Disclaimer- I own nothing you recognise.
A/N - thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, I'm very glad you liked it. This chapter has again been Beta'd by OrnateDragon, who is fab. So I hope you enjoy it, and I'll get the next chapter done soon as possible :)
Harry watched as the clock counted down the seconds until his sixteenth birthday. He wondered if he would have any cards this year, or even a letter of acknowledgement from one of his friends, or if it would be too dangerous for them to contact him. The only letters he had received from them thus far into the holiday had made him so mad, he hadn't bothered to read the last batch. The letters were more of the same he had recieved last year, with an added bonus from Hermione telling him he had to talk about his grief. He thought they had learnt the hard way last year, that keeping him in the dark only caused problems. He understood that owls could be unreliable, but Dumbledore had proved last summer, with the letter to Petunia, that he could send letters easily and safely, straight to the addressee.
The clock stuck midnight and Harry James Potter turned sixteen.
It might not seem like much, but to Harry, it changed his whole life. The moment he turned sixteen, plans that had been in place since his birth started to unravel. It all began with a letter, and not one Harry was expecting. As the clock struck midnight, a regal owl flew through his window with the first step to independence tied to its leg.
Harry took the letter cautiously, and turned it over in his hands. The parchment was expensive, the writing wasn't one he recognized. Breaking the seal, he took the letter out of its envelope and began to read.
Dear Mr Potter
My name is Alex Jackson. I apologise for writing such a letter on your birthday, but this is the earliest opportunity I have had to contact you, for reasons I will explain in a moment, and I wanted to get ahead of the game, so to speak.
As is customary in the wizarding world, all of the Ancient and Noble houses have personal solicitors on retainer to the family. I am unsure as to your understanding of the older customs of our world, but I will give you the basic outline of my job and duty to you now, and should you wish to contact me, I will explain as much as possible. My father, George Jackson, was your Grandfather and your father's solicitor, and before that, my Grandfather, Edward Jackson was the Potter family solicitor.
An Heir to an Ancient and Noble house comes of age on his sixteenth birthday if he is the only person able to take over the family mantle. Of course, you are still legally underage, but Gringotts will now notice you as an adult, and as such, you will come into control of all of the Family vaults, plus any afforded to you by wills from other people. You may also petition to be legally emancipated, to either the Headmaster of Hogwarts, or the Minister of Magic.
I have been following your life as best I can, through independent sources and of course, through the Prophet, although I know to take most of what is in that rag with a pinch of salt, particularly the articles written by Rita Skeeter. I have a file on you that I would like to go through with you, should you accept me as your solicitor, and have planned out a few options depending on how you feel about the amount of control, or lack of such, you want in your life.
As for a meeting, I realise you live in a muggle neighbourhood, and so there might be a problem with getting a time and place to fit you. I have been wondering about the possibility of getting you a house elf, but again, I am unsure if that is a possibility for you.
If you are interested in a meeting, please send me a letter within the next week, as we have a lot to get through and not a lot of time before you must return to school.
Yours Sincerely
Alex Jackson
Harry read through the letter twice before laying it on the bed in front of him. Thoughts were whizzing through his head, why had no one told him any of this? He hadn't even known his family was an Ancient and Noble one, never mind any thing else.
He picked the letter up again and read through it slowly, trying to get his mind around the information he had recieved. Suddenly he had an idea.
"Dobby," he whispered, hoping the crazy house elf would hear him.
A slight crack echoed around the silent room and Harry cringed slightly, listening carefully for movement from his relatives. Dobby stood before him, a huge smile on his face, waiting to be addressed by Harry.
"Hello Dobby, how are you?" Harry asked quietly.
The elfs eyes welled with tears. " Dobby is fine, thank you Harry Potter. Why is you calling for Dobby? Is you needing Dobby to do something?"
"Actually Dobby, I was wondering if you would like to bond with me? It's not a problem if you don't, I know you like freedom, but Iwas just wondering..." Harry trailed off, realising he was rambling.
"Harry Potter really wants Dobby? Dobby would love to be Harry Potter's elf."
Harry smiled. "That's great. Erm... I'm not sure how to...um...bond with you? What do I need to do?"
"Dobby does the Bonding, Master Harry Potter must accept the magic, and then the bond is true. Is Master Harry Potter ready?"
Harry nodded and a few seconds later felt a very strange feeling in his very core, a strand of magic, almost knocking against him, waiting to be accepted. Harry accepted the magic to him, and felt a throb before the feeling disappeared completely.
"Master Harry Potter sir, Dobby is so very happy you askes to be my master. Is there anything you need?"
"I need you to deliver a letter for me if you can. Its for Alex Jackson. He's my family solicitor apparantly and wants to meet with me. Would you deliver the letter and then take me to meet with him when the time comes?"
"Of course Dobby can, Master Harry Potter sir. Is the letter ready to take now sir?"
"Not yet, I need to write it. Give me a few minutes."
Harry wrote out a quick reply, stating his eagerness to meet with the solicitor, and his ability to get to any meeting at any time Alex might have free. He gave the letter to Dobby and watched as the little elf disappeared. He had told him to ask if Alex wanted to send a return letter, and if so to wait for it.
As Harry lay on his bed waiting for Dobby to come back, another owl flew through the window and landed on the table next to the bed. Harry took the letter and shook it open, this time recognising the loopy writing easily.
Dear Harry,
If it is convenient to you, I shall call at number Four, Privet Drive this coming Friday at eleven P.M. to escort you to the Burrow, where you have been invited to spend the remainder of your school holidays.
If you are agreeable, I should also be glad of your assistance in a matter to which I hope to attend on the way to the Burrow. I shall explain this more fully when I see you.
Kindly send your answer by return of this owl. Hoping to see you this Friday,
I am, yours most sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Harry wasn't really sure what to make of the letter. The Headmaster had never sent him a letter before, and what was this thing he wanted assistance with? As for going to the Burrow, Harry would be happy to see his friends, but really, he didn't want to spend the rest of the summer being mollycoddled by Mrs Weasley. He wanted to find out more about his family, to find out what being theHeir to an Ancient and Noble Family actually meant, and to find out what else was being kept secret from him.
Nevertheless, he replied in the affirmative to Dumbledore, there was no need to tip him off to something being wrong before Harry was even sure there was something wrong after all. He tied the letter to the waiting owl and watched it fly through the window.
He turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Dobby stood looking at him holding out a letter. Harry took the letter with a quick "thanks" and opened it.
Dear Mr Potter,
Thank you for such a speedy response,I admit to not expecting a reply. Your house elf now knows where I live, so if it suits you, he can fetch you to my apartment at 10 o clock, tomorrow morning, (August 1st) and we can go from there. In the meantime, if you could prepare a short biography of your life until now for me, it will make things much easier and faster.
Yours sincerely
Alex Jackson.
Harry folded the letter back up and put it gently under his pillow with the other two letters he had received that night. It hadn't escaped his notice that neither of his friends had written. Saying goodnight to Dobby, he took his glasses off and placed them on his nightstand, yawning as he did. He would deal with the Biography in the morning, it would give him something to do. As he fell asleep, for the first time since the Department of Mysteries, his last thought wasn't of Sirius.