Fire was burning all around him. If he had to guess they were a safety measure put around the stone in case someone managed to actually get it from the mirror. Sweat was starting to form on his brow but that mattered little in comparison to the red liquid running down his body.
They were small but he could feel little pin pricks all over his body, even in his eyes, from when the Philosopher's stone exploded in his hand as he fought back against Professor Quirrell. The stinging hurt like heck but he tried to ignore it as best as he could, it did amaze him that his eyes hadn't popped from the shards when they pierced him.
Looking around he tried to find a way to escape, completely ignoring the pile of ash sitting in the middle of the chamber. Fear flew through his mind as he didn't see anything that would help him.
As the flame got closer and closer Harry could feel his skin starting to heat up rather uncomfortably. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted his robes starting to ignite. Moving as fast as the 11-year-old could possibly go he threw the cloth off and into the fire. For a moment, he watched as the flames raised ever so slightly where he threw it.
Jarring his mind from the flames he tried searching once more. Taking a few steps farther into the chamber he came to a rest no less than two feet away from his teachers remains. Taking in a few short breaths, Harry strained his eyes as much as he could to try and find a gap in the wall of destruction that surrounded him.
Finally, he spotted it.
Off in the left corner there was an ever so slight trail that the flames were not consuming. While he did wonder if it was a trap, young Harry also knew that at the moment he really didn't have any other option. Swallowing his fear, Harry ran as fast as he could.
Weaving through the flames, he felt it graze over his flesh and he knew that he was going to be covered in burns of some sort. When he finally reached the entrance way his clothes were practically reduced to scrapes and most of his hair had been burnt off. Wanting to get away from the flaming room the young boy scurried on out and into the room containing the potions.
Taking a few deep breaths, Harry released them in rather heavy wheezes that made his lungs hurt something terrible. Without his notice, his eyes started to drop and what little energy he had left depleted almost instantaneously.
Not even able to move an inch Harry's body stumped down in an unconscious heap on the cold stone floor. If he had just lasted a minute or two later, he would have seen the headmaster come rushing in with a mix of a scared and furious complexion.
Slowly Harry could feel his mind starting to wake up. He could feel something soft under his body so it must be a bed. That really only left him with two choices of where he might be. Either he was still asleep in his dorm bed and he dreamt everything that happened the night before or most likely, he fell unconscious afterwards and was now stuck inside the infirmary at school.
Cracking his eyes open the first thing Harry noticed was that everything was dark. Not that it was night time, but everything in his vision was black. There was no room around him to see nor was there a large window that he knew was attached to the far wall away from the doors.
Freaking out a little, he tried to lift his arms to figure out what was going on, keyword tried. Not even an inch off the bed he felt something tug on his arms to keep them in place. This did nothing to calm the young boy down, nothing at all.
Taking in a few quick short breaths Harry tried to pull his arms once more but when he tried it another time, he felt pain shoot up his entire arm. As skillfully as he could, the child held in the scream that tried to escape his lips.
After what felt like eternity, the pain stopped throbbing inside him. Letting himself calm down as much as he possible could, which wasn't as much as he wished he could, he tried to think this through. Taking a few sniffs of the air around him, he could instantly tell he was in some kind of medical center. No regular place could get that smell of sick, sterile, and blood quite like a one of those could.
That left him with a very few options. One, he was in the infirmary like he thought. Two, he was moved to a magical hospital. And finally, the magicals had dumped him off at a muggle hospital and washed their hands with him. Honestly, he kind of hoped it wasn't the last one or he wouldn't be able to get any answers to what happened the night before. Trying to take a steady breath, the child called out for the first time since waking up.
"Hello! Madam Pomphrey?" his voice was rough but it was still loud enough to echo throughout the room he was in.
The silence was rather maddening to tell the truth. Trying again, he called out for the woman but again he didn't get any answer. Wanting desperately to bite his lip in frustration, Harry had to settle for trying to wiggle his fingers incase his lips were damaged in some way.
The second he moved his finger he felt something similar to a cast or gauze wrapped around his middle finger. Thinking back on it, he remembered the moment the stone shattered in his direction before its pieces all pierced into his body. That would explain why he couldn't see anything at the moment. Some of the stone had gone into his eyes at one point and they had to cover them after taking them out.
