Ugh, I posted the prologue as Chapter one, the freaked out for like a whole minute because I thought I had lost the actual chapter one before realizing that I have it saved to a folder. (Have I ever said that I'm a bit of a tard?)
…
He tumbled into an office, promptly dropping the scroll he had been holding as it burst into flames, then scanned the room to see a younger looking goblin sitting at a desk positioned in the center of the room, with his hands clasped in front of him. "Good evening, Mr. Potter. I was hoping I'd see you soon. My name is Xezn, I am the goblin in charge of all of your personal accounts, as of this past year. Please sit down." The goblin motioned to a chair across from him.
Harry settled into the aforementioned chair across from the goblin, and peered at him from under his fringe. "What exactly do you mean of 'as of this past year'?" The goblin's pleasant, if one could call it that, face darkened slightly, "There was a goblin, a terrible excuse for one, and calling them as such leaves a bitter taste in the back of my throat. This goblin did something so vile, not even the ruthless of goblin before him had done so. He made a deal with a human, a one Albus Dumbledore, to allow him to gain access to the accounts of one Harry Potter, you. He would be able to extract any amount from any of the vaults under the Potter name and in return, the Goblin would gain eternal life, something goblins strive for that isn't achievable even to our kind. You see, even though we live longer then most, we still die, and when we die, we lose all of our life's work. A very grave outcome."
Harry had stopped listening. "So you're saying…that Dumbledore has been extracting money from me? From my vaults? From my parents' vaults even?" I mean, I know you said in the letter that someone had been taking money out of my vaults, but why did he?" The goblin cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. He looked troubled even as he said, "With what we found, the money is the very least of your worries, Mr. Potter. What we told you in the missive doesn't even scratch the surface of the travesties that have been discovered to have been done to you, though it the best place to start. Please don't think of this as the worst this man has done."
Harry nodded and motioned for the goblin to go on, a feeling in his gut that he was about to find out something he really didn't want to. "We have found that Professor Dumbledore has been taking money out of your vaults since a fortnight after your parents' death. The sum of Potter vaults on the day of their passing was brushing on 10 billion galleons, among other valuables. Since then, the vaults have been diminished to just about 1 billion galleons."
"WHAT? That's just…how…what did he use it for?" The goblin, which had jumped from the outburst, recovered and asked, "Would you like a statement of the Potter fortune at the time of your parents' death, as well as what has happened to it since then?" Harry nodded sharply, too angry still to form a simple yes at the moment.
The goblin waved a hand in the air, grabbing the sheets of parchment as they appeared before him. "Would you like the statement to be read aloud, or would you rather read them yourself?" He asked. "I would like to read them myself, please." Harry said, after breathing harshly through his nose for a few moments, he reached out and took the sheets that the goblin held out for him to take. "This is just a brief summary on where the money has ended up over the course of time. If you would like to go more in depth, please let me know."
Potter Vaults
Person who withdrew – Person who received and what amount over the past 16 years
Albus Dumbledore – MOLLY WEASLEY (1 billion Galleons, 100,000 Sickles)
Albus Dumbledore – RONALD AND GINEVERA WEASLEY (1 billion Galleons)
Albus Dumbledore – THOMAS RIDDLE (2 billion Galleons)
Albus Dumbledore – PETUNIA DURSLEY (3 billion Galleons, exchanged for Pounds)
Albus Dumbledore – REMUS LUPIN (1 million Galleons)
Albus Dumbledore – HERMIONE GRANGER (1 billion Galleons)
Albus Dumbledore – GINEVERA WEASLEY (ring)
Albus Dumbledore – GINEVERA WEASLEY (love potions found in vaults under stasis)
Albus Dumbledore – UNKNOWN LOCATIONS (1 billion Galleons and various items)
Harry's hands shook as he read the statement, he let out a shaky breath and looked up at the goblin with tears in his eyes. "Why?...Why did all these people take this money? What did I ever do to them? I thought these people were my friends…some of them my family even." The goblin looked sadly over at Harry, "I do not have the answers you seek, child. There is a possibility that you could restore the money and items taken from the vault. Would you wish to do this?"
