For those who read the chapter before, I have edited now. Most of what was added was detail and some things that needed to correspond with ch 1. The house will be revealed in the title when I post chapter four. I hope you all enjoy. Word count does not include Authors Notes :) If anyone wants to beta for this story please pm me.
THIS IS A SLASH STORY!
word count before: 5,000
Word count now: 7,625
Updated as of December 6th, 2017
'Harry's Thoughts' letters and such $parsletounge$
I Hope you all enjoy :)
-sSs-
Harry looked at the letter in his hand for a little bit longer before folding it up at putting it in his pocket. He still had some of his ice-cream left, but he wasn't in the mood to just sit around and do nothing. After all, There was an entire magical world that Harry knew nothing about at all. Getting up, Harry decided he might as well walk around until all of his cold, delicious ice-cream was gone. 'I need to have ice-cream more often,' Harry decided while licking his rapidly decreasing treat. The first thing he did before wandering around was to put all of the bags somewhere, as he didn't want to carry his school supplies with him. Walking around Harry found an alcove that wasn't too far away from the ice-cream shop. He put all of his bags down and let his new owl, whom he named Hedwig, out of her cage, "Why don't you fly around for the rest of the day. I have to go to the bank. Make sure not to go too far, so you know when I get out." Hedwig hooted and nipped at Harry's ear before flying off.
Harry wondered around the ally looking at all of the different shops that he had yet to check out. There was a secondhand bookstore, a shoe store, two other clothing stores, and four side alleys that sprouted off the main one. Harry vowed to himself that he would know all of what the ally had to offer one day.
Taking the last bites of his ice-cream, Harry headed to the bank. By now it was nearing three in the afternoon.
Walking back up the steps of Gringotts, Harry studied the goblins standing outside. They seemed like they were board; however, when you looked closer they noticed all who walked into and near the bank. It almost reminded him of the Dursleys. They had always kept a close watch on Harry to make sure he didn't do anything freakish.
Nodding at the guarding goblins, Harry walked into the bank. Harry never saw the look of astonishment quickly pass over their faces. No one had ever cared to great the goblin guards.
Harry looked around the main lobby trying to see if he could spot the goblin from before. Having no such luck, Harry walked up to one of the empty tellers.
"Welcome to Gringotts, please state your business." The goblin stated. It seemed that all goblins said the same thing to whoever approached them.
"Good evening, I received a letter asking me to come as soon as possible," Harry said as quickly as possible.
"Do you have the letter, sir?" The goblin asked still looking down at the weighing an assortment of jewels against what Harry assumed was gold.
"Oh, I do." Harry smiled grabbing the folded letter from his pocket and sliding it on to the counter. The goblin opened the letter and finally looked over at Harry.
"If you will wait here for just one moment Mr. Potter. I will see if your account manager is available." The goblin hopped down from the counter and walked through a small wooden door behind him.
Harry watched him go trying to catch his name. However, the name remained hidden behind Harry's letter, and the goblins own arms.
Harry stood there in silence and looked at the other witches and wizards around him. They were all wearing old-fashioned clothing; there was even a lady with a bird on her hat. Most of them seemed ordinary, or what looked to be the standard in the wizarding world. Harry didn't have the first clue as to what normal meant anymore.
"You know, if you want service you need to go up to a teller with a goblin," a voice said from behind Harry. Harry turned around to face the speaker to see someone who looked about as old as him, but with blonde hair that he had slicked back. His body language and clothes screamed wealth. 'This is the rude boy from the robe shop who had started talking about houses.' Harry was still very confused about what he meant by that.
"Thanks, but the goblin I was talking to had to check something," Harry replied.
The blade boy sneered at him, "Well good. And if it isn't to much trouble you should get proper robes on. You know, to spare the rest of us the horror of what you are currently wearing."
Harry glanced down and his cousin's large castoffs. "I will be, but I don't know the area very well. Any suggestions?" Harry asked. He wanted decent clothing that fit him and wasn't itchy. Harry figured he had money, why not spend it on something that he needed.
The blonde boy looked startled by Harry's question, "Well that depends on if you have the money."
"I just looked at my trust vault earlier, and I'm positive I can afford it," Harry replied instantaneously. Harry imagined himself in pants that didn't need to be tied up with a rope. He could also see a belt instead of a rope for that matter.