A small weight lifted from his chest when he realized why it was that he couldn't see. There was something wrapped around his head to keep the light from effecting his eyes or him getting infections. A small breath escaped him at that. Hopefully he would heal soon and be back to 100% before school officially ended. He really didn't want to go back to his relative's house injured, it would only make them think that they could harm him more.
For what felt like hours young Harry just sat there in utter silence and way too much darkness than he would like. Not once did he hear anyone enter the room, he was being kept in. Finally getting fed up with sitting in one place for so long without even sound to distract him, Harry started wondering what the Philosopher's stone could have done to him when it was thrusted into his body. He knew magic was funky at times so there was the possibility that this may have affected him somehow. Unfortunately, he didn't know of any way to be able to check if his body had changed in anyway without either being able to see or feel his magic.
That was one thing that didn't sit to well with him. For almost a year he had been able to really feel the magic circulate throughout his body but for some odd reason, he couldn't feel an ounce of it at the moment. It's entirely possible that the healer somehow suppressed his magic just in case it reacted negatively to the stone shards but that was only if he was even still in the magical world.
Getting more than a little fed up with just sitting there Harry decided it would be more useful if he just tried to fall asleep for a little bit. Maybe when he wakes up something will be different about his current situation. Not even a minute later the wounded child was once more in the realm of the unconscious.
Like the last time Harry woke up, he first tried to crack his eyes open. Unlike last time where everything was pitch black, this time the moment his eyes opened ever so slightly a blinding flash of light was glaring him right in the eye. Hissing in pain, he tried to turn his head away from the source of his pain but found he was unable to move his head. Shaking his head a few times he tried to figure out what it was that was holding him still but alas he failed.
Slowly and steadily, Harry opened his eyes to the waking world once more.
The first thing he saw was the boring and bland stone ceiling. It took a moment to realize what it was exactly but when it finally clicked in his mind his back tried to jerk up into a sitting position. Sadly, he wasn't able to get far and his body was jerked back like he was tied to a giant rubber band.
Without his notice a growl of irritation escaped his throat. Why was it that whomever it was that was keeping him was so against him getting up and looking around! It like they never dealt with a preteen before and just thought they could sit still for long without needing to get up. Speaking of which, he was a little surprised he hadn't felt the need to use the bathroom yet. That was usually the first thing he had to do when he woke up.
Sighing once more, Harry stared up at the ceiling, just hoping something would happen. Heck he would even be willing to read a book if it would just give him something to do! Figuring it was worth a shot he tried calling out once more but he did let his irritation show just a little bit.
"Hello! Is anyone there? I'm awake now and I would really like someone to tell me what happened!" the room was silent once more as his voice echoed. Just before he started screaming in frustration, he heard a door slam shut with a small bang.
Focusing his hearing as hard as he could, he tried to figure out who it might be. From the light steps, he could hear it was either a female or someone really light on their feet. They came in a steady pace, not slowing once nor did they ever speed up. To him, it felt like it was taking forever for this person to get to him. You would think that they would hurry when they have the person strapped down and most likely freaking out more than a little bit on the inside.
When the person finally came to a stop Harry tried to angle his eyes in such a way that he could see them but no matter how hard he moved he couldn't see them.
"Stop squiring, child. You'll only harm yourself even more than you already are." The voice was both firm and warm but it spoke of promise that he wouldn't like the results of what happened if he didn't cease and desist.
Gulping down a bit of air Harry tried to calm himself. This person must be a healer of some kind. There was a moment of silence before Harry finally managed to find his voice. It was still rather weak but he was pretty sure that this mystery person could still hear him.
"Who are you? Where am I?"
He heard a pair of feet shuffle a bit more before a face came into his line of sight. They were rather pretty to the young boy with their rounded face and soft cheeks. They had these weird brown eyes speckled with blue and long eye lashes. Even their lips were pouty looking while their hair was up in a tight bun and the color of moonlight.
When they spoke Harry almost felt like his heart was going to stop. Their voice was more beautiful than any he ever heard before. It was different than earlier but maybe that was because they were trying to get him to not hurt himself.
"My name is Sierra Mcstiek, I'm your healer while you're at St. Mungo's." She paused for a moment to waved her wand over him a few times before continuing, "You gave us all a very nasty scare, Mr. Potter. You had a very extreme case of Magical Exhaustion and to make it worse you had hundreds of little shards of an extremely powerful magical artifact imbedded into your body. We don't even know if we were able to get them all before your body started absorbing them."