Harry bit his lip and peered up at the goblin. "May I have a moment alone to think about this? This is quite a bit to take in and I'd rather not make a rash decision based on emotions at the moment." The goblin nodded and stood, hobbling out of the room. Harry lowered his gaze to the floor and began to nibble on the end of his thumb once again. It was a nervous habit he had yet to kick. When Harry heard the door click shut, he buried his face in his hands, letting out a groan of frustration. 'Why would they do this? Who can I trust now? Even Remus was in on this? Is Sirius?' He let out a strangled sob at the last thought.
Then it hit him, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The Weasleys, though undoubtedly strange, were still very much a pureblood family, and knew that wizards obsessively hid their world from their muggle counterparts. With that, it seemed very peculiar for them to be in the station during a time when muggles were packed in the station, trying to get to work, on the day before his first year started, yelling about muggles for all said muggles and Harry himself to hear.
Furthermore, why had Dumbledore not given him instructions on how to get on the platform to begin with? It seemed convenient that he would need help from someone and the Weasleys, who he knew for sure were strong supporters of the light side, Gryffindor, and Dumbledore himself, as well as undeniably always late would find him, who had been early, as his relatives wanted to be rid of him, and help him get onto the platform, thus gaining his trust.
It also explained many other things, like how magic hating muggles, i.e. the Dursleys, would keep him for so long, or even keep him in general, even though, he was magic, and hated by the Dursleys, which was obvious as anyone who had eyes could see that he was severely beaten for most of his childhood in the Dursleys' attempt to scare the magic out of him.
This, all of these oh so convenient events, all boiled down to one person, Dumbledore. But why? Why would the man go to such lengths to gain his trust? Why would he try so hard to keep Harry ignorant of the magical world for the first eleven years of his life? Then it clicked. They were in the middle of a war. Harry himself, as the Boy Who Lived, was the main target of a psychopathic serial killer, who had tried to kill him more than once and had almost succeeded many of those times. Dumbledore wanted him to be the perfect tool. To do so Harry had to be ignorant, neglected, and abused, so he would see Dumbledore as his proverbial knight in shining armor and bend to his command.
He knew that something was planned for him, though he didn't know what, he knew he was being honed into the ultimate weapon for Dumbledore against the dark side. It all made sense now. But what to do about it…he fought with himself for the time being, not even delving into the subject of why Ginny had acquired love potions from his vault, much less a ring yet, he didn't want to deal with the implications of those actions, since even thinking about her getting them made him shiver slightly.
Backtracking, he rubbed his scar, working his way through this bit by bit, he obviously wouldn't be on Dumbledore's, and in turn, the light side ever again, he wouldn't be a tool if he had a bloody word to say about it, and there was no way he was going to be a follower, or lick the boots, literally, of a person who had killed his parents, ruining his life in the process, so what was his position in this war?
He sat up from the slouch he had slid into whilst thinking and nodded, he didn't know what he was going to do about the war, nor did he know about what Dumbledore had planned for his future, but there was one thing he did know. This man had stolen his money, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to get it back.
As if knowing he was finished mulling over this new discovery for the time being, Xezn came back into the room, holding an envelope in his claw. "I'm sorry if I disturbed your thoughts, but we have much to discuss, and no where near enough time to discuss it. Have you come to a decision on what to do with your vaults?"
"I'd like to start getting the money stolen from my vaults back, but not all at one time, make sure they don't know its being taken back until its too late. Furthermore, I'd like any and all items irradiated from Ginevera's clutches before she can attempt to use them."
Xezn nodded and opened his folder, "With that settled, lets continue, as I said before, getting stolen money back is the least of your worries. We believe you may be in greater danger the You-Know-Who could ever attempt to imagine to put you in. If what I read on this paper is correct, you're no longer safe, no matter where you run."
