Chapter 4 – Life has a twist or turn
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"Dobby"
POP
"Eeep" came from Petunia as she saw Dobby and ran into the kitchen.
"Master called?"
"Yes Dobby pack my things upstairs and meet me in the 'Hidey Hole', send Hedwig there also, we will not be coming back to this place ever again."
POP
I then 'transported' to Gringotts where I found I had an account manager, a vault full of Galleons which I removed via a bottomless trunk I purchased from RipJaw. RipJaw said the closest place I owned was an apartment in London that my parents called "Escape Haven". I 'transported 'there and checked out the apartment I decided that before heading to the 'Hidey Hole'to spend a week and figure out what I was going to do.
It took about one day for me to realize the Tiger was gone and my finding her or her family wasn't going to happen. Dumbledore could have changed their names or sent them to a different country, no, as hard as I tried finding to Tiger it wasn't going to happen.
Come the second day I was frustrated and one look in the mirror sent me out to buy some decent clothes. The sales girl was about my age and trying very hard to get me to ask her out. This of course took a lot of flirting on her part before I realized what was going on but in my mood it just wasn't going to work.
By the third day I was at the pool and in the exercise gym downstairs taking out my frustrations. One of these days I'm going to have to research and find out if a wizard is a magnet for Muggle girls. This idea for this research project was brought about by Janet. I was down at the pool laid out on one of those beach type chairs with my eyes closed just relaxing when...
" Hi, I'm sorry to bother you, I was wondering if you could rub some of the suntan oil on my back. I can't reach back there and I want to sit under the sun tanning machine but I don't want to burn." I couldn't believe it I was just picked up by another gorgeous girl. Of course this was not obvious to me initially but after chatting for a while I invited her to dinner which she accepted and it looked like a new romance was going to form.
/Scene break/
"Dobby you can't believe what I have found out and August hasn't even started." I was so happy I was almost dancing as I raced into the portrait room. "I can't believe my luck, I'm so happy I could scream."
"So what has our little genius found that made him so happy?" Helga asked.
"I got away from the Dursley cruds and will never go back. I just unloaded a gazillion Galleons from my trust vault and found it will refill on my birthday. The best part is I found a new girlfriend."
"That going to cause troubles for you Harry" Godric stated.
"What? I could leave here and never return I have an apartment that is in the high-end of London and I have clothes that fit me. What more could one ask for? I can travel and never come back to Hogwarts or England for that matter."
"What are you going to do about the Dark Lord?" Salazar asked.
"That's not my problem"
"I think you will find that it is, didn't the Dark Lord came after you as a baby? He had a reason then and now that he is back he may just continue trying to end your life. Now do you want to start thinking about Dumbledore's games? Just promise us you will return soon for some more special training." Rowena asked.
"Party poopers, I'm going to my new apartment see you all later."
The three bedroom apartment was top class with a large bed and a fantastic view . Dobby and Hedwig had settled in and I had just about forgotten all the questions from the portraits and problems in my life, that is until I was headed out to pick up Janet for dinner. That's when I saw the headlines in a muggle newspaper on the guards counter.
/Scene break/
Headmaster's office Hogwarts:
At that moment the office door flew open and professor McGonagall hurried into the room. "Albus, what is the latest news on Harry?
"Nothing more than what you already know but the 'Order' members I sent out searching are due back any minute now."
"I still don't know how those death–eaters found Harry's relatives house, you said he was safe there."
The conversation ended as the 'floe' lit and Order members started to arrive in the Headmasters office. Snape was the first to arrive and slithered into a dark corner. Auror Tonks was the next to enter immediately tripping and sprawling face first on the floor. Mrs. Figg missed tripping on Tonks who was trying to get to her feet. Molly Weasley stormed in knocking Tonks back to the floor. Remus Lupin entered and helped Tonks to her feet while Mr Weasley joined his wife. MadEye was no where be seen as Lupin was now wondering the Castle full-time as Remus Lupin.
"Now that all the investigating team I sent out are back let's start with Mrs. Figg's report."
"As I told you earlier Albus I was following him under your invisibility cloak when three Dementors attacked him. I am still shaking over what that kid did; I've never heard the likes…"
"Yes we know the super brat did something and now it's all blown out of proportions." Snape sneered as he stepped out of the shadows.
"Shut your pie-hole you stupid Git, can you even do a corporeal Patronus? Anyhow his Patronus explodes out and mauls two of the Dementors and then Harry just disappears without any noise. Well let me tell you that shook me proper and I raced back to 'floe' Albus. I was just putting the kettle on to help calm my nerves when I heard spell fire. I grabbed my invisibility cloak and raced over to # 4. There must have been a dozen Deatheaters destroying # 2 when that tub of lard Vernon raced out of his house to start yell at them about being freaks and got hit with the 'Cruciatus' curse That's when the Deatheaters moved to #4 and set it on fire. I think I saw the boy's white owl winging away just before they hit Vernon with the curse."
"Tonks, any news from the Ministry or the Minister?"
"Fudge is having a cow trying to hush-up the press and get the muggle to declare it was a gas main explosion. How the jerk is going to get away with that will be a miracle, the Death-eaters took out half of the block. He is refusing to admit that one of the houses was Harry's place of residence. I checked with Hopkirk after what Mrs. Figg said she saw and there was no letters sent to Harry for using magic out of school."