Both were silent for a long moment as Harry tried to take in all that he had been told. With a rather grave voice, he asked what was on his mind.
"What will happen to me?" the woman stared down at him for a short moment before she decided on what to tell him.
"Honestly, we aren't entirely sure. To our knowledge, never in known history has there ever been a person able to absorb a magical artifact, let alone something as powerful as the Philosopher's stone. Anything could happen and all we could really do is monitor you and guess at the possible outcomes."
Well crud on a stick! Trying to tense his fingers a little, Harry fought back the urge to scream at the unfairness of his life. Only he would do something that, once again, no one had done before. Surviving some killing curse wasn't enough and now he absorbed a magical stone that created gold and a liquid of immortality. Wasn't that just his luck! To make matters worse he still couldn't feel his magic.
"Will this make it that I can't feel my magic?" to be honest there was two reasons why Harry didn't want to leave the magical world. That was a toss-up of wanting to stay away from his relatives and learning magic with his friends.
Ms. Mcstiek seemed to sit there for a moment and think, not giving a single hint towards what she might say. Inside himself, Harry could feel the fear starting to simmer up towards the top.
"We aren't entirely sure. At the moment, we believe that you will be able to but not until what is left of the stone that is inside you is fully absorbed. Right now, all of your magic is focused on breaking down the stone and supplementing it into your body, blood, and magic. We predict that it should be done by the end of your fourth year."
Fourth year…that meant that he would not be able to use magic again for the next three years. It sucked, especially when you consider how often he seemed to run into trouble. The better question is what he would do in the meantime. He couldn't exactly preform spells in transfiguration, charms, or DADA and he didn't get to start electives until his third year. Potions, Astronomy, and History are really the only classes he would have a chance in and Snape would probably kick him out just because.
Sighing to himself he pushed those thoughts away, "How long have I been here? And how much longer do I have to remain here?"
"It been little over a month since you were brought in by Madam Pomphrey. Fortunately, that means you still have all month of July and August left of your summer before second year." She paused for a little bit to look at the clipboard in her hand, "And you should be able to leave in the next week or two. It all really depends on how long it takes your wounds to fully heal and the few tests we wanted to run on you once you woke up."
Test? What sorts of tests could they possibly do that they couldn't have done when he was asleep? Besides he couldn't even feel his magic running through his body, so it's not like he could do something for them, even if he tried so hard he popped a blood vessel.
"Two weeks? Will I at least be able to get up and walk around?" it was insanely frustrating that he hadn't been able to get up yet or at least look something besides the stupid ceiling. Speaking of which, why was it made of stone like the infirmary at school? He would have thought it would be made of wood or something.
"You will be allowed to move around in a wheelchair at first and then crutches near August. We expect you'll be up and walking around by the last week of August." Harry's eyes shot open so wide he was sure they would pop out any moment now, "those fragments caused a lot of damage to your body but to make it worse, we had to physically cut them out of your body because the Philosopher's stone is resistant to magic, even in shard form."
Swallowing heavily, Harry thought about just what he would have to put up with over the next few months. It was bad enough he was hurt but now it was even worse that he would need someone's help just to get around. Unfortunately, that also brought up another issue. He didn't have anywhere to stay that he could possibly be comfortable at. Maybe the Leaky Cauldron?
"There were also a few visitors for you while you were unconscious. A young girl named Hermione Granger, the Weasley family, and the Flamels." A small blush formed over his cheeks at the woman's words. Believe it or not, Harry actually didn't think anyone would come see him while he was unconscious. The Flamels were definitely a surprise for the young boy. Seeing as how he was the reason their stone was destroyed, he would think that they wouldn't want anything to do with him.
"The Flamels weren't mad with me? ...I mean I did destroy the only thing keeping them alive."
"No child. According to Nicolas they were planning on destroying it this summer anyway, you just beat them to it. He did mention that when you get out of here, you should go to the bank. He wouldn't say why, just that you should."
Relief fill his body like a balloon. Not only were they not mad at him but they were thankful for what he had done. Guess his luck was holding.
Feeling a little groggy, Harry decided he really needed to get some more sleep. Letting out a rather large yawn he closed his eyes and let his consciousness fall into the background.
