I Disclaim ownership of Harry Potter.
Alert! Here there be pervert-ness.
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Chapter Four:
The Jinn
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It was with a lazy smile that Harry exited the Guardians mouth, Shaggy wrapping around him like a fur toga once again as he slid out of that marvelous tongue. It was because of this and his overly relaxed state that it took him more than a few blinks to actually notice his surroundings.
And yes, get your mind into the gutter!
Harry could have sworn his jaw unhinged itself in the next few seconds, even as his eyes blinked rapidly as a way to see if what he was looking at was real. For in front of him was a chamber the same size of the one he just left, and indeed, the same shape as well. The difference, however, was rather obvious.
Because while the first chamber was practically empty apart from the giant tanks and the nooks and compartments set into the stone walls themselves, this chamber was full to the brim, of, well, gold.
Everywhere and as far as he could see.
Gold.
There was not even a slight bit of silver or bronze. Just gold and the sparkling shine of thousands and thousands of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and any other sort of valuable stone. And it was overflowing everywhere in mounds as high as the ceiling!
"This, Master Potter, is your fortune," the Guardian behind him whispered, "While it might look rather impressive, it does not make you the wealthiest person in the world, though you are quite high in the scale, even if that could change should you so desire."
"This is all mine?" Harry asked faintly, and for a boy used to having nothing (His trust fund was only enough to get him through school and give him a leg up afterwards, after all), what stood in front of him now was more than shocking.
"Yes, young master," Bobby whispered again, as if he understood Harry's reaction in some way, "It is all yours. And it is the base of all of your family's fortune. It was wished some time ago that this room always contain the same amount as it currently has, be it in gold or whatever currency rules the world's economy, and no matter how much you take out or spend, it will always refill to what you see before you."
Harry whipped his head toward the stone face, his own expression set into disbelief, his mouth opening and closing without a word coming out.
"So while you might not be the wealthiest person on earth, you are the most economically stable person now living."
Looking back at the mountains of coins and the piles of precious stones Harry Potter suddenly sat down, feeling somewhat faint. If what Bobby said was true, he could buy anything he wanted! He would never want for anything material, and indeed, he wouldn't need to work a day in his life if that's what caught his fancy.
This, above all else, explained why the nature of most of the permanent wishes left behind by his family were, well, somewhat frivolous. True, there were a great deal of unique things in the first chamber, but most of those were for the betterment of the Potter line and a great deal of help for each and every one in the family.
Truly, as things stood, he could dedicate his life to living it, and enjoying it in whichever way he wanted. If he became an Auror, it should be because that was what he enjoyed above all else. With all this money he could help so many as well, he could do so much good . . . however, it opened the question, what did he truly enjoy? What did he want to do?
Working for the Ministry didn't really appeal to him, and if he were honest with himself, though he liked Quidditch, he didn't see himself doing it for the rest of his life.
It would bear thinking about, though.
"Bobby?" he asked, looking out at the vast amounts of shinning stuff filling the room. "What did my ancestors do with their lives?"
"I don't quite understand, Master Potter."
"I mean, what did they work in? Did they have jobs? What did they do with their time? That kind of thing," he very suddenly wanted to know this very much, like a drowning man needs air, and as he looked back at Bobby's face it filled with understanding.
"Well, Harry," the guardian answered gently, startling him with the use of his first name, "They found something they loved and shared it with the world. They were teachers, healers and artists; they were leaders and philanthropists. Many involved themselves in research of a great many areas, while others loved to travel and explore. Your family is filled with a great many adventurers, and though they gave credit of many of their finds to their partners, they have been the ones to lead the Magical World into change and advancement. Not to mention that they have always found someone to love and share their lives with as well. I cannot say that I have ever seen another family whose loved life and lived life as much as yours has done."
The guardians tone was both warm and sincere, and Harry smiled at the description, grasping onto it with both hands, feeling secure at the first sight of footsteps he could now see himself following as well. Still, something else drew his attention. "How have you been able to see any other family's though?"
"Well, young master, do you think that I stay in these chambers all the time?"
"Well, yes, actually," Harry smiled sheepishly.
"Ah, while that may be somewhat true, I do have an avatar I use both as a way to conduct family business and to live a somewhat independent life as well. So you see, Master Potter, I have a great amount of experience apart from being a face in the wall, even if I have not been able to leave without a living Master to activate my more human form."
"Well, we'll just have to do that soon then," he decided, knowing that Bobby must have hated being cooped up in Gringotts, even if he might have been 'sleeping,' "Now, did you say there were documents here as well?"
