CHAPTER 3 - LATER IN THE DAY, JUNE 18, 1996 Part B
To say that Harry was gobsmacked would be putting it lightly. He had absolutely no idea that Sirius would have even considered doing what he did, and of course, he had no idea that Sirius was as rich as he evidently was. All Harry could do was sit at the table and stare into the eyes of the portrait of his godfather. Remus was in the same shape as Harry, he could only sit and stare at Sirius. He, of course, knew of the wealth of the Black family, but he never had any idea that he would be a recipient of that wealth. While the two of them sat and stared Ragnok passed Gringotts drafts to all the other recipients at the table and in return got their signatures for receipt of same.
As everyone was leaving Harry whispered to Hermione to wait for him before she left. She agreed and went out the door with her parents and everyone else.
After the room was cleared except for Harry, Remus, Ragnok, and Griphook, Ragnok handed envelopes to both Remus and Harry, along with folders containing the aforementioned lists. They were each handed keys to the Black Family vaults as well. Director Ragnok offered them the opportunity to visit the vaults immediately or at a time of their choosing. Harry and Remus decided that they would take the folders and letters with them and look at them, and visit the vaults at a later time.
There were a lot of things that Harry had questions about. Particularly the part of his being emancipated, and what that actually meant. He was hoping to get a chance to talk to Remus about it. Ragnok seemed to know what Harry was thinking and told him that he would have the documents prepared for him to sign and sent to the Ministry of Magic that afternoon. If he could come back after lunch he could sign them and they would get all the details ironed out then. That served Harry's purposes fine, as he was hoping to have lunch with Hermione and her parents.
"Before you leave Mr. Potter, I do need you to sign the papers of acceptance of the Head of Family for the Black family. These papers need to be signed and forwarded to the ministry immediately. Any delay could be … costly." Ragnok knew that the Malfoys would waste no time in beginning proceedings to strip Harry of the title and he was equally determined for that not to happen. Anything that would frustrate a death eater was on the top of his to-do list. So Harry quickly signed the papers where indicated. Ragnok opened a box on the table slid the papers in, the box closed, turned blue, and they were gone. "Congratulations, Lord Black." A box appeared on the table in front of Ragnok which he slid across the table to Harry. When he opened the box a beautiful signat ring lay inside, it was silver with a black onyx stone in the center of the Black family crest. Putting it on the ring finger of his right hand the ring automatically sized itself to fit Harry, it glowed silver, and then disappeared. A scroll appeared in place of the box. "That will explain the ins and outs of the Head of Family and the ring that you put on." Harry picked up the scroll and put it in the pocket in his robes.
When the two of them exited the conference room they found not only Hermione and her parents waiting for them, but the whole Weasley family as well. While Harry loved the Weasley family at this moment in time he really wasn't up to dealing with them en masse. Luckily Remus noticed this and was able to head them off before they could surround Harry. Harry ducked into an alcove to wait for them to leave the bank. Eventually Remus was able to convince them to go take care of their business and to contact Harry the next day to set up a time for them to all visit. Harry was very grateful to Remus for doing this for him.
Unnoticed by any of them behind the Weasley family was another person hoping for a little quality time with her 'inheritance'. Tonks had stayed behind with the hopes of getting a chance to talk to Remus alone. Once the Weasley family left Harry noticed her there and invited her and Remus to join them. He then approached the Granger family and invited them all to lunch. Introductions were made and they headed out into Diagon Alley with the purpose of finding a quiet restaurant to eat and talk.
Everyone seemed to naturally pair off, which suited Harry, Hermione, and Tonks right down to their toes, and some very lively discussions ensued. Dan and Emma Granger didn't take part in the discussions much, preferring to observe their daughter and try to wrap their heads around the fact that she was now almost a millionaire.
Harry and Hermione found that after being apart for a week they had much to catch up on, at least on Hermione's part they did. As Harry's story was very short and to the point it didn't take him long to catch Hermione up on what he had been doing. After all, how many ways can you say, 'I have stayed locked in my room and avoided everyone as best I could.'?