"Well if you do have money, then I suggest Twilfitt and Tattings. They have better quality robes." Not that the blonde boy believed that Harry had money.
"It's a good thing I only bought two robes today. The ones at Madam Malkin's are itchy." Harry said dismayed. The blonde boy laughed at that.
"Draco, we're leaving." A taller, and older, version of the newly re-named boy said from behind Draco. Turning to follow his father he said to Harry, "I hope you get your new clothes, and soon." They then left the bank drawing attention to themselves from nearly everyone in the lobby. Harry mused that maybe the stuck-up blonde wouldn't be so horrible to have as a friend, as long as he treated Harry better. Draco reminded Harry of his bully of a cousin, and Harry didn't like his cousin. But Draco had helped him, even if in a very odd way.
Harry was startled out of his musing by the goblin that had been helping him earlier.
"Mr. Potter, Goldchain will see you now. Follow me." The goblin said before heading back to the door he had just come out of moments ago.
-sSs-
The hallway behind the door was beautiful. The walls had hand painted murals depicting battles. The floors were black marble and the pillars made of white marble. The walls were accented with gold inlay to section off the different paintings. Harry wished that he could have something even close to being this beautiful one day. What kid wouldn't want to live in a home that reminded them of a castle?
Following the goblin as carefully as he could, Harry tried not to stop and stare. Harry wasn't doing an excellent job. The goblin leading Harry rolled his eyes. Sometimes he couldn't stand those who had been raised by muggles. Not that it was there fault, and he knew that. Like most wizards, muggleborns didn't usually try to learn goblin customs.
The goblin stopped outside a very intricate door with gold handles. "Wait here, Mr. Potter." The goblin then went in for a brief moment before inviting Harry in, "Please come in Mr. Potter."
Harry walked into the office not sure what to expect.
"Thank you Gekx, and you can leave now." The new goblin said to the goblin that Harry and been trying to figure out was called.
"Hello Mr. Potter, My name is Goldchain, and I am the Potter, account manager. Please have a seat. We have many things to discuss." Goldchain motioned Harry to one of the chairs opposite of him.
"We have been trying to reach you for some time Mr. Potter. You see, all of those who hold a vault get monthly statements no matter the age. It wasn't until five years ago that we decided to put a tracking charm on one of the owls. We found out that there is currently a mail ward around your house Mr. Potter. We don't know who put the mail ward up, so we don't know if it is a legal ward or not. Sadly we don't have the best relationship with the ministry of magic, so they haven't answered our questions on your particular case. You can request for a DMLE representative to come and find out specifically. I only suggest them in case the wards are illegal." Goldchain started off.
Harry didn't know half of what the goblin was talking about, so he asked, "What's the DMLE and what's a ward?" Harry figured that a mail block meant precisely what it implied, that someone was blocking his mail somehow.
Goldchain looked at Harry trying to figure out if the wizard was trying to pull a joke on him. Harry explained, "I don't know anything about the magical world Mr. Goldchain. I grew up in the muggle world. I didn't even know that I was a wizard until early this morning when Hagrid gave me my letter. Apparently, my aunt and uncle don't care for wizards or witches, so they never told me who I am. I'm sorry if I don't understand what you are saying."
Startled that the boy the wizarding world worships lived with muggles, Goldfish just stared at the boy. If this were true, then it needed to be rectified immediately. The Potter vaults had been losing money for the past twenty years. If Harry didn't know about magic, then where was his money going. It was a good thing Goldchain had decided to order a complete breakdown of the Potter vaults when Teller Thelk had come to him with an update on Mr. Potter's status.
Harry stared back waiting for an answer to his original question. When it seemed that the goblin had forgotten, Goldchain replied, "The DMLE stands for The Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Like I stated earlier if you want we can get a representative. I'm sure that they would be able to answer any questions that you have on the wizarding aspect of the magical world."
Harry looked at Goldchain with a little bit of uncertainty. He had never trusted adults before. The only reason why he trusted Goldchain was that he was a goblin and goblins had helped him out more than anyone else so far in Harry's life. Seeing the uncertainty on Harry's face, Goldchain spoke again, "Mr. Potter, I suggest we have a representative come over just in case." Harry only nodded while looking down at his hands. Harry could only hope that whoever it was would be a responsible adult that looked at everything.
