Disclaimer: I in no way own any part of Harry Potter, it unfortunately still all belongs to J.K Rowling.
Authors Note:
Thank you to my betas James Marx and mineng101 for their work on this story.
Recommendations:
Travel Secrets Series (First, Second, Third) by E4mj.
Paradoxical Parallels by HistoryOnRepeat.
The Son of Lord Voldemort by Shopaholic1369.
They Shook Hands by Dethryl.
The Downward Spiral Series: Harry Potter and The Homecoming, Harry Potter and Salazar's Legacy, Harry Potter and The Year Of Broken Chains, Harry Potter and The Return of The Lost, Harry Potter and The Dirge of Hope, Harry Potter and The End of War by BolshevikMuppet99.
The Rarest Soul of All by DZ2.
Harry Potter and The Serpent Chronicles Book 1 The Prince of Slytherin by ACI100.
Review Answers
Sourcemaster: Just know this my friend, it will likely not be used often (few and far between would be an accurate description) but just know that it will not be forgotten, simply used very sparingly.
Hyperiodite: I am glad, as the reason I redrafted the first number of chapters from my original plan was to allow the story to fit more into that middle ground.
Davies96: It is interesting that you maintain your views when so many are calling him the second coming of Tom Riddle. For what it's worth, though you're not 100% accurate in your assessments, but you are probably the most accurate thus far in terms of evaluating his character.
DZ2: You and me both, I find myself counting down the number of chapter until he reaches the castle, for that is where the true fun begins.
"Speech"
'Internal Dialogue'
Memory Speech
Parseltongue
Chapter 4: Legacy.
For several long minutes Harry Potter stood and stared openly at the Leaky Cauldron with a hungry, possessive stare that would have taken passers by aback had they stopped to investigate the young boy in front of them.
His eyes practically gleamed as he took the place in. Despite its shabby appearance, it was by default the most beautiful place he had ever seen, here was finally a place worthy of people like him.
Slowly and deliberately Harry made his way forward before slowly pushing open the door. He was hoping he would not be recognized as the boy-who-lived, though he theorized it would not be too difficult, after all they had not seen him since he was a baby, they had no way of knowing how he looked today.
Just to be sure though, Harry made sure that his hair was covering his distinct and infamous lightning bolt scar, he didn't even know why he bothered as his hair was always flawless, it had been so for as long as he could remember.
He crossed the shabby pub with quick strides until he was standing in front of the barman who looked to be getting on well in age.
"Hello young man, what can I do for you?" Asked the barman.
"Professor Dumbledore told me that you would have no issues granting me access to Diagon Alley." Harry said in the perfect tone of politeness and uncertainty. "Would that be possible, sir? I don't mean to impose, but…"
"Nonsense, nonsense, just wait for me in the back alley. I'll be out in just a moment."
Harry inclined his head to the man politely before quickly crossing the pub and exiting into the back alley, keeping his head down all the way, letting a victorious smirk play on his features as he knew no one was in a position to see the expression.
True to his word, the barman came out into the alley only a second later and tapped a brick on the wall with his wand causing an archway to appear in its place.
Again Harry stared, this time with even more intensity and focus as Diagon Alley, the heart of magical Britain, sprawled out in front of him; the hunger, longing and pride unmasked in his intense emerald eyes.
He made his way into the alley wondering where to go first and then he remembered what Dumbledore had said about his family and his heart leapt as yet another smirk played across his lips.
"Your family was a wizarding family, Harry. The muggles… that is to say, non-magical people know that your family is dead, but they know nothing of your family's true history. Your family, Harry, is one of the richest in the magical world, and I dare say money will likely never be an issue for you. Your parents left you nearly all of it, locked away in a vault deep below London." He finished with another smile.
So, now it was simply a matter of finding what he was assuming would be a bank.
His eyes scanned the alley quickly, vulture like in his pursuit of his goal and then he saw it, a building that could be nothing else, for it screamed of wealth, power, and prestige.
It was a pure white marble building that towered over all of its counterparts which inhabited the alley.
Harry made his way towards the bank at a quick pace, covering quite a bit of ground in quite a short time. He missed nothing though, soaking in every bit of activity, and every detail of his surroundings. Between seeing stores like a bookstore, an owlery, what appeared to be a clothing store and many more, while also catching snippets of conversation about the new Nimbus 2000, which was according to the boys gossiping "the fastest racing broom in the world.'
It was odd, Harry missed nothing as he took in everything around him, yet he had eyes for only his goal, his intense gaze never leaving the tall marble building for more than a few seconds until he was standing in front of a set of marble steps which led to the main entrance.