"W-what?" The goblin looked at him sharply, "You have been cursed, Mr. Potter. This curse made sure that you wouldn't make it to 17. This curse was meant to kill you before you were even to come to school. It really is amazing that you're still alive." Harry looked panicked at Xezn, "What do you mean? What kind of curse? Can it be broken?" The goblin paused, "This curse was never named, most just call it the end all of curses. The person who put this curse on you didn't want you to get to the age in which you began understanding."
"That still leads to who exactly cursed you, as it is, you were cursed at the age of four, and there was only one wizard in the world that was strong enough to cast it on you…" Harry froze, "No, it couldn't be…Dumbledore wanted me dead? Why? I don't understand."
The goblin cast another sad glance at the young being before him, "I've lived for a long time, Mr. Potter. I've lived long enough to know that You-Know-You was once a meager halfblood named Tom Riddle. Don't you think it's odd that Dumbledore would send a large sum of money to the person whom he's trying to defeat?" Harry nodded; he had wondered why such a thing would happen.
His eyes widened as he looked at the goblin. "Dumbledore and Voldemort," the goblin flinched minutely, "are working together, aren't they?" The goblin nodded, "This is the only conclusion I can think of." Harry let out a shaky breath and ran his hands through his hair, in an attempt to calm himself down. "And Ron, Hermione, everyone, they're all his pawns, before today, this meeting, I was a pawn to his twisted game as well. That still leaves one last question. Can you break the curse that was placed on me?"
The goblin shook his head, "No I cannot, but you can. If my assumptions are correct, then you're more than strong enough to break the curse, but why guess at it, when we can know." He pulled out a sheet of parchment from the drawer. "This parchment is not normal parchment, if you put a drop of blood on it; it will show you not only your descendants, but your power level, any creature blood you may have, along with that, it will show us if you have other curses or magical blocks of any kind placed upon you." Harry nodded, "So you want me to put a drop of my blood on there, and then what?" The goblin pulled out a needle before continuing. "Just prick your finger, let one or two drops of blood fall onto the parchment, and then it takes roughly 2 minutes to give the results."
Harry took the needle and pricked his finger, squeezed it to get a couple drops out onto the parchment that was on the desk, which promptly sucked them into the parchment and started glowing minutely. He leaned back, staring at the parchment, putting his finger in his mouth and sucking on it, tasting his own blood.
Two minutes later, the glowing on the parchment diminished to almost nothing, before blinking out. The goblin waited for a couple more seconds before picking up the paper and skimming it. "Oh…oh my. This is far more then I expected. T-this is…" The goblin looked to be re-reading it more thoroughly, as if trying to see if his eyes had mistaken him. After a few minutes of waiting, Harry cleared his throat softly, making the goblin jump. "Oh! Oh, right. Here you are Mr. Potter." Xezn handed Harry the parchment before standing up. "I have to go discuss these finding with our head, you may look over this whilst I am gone."
After the goblin left, Harry cautiously looked down at the paper.