Goldchain got up from his chair and went to the fireplace. Grabbing something out of the dish next to it and throwing it into the fire, Goldchain stuck his head in and started speaking in another language. Harry's eyes widened as far as possible while this was occurring. He didn't understand why someone would want to put their head in a burning fireplace. Still in a small state of shock when Goldchain pulled his head back out, Harry could only stare at the goblin. Once Harry saw that Goldchain was indeed okay, Harry let out a breath he didn't he had been holding.
Seeing Harry's reaction, Goldchain laughed and explained the floo network to Harry, "The floo network is a form of magical travel and communication. I can assure you that it doesn't burn. Even vampires can use the floo with their sensitivity to fire and sunlight."
'So vampires exist. I'm going to have to find out what else is real in the magical world.' Harry promised to himself. For now, he wanted to learn more about this floo network. After about fifteen minutes of Harry asking questions and Goldchain answering them, Harry sat back satisfied that he now knew a decent amount about a method of magical travel and communication.
Luckily Harry and Goldchain didn't have to wait too long for someone to show up. With a flash from the fireplace there stood a woman with what Harry assumed to be official robes.
"Madam Bones, I wasn't expecting you." Goldchain got up to greet the newcomer surprised at who had come.
"Hello Assistant Goldchain and may you find new gold in your vaults today. I was the only person left in the office. The ministry is trying to save money by cutting shift hours in areas that are needed the most. Besides, I wouldn't have trusted this to anyone else. The mouths on some of the Aurors I have." Madam Bones shook her head thinking about her less than savvy Aurors.
"And may your future ventures be very profitable. I hope you know this may take awhile, Madam Bones. It seems no one told Mr. Potter a thing about the magical world." Goldchain told the lady.
Madam Bones sighed, "Just what I need. Luckily for you, I came prepared. Susan is currently staying at a friends house for the next week, so I don't need to be home early. At least this isn't another fraud or embezzlement case." Madam Bones and Goldchain both chuckled at that. Harry stared at the two. 'They must be good friends. If Goldchain trusts her, then I suppose I can give her a chance.' Harry thought to himself.
"Very well then. I will get started now. Mr. Potter I will try to get through the list I made up as quick as possible. I also suggest that you get a medical checkup after we finish with the accounts and such." Goldchain told Harry.
Harry nodded his agreement and Goldchain continued, "We already talked about the letter, but to recap for you Madam Bones, Harry has never received a letter from us," Harry interrupted, "The only letter from the magical world I have ever gotten was my Hogwarts letter. In fact, when I wasn't able to reply to the first owl another one came the next day. The longer there was no reply, the more owls came. Drove my uncle mad that did. I don't know if that will help any, but eventually, Hagrid had to deliver the letter to me by hand."
"It does help Mr. Potter, "Madam's bones assured Harry before looking at Goldchain to continue.
Goldchain continued, "Like I was saying, he has never received a letter from apparently anyone, except Hogwarts. We found a mail ward, and until now there was nothing we could do about it besides making an inquiry to the ministry. We haven't heard back, and we have made the same inquiry every year for the past six years."
"I will have to check the archives. Are you positive it is a mail redirection ward? They are highly illegal to make without permission from the DMLE." Madam Bones stated now curious as to what the goblins had found.
"We checked the magical signature, and it came back as Albus Dumbledore, but you know that our magic means very little to the ministry. After no reply came from our inquiries, we assumed that he had permission because of Mr. Potter's status in the wizarding world." Goldchain told Madam Bones, "But you know us, we don't always believe what we see. Afterall, you can never be too sure."
Pulling out a notepad, Madam Bones wrote down what she just heard, "As I said, I will have to check on that. Hopefully, that is exactly what it is, if not then Dumbledore's going to have to answer for it." After she was done writing herself a memo, she went to put her notepad away when Goldchain stopped her, "Madam, I have a feeling you might want to keep that out. Now that you are caught up let's get on to the next topic of discussion, your vaults Harry."
Goldchain paused to make sure he had Harry's attention. 'Did he just say vaults?' Harry asked himself. Harry thought about it a moment and decided to wait and see what Goldchain was going to say. Maybe Harry's question would be answered without having to ask.
When Goldchain saw that he did, in fact, have Harry's attention, he continued, "Now that we know you have never been in the magical world until today, you should know that your trust vault has had continuous activity over the last ten years."
