Harry Potter and the Peverell Legacy
Book Two of the Heritage Series
Chapter Four
A Place Called Home
The journey back to England was longer than the journey to Bulgaria, Sirius took him by Side-Long Apparition and they made four stops this time round. Harry had been very hesitant to allow Sirius to take him anywhere and had almost cursed him on the first attempt.
But soon enough they had landed in the run-down square of a London street but while Harry knew he was just feet from being home he could not remember where their house was. Sirius then whispered in his ear "Black House may be found at number twelve Grimmauld Place." The house had appeared to Harry then and he smiled up at it, it shone grandly, especially when compared to the neighbouring houses.
With Dumbledore dead, the secret had no longer been safe as it was kept by all those that had been given it, so the spell had been broken in its entirety and recast by Sirius who had hidden the secret within his soul this time.
When Harry stepped over the threshold he felt an overwhelming feeling, it was so simple yet so powerful. Home. He loved this house, he had helped rebuild it, he felt its magic reach out and embrace him and he felt so secure and safe. This was his home now.
Reaching his room Harry placed down his school trunk and opened it, the moment he had Dobby appeared and with his fingers who made all of his clothes disappear, he then bowed low to Harry and welcomed him home before he vanished with a crack.
On his desk was a neat leather box that had been filled with all his letters, no doubt done by Remus or one of the elves Harry imagined. He flicked through them and saw most were letters from his friends, a few were invitations to social events. Also tucked into the box was a letter from the Bank, his account managed asked him to call at the bank when he had the opportunity.
It took Harry over an hour to reply to all of his friends and sort through the invitations and send back his responses, all of which were a no as he would miss them as he left the country tomorrow but others were apologies for missing events while he was in Bulgaria.
As he needed to go to Gringotts Harry got changed into something a little more formal that a t shirt and jeans, and then made his way up to the top of the house where Sirius was in his office.
The room wasn't overly large, but that might have been due to the every spare wall being covered by large bookcases filled with leather bound books some of which looked very old. The only wall that did not have a bookshelf dominating it instead had a large relief of the Black Coat of Arms.
Sirius looked up as Harry entered, "Everything alright?"
"I need to go to Gringotts, Griphook sent me a letter asking me to call in." Harry said hoping that Sirius wouldn't disagree.
If he was surprised by the request he didn't show it, he put down the documents he was reading and Harry saw that they were marked by the Hogswarts crest. "Of Course, you have an estate to manage just as I do. Would you like company?"
"No, I will be fine alone." Harry said but he hated the words the moment they came out and he saw the pain of them in Sirius's eyes, "I will take my mirror too, should I need to call you."
"Fine, but you need to change your appearance." he said standing up. "Have you learnt how to do that yet or would you like me to do it for you?"
Harry shook his head and hesitated slightly not knowing if he should letter Sirius do it but relented, "If you wouldn't mind?"
Sirius nodded and pulled out his wand but he made no comment when Harry instinctively went for his own wand. After four flicks of Sirius's wand, Harry was now James Evans again.
"I wouldn't worry about the Goblins, your rings prove your identity and they appreciate discretion for their clients." Sirius said as he pulled out a piece of blank parchment and wrote down something before adding his seal, "If you want to you can also have a look in the Black Family vault, all of the dark artefacts have been removed, and they have only just begun to sort through them but you are free to take anything."
Harry took the note and looked at it.
I Sirius Orion, Lord of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black authorise my heir Harrison James Black-Potter to access and withdraw from the Black Ancestral Vault.
"Thanks, but I probably won't go into there today." Harry told him.
Things felt slightly awkward between them, the trip to Bulgaria had put Harry on edge around him where as before he had felt so comfortable and at ease. Sirius gave him an understanding smile and sat back down at his desk.
"Take your time. Might I suggest that you visit the Potter Estate." He said not looking up from his work, "You need to become acquainted with your own lands. Call me if you want to go there and I can take you."
"Fine." Harry said and made his way down to the fireplace on the ground floor.
He loved this fireplace, it was beautifully crafted out of the finest mahogany. He pressed a part of the carving and it gave way a little under his hand and a hidden drawer slid open and he took a pinch of floo powder and threw it into the flames.
"Diagon Alley!" he announced clearly after taking off his glasses.
He shot out of the grate in the Leaky Cauldron barely managing to stay on his feet. That was only because he fell into a patron who was standing too close to the fire. After making his apologies, he left the bar. Even with his disguise, he didn't want to attract attention.