HARRY JAMES POTTER
POWER LEVEL: Gold, withheld to Blue
FATHER: JAMES POTTER
MOTHER: LILY EVANS- POTTER
GRANDFATHER (Paternal): EYTAN POTTER
GRANDMOTHER (Paternal): ABILENE GAUNT-POTTER
GRANDFATHER (Maternal-ADOPTED): CHARLES EVANS
GRANDMOTHER (Maternal- ADOPTED): JANUS KNUPP-EVANS
GRANDFATHER (Maternal-BIOLOGICAL): ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
GRANDMOTHER (Maternal-BIOLOGICAL): THOMAS RIDDLE (Magical Creature Blood)
DESCENDANT OF FOLLOWING OLD BLOODLINES:
POTTER (Father's Side)
GAUNT (Father's Side, Mother's Side)
RIDDLE (Mother's Side)
EVANS (Mother's Side)
GRYFFINDOR (Father's Side)
SLYTHERIN (Mother's Side)
HUFFLEPUFF (Inherited Father's Side)
RAVENCLAW (Mother's Side by Writ of Blood)
CREATURE BLOOD:
BASTET (Mother's Side)
FAE (Mother's Side)
CHARMS PLACED ON BEING
BLOCK PLACED TO MAGICAL CORE (Ages 1, 4, 11, 13)
BLOCK UPON CREATURE BLOOD (Age 1)
LONG TERM CUMPULSION CHARM (Age 11, 13)
ALL CHARMS PLACED BY ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
Harry's hands shook as he read through the information. The door to the office clicked shut once more, and he looked up to see a still shaky Xezn, his mind reeling. The goblin sat down, "Though this is a rather stupid thing to ask, do you have any questions on what is on the parchment in front of you? Start at the top and we'll work down."
Harry nodded, "What are the levels of magical power? Just how much of my magic was blocked?" The goblin sighed, "The levels are as follows, from lowest to highest: White, Yellow, Brown, Blue, Green, Pink, Purple, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Your core magic, when you were born, was at a gold level, though you wouldn't be able to use more than a half of your magic until you were 11. Where, if there were no block on your magic, you would most likely be able to perform simple wandless spells, right now you are just below average in your spell casting. Your next question?"
Harry resisted the urge to scream, "My mother was adopted?" The goblin nodded slightly, "One of the things I checked whilst you were reading over this," the goblin wave his hand over to the parchment. "It seems that Lily Potter may have not been the muggleborn everyone thought her to be." Harry scratched his head, trying to hide his growing horror. "So, how did Dumbledore and Voldemort have a child in the first place? They're both males, aren't they?" The goblin chuckled, "Yes, but wizards aren't muggles, there are ways for them to have children, which brings us to your creature blood. What do you know about Bastets?" Harry shook his head, "Nothing, I didn't even know there was such a creature until now." The goblin looked sharply at Harry, "And Fae?"
"Was this something I should have learned at school?" Harry asked suspiciously. "Yes, you were supposed to learn about these creatures in Third year, it was made to be mandatory material, as with any magical creature that can take human form. Bastets are of Egyptian blood, running back to before people began to even understand magic, but just accepted it as a daily part of life. Bastets are also commonly called were-cats, because they can take the shape of a cat, or be half cat-half human. They're highly protective of people they care about, especially their children."
"Both male and female Bastet are highly fertile, and generally can have children with anyone, whether or not their magic, but there are higher chances of a Bastet to be pregnant from a wizard then from a common muggle or squib." Harry nodded, taking in this information, "There's one thing I don't understand, if Bastets are protective of their children, then why did Voldemort give up my mother?" The goblin paused before answering, "I don't entirely know. Maybe it was to protect her, maybe there was something more sinister going on, but to know that, you would have to ask him or Dumbledore. Now, would you like to know about Fae?"
At Harry's nod, the goblin continued, "Fae are strange creatures, they have many abilities, such as controlling an element. They are also able to have children, no matter their gender. What generally sets apart Fae from humans is their appearance and eating habits. I don't think I will go into it myself, because we do have other things to discuss, and my knowledge of both races is minimum, to be honest. I do have books on both creatures, if you are interested."
At Harry's enthusiastic nod a stack of books appeared on a table. "Any other questions?" Biting his lip, he thought for a second, "Many, but only two pressing questions. If my mother was adopted, does that mean that the Dursleys are not my blood relatives?" The goblin shook his head, "No, they are not your relatives by blood."
Harry shook, thinking of all the times- no he couldn't think about that, not yet. "So, I didn't have to go to them every summer, there was no blood protection. I don't need an answer to that, it wasn't a question." He buried his face in his hands, pulling himself back together. "My last question on this, why, in the name of Merlin, did Dumbledore want to kill his own kin?"
