Disclaimer: Don't own and don't make any money but just like to have fun.

Summary: Lucius Malfoy, at the urging of his son, found the young man standing out by the lake. "Harry, my son wishes to enter into a bonding contract with you." Harry looked at him with sorrowful eyes and stated "I am sorry, sir; I don't know if my owner will allow it."

Now with the incomparable beta Linda, Thank you Linda!

Meddling in the Affairs of Wizards

Posted 23 May 2010

Chapter 2 The Boy Who Lived

With a jolt the half-sized creature jerked out of his sleep. Something had happened! In his half-awake state, he couldn't tell where the alarm was coming from. He turned his head and looked around his room only to realize his bracelet was glowing red for danger. He immediately knew who the charmed object was telling him about and got out of his bed and dressed. He had gone to bed early because he had a very early appointment the next day.

Making an untraceable portkey for himself, he hurriedly popped out of sight. Upon arriving at his destination, he discretely looked at the excitement happening at the house across the street from where he was hiding behind a bush. He had watched from this position before- after the child was born and the charmed, goblin-crafted amulet was activated.

With his diminutive stature, he was unnoticeable to the wizards running around the area. He kept a careful eye on the house and watched the comings and goings of the aurors and the Headmaster of the wizard school. He had occasionally had a few dealings with the old coot and he knew him to be a little on the manipulative side; well, actually, more like a lot. In fact, all the goblins at Gringotts knew of his manipulative tendencies and detested him. Of course, if he, Stagnook, were trying to win a war, he might possibly have done the same thing. The only flaw in his plan, as far as the goblins were concerned, had been to try and manipulate their kind.

It seemed a kind of chaotic organization as the aurors and the headmaster held back the crowd and placed barriers around the partially destroyed home of the Potters. He watched as the Headmaster gave the half giant, Hagrid, a small wrapped bundle to carry. That had to be the child, he was sure of it. So the baby had survived the attack. He let out a breath of relief and returned back to his quarters where he contemplated what he had heard.

Sirius Black had been the most vocal about taking care of the small child. He had arrived a few seconds before the small creature left, reminding everyone that he was Harry's Godfather and therefore had the right to raise him in the absence of the child's parents. When Dumbledore told him the child would be safer somewhere else (not mentioning where), Sirius told them he would be in touch and disappeared.

Dumbledore lowered his voice and spoke with one of the aurors. The creature couldn't hear what was said, but he didn't like the look the auror had on his face just before he left the area.

The Dark Lord was dead and the Potter child had lived.

The next morning, the papers were full of the news. Even the goblin paper held an article about the boy-who-lived. It spread to every magical village and even abroad. Celebrations were far and wide; even several businesses and the school were closed for the festivities. Stagnook found out the child had muggle relatives to whom he had been given. It was good that the baby had family. His mission was complete for now… or so he thought.

Harry Potter...

Vernon and Petunia Dursley was a very upstanding and normal couple. They had a new car in the driveway, a very clean house and if dust had any kind of survival instinct, it would not even venture to enter the sterile house for a second. The couple had one son who was a year and a half old and they spoiled him excessively as he was their only child.

Yes, they were a very normal family.

Normal families did not receive infants on their doorstep, especially wizard children. Petunia had explained to her husband about her sister and her strange ways. They didn't visit each other and Petunia liked it that way. Now she found out that her sister was dead and she was saddled with the brat. The note, that man 'Dumbledore' had sent, said that they would be protected from the wizard enemies as long as Harry considered their home to be his home. What a load of hogwash. Petunia remembered Dumbledore, he was the one that had written back to her and told her she was not a magical child and could not attend Hogwarts School.

She hated that man and everything else in the magical world. She was normal and not a freak!

Back at Gringotts...

Two weeks later, the young bank employee was in yet another conversation with his superior. "We do not involve ourselves in the affairs of wizards!"

Yet again he had to answer, "This is not a wizard affair, and it is a goblin debt. Five goblin children and two house elves that are owned by the bank could have been killed or certainly would have been seriously injured but for those two stepping in when the attack began."