As soon as the child was asleep the healer couldn't help but smile down at the child. Over the last month, she had gotten more than a little attached to him, even if she hadn't talked to him at all besides today. One thing she hadn't told the injured child was that due to the effects of the Philosopher's stone his body was slowly, very slowly, healing itself from past neglect. What the outcome might be she didn't know but it was bound to be helpful to the child in some way.
Sighing to herself she stuck a small needle into the unconscious boy's arm and withdrew some blood. Now magicals weren't all that good with figuring out DNA or anything like it but thankfully there did have a few muggleborn healers on staff that did work with blood to help figure out diseased and other such things.
When the vials were finally full, she carefully looked at them. Over the past month there had been a slight change in the child's blood. Where at first it was dark red like everyone else, now it was lighter in color and seemed to be on the path to change even more. What it might mean they didn't know but it sure was interesting to all that got to see it happening.
Sitting in the wheelchair was definitely boring for one Harry Potter. He had been finally let out of his bed a few days ago, but figuring out how to get around with it was a pain in his little arse. To make matters worse his hands were still bandaged up so he couldn't even move himself around with them. Instead, he used his feet to gently push or pull himself around his hospital room.
At the moment, the preteen was just sitting in his chair and staring outside his window. There were cars upon cars driving down the busy London street and hundreds of dozens of pedestrians walking along the side walk. Not having anything to do Harry would watch them as they moved or stopped and talked. Most of the time it was random friends meeting up but sometimes he would see a couple hold each other and kissing. They varied from all sorts of couples. Sometimes it was your normal male and female but every once in a while, he would see couples of the same sex kissing like it was just any other day. It wasn't weird to him but it did make him think about all the times his uncle called them faggots, dykes, and freaks.
In the young child's mind, they were like him in a way. They were freaks in his uncle's eyes, just like him, and nothing they did would ever change that man's opinion. It hurt at times but they would only have to look at the good side and could ignore the bigots out there.
Seeing the sky starting to darken with storm clouds Harry turned himself away from the window before wheeling himself over to the small table, a nightstand if anything, and looked for something else to do. Really, he had been here for just under a week, consciously at least, and he had waited for these tests that the healers wanted to do on him. Most of the time they just took more blood from him but still there had to be something else they wanted him to do.
Sighing in frustration he picked up the book that his nurse had been nice enough to bring him. Seeing as he wouldn't be able to do practical magic for a few years, he figured it would be a good idea to start working on the theory at least.
At the moment, he was looking into historical figures. He thought that if he couldn't do magic for a little while, then he could at least look into what it was that made the people so famous. Most of the ones he had found so far were from either creating certain spells that made every day live just a tad easier or took part in some battle. In a few cases the author wouldn't even mention what type of magic the person had used to accomplish their feats. They would gloss over the actual magic and its effects before skipping to the finish, usually the death of someone, and the consequences of the battle in the times afterwards. It was highly frustrating to the preteen as he tried to piece together what it was that these people had done.
Not once did he look up from the book until he heard a light clicking sound. Lifting his head up Harry noticed that Ms. Mcstiek was standing in his doorway with some papers stacked in her hands. Quirking his eyebrow up at her, he couldn't help but wonder what it was that she needed. Usually she only came by to stab him with another needle to get more blood for their tests.
"Well mister Potter, it looks like your free to go. We've done enough testing for now, we'll owl you if we need you to come back." She sent him a small smile before walking over behind him to start pushing him out of the room. "And don't worry about the bill. Your headmaster offered to pay for everything, seeing as you did get hurt because of his little scheme." What neither knew was that the money that was being used to pay for his stay was technically his.
Before he could really even think too much about anything, Harry soon found himself parked out on the sidewalk with a small stack of papers in his lap and his truck shrunken in his pants pocket. Thankfully the hospital was kind enough to help him get dressed that morning. Blinking in confusion, he looked around to try and figure out where he was exactly. Thankfully right down the road he was able to make out the sign of the Leaky Cauldron.
Cursing to himself, Harry started making his way toward the pub. It was rather difficult though with his bandaged hands. All in all, it took the child close to an hour just to make it a few blocks down the road. He was lucky though when someone offered to push him across the crosswalk. They never staid after that but it was nice enough.