Standing in his way were odd creatures the likes of which Harry had never seen. They were shorter then he was, had greenish skin, long fingers and noses, and had sharp, intense eyes.
The creatures were armed with spears but they did not seem poised to attack, instead bowing to Harry as he passed. Not knowing what to do, but deciding to be polite seeing as they had weapons and he did not, Harry bowed back before making his way past them. This meant he did not see their shocked expressions at being bowed to by a wizard.
Harry made it up the steps and stopped in front of the main entrance, taking it all in with the same hungry look, though this time there was also a spark of glee in his eyes.
There were two more guards, one on each side of the doors, but Harry was more interested in the inscription carved upon them.
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Will pay most dearly in their turn,
For if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,lllllll
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
Harry read the inscription several times before nodding in approval. He had always enjoyed literature, poetry in particular though disastrous when done incorrect, could be a work of art when in the hands of a master.
He smirked, he got the impression that no one in their right minds would be trying to rob Gringotts.
Repeating his gesture from earlier, Harry bowed to the two creatures before entering the bank, absentmindedly thinking they may be goblins. Seconds later he nodded in satisfaction as his theory was proven correctly when he heard an old man grumbling about having to walk past the goblin guards.
The atrium was elaborately decorated, though so simplistic all at once, it was without a doubt (up to this point) the most beautiful place Harry had ever seen.
He hungrily made his way up to one of the goblin tellers and waited for him to take notice, noting a pinch of annoyance when the goblin did not look up from his task of counting what seemed to be priceless gems.
"How can Gringotts be of service to you?" He asked in what was clearly a bored, drawling tone without looking up. Though still a bit annoyed by the rudeness, Harry chose to ignore it and let on nothing of the sort as he answered in a perfectly polite, though confident tone.
"I would like to make a withdraw from the Potter family vault."
The goblin paused his shuffling of rubies to look up at Harry, meeting his green eyes with intense dark ones. Harry did not blink but continued to stare back at the goblin, his aura (though he did not realize it) flaring at the potential challenge and his eyes seemed to shine eerily with a light far too reminiscent of the killing curse.
"Harry Potter." the goblin said without asking "welcome back."
Harry simply inclined his head in acknowledgement before the goblin blindsided him with his next question.
"Do you have the key for your vault, Mr. Potter?"
Harry raised an eyebrow in question and was internally panicking though his face stayed a polite, impassive mask.
"Should I?" He asked, genuinely curious to hear the answer.
"If access to your vault is something you would like, then yes, yes you should."
Harry inspected the goblin for several long moments trying to gauge if he was being lied to, when he picked up on no deception he nodded in acceptance before speaking again, a slight bit of annoyance creeping into his still mostly polite voice.
"And what if I were to tell you that I have never in my life been in possession of such a key?"
Now it was the goblins turn to inspect Harry for any signs of deception, Harry did not shy away this time either, choosing to look the creature directly in the eyes once more.
"I would tell you that your magical guardian should have given it to you." Was the simple response.
"I am unaware of the meaning of "magical guardian" let alone the implications of your statement."
The goblin looked furious. "Do not waste my time with petty jokes, boy."
"I assure you, sir, that I speak nothing short of the truth."
They had another, much longer staring match before the goblin looked incredulous.
"You truly do not know?" He asked, a note of disbelief obvious in his voice.
"I truly do not." Harry answered neutrally though he was fuming inside, why had Dumbledore not mentioned anything of this?
"How is that possible?" Asked the goblin, still clearly either sceptical or in a state of continued disbelief.
Harry simply shrugged. "Until today I was unaware of magic as a whole, I have been raised by muggles since the death of my parents."
The goblin was back to looking incredulous before nodding slowly. "I am going to take you to the Potter account manager, once there, he will decide what to do with you."
Harry simply nodded in acceptance and followed the goblin once he gestured for him to do so.
As they walked, Harry noted that Gringotts seemed to be designed in a way that Harry would never be able to find his way around unless he was accompanied by a guide, he grudgingly praised the goblins for the design, noting the practicality and advantage of such an outline.
After a long period of walking, and too many turns for even his near eidetic memory to keep up with, Harry found himself waiting outside a large, oak door while his guide went inside to speak to the Potter account manager.
After several minutes his guide re entered the hallway. "I apologize for the wait, Mr. Potter, but I had to explain your rather… peculiar circumstances, to your account manager, Rodnuk."