Harry blurted out, "I never got any money." ' If I did it would have gone towards clothes' Harry thought. Goldchain looked at Harry, "Mr. Potter, you wouldn't have gotten the money. Your guardians would have." Harry looked baffled at what he just herd. Amelia looked over at Harry sure that there was more to his reaction before turning to Goldchain and asking, "Do you know who took the money out and where it went?"
"As a matter of fact, we do. We have been keeping an eye on Mr. Potters account for the last ten years when the first withdraw happened." Harry couldn't help but think that goblins took care of their client's financial investments very seriously. Looking over at Harry Goldchain continued, "Mr. Potter every year ten thousand Galleons gets transferred to your trust vault year for living and school expenses. And every year once the money gets deposited, it gets taken out. We never said anything before because half of the funds went to your relatives and,"
"Wait, WHAT!?" Harry couldn't help but yell. Standing up suddenly, Harry started pacing around the small office. "You're saying my Aunt and Uncle have been receiving funds to help with my expenses and yet they had me living in the cupboard under the stairs my entire life. And let's not get started on my one meal a day, if I was lucky. God forbid if I didn't do my chores perfectly. And the number of chores I had to do. Did they honestly expect me to get all of those done by myself in one day?! Apparently, that's how I was to earn my room and board," Harry continued to rant. About halfway through Harry's magic started to act up. Harry only noticed when the lights kept flashing and felt a wind in a windowless room. Then he realized what he said, and a pit of dried swelled up inside of him. Just as fast he stood up Harry sat down quickly covering up his mouth. Harry mumbled an apology while trying to focus on a small stain at the bottom of his shirt.
Goldchain and Madam Bones were shocked at what they just herd. They couldn't imagine someone treating a child like that. Madam Bones was the first to recover and turned to Goldchain, "Head Assistant Goldchain, I think we should get a healer and deal with the accounts later." Goldchain only nodded and snapped his fingers.
Harry didn't know what to do. He didn't know what came over him. Usually, he would have never let anyone know about his home life. Not that Harry thought that they would believe him. Adults usually never did. It was only when a knock came at the door did Harry break away from his thoughts. When Harry looked up another goblin had entered, just Harry knew this one.
Surprised Harry smiled, "Hello Thelk."
Momentarily shocked that the young wizard remembered her name Thelk replied, "Hello Mr. Potter." Thelk then turned to her superior, "You called for me sir?"
"Yes, Thelk can you go get one of our healers up here as soon as possible, thank you." Nodding Thelk turned and left. A couple of moments later Thelk returned with an older goblin, "Sir, is there anything else you need?"
"I think some tea and sandwiches would be appropriate," Goldchain replied. Looking at Harry Goldchain continued, "Mr. Potter this is one of our best healers. Her name is Brissea. She is going to take you into the next room over and run some test. You will come back here after the exam is over and we will go over the results together. Everything that is found and discussed will remain confidential unless it causes you or another to person harm if kept quiet. Do you understand?" Harry nodded his head. Harry didn't know what a healer was but assumed that they were the magical world's doctors.
"Very good, Mr. Potter if you would follow me please." Healer Brissea said. Harry got up and followed her out of the office and into another room down the hallway.
-sSs-
After Harry left for the medical exam, Goldchain started walking around his office and grabbing different sets of papers. Ten minutes later Amelia got curious and asked, "Goldchain, what are all of those papers for?"
"There are the documents for all of the Potter vaults, the current conditions of all Potter estates, an inheritance test agreement contract, and letters from his parents," Goldchain replied as he started separating the papers into stacks. "Mr. Potter will be able to do anything with the Potter vaults except remove money from them. Those vaults have remained stagnant for awhile, and we would like to get money rolling back into them as soon as we can. We also suggest he take an inheritance test just in case he was named the heir to any other estates." Goldchain explained.
"His parents left him letters?" Madam Bones asked. The inheritance test she agreed with wholeheartedly.
"Yes, Madam Bones they did. Lily Potter felt that their wills may not be read in time, which she was correct about, and both she and James Potter wrote letters to their son. When Mr. Potter gets back, I am sure we will find out what is in those letters." or Goldchain hoped that they would find out what was in them.
"I never did understand why Dumbledore blocked the will readings. At first, I assumed that James and Lily wanted Harry to be older when the wills were read, but that didn't make much sense. And with him being Harry's magical guardian, he had a right to hold off the will reading." Amelia thought out loud.
