Arriving in front of the main clerk at Gringotts Banks with a furious expression and Harry still in hand, Lucius spoke in a commanding voice at once.
"I am reporting the abuse and maltreatment of a wizarding child at the hands of muggles. I wish to speak to the Department of Magical Guardians and Caretakers immediately."
The dark haired goblin at the front desk had not even bothered to look up from his paperwork as he responded in a casual and mundane voice, "Complete form B-seventeen at desk number eight and wait in line at the Division of Criminal Justice at desk number nineteen, they will assist you in a timely –"
Lucius, who nearly drew his wand at the preoccupied Goblin, reached over his desk and snatched the paperwork the Goblin had been perusing and snarled in the nastiest tone he could muster, "Now!"
Peering up from his desk in a heartbeat with a vicious look pasted on his face, the startled goblin quickly changed his tenor at recognizing the man in front of him. "Mr…M-Malfoy!" the goblin nearly squeaked. "I do apologize! I-I…I shall fetch Ragnook at once sir!"
In a matter of a few moments the goblin had ran three flights of stairs and returned with an elderly looking goblin with grey hair, who wore a number of war medals attached to a red velvet coat that appeared centuries old.
"Mr. Malfoy!" Ragnook exclaimed warmly as he approached them. "Gobblenook here tells me that you wish to see me. You have an…uh…urgent matter apparently?"
"Indeed," Lucius replied with a fair amount of venom still in his tone.
"Very well," Ragnook acquiesced, glaring at Harry with a curious eye. "Follow me, please."
As they followed the old goblin up the same flight of stairs that Ragnook had just descended near the very back of the building, Harry couldn't help but wonder why Lucius had brought him to a bank of all places to report his findings of his upbringing at his aunt and uncle's house.
"Mr. Malfoy…" he began hesitantly, still somewhat surprised that anyone at all cared enough to help him. "Why…why are here at Gringotts instead of the police station?"
"Police?" Malfoy appeared baffled for a moment. "Oh…yes, you mean the auror's office? Well…first, most of them are in Dumbledore's pocket, so it is unlikely it would do us any good to begin with. But here in the wizarding world, Harry, the bank has many different functions. The goblins are relatively impartial to wizarding affairs. So in a case such as your own, we should report our findings here first. Our lawyer, Ragnook, will then present your case to the ministry. It's rather expensive, but they can reveal to us the information we need and lend us credibility in court," he finished succinctly.
"Yes, sir," Harry replied in the only way he knew how.
A few moments later they arrived in Ragnook's office and Harry found himself sitting comfortably in a plush red leather chair next to a small crackling fire place. The goblin's office resembled that of miniature library decorated with war axes, spears, and decorative banners commemorating fallen goblins. Harry found it to be a rather odd place, particularly with the ancient blood still stained upon the decorative weaponry, but decided it best not to ask any more questions at the moment.
"Now…Mr. Malfoy, how can I help you," Ragnook asked courteously as he situated himself behind his grand mahogany desk, which was clearly far too large for a creature of his physical stature.
"First, I would like to know the name of the magical guardian Harry Potter was left under the care of?" Lucius asked directly, wasting no time in getting down to business.
"You know as well as I do I cannot give that information out freely Mr. Malfoy….even if I wanted to," Ragnook responded politely. " Not without the boy's consent, of course."
Reaching over to lift Harry's hair from his forehead, Lucius gave Ragnook a menacing glare as he revealed the famous scar to the old goblin.
"I do not believe that will be a problem, Ragnook. Will it Harry?" Lucius asked in a rhetorical fashion.
"No sir, not at all" Harry responded, coming to believe more and more in Mr. Malfoy.
Trying to maintain an expression of neutrality, the goblin's features betrayed him as his mouth hung wide open and his eyes narrowed in near disbelief.
"T-The Harry Potter?" the goblin stammered, who had wondered what a boy in muggle clothing was doing anywhere near Lucius Malfoy.
"Yes….the Harry Potter, Ragnook," the head of the Malfoy house spoke tirelessly. "Is there going to be a problem?"
"No! No! I was…merely surprised to see uh…Well, yes, anyway…"Ragnook was now stumbling over his own words as he reached into his desk to pull out an enormous black leather book. "Now let's see…Potter…Potter…Aw yes! Here it is. Born July 31, 1980….left under the guardianship of Sirius Bla-…Oh….no, no never mind. He we are… His current guardian appears to be Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."
"As I thought…" Lucius spoke with disgust.
"Yes…well, what seems to be issue?" Ragnook questioned.
At this, Lucius raised his eyebrows in slight bewilderment, having assumed the goblin would have already known, given boy's dreadful appearance. Attempting to remain calm though as he collected his thoughts, he turned to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Harry… I would like you to tell Ragnook here exactly what you told me in Diagon Alley. I'm afraid I cannot help you unless to testify to your ill-treatment….I shall assist you the best I can. All you must do is answer my questions truthfully, understand?"
Harry gave a nod of his head, unwilling to speak in a trembling voice.
"Tell me…Harry, where was your bedroom when you lived with your aunt and uncle in Surrey? Where did you sleep?" Lucius began his questioning in the most paternal and caring tone he could manage.
"On a cot…in a cupboard under the stairs."
Harry held back tears as he began to retell the story of his living conditions at the Dursley's. As emotionally draining as it was, his sorrow was gradually being replaced with anger at seeing Lucius' expressions of sympathy once again. It was only a few moments later as he began to reminisce upon all the beatings he received at the hands of the Dursley's when Ragnook raised a hand to halt the questioning. The goblin's face had turned from a look of mild curiosity to one of absolute terror.