Harry bowed respectfully to the goblin before slowly pushing open the door and stepping inside, keeping his posture proud and confident. Weakness was not something these creatures appreciated, he had already gathered that much in the small time he had been in their presence.
The room was done in a dark oak wood, the carpet was a rich red. It looked very expensive overall. Sitting behind an ornate desk was yet another goblin, this one though was dressed in very expensive looking robes of deepest red.
"After all these years you have come." There was no emotion in the goblins voice, he was simply observing.
"I have." Harry responded neutrally, not really knowing where to go with this conversation.
"I have been told that you have not been given your key, is this correct?"
Harry nodded in the affirmative.
"This is deeply concerning, Mr. Potter."
"How so sir?" Asked Harry.
The goblin was taken aback at the respectful address but did not comment.
"The key to a Gringotts vault should only be hold by those who it is entitled to or that person's magical guardian." Harry waited, he could sense a "but" coming. "The concerning thing however, is you do not have a magical guardian recognized by law, so whoever holds your current Gringotts key is doing so under illegal pretences."
'Dumbledore.' Harry thought with venom, 'because destroying my childhood was not enough? The old man tries to portray this front of regret and empathy and then essentially steals from me?'
"So it is not possible to enter my vault then?" Asked Harry, an edge of annoyance to his voice.
"That is not completely true." Said Rodnuk. "If you swear an oath on your magic that you have never been in possession of your key nor entrusted it to anyone else, and that you have never been informed of any informal magical guardian, and your oath is considered valid, then we can run an inheritance test to prove your claim on the vault. From there we can grant you access and do something about the key situation."
"That seems simple enough." Commented Harry.
"You must be made aware, Mr. Potter, that magical oaths are very serious, if you break them you suffer terrible consequences as defined in said oath. If you are truthful in your oaths then of course you have nothing to fear. The inheritance test though will cost you 50 galleons, if you are proven to have no claim to the vault you will be punished most severely for your attempt on it."
"I'll do it." Answered Harry, there was always the possibility that Dumbledore had lied to him but he highly doubted it. He knew when people were lying and he just knew within his heart that this was all true.
"Very well, a magical oath must start with the proclamation of whom you are, followed by the consequences of the oath, followed by what you swear to be true in this case. An example of an oath you could take for this would be, I Harry James Potter swear on my blood, my magic and my life that I have never been given my key, nor did I know of its existence. Furthermore, I have never been made aware of any formal or informal magical guardians, so mote it be."
"What is the blood, magic, and life referring to sir? And what does the phrase, so mote it be mean?"
"The bit about magic, blood and life is the stakes. If you were to swear an oath on those three things, which you would be required to do in this circumstance, then you would forfeit your family, hence blood, your magic and your life if you broke the oath, in this case by lying. So mote it be activates your magic and therefore binds you to the oath so long as the other accepts it."
Harry nodded and thought for a moment but Rodnuk cut him off. "These are always performed with wands, however, do to the runes in this room it is unnecessary, please note in future though that any oaths you swear you must hold your wand in the given position."
Harry nodded before deciding to go with his gut. "I, Harry James Potter swear on my blood, my magic, and my life that I have never been in possession of, or even aware of the existence of my Gringotts vault key. Furthermore, I have never been made aware of a magical guardian of any sort, so mote it be."
"So mote it be." Rodnuk accepted.
Harry felt an odd tug within himself and there was a pulse of golden light around him.
Rodnuk nodded, seeming satisfied.
"Well, magic itself has accepted your words as true, so shall we move on to the inheritance test?"
Harry nodded.
"This test will show your family tree, along with any titles you may hold in the magical world."
Harry nodded as the goblin opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out an odd looking sheet of parchment, it was very old and seemed to give off an aura of its own, it was also a bit darker then normal parchment.
"This parchment will show us the results, first I will slice your hand with this dagger." he said, removing a long, Ancient looking ceremonial dagger from his robes, which made Harry tense subconsciously. "You will bleed onto the parchment and your blood will spell out the results and the magic of the dagger will heal your wound. Now, if you are ready hold out your palm please."
"I will do it myself if that's ok." Piped in Harry as he watched the dagger warily, he did not trust easily, at least not with his physical safety. Years of experience had taught him not to do that.
"If you wish." Said the goblin, seemingly equally surprised and amused as he delicately passed Harry the dagger.
Harry did not hesitate and he instantly cut into his palm, it stung something fierce as blood poured out of his wound far faster than normal, making him feel light headed for more than a few seconds. As quick as it had begun it was over though as his wound sealed and the goblin handed him a vial.