"No that was not the case Madam Bones; however, the ministry would have never taken our word over Dumbledore's," Goldchain said with a hint of disgust in his voice not noticing what Madam Bones told about Harry's magical guardian.
"I am beginning to think that Dumbledore is not all that he's made out to be, not that I put much faith in him, to begin with. Is there anything else that I need to know? I want to start acting as Harry's counsel until we can get this all sorted out. Is there any way we can stop Dumbledore from finding out, or at least delay him from getting news of this?" Amelia wanted to help Harry as much as she possibly could, and she didn't think Dumbledore was thinking of Harry's best interest.
"Madam Bones, Why would we tell Dumbledore anything." Goldchain frowned at her.
"Well, he is Harry's Magical guardian…." before Amelia could finish her sentence, Goldchain interrupted her.
"Madam Bones, Harry doesn't have a magical guardian. He doesn't have any guardian."
"What do you mean he has no magical guardian? Dumbledore is….," Amelia paused and thought about what she knew of that night before continuing, "Harry was never taken to the Department of Magical Children's Welfare, was he?"
"No Madam Bones, he was not. He has been living with the Dursley's illegally for the past ten years. As I said, we have been blocked at every turn when it comes to Harry." Both Amelia and Goldchain were wearing faces to portray their disbelief and anger respectively. Amelia couldn't understand why someone would want to meddle in the affairs of a single child, granted this child was Harry Potter.
Madam Bones decided, "Sometime in the next week I will take Harry to the DMCW. With how long the exam is taking, it will most likely not be the only appointment that I'm going to have to set up for Harry." Goldchain only nodded in agreement.
"Goldchain, I will officially be in charge of Harry until he has a proper guardian," Amelia said with determination.
"Very well," Goldchain slid a paper over to Amelia, "Madam Bones, please sign these." Amelia signed the papers knowing that they would make her a temporary guardian for Harry. After she signed, she slid the paper back over to Goldchain. Grabbing the paper Goldchain examined it, "Everything looks to be an order. As Mr. Potters new guardian I think there is something you should know." Goldchain said peering over at Amelia.
Amelia looked at Goldchain and nodded her head for him to continue, "Madam Bones there is an ancient marriage contract that was written up by the late Lord William Potter and Lord Agustin Andal. The contract was given thirteen generations for completion. Harry is the thirteenth Potter since the contract came into being."
Amelia looked bewildered, "The Andal's? I thought they died out in the last war?" Amelia knew that it wasn't uncommon for marriage contracts like this to pop up or even be formed today.
Goldchain sighed. He honestly wondered how wizards couldn't even keep track of their people, "No Madam Bones they didn't. The last Andal was Marry Andal, who married Thaddeus Nott. The current Lord Nott has already accepted the contract. Harry must marry Heir Theodore Nott if he wishes to keep his magic, money, and property. I suggest you tell Mr. Potter this. I don't think I would be able to answer all of his questions."
Amelia stared openmouthed at Goldchain. She didn't know the late Andal's had a child. If they did, she would have crossed paths with this Marry during course, if this girl was a squib then Amelia could understand not knowing her. The Notes and Andal's must have made up a marriage contract between their children. She knew that the Andal's were old money. Amelia could see the Nott's going through with the marriage, if only for the money anyways. It also explained why the current Lord Nott never talked about his late wife. She was going to have to tell Harry about the contract soon. The more time he had to deal with this the better. Then another thought came to her, and she whispered the question hoping for a no, "Did Dumbledore know?"
Goldchain looked at Amelia, and she felt dread rising from the pits of her stomach, "Yes he did know. He even tried to make a marriage contract between Mr. Potter and a Ms. Ginevra Weasley. We allowed him to believe that it went through. Rest assured magic did not and would not allow the contract. Besides, the only people who could have made any contract for Mr. Potter would be his magical guardian, which he doesn't have."
"Okay, I will tell him. Besides going through the accounts, is there anything else you suggest we do?" Amelia rubbed her temples. She had a feeling this headache wasn't going to go away anytime soon.
"I suggest Harry see if the heir ring will accept him, after all, it never accepted his father," Goldchain suggested to Amelia.
Amelia laughed, "James never did want to become a lord. Do you have the ring?"
Goldchain nodded his head and pulled out the box from his desk.