Hermione on the other hand was, as usual, a fountain of information. Since they had finished their OWLs the professors had not assigned any specific homework for the summer until OWL results were received and the students decided what NEWT classes they wanted to take. She had been revising her OWLs again and making preliminary decision regarding her NEWT courses. Hermione was at first disappointed to learn that Harry had not been doing the same. But when she noticed the dull look in his eyes when she mentioned wasting time doing nothing she immediately apologized. In her excitement at seeing Harry again she had almost forgotten what they and especially he had gone through three weeks earlier. She then offered to help Harry decide on his NEWT classes when they received their OWL results, which should be sometime in the next ten days according to Professor Dumbledore. Hermione had taken the opportunity to ask about them after the Will reading while waiting for Harry.
"Do you have any plans for the near future?"
"Well, I was kinda thinking about asking this witch I know out on a date. What do you think? Do you think she would be willing to go out with me?" Harry couldn't help but notice the disappointed look in Hermione's eyes when he asked her this.
For Hermione's part she assumed he was talking about Ginny. After only a slight hesitation, "Harry, of course she would. Who wouldn't want to go out with you? You're sweet, considerate, kind, and kinda cute when you want to be. And you are now a Lord. Who could resist?" Dan and Emma had both noticed Hermione's look before she answered Harry's questions too.
That look was all Harry needed to give him the courage to ask his next question? Grinning like the cat who got the cream, "Hermione Granger, would you go out with me sometime?"
The smile that Hermione gave Harry lit up the room. "Oh! Harry, I would love to go out with you!" Dan and Emma shared one of those secret smiles that all parents share when they see their little girl so happy, even as Dan was entering into 'Protect Princess' mode.
Meanwhile on the other side of the table this whole byplay went unnoticed by the other couple. Remus and Tonks appeared to only have eyes for each other (it would seem Sirius knew what he was on about). Tonks found that carrying through with her inheritance instructions would not be as hard to do as she had envisioned, and definitely would be a pleasurable task.
Remus on the other hand thought he was only humoring the young woman. He had spent his whole life avoiding getting his life tangled up with a female. He refused to inflict himself on another human being. He did not realize just how telling his eyes could be. Nor did he know how determined Tonks could be, but in the coming weeks he would find out, first hand.
As outside observers, Dan and Emma noted the looks of both the other adults. Nothing but love and kindness overshadowed by shyness shone from Tonks' eyes. But Remus was a study in contradiction, and they had no idea where that came from as they were not aware of Remus' dual life. Somehow in her letters home third year Hermione had never mentioned that Remus was a werewolf. They could plainly see that Remus was attracted to Tonks. They could see the same kindness in his eyes as in hers, but his was overshadowed by something besides shyness. Emma thought if she didn't know better she would think it was fear. But Hermione had always described him as being one of the bravest men as well as one of the best professors she knew. Dan, on the other hand, knew that look very well. It was definitely fear! He knew Remus was about the same age as he was, and he knew that had he waited until now to fall in love he would be terrified. So he decided then and there that if he got the chance he would try to have a private talk with Remus. For Emma's part she was also trying to conceive of a way to get Remus alone to talk to him. Both Grangers had the same goal in mind - Extolling the virtues of marriage to a good person, and even on such a short acquaintance it was obvious that these were two good people.
Then Emma had a brainstorm. She just hoped Dan would play along. "Hey guys, we were planning to grill out for dinner tonight, would you all like to join us? We have a pool and could take a swim after dinner, or play some cards. What do you think?"
Harry had no problem with saying yes when he saw the happy, pleading look Hermione gave him. "Sure, that sounds great! I'm no great shakes at swimming, but I'd be willing to give it a try if Hermione will give me some pointers."
"Harry Potter, you want me to believe after watching you in the second tri-wizard task that you don't know how to swim?"