With a little bit of footwork and a good bit of leaning Harry managed to pop the door open before rolling himself inside. Not even bothering to stop Harry moved himself over towards the bar to hopefully get a room from Tom the barkeep.
"Excuse me?" his voice came out rather soft but when the balding man turned his head to look at him, he knew that he had heard. For a moment, the man just stared at him in confusion before his eyes drifted down to his wheelchair. A flash of pity appeared in his eyes but it was instantly washed away when he sent a toothless smile at him.
"What can I do for you, young man? Need to get into the Alley, something to eat, or a room?"
"Alley please" nodding the old barkeep strolled around the bar and came to a stop right behind him. Not even bothering to ask him if he needed help Tom started pushing him towards the back door. Thankfully it was empty but Harry was pretty sure that the alley itself was going to be full of people.
With a quick tap on the brick wall the archway easily rolled into place. Just as Harry expected there were loads of people milling around the alley. Turning his head around to thank the older man he was stopped when he started moving once more.
"Down worry about it laddie. Helping you to the bank is the least I can do." Even though he couldn't see it Harry could tell there was a smile on his lips.
Weaving through the crowds was much easier this time than it had when he first came to the alley a year ago. This time people didn't try to shove them aside. Instead they all moved out of their way as soon as they noticed he was in a wheelchair. Harry was pretty sure that they were getting some funny looks from the other pedestrians but he was able to ignore it.
When the duo finally got to the steps of the bank Tom slowly levitated him up onto the top of the stairs. Turning his head to face the man he saw him already walking into the crowd and out of sight. He'd have to remember to thank him later.
Grunting to himself he made his way inside, it was made much easier when one of the goblin guards held the door open for him. Like usually there was the same old bustle of both goblins and humans rushing about doing one thing or another. Ignoring the people around him, Harry made his way over to the nearest teller.
Sadly, when he finally got to the front, he wasn't able to look over the counter, not like he could the last time either.
"Hello? Um…I was told to come to the bank to pick up something from the Flamels? Am I in the right spot?"
Probably shouldn't have said all that in public but he didn't really know what he was supposed to say. There was a silence for a moment from the teller before he heard the sound of feet slamming into the floor and walking away. Nervousness rolled through the young boy as he tried to figure out just what was happening.
"Come with me sir." Harry didn't even get to respond before the Goblin started pushing him down one of the many hallways that connected to the main chamber. Not knowing what to really say Harry wisely decided to keep his mouth shut. The walk was rather long but at least Harry didn't have to get sore feet from it, although his butt was going to feel weird when he was finally able to not sit on it all the time.
When the pair finally stopped at a door, the goblin gave a brief knock before just pushing him right on in. Harry had to blink a little at the blaring white room he was pushed into. From all his history classes Harry had thought that the Goblins were into dark dank caves and stuff but this room looked pretty neat, clean, and definitely not dank at all.
Finally putting him at rest before the rather short desk, the goblin left him and walked around to the other side. There was a moment before the goblin pulled out what looked like a letter opener and a piece of parchment.
"Just a drop of blood and we can find out just who you are and what it is that you need of this bank. If you are indeed the person that the Flamels told us about then this meeting will be easy. But if not, then don't expect to be leaving the bank today."
Gulping to himself Harry held his bandaged hand out. The goblin held his hand ever so gently before pressed the tip of the little blade into his finger. There was a slight sting before it abruptly vanished. Watching Harry followed the drop of blood as it rolled off his finger and fell onto the parchment below.
There was a small flash of light but it quickly dimmed down to show some writing on the piece of stationary. Leaning as far forward as he dared Harry tried to read what it said. As soon as his eyes landed on the name, he swore his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Name: Charis Amor James Potter
Nickname: Harry James Potter
Parents: James Potter and Lily Potter ne Evans (deceased)
Godparents: Sirius Black and Alice Longbottom
Hereditary slots: Heir of house Potter, Black, Nikephoros
Inherited slots: Flamel
Blinking a few times Harry reread the page a few times, trying to make sure he wasn't going crazy. Sighing the child slumped back into his chair and went over all that he knew.
In the course of the last month he had destroyed a legendary artifact, that his body was now absorbing, and ended up unconscious in a magical hospital for a month's time. He was unable to do magic for the next few years and was practically handicapped for the entirety of this summer. Now he had all this to deal with and no idea on what it all was. Sometimes he hated his life.