Amelia was about to ask another question when Harry and Healer Brissea came back. Harry looked slightly pale, which worried Amelia.
Goldchain spoke first before Amelia could voice her concern, "Healer Brissea, I trust everything went well?"
"Yes and no sir. Harry is severely malnourished and shows signs of physical abuse. With a steady potions regime and scar cream, he should be better in no time. Here is the list for you to get what he needs. During the exam, we had to fix some bones that had broken and never healed properly. I suggest that you don't make this meeting much linger, for his sake. Anywho, I also found that Harry has been dosed with loyalty potions recently. The potions were keyed to Albus Dumbledore and two of the Weasley's; Molly and Ron. We removed these potions have from his system. Harry needs to come back in a couple of days. Harry's magical core is blocked, and he needs to be well rested when the block is taken off. Harry has stated that he wants his eyesight fixed. Gringotts does not have that ability at this time. There is an optometry shop in the ally that I suggest. It is called Opal's Eyes." Healer Brissea reported. Harry stayed quiet the entire time. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that adults were helping him.
"Thank you, Healer Brissea. I will make sure Harry gets here in, hopefully, two days time." Amelia told the Healer. Nodding back to Amelia, the healer left. Amelia realized she was going to have to take the next couple of days off to help Harry. "Okay Goldchain, I think we should do the letters next. Harry, Goldchain has letters written by your mother and father to you. If you don't mind, we would like you to read them out loud. We are hoping that they say something about their will." Amelia told Harry.
Harry thought about it and decided he would. This Madam Bones person seemed to be one of the most helpful adults he had come across yet. Harry took the letters from Goldchain's outstretched hand. The first one he opened was from his father.
Dear Harry aka Prongs Jr. aka Prongslett,
I hope this letter finds you well. Although I am sure Dumbledore will take good care of you, your mother seems to think differently. Lily says that I need to write things that you will need to know. The most essential item in the Potter family is the family grimoire. It should be on the first Potter estate. If it's not there, then try the Potter Family vault. Under no circumstances should you let anyone else read it if they are not apart of the family. Your betrothed will be able to read it once you are married. Speaking of betrothed, I am sorry to say my son, but you have to marry a decadent of Marry Andal. I know she has a son, and if rumors are to be believed, she may not be able to have another child. I think his name is Theodore Nott. Hopefully, he is smaller then you, if not then I am sorry.
Anyways, on to happier subjects. In Hogwarts, there is a map that my friends and I made. It should still be in Filch's office. When you get it, and I have no doubt you will, point your wand at the paper and say 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' When you are done using the map point your wand at it again and say 'mischief managed.' I hope you use it for all sort of pranks. I know I did.
Harry, I want you to know that I love you and I am proud of you no matter what house you go in to at school. Just promise you will try your hardest.
With love and pranks,
Your father
Harry stared down at the letter. There was one thing that he was trying to wrap his head around. Looking up Harry asked, "I'm engaged to a boy? How does that even work? Is that accepted in the wizarding world? What if I want to have kids? What if I don't want to marry this person?" By the end, Harry had started to hyperventilate from freaking out. He was only eleven years old. He didn't want to be thinking about marriage.
Amelia got up and shushed Harry and told him it would be okay. She didn't think the contract would come up so soon. 'This was completely James' Amelia thought. The guy had no tact when it came to sensitive subjects. Amelia then turned to Harry, "Harry, if you don't Marry Heir Nott you will lose your magic. Yes, it is Theodore you are engaged to, his mother died four years after he was born and never gave birth to another child. Harry, Same-sex marriage an acceptable practice in the wizarding world. Men can have children with the use of potions, besides children will most likely be required in the contract. I am truly sorry you don't have a choice. Merlin only knows why the Potter's didn't complete the contract sooner. There were plenty of Potters for the last couple of generations. In the meantime, you can try and get to know him, so when you do have to fulfill the contract, you know each other better."
Harry's breathing slowly returned to normal as his brain was processing all of this new information. Amelia didn't have it in her to tell Harry that the Nott men were typically taller and more prominent than any Potter in the past couple hundred of years. Harry only nodded still unable to speak.
Goldchain was also not expecting for the betrothal contract to come up so quickly and handed the second letter to Harry hoping it had more information they could act on. Amelia took the note and asked, "Harry do you want me to read this for you?" Harry nodded his head. He was trying to re-find his voice after what he found out. He didn't want to lose something he just got.