"Thank you, Master," Bobby told him in reference to allowing him use of his avatar. "As for the documents detailing your holdings, titles and estates, they are in the compartments you see at either side of my face, but if I might make a suggestion?"
"Sure," he said, looking at what he had though had been wooden panels or something, but now saw them to be rows upon rows of drawers, probably filled with files.
Hogwarts started soon though, how would he be able to go through all that?
"Since you start school tomorrow," was he really that transparent? "And you don't need any property or have use for any titles until your seventeenth birthday, why don't I tell you about the most important things when you have time during this next year and allow me to take care of the details of running your estate? It is what I have been made to do after all."
"That sounds brilliant actually," Harry said in relief. Truly, his family had thought about everything, haven't they? Well, apart from finding a way to avoid becoming nearly extinct, that is. It was strange, though, and maybe he could do something about it.
It was worth the consideration.
"Now, as long as you are aware of what sits within this chamber, I see no reason to delay your visit to the Vase. I'm sure the Genie is as anxious to meet you as you are of meeting him."
And looking around once again, and then at the rows of drawers, Harry understood why he was brought here first. Almost anything material was at his disposal. Damn it, he could even buy a country if that was what he wanted! So wasting a wish on material things was useless, and seeing how he had access to so much knowledge, not to mention magic, the list of things he could wish for thinned dramatically. Truly, the impossible was the only things left to grasp.
Things normal magic couldn't create.
Like immortality or world peace or something like that, though he doubted those were possible; one would go against the natural circle of life and death and the other would be impossible without the manipulation of free will.
So what could he wish for? That was the question, wasn't it?
"Yeah, let's go," he finally answered, lost in thought.
It was in this state of mind that he entered Bobby's mouth once more, so this time nothing exciting happened during the transition. Harry just couldn't imagine what to ask for, and at the same time, he wanted to wish for Voldemort's defeat. But he couldn't wish for someone's death, right? Besides, if one wish dealt with the Dark Lord, then what about his Death Eaters? Not to mention the werewolves, vampires and dementors, among others.
Which reminded him, he needed to contact Lupin soon, especially after he found out about that cure for lycanthropy in his vault. True, it was liquid magic and not a potion, but it was something that would never be found in any other place, and then, what would happen should it get out that he had one?
Peter Potter had been the one to make that particular wish, and it was only made after he was infected with Lycanthropy himself while on his seventh year at Hogwarts. The boy had made it his family wish, for a cure to the curse to be available in the vault should what happened to him happen again. Since he made the wish the day after the full moon he was bitten, no one ever knew that he was ever a werewolf.
For all intents and purposes, he was only attacked by some wild creature, and that was that.
This was some centuries before someone wished for the Healing Tank, of course, but then, the Tank couldn't be taken out of the vault while the lycanthropy cure could.
And as he thought of this, his face settled in determination, everyone else could screw themselves, he would tell Remus about the cure and let the man make the decision. He would deal with the consequences when they appeared.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when Bobby's mouth opened once again, and he was gently pushed out of it, sliding onto his feet smoothly, though he had to briefly wonder if the guardian would always lick his arse when doing that.
Not that he was complaining or anything.
In any case, the chamber where he found himself was rather small, but cozy. Bobby's face took almost a whole wall, while the opposite wall held a tapestry with the Potter Family Tree. A small fireplace graced the right wall, while the left wall was bare.
A couch, arm chairs and a low table with a beautiful crimson ceramic vase made up the rest of the room. It was homely to be sure, and the flickering fire gave the small chamber a warm light. A woven carpet of crème with crimson highlights completed the look.
Still, while the vase gathered a lingering glance from the young wizard, it was the tapestry that drew his complete attention. Never had he seen a record of his ancestry and as he moved closer to it he couldn't help but smile as he saw the names embroidered into it.
This was his family. This was where he came from.
And they were all guys. Well, except for the last couple of generations.
He didn't know how much time he spent there, gazing at the names, recognizing the ones that Bobby had told him about. He saw how Perseus wasn't the first of the line, even if it was with his name that the thread changed from bronze to gold, even if Perseus' own grandfather and father were stitched in silver thread. That was when the vase came into the family's possession, he knew, and he couldn't help but find the symbolism appropriate.
However, it still left more than fifty generations of Potters since Perseus.
Still, such a great family, such a large legacy, almost two millennia of history, all reduced to only one person. Him. It made something shift into perspective, that's for sure. So he promised, right there and then, that he would restore the Potter's to what they once were, better even. He would make them into a family everyone could look at and respect, a family that the world could admire.