"Albus are they trying to tell us that the brat 'apperated' without making a sound and did a killer Patronus? Potter is too incompetent to do a simple warming charm he…" Snape looked to be starting one of his anti-Potter tirades.
"Enough Severus, what did the Muggle Police have to say about what happened?
"Two adult bodies and a gas main explosion." Snape growled.
"Remus, do you have anything to report?
"The police went looking for Dudley after the attack as he is a minor. They caught the idiot selling dope so he is now accounted for."
"Molly, anything to report from your investigation?"
"Arthur says there are no credible rumors of anything more than so far reported. Bill checked the house and found it was magically destroyed. Bill found Dementor pieces in the area that Mrs. Figg reported the attack. Albus what are you doing to find Harry, he must be kept safe he is only a child and he is all by himself."
"All my sources say is that Harry was spotted in Gringotts just around the time of the attack. However his location at this time is unknown as all of our locator and tracking charms have failed." Tonks added.
Dumbledore's eyes had lost their twinkle as he thought that he might have made a mistake in interfering with Harry's personal life. No, having a Muggle romantically involved with Harry, no that would just louse up his meticulously laid out plans.
/Scene Break/
"That's about all I know Helga, after I saw the papers I headed here to find out what you guys thought. While I didn't like living with those monsters they were still what was left of my family. "
Salazar jumped in, "I would get back to Gringotts and find out which of our family line you represent. You will need to set up new Muggle guardians so establishing your ancestral line is imperative. With that you can possibly find one of our vaults or relatives that may still be around for these purposes and also find that superman you are looking for."
"Sarcastic are we?" I replied
"Harry we have been hanging here for centuries, our vaults never had much in them and now if they still exist the antiques might get you a few galleons but that's about all but getting out of Dumbledore's grip is essential. We were just normal people doing what we could. We do know that before we were put down here that our fame was exaggerated beyond belief so you can never tell what relative may be hiding from all of our so called fame ." Helga explained
"Speak for yourself Helga, my legend will live forever." Salazar sneered and I wondered if Salazar had a descendent called Severus Snape.
Rowena interrupted, "If you find that you are an heir to one of us magic does have its influence on our descendants. Families that are fighters tend to lean that way as does healers towards healing. Finding you are related to Godric for instance would suggest that you could learn battle magic's and weapons but would be pants at healing potions."
I 'transported' to Gringotts and asked for my account manager RipJaw. While a couple of the portraits had their gruff side they had been nothing but helpful and I would be a fool ought to listen to them.
"What can I do for you Mr. Potter?"
"I was told that Gringotts could tell if I was an heir to some line so is there some test or something?"
"The inheritance test but that will cost one-hundred Galleons." RipJaw grinned.
"If you have the time you know where my Galleons are stored." I grinned back at him.
A hundred galleons for a two-bit test proved the Goblins lived up to their reputation 'get gold anyway you can'. A drop of blood on a parchment and your history fills the parchment. Of course the full history to the beginning of time was not there as the parchment could only hold so much. I was lucky that it got back as far as the founders.
Mr. Potter you have a very distinguished ancestry, your direct branch was the Potter's through Ignotus Peverell. The Gryffindor line weaved around through a few other branches but shows the current heir presumptive is Neville Longbottom but should he die without offspring you would receive that honor. You do have a fairly direct line to Helga Huffelpuff but that would be for your daughter as that is a matrilineal succession line.
It looked like RipJaw was through so I asked, "So that's it, I am another almost somebody of great note?"
"Oh dear no, I have saved the best till last your Lord."
Oh shit, calling me Lord? I thought I should have stayed in bed and not come here, its never good news for me.
"He was made a mundane Lord before 1380 and while the Slytherin line ended up paupers the Hawkingwood line did not. Quite a distinguished ancestry, a very distinctive weave of a line was through an offshoot branch of Slytherin's called the Hawkingwood line where he was a famous and dangerous medieval mercenary somewhere before 1390. He was noted for his parsel-tongue curses and warding. Hawkingwood did quite well for himself and you are heir presumptive of that line."
"But I was told that I could speak parsel-tongue because of this scar that Voldemort gave me when he killed my parents, so now it's possible that I inherited this ability? And how do you know so much about this Hawkingwood guy."
"If I might I would like to postpone further discussion of Hawkingwood and offer you our services to check that scar of yours. Your statement about your scar has now gotten the interest of the Goblin Nation."
"This will cost me how much?"
"This service is absolutely free and would be of great benefit."
I knew right then and there that I was in a big pile of dragon dung. The Goblins never gave anything away free according to the paintings. Living with the Dursley's also gave me a sixth sense of when to duck or run but hay I've faced Voldemort and a Basilisk, so what's a little more danger. Who did I think I was fooling?
"Thanks RipJaw, I think I will take you up on your kind offer." I hoped he picked up on my sarcasm.
RipJaw escorted me down on hall and up another. We made a couple of turns and went down more halls. I was wondering just how deep Gringotts went when we arrived at a door with two guards, guards with very mean looks and very sharp axes. RipJaw opened the door for me and as I entered everything went black.