"Yes, Tonks I do. I used gillyweed and that somehow helped me. Believe it or not, other than that time I have never been swimming. My Aunt and Uncle go to the beach every summer, but they have never taken me. I have never seen the ocean or the English Channel, or been in a swimming pool."
"How's that possible? We live on an island for Heaven's sake. How can your family have never taken you to the beach?"
"Well, Mr. Granger, it's not as if we are a family really. It's more like antagonistic roommates who for some reason can't get away from each other."
It saddened Lupin greatly to hear Harry relate even that little bit of information about his life with his relatives. It also made him wonder, not for the first time, if he had been right to go along with Dumbledore all those years and stay out of Harry's life. He determined to help Harry in anyway he could over the next few months and years. Anything Harry asked of him would not be too much for him to do. He was determined to make up to him for the neglect and mistreatment that he had suffered. Of course, he knew he could not actually make up for Harry's past life, but surely he could make his future lighter.
Once Harry agreed to go to dinner it wasn't hard to convince Remus and Tonks. Actually, since Tonks was still technically "on duty" she was more or less bound to go. So after a very enjoyable lunch Remus and Harry prepared to return to Gringotts to sign some more papers and visit their newly acquired vaults. After getting the Grangers address in Windsor the two men made their way back down Diagon Alley to Gringotts. In the meantime, Tonks and Hermione were discussing swim attire. It was decided that they needed to do a little shopping of their own. They also figured, rightly so, that the two men would need something as well.
After activating the portkey the goblins had provided the Granger family with and returning to their home they split and went their separate ways, Hermione and Tonks to shop for swimming attire, and Dan and Emma for dinner. They quickly decided on grilled steaks, jacket potatoes, and salad, with the ingredients for s'mores for afters. Little did they know that Harry had never had grilled steaks before, much less a s'more.
Meanwhile back in Diagon Alley Harry and Remus were making their way towards Gringotts when they again met the Weasley family. Apparently they had decided to do a little shopping before returning home. Remus tried to run interference for Harry again, but this time Molly was having none of it. She was determined to speak with Harry and convince him to come and stay at the Burrow for the rest of the summer. Bowing to the inevitable, Harry and Remus stopped to talk.
Molly was the first to jump in before anyone else could get started. "Harry, how have you been? We have missed you being with us so far this summer. But I have already spoken with Dumbledore and he said that since you had been at your aunt's and uncle's house for a week now there is no reason you can't come to the Burrow for the rest of the summer. Arthur can come and collect you this evening and bring you back, just have everything packed and then you won't have to worry about going back to that house until next year."
"Mrs. Weasley, thank you for the invitation, but I won't be able to do that. I already have plans for this afternoon and this evening. And then I am not sure what I will be doing. I have some other business to attend to at Gringotts right now and the outcome of that will probably dictate the rest of my holiday. I am sorry about not being able to come and stay with you, but I am hoping the invitation to come and visit will still be open to me even if I am not living there. I definitely want to spend some time with you guys this summer."
"Of course, Harry, the invitation is open. But I really think it would be best for you to come back with us today. It would be safer for you there."
"Mrs. Weasley you are starting to sound like Dumbledore. I promise you I will be fine. If I get into any trouble I know I can always come to you. And with a guard with me all the time, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Ron, Ginny, see you guys later. I really have to go, Director Ragnok is waiting for me. But, before I forget, Mrs. Weasley I need my vault key back, could you please give it to me now?"
"I'm sorry Harry, but I don't think that is such a good idea. Having a vault key is a big responsibility. I think you should let me hold on to it for you."
"No, Mrs. Weasley, I shouldn't. I need my key as I have some things to do this afternoon that require it. Please give it to me."
"Harry, Dumbledore asked me to keep your key until you were old enough to be responsible for it, so I think that is what I should do."
"Mrs. Weasley, in case you missed it, I am now emancipated, that means I am an adult. That means I am responsible enough to have my key. Now either you will return it immediately, or I will bring it up to the goblins when I return to the bank that you have my key and refused to return it. You know how the goblins look at people who they consider thieves…" Knowing there was nothing else she could do, she handed Harry his key. Then without giving Ron, Ginny, or Mrs. Weasley a chance to get going again, Harry turned and went off down Diagon Alley again, with Remus in tow.