"You have already interfered in saving his life once with the talisman. Your life debt has been cancelled," was the response from the older creature. Yes, even though his daughter had not been outside at the time of the attack, his younger child and heir had been and he owed the Potters a great debt. Goblins always passed on their fortunes to the first born male; it was a rite of passage for the first son to become head of the family just as it was in the wizard families.

"Yes, but there are four others that owe that same debt." One of the other children had also been a first born male, and two more were the daughters of Stagnook's brother.

The older goblin sat in contemplation and rested back in his chair. After a few minutes of silence, he conceded the further complications of owing the Potter parents a debt. It took another hour for him and Stagnook to map out their plans. They would keep a close eye on the muggle household through the talisman. It would let them know if the child was attacked by the remaining Death Eaters as Albus Dumbledore was insinuating could happen or if the muggles were mistreating the boy.

Personally, Stagnook thought that if the evil wizard was destroyed trying to kill the child, his followers would be idiotic, indeed, to try the same thing. What would make them think they could do better than the greatest dark wizard since Grindewald? But then humans could sometimes act foolishly and were generally a stupid lot that often acted on insane emotional impulses. It was one of the reasons the goblins stayed away from them. The humans were beneath them in so many ways.

One month later at the Dursley household...

A small toddler was on a thin mattress in the cupboard where he had been shoved for crying because he was hungry. The day before, Dudley hit him because the 'freak' was playing with one of his old broken toys and had made the 'boy' cry. Crying was not allowed and his Aunt Petunia refused to feed him whenever she was annoyed with him. This had been going on ever since he had been brought here. The small child cried silently as he wished he could just go home. He didn't know where his Mama and Dada were, but he wanted them to come and get him away from here. His seventeen-month-old mind only knew he didn't want to stay here with these people anymore.

The house had a strange feeling, like it was dead. There was something missing and although Harry didn't understand it, he keenly felt the absence of the magic that had thrummed around him since the day he was born. He could feel the magic from his body, but the answering pulse that had been his home and his parents was not there anymore.

It was one week before Christmas when a strange man came to the Dursley's door with an offer Petunia couldn't refuse. Petunia didn't hesitate to accept it.

She had negotiated with the man after calling her husband about the offer. They had, after all, taken in that brat with no compensation. Actually, there was some compensation, but not nearly enough for the bother of the added responsibilities.

"You drive a hard bargain, Mrs. Dursley. I won't be able to comply with your wishes until I see the… merchandise." The strange man said. "I have to know if I am getting what I am paying for."

"If you will wait here in the den, I will get the merchandise and bring it here. I am sure you will be satisfied." She answered, not letting her worry show. She would have to act fast to get the settled upon amount.

Petunia quickly left the room and discretely looked over her shoulder before opening the cupboard and grabbing her nephew out of the small confined space. She took him upstairs and quickly bathed him and put on a fresh nappy. The last one had been on his bottom since yesterday and he smelled badly. You would think with not feeding the child, the nappy would have stayed clean, but that clearly was not the case.

After dressing him in an outfit from the smallest of Dudley's old clothes, she brought the child back to the room where the man waited. It had been fifteen minutes that he sat there with his tea, waiting for the woman to come back. He had already arranged his bag with the correct amount of muggle currency from a bottomless pouch and was waiting for the woman to present his merchandise.

His face remained passive when the woman finally entered the room. This was the prophesied child, and he looked miserable and lost. The Dursley woman was holding the child with one arm facing the baby away from her body, so he couldn't put his arms around her or hold on to her.

He nodded to the woman with a stoic look on his face, and handed her the bag which she quickly checked to make sure it had the required sum. The man was highly insulted that she would do that, but what could you expect from muggles? If the treatment of the child was anything to go by.

Bidding the woman goodbye and silently resetting the wards to stay in place without the child there, he left the house and headed for a dark alleyway to portkey the Potter heir and himself back to their designated assignation.