He was snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of the goblin's harsh chuckle. Looking up at the diminutive creature he wondered what was so funny.
"Well Mr. Potter, it seems that you have quite a fortune. Sadly, you will not be able to access most of it until you are of age. You will be able to wear the heir rings though, so that will at least give you a bit more protection if you get in any form of trouble." The goblin pulled the sheet of parchment and slipped it into a draw of his desk before a light flash filled their vision.
As soon as his eyes cleared up Harry spotted a single box resting upon the desk. Looking at the goblin he motioned for him to go ahead. Reaching forward Harry skimmed his bandaged finger over the lid. Almost instantly the lid popped open to reveal four separate rings resting on what looked like a velvet pillow.
"Once you put them on you will officially become the Heir of the Potter, Black, Nikephoros, and Flamel Families. Of course, you won't be able to access the majority of your finances until you reach the age of seventeen but you will have a drastically increased yearly allowance. You will also have a manager assigned to you, complements of Gringotts, to handle your finances and shares. I would also highly recommend that you have everyone but you removed from your account access lists so only you may withdraw money from your vaults."
Nodding in a bit of a daze Harry reached into the box and grabbed one of the rings, not even noticing the goblin before him grin with excitement before it started filling out some forms. The first ring was rather simple in taste being made of a gold band with a clear diamond center and a gothic F in the center. As soon as it touched his finger it glowed slightly and resized to fit him perfectly. Quickly, he repeated this with the other three rings. Each hand got two rings on them, either on his pointer or middle fingers.
Shaking his head out of the daze that had settled upon his mind Harry looked up at the goblin before him and wondered just what he was going to do now. Being the heir of four families, especially one that has had a man in control of the philosopher stone for around six hundred years which had to bring in extreme amount of wealth, he knew he was going to need to know something about finances in the future. Guess it's something of a good thing that he had a bit more free-time with just studying for the next three years.
Looking at the goblin he tried to make his voice as polite as he could possibly do without sounding patronizing.
"So, what exactly does this do to me, besides financially? Do I own properties? Am I even allowed to live in any of them?"
Shuffling through a few papers the goblin scanned them for a quick second before nodding, "Yes, Mr. Potter, as heir to these families you are allowed to living in any of their properties. However, I would recommend that you continue to stay where you currently reside."
Confusion filled the preteen in excessive amounts. Why in the world would he want to go back to his relative's home, and possibly be abused more than before, when he could go live somewhere else? It just made no sense to the eleven-year-old.
Seeing the fear on his face the goblin decided to elaborate, "I am saying this because it gives you time learn how to function in the magical worlds high society without the difficulties of actually meeting them until you are ready. If you decided to live in one of your properties, you would have to alert the Ministry of your change in residence which would let them know that you have claimed your position of heir. By staying at your current location, you can move in the shadows and much more freely."
"But won't they know I'm the heir when they see the rings? And what about my relatives? They aren't the friendliest people to be around, especially if your magical." He tried to stress the last sentence and hoped the goblin understood where he was trying to say. Understanding flashed in the goblin's eyes before he smirked rather viciously, although Harry wasn't entire sure it was directed at him or not.
"just desire for the rings to become invisible and they will do so. Once that is done nobody will be able to see them, even if they have magical eyes." His smirk got bigger before he reached into one of his draws and pulled out a rather pretty bracelet. It looked like it was made of pure silver with a few random rubies and emerald dangling from it. "This Mr. Potter is one of Gringotts best pieces of magical jewelry available for humans. Essentially, it will create a 'barrier' around the wearer where any human within the zone cannot enter if they intend to harm the wearer. All it needs is a drop of blood on each of the gems and it will sync to you, even if your blood somehow changes over time. It's similar to the blood ward that Albus Dumbledore erected around your place of residence but much more localized and has better qualifications then just Death Eaters." There was a pause for a moment as he thought of something, "I am willing to let you take possession of this artifact if you are willing to let me become your account manager. The standard manager fee is 10% of monthly interest for the entirety of the account, which in this case is more than most people make in four years."
Looking at the goblin Harry couldn't help but wonder if the creature was telling him the truth and not just trying to swindle him. He remembered Hagrid telling him that they were crafting creatures and were willing to do anything to come out on top. But in this case, it didn't seem that the Goblin was trying to harm his account in anyway, especially if he got 10% of the monthly interest which would make him want to do anything to increase said interest so he would make more money.