"Harry, you handled that brilliantly. Tell me again, why I run interference for you before lunch?"
"Before lunch I couldn't have done that. I would probably just have given in to her and gone on with them. Sometimes it seems to take me a little while to get my mind to accept things. And right now I have decided to accept responsibility for my own life from now on. I will be doing what I think is right for me, not what everyone else thinks is right for the world. Of course, that doesn't mean I will be going off half-cocked, at least I hope it doesn't. It does mean that I will still need advice from someone I can trust. I am hoping that someone will be you. I know you never bargained on getting saddled with me, but I hope I won't be such a bother that you would not be willing to advise me."
"Harry, I do not feel like I have been 'saddled' with you. I am honored that you think enough of me to want my help and advice and anything I have is yours for the asking. I have a feeling even without reading my letter from Sirius that we are going to be spending a lot of time together over the next few weeks. So not going to the Weasley's is probably a very good plan, it will make it easier for us to deal with things without having to explain our every move."
GRINGOTTS BANK - JUNE 18, 1996
When Harry and Remus arrived back at Gringotts Griphook was waiting for them. He immediately escorted them into Ragnok's office where all the paper work for Harry's emancipation was ready. All Harry had to do was sign it and then take it to the Ministry of Magic to Madam Amelia Bones to be filed and executed. Harry made quick work of the signing and then Griphook took them for a wild cart ride down to the Black family vaults. The first vault was about double the size of Harry's current vault, and filled to the top with coin - galleons, sickles, and even a few knuts. Harry was amazed at the amount of coin left in the vault considering how much had been transferred out earlier today.
After a short time to examine the transaction sheet attached to the door they were off again. This time they went even deeper down into the tunnels. Harry was looking for the dragons, having experience with a real dragon in his fourth year he was not at all anxious to see another one anytime soon. Luckily they didn't seem to have to pass any dragons to get to the larger family vault, vault #7. This one was filled with various things - treasures if you will - but mostly stuff that had no meaning to Harry. They did find a list of the items that were in the vault, so they took that with them to study at a later date and found the key to the locked potions room in the Black manor. Why the room would be locked and the key kept at Gringotts was a mystery to Harry, but as there was no one to question about it, he just decided to let it go.
After a much longer ride back up to the main floor of Gringotts Harry and Remus were ready to leave. They were going to make a short stop at the Ministry to Magic to file Harry's paperwork and then be on their way for a fun filled afternoon and evening with the Granger family and Tonks. Griphook was able to provide them with a portkey to the Granger's home.
When they arrived at the entrance to the Ministry of Magic Harry was surprised to see that the statue of the magical beings had been repaired. They passed through the checkpoint and got their badges and had their wands checked and then proceeded to the elevators and up to the 9th floor where the DMLE was housed. Apparently Ragnok had notified Madam Bones of Harry's impending visit, because she was expecting him. He turned the paperwork over to her, which she signed and sent to the archives office for registration. Then she asked to see Harry's wand. He was a bit reluctant to hand it over to her as he didn't know what she wanted it for. He was just hoping she hadn't heard that he had tried to use an unforgivable curse on Bellatrix during the fight three weeks ago, since his wand had hardly been used since that time, it would definitely register that he had used the curse. Sensing that Harry was reluctant to hand over his wand, "It's alright Harry, I am just going to remove the tracking spell. As an emancipated minor you are now considered an adult in the wizarding world, so you don't have to wait until you are 17 to have the tracking spell removed from your wand. This means that you can now do magic outside of school. You are, of course, under the same restrictions as all witches and wizards, no magic in the presence of muggles. Otherwise, you can practice your spells, charms, and hexes as much as you need to."
"Thank you Madame Bones, and I will be careful about when and where I use my magic. Another run in with the authorities I don't need."