My darling Harry,
I know this must be hard for you, but please bear with me. Most of what I have to say deals with estate matters. Something your father was never really good at and probably didn't explain. First, you need to talk to the goblins about getting Potter Manor restored. It has been neglected for some time, even your grandparents elected to stay at one of the smaller family homes. Don't worry about the cost; all estate matter costs will be taken out of the Potter Family vault.
Next, as I am assuming we are no longer with you, is that our wills should have been read. However, I don't trust Dumbledore to do that. The most significant things you need to know are these:
Sirius Black was NOT our secret keeper. It was Peter Pettigrew. Dumbledore should know this as he was the one to cast the fidelius charm. Hopefully nothing happened to Sirius; however, I doubt that.
You are to never go to my sister and her horrible husband. Petunia is a vial woman who hates anything magical. I shudder at what they might do to you.
You were named the heir to the Potter family. The heir ring should be with Goldchain. Make sure you learn all of the responsibilities involving being an heir. Sirius should be teaching you. If he isn't, contact the Longbottom or the Bones family for help. I know they will give it to you.
Now that is out of the way, Harry goes to Gringotts and do an inheritance test. I know Sirius made you his heir, but you might be able to receive other vaults as well.
I love you so much. Only yesterday you were ridding on Remus' back yelling 'oony and pa' foot. I hope you have had a wonderful happy life. I love you with all of my heart my sweet baby boy.
With all the love in the world,
your mother
By the end of the letter, Amelia was in shock. Sirius Black was innocent. This was something that Amelia was going to fix soon. She already had plans to have Harry's custody switched to someone else. If need be, Amelia was willing to do it. Now she had another task to add to her growing list of things to get done. 'Poor Harry,' Amelia thought. Looking down, she saw a crying broken little boy sitting in a chair far too big for him. Harry was going home with her tonight, and she was glad.
Harry didn't know what to think. He was never supposed to go to the Dursleys. He was never supposed to live like a slave. He was never supposed to sleep in a cupboard. He started crying. His life should have been better. He now knew that he had people that were supposed to care for him. People that would care for him. The letter said to go to the Bones or Long something family. The cop lady had the last name of Bones. Maybe she was apart of the same Bones family his mom had written about in the letter. Harry hoped she was.
After about two minutes Goldchain broke the silence, "Madam Bones. Mr. Potter. Gringotts would be willing to provide a lawyer to help free Sirius Black. I will personally make sure that Potter Manor is up to standards by next summer." Harry looked up at Madam Bones, who nodded at Harry.
"Thank you Goldchain," Harry replied honestly. Harry hoped that he would be able to stay there next summer. If he was, he had plans to claim the master room as his.
"It is no problem, Mr. Potter. We have two more items before we close up this meeting. The first is that I suggest you do the inheritance test after the block on your magical core is released. Your magical core needs to be free to get a proper reading. I need you to sign this release form so we can get the room ready for later this week." Goldchain handed Harry a paper to sign. Harry looked down at the paper and started to read it. He stopped reading halfway through the first sentence. He didn't understand half of the words there. Looking up to Madam Bones, Harry opened his mouth to ask a question. Before he could ask, Madam Bones said, "I have read the document, Harry. It is safe for you to sign." Nodding his head, Harry grabbed the quill and messily signed his name.
Goldchain grabbed the paper and put it on a paper tray on his desk before grabbing a ring box and handing it over to Harry. "This Mr. Potter is the heir ring for the Potter family. I need you to put the ring on to see if the Potter Family Magic will accept you as the next Lord Potter." Goldchain explained as he slid the box over to Harry. Harry grabbed the box and slowly opened it. The ring was big and made of gold. There were two little rubies on either side of the ring. The top was circular with a designed shield indent. Harry went to slip it on his finger when Amelia spoke up, "Put it on your left pointer finger, Harry." Harry nodded his head and did what she said. At first, the ring just sat there on the base of his finger, far too big for it. When nothing happened, Harry went to slide the ring off when it suddenly tightened. Madam Bones and Goldchain both gave an audible sigh of relief.
"Now it is nearing eight at night; I suggest you gather your school supplies and get some dinner. I am sure you are tired, Mr. Potter." Goldchain peered over his glasses looking at a worn out Harry.
"Thank you Goldchain for all your help. We will be back in two days time for the block removal and the test." Amelia stood up and bid Goldchain a farewell.