And it was with this resolution in mind that he turned his back on the tapestry and sat at the edge of the couch, in front of the vase.
Truly, it was a work of art. Not exactly big, but not small either. It was made of ceramic, though he was sure that it would never break, with dragons etched into its sides in crimson, white and gold colors. The flames reflected on its surface made the images come alive, and Harry could only watch, entranced by the sight of it. It looked like the dragons were ready to leap out of the vase at the merest indication.
Strangely, Bobby didn't speak up once, though he could see the emotions clearly on the giant face.
Strengthening his resolve, he gently extended his hand and rubbed the sides of the vase. The bubbling of liquid magic from within the vase startled him though, even as it burst forth and slipped over its rim, spilling onto the floor before seemingly frothing upwards until first an outline could be seen before a rather tall middle-aged man with black hair and silver sides stood in front of him, his face holding a small smile.
"Harry Potter, I assume?" the man asked in an accented voice, the smile growing at Harry's nod, and he could see genuine happiness in that smile, "Bless my soul, Master Potter, but if I haven't wished for this meeting for a great many years. Eighty years or even more, to be precise. I have watched you and your family from afar, waiting for this day, hoping against hope that you would come to this vault, that you would find my vase and that you would call me to your side, as so many Potter's have done before you."
The man, genie, wiped a stray tear from his eye, and Harry himself could feel the pure emotion the being in front of him was projecting, the sincerity. "I wanted so much to intervene, to take you with me after your parents were murdered by Voldemort, but the rules that tie me to this realm prohibit it, and though it saddened me greatly, I had to content myself with watching and waiting."
Confusion was prominent in his mind as the Genie, who Harry now noticed was wearing a deep blue set of wizarding robes, came around the left of the low table and bowed at his feet, "My name, Master Potter, is Nicholas Flamel, and as you have called me through my vase, I am now at your service. Your wish, dear master, is my command."
Shock raced across his mind at that and Harry couldn't help but watch the kneeling Genie —supposed wizard, famous alchemist— with incredulity, "N-Nicholas F-Fla-Flamel?" he asked, and though his voice had deepened and smoothen after his dip in the Healing Tank, at that moment it held a rather squeaky quality.
"Yes, Harry Potter," the Genie answered as it raised its head, even if he didn't rise from his kneeling position, "For while I cannot be freed from the Vase, independence from it was granted to me by a wish some seven hundred years past. I took the Flamel name and along with my wife, Perenelle, we have lived as wizards within the magical world, called back only when we are needed by our masters."
"And is your wife . . . ?" he asked, even as he slumped in the couch, overwhelmed.
"Yes, Master Potter, Perenelle is one of the Jinn," and at Harry's confused look, explained, "The Jinn, or Genies. There are seven of us in all, all part of my family; my wife, Perenelle and I, my daughter and son, and my brother, his wife and their own son. We are the Jinn; the last ones in this realm."
"But I thought that apart from the vase, the lamp and the ring, all others were lost?" Asked Harry, remembering what Bobby had told him. He didn't notice the quick look exchanged by the guardian and Genie though, "Then again, Bobby didn't tell me if they were or not, which means that your wife has a master as well, one that allowed her the same freedom as you, right?"
Smiling widely, Nicholas nodded, pleasantly surprised by the young wizard, who even if he had been watching from afar, and knew of him, he had never really met. "Exactly, young master. We were very lucky in that regard."
"How about the rest of your family, do you know where they are?" Harry asked, now concerned about the Genie.
Nicholas chuckled before standing up and sitting on the sofa as well, noticing how Harry made no move to stop him and even moved aside unconsciously to give him space. He could already see why Shaggy had taken a liking to the young man, seeing as the picky rug was snugly around its new master. "I know where all of them are, Master Potter, since we live in the same dimension. If you are asking if I know where their receptacles are, well, that is another matter."
"Oh, but if you live in the same dimension, why do you live as wizards then?"
"That is rather easy to answer, Master Potter. Tell me, what would you prefer, a small place where only seven other people lived, or a big place where thousands and thousands of humans interact; where there are so many things to see and experience that you would need multiple lifetimes to see it all?" Nicholas asked smiling as Harry's face contorted in understanding.
"Exactly," The old Genie said, "And our masters blessed Perenelle and me with the ability to wander this planet as normal wizards unless called upon. But alas, our time ran out when the Sorcerer's Stone, which was the grounding item that allowed us to stay as wizards, was destroyed," he explained with an amused tone of voice, "So you see, our next great adventure was really just a journey back to our home, young master."