"This is a potion that will replenish the blood lost, drink it."
As Harry was still a bit dizzy he did not hesitate to drink feeling better instantaneously before glancing down to the parchment.
At the top was his family tree but below that words were being spelled out
Harry James Potter(July 31st 1980-present)
Born to James Charlus Potter: March 27th 1960- October 31st 1981
and
Lily Potter nee Evans: January 31st 1960-October 31st 1981
TitlesHeir to The Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter
Heir to The Ancient and Most Noble House of Slytherin
(by conquest of Tom Marvolo Riddle)
For several long moments the goblin before Harry sat there in what seemed to be complete and utter disbelief before he chuckled.
"What is it that has you amused?" Asked Harry.
"Ah, Mr. Potter, let's just say my job just got even more profitable with the addition of House Slytherin.
"How much do I have?" Harry asked him curiously.
"I am afraid you will not be made aware until your twelfth birthday. It is at that point that you may claim Lordship over these houses and take the responsibilities associated with that title."
"I'm taking it be your reaction that these houses are quite well of? And by houses, I assume it refers to families?"
"Your assumptions are correct. As for your other question… yes. House Potter is not the richest family around, but you've always sat in the elite level of families. As for Slytherin… well, they are one of the founding families of Hogwarts, as well as magical Britain so I can only imagine." The goblin trailed off, a somewhat goofy, (yet still menacing) grin on his face.
"What does it mean when it says via conquest of Tom Marvolo Riddle?"
"It means that this Tom Riddle was either the Heir or to House Slytherin and you defeated him in some form of combat, whether it was a duel, or a conflict which resulted in his death at your hand."
Harry thought about it for a moment. The only people he had ever killed were Dudley, Vernon and Petunia, and he was quite sure that none of them were secretly named Tom Riddle. On top of that he had never even met a Tom Riddle, he was sure of it. And then it hit him.
"Voldemort." He breathed quietly.
The goblin looked stunned for a moment before looking thoughtful. "If you have never duelled before then I suppose that that would be the logical answer." He concluded.
Harry simply nodded. "So, may I visit my vaults?"
"Unfortunately not, Heir… which would you like to be referred as?"
Harry thought for a moment. "Potter, at least for now. I may change my mind when I am more educated, but for now Potter is suitable."
The goblin bowed his head in acknowledgement. "Very well, Heir Potter. You will be able to claim all of your titles on your twelfth birthday, and only then will you be able to access the vaults pertaining to both houses."
"So, if I can not access my vaults until my twelfth birthday, is there not a way to withdraw money?"
"There is." Answered Rodnuk. "Your parents left you a trust vault that is refilled with 250,000 galleons every year, this will continue until your seventeenth birthday whether you claim your lordship or not. This has been open since your birth. So, you currently have 2,500,000 galleons available to you, though seeing as your eleventh birthday is fast approaching that number will soon increase once again."
"I apologize for my ignorance, sir." said Harry, accurately faking an air of disappointment and an apologetic nature. "But could you explain wizarding currency to me in relation to muggle currency?"
"Of course." Answered the goblin who did not miss a beat as he began his explanation. "Wizarding currency is broken up into three types of coins. The galleon being the most valuable of them, it is the large, golden coin and it is equivalent to approximately £5. There are seventeen sickles to a galleon, sickles are the silver coins, and 29 knuts to a sickle."
Harry nodded, quickly doing the math and realizing that he had the equivalent of £12,500,000 at his disposal, and that was only a trust vault.
"Would it be possible to go down to my vault immediately then?" Asked Harry.
"Of course, Heir Potter. I will summon someone to take you to your vault immediately. The goblin who takes you to your vault will queue it to your blood, and only your blood. Meaning that Dumbledore's key will be useless. Shall I schedule a meeting for your twelfth birthday? You can claim your Lordship and your vaults and we can go over the financial details then?"
"Please do, Rodnuk." Instructed Harry as he stood. "I will be eager for the day."
The goblin offered him a sharp toothed grin as he too stood and offered the young wizard his hand. "As will I, Heir Potter, as will I."
…..
Authors Endnote:
Another short chapter, I know, I know. I am not going to make them any longer than they have to be, and as you can clearly see I split up the Diagon Alley portion of the story into three chapters. The next will be the final one from the alley. After that, it is off to Hogwarts!
In the next chapter, Harry truly experiences the magical world for the first time, buys his school supplies, discovers an interesting road that seems to lead to an off branch of the alley, buys his very first wand, and meets a young blonde who he will be seeing much more of in the future.