"Mr. Potter, you're more powerful then you could ever even begin to imagine. While Dumbledore has a magical power of Silver with a gold-bronze tint, you are at a gold level. You, Mr. Potter are stronger then even Merlin himself."
"W-what?" The goblin nodded, staring at him with beady eyes. "You are more powerful then any wizard to date, but, this is information that is neither here nor there, and is certainly not as important as what is left to come. Would you like to read the wills that were instated to you?"
Harry gave the goblin a look that clearly said that that was a stupid question and the goblin chuckled while waving his hand in the air, another few sheets of parchment appearing from thin air. "Well, this is more then I expected. Alright, shall I read them out loud, or would you like to read them yourself, as with the last item we attended to?"
"Myself, if you wouldn't mind." A question popped into his mind, "Sir, how am I going to break the curse over me?" The goblin stilled at the new question. "To break the curse that is upon you, as you are much stronger then the average wizard, must find true friendship. Friendship so strong it could seem like love at times, but never quite crossing that boundary. Do you understand, Mr. Potter?"
Harry blushed and nodded, "Like the friendship me and Ron would have had if he hadn't been paid to be my friend?" The goblin nodded sadly. "I suggest you read over those wills now, Mr. Potter."
This is the last will and testament of James Potter.
If you're reading this, then I've obviously kicked the bucket. It also means that Dumbledore is a conniving man. Before we get to the will I would like to explain things. We had readily trusted Dumbledore when you were born Harry, yes you're the only person who can and will read this will (haha, will and will, anyway). The information in this can be shared only by you.
Contrary to popular belief, Pettigrew wasn't our secret keeper. I didn't trust that man as far as I could throw him. No, we merely let people think what they wanted to, and while most thought Sirius was the secret keeper, I would like you to know that the secret keeper was Albus Dumbledore himself.
We had decided that if you were to lose us before the second war ended, then this will would be a warning and if we do not die, then we would destroy this one and make a new one, granting Dumbledore a reward for being trustworthy.
Anyway, as my will, I would like to give you the entire Potter fortune. You and Siri can split it, and please give Snivillus some galleons so he can take a decent shower.
So mote it be.
Harry dried his eyes with the handkerchief that the goblin handed to him. "Albus Dumbledore was the secret keeper." Xezn looked at him in shock. "You're positive on this?" Harry nodded and went back to reading the wills as the goblin jumped up and rushed out of the room.
This is the last will and testament of Lily Evans Potter.
Harry baby, if you're reading this, then I would like to say that I'm sorry. Sorry for not being able to raise you. We want you to know that we loved you more then anything and that if we died saving you, then we died happy.
With that being said. Don't trust Dumbledore. No one is as they seem.
Onto the actual will:
I give my sweet Harry control over the Riddle estates, as that was instated to me, even after I was put up for adoption. And you're probably wondering why I was put up for adoption, with your true grandfather being much more protective of his kin. The answer is quite simple. He went insane a short while after he had me, he was the main threat to my wellbeing and did what he had to do to protect me.
Moving on, to Sirius, I give you the recoreded proof that you are not the secret keeper. You are free to use this (which will be placed in your vaults if we are to die).
To Remus, you get nothing, and you know exactly why.
Also, requested guardians for Harry:
Sirius Black
Severus Snape
Lucius Malfoy
Do not UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES place him with the Dursleys.
So mote it be.
Harry shook when he read the last part. His mother had written IN HER WILL, not to put him with the Dursleys and yet, he was sent there. For what, though?
Biting his lip, he slumped into the seat, re-reading over the wills when Xzen walked back in with Lucius Malfoy in tow.
"Before we begin with the legal issues that revolve around this, Mr. Potter. I didn't want to give you this last will, because I wasn't too sure what it would say, as I can't read it without your consent, but I feel as though it may contain information to what has been happening."