"But I'm sure that you know all the details of that," Nicholas stated, straightening as he did so. "And that is in the past, the future lies in your hands, Master Potter, so tell me, what is your wish?"
Nodding at the change of subject, Harry asked, "Do I need to make a wish now? I'm not really sure what to wish for. I know that I want Voldemort and his Death Eaters gone, but I don't know if there is a way to wish for that. At the same time, I've never had much in my life, and I don't think it's really sunk in everything that I currently own. Would it be possible for me to think for a bit before making a wish?"
Nicholas looked at the boy in front of him and saw a young man with an enormous burden on his shoulders, and indeed, the possibility to lift it with but a few words. But then, he could also see that the weight of that responsibility made the young wizard cautious, and he knew that given enough time, the teen would find a way to use his power wisely. So he nodded, knowing that there were very few Potters who didn't waste their first wish rather foolishly. "Certainly Master Potter, now that you have summoned me, I am at your service. You need only call me and I will be at your side. However, if you find that you know what to wish for, you can simply say my name and your wish, and it shall be granted."
Harry Potter slumped into the couch at those words, a sigh escaping his lips before he straightened, and new energy seemingly flowing into him. "Thanks Mr. Flamel! I thought that I would have to make my wishes quickly, and then I was nervous that anytime I said 'I wish' I would waste one of the wishes on nothing but a mistake. Still, can I ask you a question?"
Though surprised by the last, Nicholas simply nodded, "Of course, Master, I am your servant now. Answering questions and indeed, giving advice is the least of my duties."
"Well," Harry started before hesitating, even as his thoughts turned toward Voldemort once again, "If you had my three wishes, what would you wish for to get rid of Voldemort?"
Of all questions the boy could have asked, that was certainly not the one he had been expecting. Truly, he was a remarkable child to even ask such a thing, because while the Potters were nothing if not kind masters, they were sometimes self centered in one way or another. Indeed, no one since Perseus Potter had ever asked him his opinion on their wishes, until now, it seemed.
Smiling warmly, he leaned forward and placed a hand on the teens shoulder, drawing his green gaze to his, "If I had the power you hold at the moment, I would first evaluate if there was really a need to use it on something as vile as Tom Riddle. Personally, I would not waste a single one of my wishes on him and instead I would search within the things that my family left me, and the knowledge and gifts they wished for my use, and use those to rid the world of Voldemort's taint."
Wide green eyes stared unblinkingly at his own, and Nicholas had never seen such intensity in a gaze, even as they seem to cloud over in thought, "You're right," Harry muttered absentmindedly, probably trying to remember what could help him from his vault.
"I would recommend that you take with you the book that details each and every whished item within your vault, and those made, bought or enchanted that were valuable enough to be stored here, Master Potter. It could help you find what would suit you best. Still, if I might ask you a question?"
"Sure," the boy nodded at him, his eyes slightly more focused.
"What power did you receive within the Red Tank?"
That brought the boys focus back once again, though the answer surprised him, "I don't know yet, it hasn't manifested. Bobby told me that it should be really powerful since its taking so long, though."
It hadn't manifested yet? Well, that certainly hadn't happened before. "And how much time did he spend in the Tank?" Nicholas asked the Guardian, who had been silent throughout their conversation.
"Forty hours," was the neutral response, which shocked him to the core. It usually took less than six hours for someone to gain a magical gift or otherwise from that tank, but almost two days? That was unheard of! It made him look at the only remaining Potter with amazement. If he took so long in the tank, then that meant the boy had to be incredibly powerful, and his magic had probably gotten involved as well, which was rarer still.
"Then I suggest you wait until you know the limits of your abilities before you make a wish, Master Potter, especially in the case of your new Power. For now, though," he paused, considering the circumstances of what he planned to do, but already knowing the young man in front of him deserved this more than anyone else, "take this."
And with a snap of his fingers, a simple gold ring materialized in the air in front of him, "It will protect you and help you in anything that you may wish."
Harry looked at the floating ring and then at Nicholas before nodding and taking the golden band from the air before carefully sliding it into his pinky finger, which garnered a raise eyebrow from the Genie. Immediately after he put it on, it shrunk down to size, and if he wasn't seeing it, Harry would have thought he wasn't wearing it, it was just that comfortable.
Still, what surprised the young wizard more than anything was when the ring glowed slightly and a cat leapt out of it; It was a little on the small side and completely black, with a narrow, elegant face and grey eyes. Its tail was long and curved downward in a sweeping arc, even if its paws were slightly bigger than a normal cats and its ears was rounded as well.