"Mr. Potter…I do believe I have heard enough already. It is difficult to believe that you, of all people, just discovered your true ancestry as of today. However, if what you are saying is true…and I have very little reason to believe otherwise, except for Dumbledore's unblemished reputation at this point of course… I will need a pensive. Do I have your consent?" Ragnook inquired with a suspicious eye once again.
"A… a what?" Harry asked obliviously, never having heard of a pensive before.
"A pensive…" Lucius cut in abruptly, suddenly finding it more difficult to articulate his thoughts than he had initially thought, "is a…visual memory of past events. In your case, it will allow us and other members of the Wizengamott to see how your aunt and uncle mistreated you first-hand. It is the only sure way we can take you away from those muggle wretches."
Harry thought for a moment as he allowed Mr. Malfoy's words to sink in. He wasn't sure if he was comfortable allowing complete strangers to see the embarrassing nature of his upbringing – the servant work, the starvation in his cupboard, his uncle's severe beatings and near molestation among other tragic memories he wished to forget – but if it was the only sure way to rid himself of them once and for all, he figured that it was his only legitimate option.
"How I do give you my pensive then?" Harry asked quietly.
"I want you to close your eyes and began to think of everything the muggles had ever done to you. Try to concentrate on the memories themselves, not your anger or hatred. Clear your mind and focus, and try to remain calm so the memories are as clear as possible. You might feel a slight tingling sensation as I extract them, but nothing painful," Lucius explained.
Obeying Mr. Malfoy at once, Harry closed his eyes and tried to remain calm as he searched his mind for the very beginning of his upbringing at the Dursley's. He thought of the time that Aunt Petunia had hit him over the head with a frying pan and the multitude of times that he was starved or beat senseless and thrown into his cupboard for being a 'freak; 'the more embarrassing moments when either his aunt or uncle had touched or defiled him in the perverted scenarios he had always wished to suppress and whisk away as if they had never happened, saving Dudley and his schoolmates' reign of terror over his life for last. In all, he left absolutely nothing out.
Just as he felt his anger start to trickle through his veins, he felt a small tug on his left temple where Mr. Malfoy had placed his wand. It felt as though someone was pulling a thread from his mind, causing a slight tickling sensation.
"There we are….See? Nothing to fret over," Lucius exclaimed as a muggle doctor might after administrating a quick flu shot to a child.
Opening his eyes, Harry saw Lucius place the silvery substance into a small glass vial with the tip of his wand. It appeared to be neither gas nor liquid, but strangely…a combination of the two.
"This should only take us a few moments, Mr. Potter," Ragnook explained as he stood up from desk and snapped his fingers.
At once, a large stone basin appeared on the goblin's desk out of nowhere, prompting Lucius to walk over and stand next to the portly old goblin. After he slowly poured the pensive into the basin, making sure not to spill a drop of the peculiar looking substance, both of their heads disappeared into the bowl in a matter of seconds.
BREAK….
As Ragnook had promised, it didn't take more than a few moments before their heads were lifted from the bowl and their bodies were back in an upright position. Ragnook's face looked as though it had just been hit by a bludger, disoriented and in complete dismay; Mr. Malfoy, on the other hand, appeared somewhat triumphant and yet disturbed all the same.
Lucius had originally taken Harry under his wing in Diagon Alley for the dark's own political gain, and yet, he found himself sympathizing for the boy as he reevaluated the Potter child one last time with a calculating gaze. This boy's pensive, he thought to himself, was almost an exact mirror image of another young boy's memory he had the privilege of viewing long ago – the memory of a young Tom Riddle. They were both orphans, both ritually abused at the hands of muggles, both unaware of their true ancestry until they were brought to Hogwarts at such tender ages, both parselmouths and thus possessing rare and powerful abilities beyond those of ordinary wizards, and both willing to do nearly anything to escape their tragic pasts. As he stood frozen and nailed to the ground in utter astonishment of what he just witnessed, he found himself in a position of great power and responsibility. However, he also found himself to be a parent that cared deeply for the proper upbringing and tutelage of young pureblood witches and wizards, which was not only derived from parenthood but also as a politician whose life had been dedicated to furthering the dark's cause ever since he could remember. It was in this precise moment that Lucius Malfoy decided that his run-in with Harry Potter was not just a mere coincidence, but a design that fate had laid before him.
"Harry…" Lucius finally spoke up in a warm tone that he only reserved for his son, Draco, "I know it might be a bit…premature…and perhaps a little forward of me, but considering….the…circumstances," he chose his words carefully, "how would you like to come live with us from now on? You are probably unaware of this, but….after all, Draco is your cousin and….well, that makes me your uncle. We have a large estate, plenty of money and house elves and everything you would ever need. Dumbledore, needless to say, will no longer remain your guardian after this is presented to the Wizengamott, but they will likely place you under the guardianship of one of his many followers unless you were to choose a family yourself. This is why I think it is imperative, for your safety and proper upbringing, that you accept this offer. What do you say?"
Harry, who hardly had any idea what to say to a dream come true, felt a tear trickle down his cheek as he nodded his head. "I'd like that very much, sir," he replied in a trembling voice.
"Excellent," Lucius replied sincerely as he snapped his fingers.
Within a split second a dingy looking creature dressed in a pillow case appeared by Mr. Malfoy's side.
"Harry, this is a house elf….one of our servants. Her name is Mimsy and she will be escorting you back to the manor now. I am sure Draco will be excited to see you. For now, Ragnook and I have a very busy day ahead of us so that we can arrange for a full trial in order to prosecute the man who did this to you…Albus Dumbledore. I will see you later tonight," Lucius commanded firmly, though his tone did not waver from the paternal manner he had just adopted.
"Yes sir," Harry answered with a smile on his face, and in an instant he disappeared with Mimsy at the sound of a loud crack.
If you want to see this story continued, please R&R