Harry nodded, wondering who else could have written a will to him. As soon as he started reading, though, he wasn't too sure that he wanted to know anymore.
This is the last will and testament of Tom Marvolo Riddle.
If you are reading this, that means that, while my body may not have perished, my living soul has been damage beyond repair.
My dear Lily, if you're reading this, please understand as to why I gave you away. I was a threat to your well being, and needed to be separated from you, my lovely child. Dumbledore made me do despicable things. He told me that they were for the sake of his well being, so I did them. They were what drove me over the edge. I went against my nature and killed a heavily pregnant woman. That is what made me snap.
If this is my grandchild reading this, then I am sorry for what may have gone on, or what is going on.
After I am finished writing this, I will do a ritual to salvage my soul, no longer will Tom Riddle be, but a shell, Voldemort. I will no longer be human, Bastet or Fae. I will be a soulless being walking around when I should be dead.
I hope that if you're reading this, you find sympathy. Dumbledore is a stronger man then I, I loved too much, cared too much, in the end, I'm sure that's what cost me my soul.
In the wake of someone reading this, I give to you the entire Slytherin legacy. Dumbledore has already stolen the rest of the founders accounts and held them in a stranglehold, so even if they were to be given in a will, he would have more power over them then the person who wrote the will.
Please make sure you take care of what's inside those vaults.
So mote it be.
For the first time in his life, he felt sorry for Voldemort. He wanted to let him know he understood. He looked up at Lucius, a man who was supposed to be a dedicated follower of Voldemort. "Sir, did you know? Did you know that Dumbledore and Voldemort," Lucius hissed, "were on the same team?" An elegant raised eyebrow and a head shake was all he got in return. "Dumbledore was my parents secret keeper, and this," he handed Lucius the will he had just read, "proves that the man Voldemort was and the…er man that he his now are two different beings."
The man before him read through the will, his face, if it were possible, getting paler as he read. "The Dark Lord was a Bastet?" Harry nodded. "And Dumbledore made him kill a pregnant woman." He nodded again, a sad look in his eyes. "That's…horrible…I mean…just…I'm at a loss of words as to describe how sickened I am by even the thought. Besides the fact that Fae generally hate violence, and try to avoid it when they can, I mean, Dumbledore hasn't broken just wizard law, he's broken both Bastet and Fae law as well."
His lip curled in disgust. "And here I was actually beginning to respect the man as a worthy adversary. I guess I really don't have to worry about that anymore, since Dumbledore and the Dark Lord are on the same side, but still. This is beyond even what a Slytherin would do."
"Yes well, now with that out of the way, let's move on to the more pressing matter of what we're going to do with this information." Harry shook his head. "Nothing, not yet. I have things planned for that man and it just wouldn't do to have him anywhere besides Hogwarts. No, we should sit back and have fun for a while, draw as many people away from him as possible, and then, when he's lost all face value, we strike."
Lucius smirked. "That's absolutely Slytherin, Mr. Potter." Harry got a glint in his eyes, "Well, you know, the sorting hat was pretty adamant on putting me in Slytherin. I happened to coerce it into not placing me in there, because of your son's less then stellar personality, unless that's a front to maintain appearances?" Harry looked at the blond in front of him curiously.
His smirk widened. "He was taught by the best, Mr. Potter." Harry snorted. "Please, all you have to do is act mean, that's hardly a front." The blond looked at him curiously before snorting. "Who would have known that the Golden Boy would be a front?"
Harry chuckled. "Do you think you could pull a few strings and get a resorting for me?" Lucius nodded. "A very simple task, Mr. Potter. I assume you want it to be a surprise?" Harry nodded, a mischievous look spread across his face.
Lucius stared at Harry for a few moments, before turning on his heel and walking out, with a few last final words…
"Hogwarts won't know what hit them."
…
Does anyone else notice that Harry nods to himself a lot? –gigglesnort- Also, I know that the chapters are numbered wrong, I'll fix that as I go.