"Could I have your name, sir? I'd hate to have you as my manager and never know your name." instantly the goblin grinned a close-lipped grin that made it look like his face was going to rip any minute now.
"Names Goldwhip, young sir." Goldwhip held out his hand which Harry gladly took and gave a shake to symbolize their deal. His new manager slid the piece of jewelry over to him, along with the small blade from earlier.
Smiling at nothing in particular Harry dripped a little blood on each of the gems. With each consensual drop of blood, the gems glowed a bit brighter. When the final one fell, the bracelet was glowing a bright golden glow. Not even noticing that his finger had healed once more, Harry slipped the glowing bracelet upon his wrist and watched as the glows seemed to be absorbed into his skin. He didn't feel any different than before but he was pretty sure it was working seeing as the Goblin was still grinning like a loon. The last thing Harry did was get a coin purse full of Galleons and a wallet full of British pounds for when he left the magical Alley.
Seeing as his business was done, he thanked Goldwhip for all his help before the pair headed off to the entrance hall. His manager was nice enough to push him toward the doors and even got him down on the ground beneath the steps. They shook hands once more before going their separate ways.
Smiling to himself, Harry knew that at least something great had come out of the Stone incident. The next three years were definitely going to be different to his last one.
Waking up Harry happily pushed himself up off his bed and reached for his crutches that were resting against his night stand. A dull ache rolled throughout his body but he had long gotten used to it ever since he woke up in the magical hospital a month and a half ago. Putting his arms in the little cuff like things that went around his biceps, Harry slowly made his way toward the bathroom. Along the way, he caught sight of himself in the full body mirror that was placed against the wall for his use.
Even though he had been released from the hospital back in the end of June, he was still wrapped up like a mummy. His entire body was covered from head to toe in pure white bandages, with the exception of his eyes and mouth. Thankfully the bandages were of the magical variety so he didn't need to use the bathroom or shower while he was wrapped up like this. Of course, he had to go back to the hospital every other week to be rewrapped but that was okay.
He did however tend to wear clothing and shoes over his body just to fit in a little bit. Although he still got stared at because of his crutches and bandages, it was much better than when they would fawn all over him the moment they noticed his scar. Thankfully neither Tom the barkeep or Healer Mcstiek had alerted anyone of his current predicament. It definitely made getting around the Alley a lot easier this way. The only problem he had with the wrapping was that he didn't know what he looked like underneath them, even when he went back to the hospital for the rewrap, they didn't let him see himself. It made him worry a little bit that he was scarred or horrible disfigured but he guessed he would find out when he was able to take them off. Unfortunately, that won't be for another year. Yeah, he was a little upset at that but at least he would be able to walk on his own by the end of this summer.
Wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and button up dark green shirt he made his way out of the Leaky cauldron, only stopping once to pay Tom for the room he had rented for the last month. Crutching his way outside into Mundane London Harry made his to nearest bus stop that lead towards the train station. Along the way, he got a few looks of pity and more than a few offers of assistance but he turned them all away. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate them but he wanted to do this on his own.
A quick bus ride later, along with a few stops along the way, Harry found himself firmly seated upon a train heading toward Little Whinging Surrey. It would be around an hour and a half ride but he was okay with that. He even managed to get no one sitting next to him, unknown to him it was because everyone willing to be near him were ill in their intent but were sent away because of his bracelet.
Sitting there Harry munched on a simple honey glazed ham sandwich and sipped a cup of sweat raspberry tea, not as good as fresh cup of regular tea but he liked it anyway. It was rather nice of the ticket lady to run down to the food cart to grab it for him, he also gave her a nice tip for her help. Sighing in content, Harry turned his eye to the country as they flew on by. It looked rather peaceful but he knew he would much rather be flying on his broomstick. Sadly, that was one discovery that he was hating. Seeing as his magic was focused on the Philosophers stone, it didn't have an once to spare to allow him to fly with which meant that he would have to give up his place on the team. He could already see Oliver going bananas when he learned of this but there was nothing he could do. At least he would have more free time, well not really with all the studying he was going to end up doing.