"Goodbye Madam Bone and Mr. Potter," Goldchain said already starting on the paperwork to get Potter Manor back up to living standards. Looking at the reports, Goldchain knew he was going to have to build the manor from the ground up. The basement seemed to be still intact and in working order.
Harry hesitated before jumping out of his chair and waving goodbye to Goldchain. So much had happened today and he had yet to wrap his head around all of it. Looking at Madam Bones Harry decided that he liked her and, after wrestling with the thought, decided to grab her hand.
Amelia looked down in surprise when she saw Harry's little hand in hers. Smiling She asked Harry where his school supplies were. Harry led her to a small alcove that was out of the way and hidden from plain sight. Sitting on the ground were about ten different bags and an empty owl cage.
"Where's the owl, Harry?" Amelia pointed out the empty, rusted cage. "I let her out to fly around while I was in the meeting. I didn't want her to be locked up." Harry shrugged. Not two seconds later a beautiful snowy owl flew down and landed on Harry's shoulder. Harry smiled at his little owl friend.
"Hedwig, this is Madam Bones. She is helping us out." Harry talked to his owl. Hedwig hooted and nipped at the tip of Harry's ear, the same one she bit at earlier.
Smiling, Amelia looked at Harry and his companion, "Harry I am going to take you to my home. Is that okay?" Harry looked up at her and shyly smiled and nodded his head once. He was excited to be sleeping in an actual bed.
Grabbing Harry's hand, Amelia told Harry, "We are going to apparate to my home. You may feel dizzy and nauseous when we land." With a pop, they disappeared from the spot they had been in before.
Upon landing, Harry decided he did not like traveling that way at all. The only thing he was grateful for was that he didn't eat lunch. Sadly that still didn't stop nausea from occurring.
Amelia looked down at her young charge and when she saw him recovering, called for one of her house elves, "Minnie."
"Madam be calling Minnies?" The little house elf asked popping into existence. Harry yelled and kept behind Madam Bones. Slightly shocked by Harry's reaction, she laughed, "It's alright Harry. This is Minnie. Minnie is a house elf. She, along with two other house elves, do all of the cooking and cleaning. If you ever need anything you can call her." Amelia smiled reassuringly at Harry.
"Minnie, can you set up dinner in the kitchen for us. I am going to show Harry his room, and then we will be right back down." Minnie nodded and said before popping away, "I am getting dinner ready now." Harry couldn't help but feel for the little creature. He just hoped that they were treated better then he was.
"Come, Harry, Let me show you to your room." Amelia grabbed Harry's hand and started pulling him in the direction of the staircase. While Amelia led Harry to his new room, he looked around. The house had a warm, homey feel to it. Something that Harry had always wanted. The floor was a rich oak wood, and the walls were cream colored. Harry hoped that the room he was staying was just as homey as the rest of the house seemed.
Moving pictures lined the hallway that they were in and Harry stared at them as he was walking behind Amelia. He was so engrossed in the images that he didn't notice that Amelia had stopped and ended up running into her. Startled, Harry blushed and mumbled an apology.
Laughing Amelia opened a door, "Don't worry Harry. I know this is all new to you. This will be your room, the third door on the left. We can change the colors later. For now, we are going to eat and then go to bed. I'm sure tomorrow will be a busy day." Harry looked into the room for a brief second before turning around and following Amelia back down the stairs, through another pictured filled hallway, finally to end in the kitchen.
There was a small table set up for two people to eat. Dinner looked to be some kind of potpie, which Harry's stomach decided that at that point it wanted some food. Following his stomach's growling order, Harry sat down and dug in to discover it was chicken and mushroom potpie. Harry ate about half of his dinner before he was full. The food was delicious, but Harry wasn't used to eating so much. While waiting for Madam Bones to get done, Harry started to doze in his seat while thinking that he wanted to thank the little elf from before for the meal.
Amelia looked across the table and smiled at the sleeping Harry. If she was honest with herself, she felt the same. Finishing her meal, Amelia woke Harry up and got him to bed. Harry was asleep before his head even hit the pillow. Smiling, Amelia transfigured his clothes into flannel pajamas and covered Harry with a Blanket.
Amelia walked to her room a couple of doors down and got ready for bed. As she was falling asleep, she wondered what she had gotten herself into today.