me use Dobby and tell no one about that ok.'
Moony hugged Harry back and nodded as tears of sorrow left his eyes. He would be separated from his cub once again. The world was so cruel at times.
He then walked to Tonks and also hugged her.
'Take care, cousin. We are now family. Both you and your parents are welcome back to the Black family. Narcissa, Draco and Bellatrix have been disowned.'
She quietly nodded and kissed him on the cheek.
He then walked to the twins shook their hands and quietly thanked them for what they had done for Dobby. They quietly nodded understanding the hidden meaning.
Looking around at the rest he did not bother even saying goodbye. The clear looks of disapproval on their faces made their thoughts on the matter clear. Even his two best friends disapproved.
'You may continue using the house for Order purposes. Disabuse that privilege and the house has orders to kick you out. Farewell and good luck with your war against the terror that is Voldemort. I will be back, but not a second earlier than I have to. For too long you have depended on me to do your fighting. Grow a pair and face that hypocritical half blood. Don't look too surprised, ask Dumbledore about it. Till next time.
With that Harry Potter disappeared from Grimmauld place. Back to Gringotts he told the Head Goblin that he no longer needed to use the board room but he would still sell the shares to them. He would contact them soon.
After his preparations were done, Harry popped to the outskirts of Hogwarts, drank in the image of the castle that he loved so much and called home and quietly disappeared to the Potter Manor in France. He had two Veela's to meet and 13 years to enjoy.
Had Harry stayed for a second longer, he would have seen the castle go a bit duller as if it understood that it had just lost its most beloved occupant.
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A/N: That's it people. This was meant to be a one-shot. This idea had been running around in ma head for so long I just had to write it, despite the fact that I have exams in 2 days.
For those fans of my other story 'Phoenix Tears' So sorry for not updating but school has been so draining and demanding I did not have time to update. Hopefully after my exams I will update really soon and it will hopefully be worth the wait. Till then folks.