Making his way off the train and out of the station Harry took his first real glimpse of Little Whinging in over a year. To make it even better, his eyes had healed thanks to the stone already so he could see crystal clearly, so he was truly seeing it for probably the first time in his entire life. Breathing in a deep breath he let it out slowly. Seeing as he had already sent his relative a letter, in the mundane mail of course, they already knew that he was going to be here today. He had informed them that he had been in an accident that had hospitalized him for a month after school and that he wasn't able to walk at least somewhat until now. He let them know of the wheelchair and the current crutches but that if he rested properly, he would be able to function regularly by the end of summer. How they took it he didn't know yet but he purposely left out that he had been at a local hotel until now, so it would seem like he was just released.
Slowly he made his way towards number 4 privet drive. Along the way, he could see a few pedestrians stopping to stare at him but none bothered to approach him. Say what you like about the town but people here tended to leave everyone to their own business. So, it had its good and bad points.
Knocking upon his relative's front door he waited patiently for someone to open it. He didn't have to wait for long when the door flew open and his aunt's voices filled the open space.
"Get inside before the neighbors see you!" Moving as quickly as he could Harry crutched past her and into the living room. Felling a bit tired and sore he gently sat down upon the couch. Hearing his aunt's feet shuffling about he looked up to find her staring down at him. He'd quirk an eyebrow at her but seeing as it would go unnoticed, he didn't bother. The house was silent for a moment before the woman sighed, to herself or him he wasn't sure.
"So…your uncle and I have talked and in light of this recent accident we have decided that you will not be required to do your chores this summer. However, next summer you will have to without complaint. There have been a few changes since you left last summer but not many. As Dudley found out when he returned, he is required to mow the yard and clean his room. Vernon washes and waxes his car while both of them paint the house. I will be handling the cooking for this month and we will be trading off with each week you are here. Whoever isn't cooking is doing dishes but Dudley has that this month. You on the other hand will be sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming the house in the mornings after breakfast. Other than that, we don't want to see you, but that is only from next summer onward. This summer you are to spend your time resting in your room, out of our sight, or outside away from the house. Am I understood?"
Harry just sat there blinking as he tried to commit it all to memory. It was so different than what he was used to that he didn't know what to think. Actually, the one thought that formed in his mind was that Dudley must have thrown a monstrous temper tantrum when he was told this when he got home at the beginning of the summer.
Nodding his head, he gave a brief, "yes Ma'am" she sent him a stern look that she probably had to develop to get her son to do as he was told. Almost instantly his Aunt's stance relaxed before she sat down in one of the chairs across from him. She looked a little unsure of herself but spoke anyway.
"So…how are you feeling? Why are you still wearing those bandages if you were released from your kind's hospital?" her eyes roamed over his bandaged form but he paid it no mind, it had been happening ever since he was released from St. Mungo's anyway.
"Well the item that exploded was resistant to our way of taking it out, so they had to use mundane ways and cut the shards from my body. On top of that, my body was covered in third degree burns from head to toe. At the moment, my body is covered in a cream of some sort that is healing the damage. I'll probably have some kind of markings from it but they said that they would be very light, if any at all. The bandages keep me from getting infected but I have to wear the until next June. They have to be replaced every few weeks but it could be worse, I guess."
His voice was soft but clear and as he spoke, he could see his aunt's eyes widen a fraction more with each other word. In the end, he swore her eyes were going to pop out which he really didn't want to see.
"Whole…burns…a year…healing…cutting!?" her words were stuttered but those were what he was able to understand. Smiling at her, he grabbed his Crutches and made his way out of the room to allow the woman to process what had exactly happened to him. She probably wouldn't question him about it again but he was pretty sure that once it sunk in, she would inform Vernon at least.
Clunking his way upstairs he entered his room and actually smiled. It wasn't a warm one but it was a smile at least. Unsurprisingly his relatives hadn't replaced the bed, wardrobe, or desk and nightstand but they had removed all of Dudley's junk that had been thrown about the room. There was however a somewhat new set of sheets, blankets, and pillows on the bed. They weren't the best but it was an improvement from what it used to be. Hopefully next year he could make a few changes.
Sighing in relief he sat down upon his bed and relaxed. Belief what you wished but this room was actually more relaxing than the room he had been staying in at the Cauldron. It also didn't sound like his Aunt was going to let Vernon Beat on him this summer, he just hoped it lasted until he could leave for good. Although, if his aunt stayed like this, he might… might just come back to visit. Now that was a scary thought for him to have.