The cat itself was sitting in the couch in front of him, looking toward Nicholas with what Harry could only say was a curious expression, "This is Master Harry Potter," the old Genie addressed the black cat, "You are to guard him and protect him."
The cat seemed to nod seriously at Nicholas before it turned toward him and jumped onto his lap, where he made himself comfortable. If the purring was anything to go by, it rather liked the way that Harry was petting it too.
"His name is Alden, Master Potter, I hope you look after him as he will look after you," Nicholas told him, smiling all the while, "He is a magical cat, so he is more than capable of protecting you, should you need it."
At that, Harry couldn't help but look at the black cat, and yes, he could feel right off that it was special.
"Now, if that is all, I should depart and you, young master, should get ready to leave for school. Oh, and one other thing, if you tell Alden where you wish to go, he will transport you there, regardless of any protections surrounding it. So, for example, he could bring you back to your Vault from Hogwarts, or from here, within Gringotts, to Platform Nine and Three Quarters."
"Hey! That is just unfair, Nicholas!"
Twisting around, the Genie addressed the stone face, "And how is that unfair my dear Robert?" Grumbling answered this question, and Harry was amused by the darkened color of the stone face's cheeks, not to mention that now he had the answer to the guardians true name. "What was that, Robert? I couldn't hear you."
Huffing, the stone guardian answered louder, "I said that Master Potter should use the regular ways of transportation."
"You just want to have your wicked way with the poor lad, don't you?" Nicholas said in amusement.
Laughing at that, Harry shook his head, "Don't worry, Bobby, I like traveling the regular way too much to leave it altogether. Besides, with Alden here, I can visit you more often, right?" he asked, picking his new companion up and looking him in the eyes, even as the cat blinked its large gray eyes at him before licking the tip of his nose, making him laugh.
"Good, now that that's resolved, I shall really take my leave. Master Potter, call me anytime, again, I am at your service," and with that, the Genie disappeared. No pop, no flash, not even a small disturbance in the air. He was simply gone.
"That's brilliant, isn't in Alden?" he asked the black cat, even as he snuggled it close, "Still, I should get everything ready for school tomorrow, right?"
"Certainly, Master Potter," Bobby answered, even as he extended his tongue for Harry to sit in.
"Yeah, let's go to the first chamber, I need to double check my trunk," and with that, he patted Shaggy a bit and the front of his furry toga expanded without a word. Smiling, Harry tucked the small cat inside the new space where he snuggled against his bare skin, its grey eyes closing.
Truly, Hogwarts wouldn't know what hit it.
-O●O●O●O-
"How was the boy, then, Nicholas?" A rough voice asked him right as he appeared.
"Master Potter is a rather unique young man," he answered briefly even as he greeted his wife warmly and found a seat.
"Unique enough to give him the ring?" the same voice asked, persistent.
"Yes, Myron, special enough to deserve Alden's protection," he said.
"Then he is certainly a noble boy," a melodic voice joined in, "to so quickly gain your trust, Nicholas."
Smiling at his sister in law, he nodded, a smile finally appearing on his face, "Yes Faridah, he is. Indeed, if it were for him, I would have been granted the freedom to roam earth once more. I saw it in his eyes as we spoke, as he asked about my family. He would waste his wishes on everyone but himself, if given the chance, and he even asked me what he should do with the wishes that were his to make!" he said, expecting the surprised expressions that greeted this announcement.
"Then he is a special master, indeed, beloved," Perenelle spoke up.
"Even if we only spoke for a short time, I have already become fond of the lad. I know that if I had stayed a bit longer, then he would have started asking all the right questions."
"Indeed?" Myron, the Genie of the Lamp, asked, skeptical.
"Yes, dear brother. That boy," he said in wonder, shaking his head to dispel the fain stirrings of hope, "That boy could bring about what we have always wished for ourselves. He is that special."
"Then we will have to guard his steps," Faridah said immediately, fiercely.
"And guide his heart," Perenelle said in turn.
"I would have to meet him first, before falling into foolish dreams," Myron told them gruffly as he stood to leave, but then he paused, "but if you think he will be the one, I will look forward to our meeting."
And with that, the second most powerful of the Jinn left, but Nicholas smiled. Hope, indeed, was a powerful thing. And this time, Nicholas was sure that that hope would bear fruit. He had seen it already, reflected within emerald green eyes.
All they had to do now was wait, and guard, and serve, and see.
It was all they had left.
-o
TBC…
-o
Pickled Brains: Well, waddaya lot think? Review!