The moment he stepped into the Alley, he noticed how much it had changed since previous years. While previously it had been busy, there had always been a happy atmosphere but now it was somewhat quiet and people were rushing around in small groups.
Even the window displays were no longer a sight that caught the eye. Many of them had new Ministry posters which showed images of known Death Eaters, He was making his way through the small groups when he suddenly experienced sensory overload.
One shop stood out against its neighbours, the shop front was painted Weasley Orange, with a large sign that read;
Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
The largest eye catcher was the left-hand window; the Twins products were on display but the effect was dazzling. Everything moved, resolved, popped, flashed, bounced, shrieked, and smoked. Passers-by would double take at the shop and many would come to a halt and enter just to satisfy their curiosity. For Harry, however the best display was on the right-hand window. At first glance, it had looked like one of the ministry posters but it was only after the ink would flash that your eye was drawn to it, and when your attention was on the poster the lettering would flash and change.
Why are you worrying about You-Know-Who?
You SHOULD be worrying about
U-NO-POO –
The Constipation sensation that's gripping the Nation
He couldn't help but laugh at the Twins sense of humour. He managed to squeeze his way into the shop after some effort as it was rammed full of people. There were boxes piled high on shelves, bins of merchandise and magnificently magical displays. The twins stood out in the store with their orange hair and purple waistcoats.
Harry nodded to himself, it looked like he was right to invest in the business. He wondered what Mrs Weasley thought of their enterprise. She had been adamant that she wanted the Twins to finish school but Harry was nearly certain that they would make the business work and he would see a large return on his investment.
Gringotts had also changed from his previous visits, there was a queue of fifty witches and wizards waiting at the kiosks and even more were standing waiting for the carts to go down to their vaults. Harry was going to wait in queue but he saw Lord Flint walk in, turn his nose up at the queue then walk directly to the head teller and was shown to his account manager. The witches and wizards in front of him began to complain loudly about the blatant favouritism but were soon silenced by the goblin security.
Harry stepped out of line and walked straight up to the head teller.
"Good morning, I am here to see Account Manager Griphook." He said bluntly.
The Goblin looked up at him with a sneer, which turned into a very pointed look.
"Is he expecting you?" the Goblin asked.
"No, but he will make time to see me I am sure. " Harry replied not liking the goblins tone.
"Unfortunately, account manager Griphook," the Goblin said with a sneer, "is very busy. If you have business with him you should have made an appointment."
"His business is my business!" Harry said curtly. "I would ask again that you show me to my account manager now!"
The goblin looked up and looked startled suddenly. "Very well." he said and rang a bell and turned back to his ledger. Another goblin came to escort Harry to the door which bore the Potter crest which Harry knocked on and was allowed entry.
"Good morning Griphook." Harry said politely trying to forget the head-teller's response. "I trust that all is well."
"And who might you be?" Griphook asked shrewdly, his clever eyes looking over his face carefully.
"I am your client, under concealment spells." Harry replied. "Harrison Black-Potter, Head of House Potter."
Griphook nodded and pulled out the small knife and parchment. "I will require your blood as identification and to see your House rings."
Harry took the parchment, allowed his blood to drop onto it and handed it back using his ring hand which clearly showed the House rings. Griphook gripped his hand closely as he studied the rings before he read the parchment.
"Everything is in order Mr Black-Potter." he said after a long moment and he stood up. He walked to a cupboard and pulled out a large ledger before he came and sat at his desk again. "Where shall we start?"
"I would like to start with a full account overview, detailing investments and returns and my current account balance." Harry said remembering a lesson he had had with Sirius last year.
Griphook didn't waste a moment and he pulled out a report from the top of a pile.
- Gringotts Annual Audit of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter -
- July 1996 -
Vaults
Potter Ancestral Vault: 1,802,231 Galleons
Potter Dowager Vault: 50,000 Galleons
Trust Vaults 787-791: 100,000 Galleons
Total Gold content: 1,952,231 Galleons
*Ancestral Vault contains several large of chests that contain the contents of Peverell Manor, value is unknown currently.
*Jewels and Family heirlooms are valued at 3,500,000 Galleons at the current market value.
Domestic Property
Godric's Hollow Cottage: Registered Historical Monument.
Property Valuation: 120,000 Galleons
Notes: Structural damage to the upper floor and residual curse damage. Contents of the property are unknown.
Hogs Hill, Hogsmeade: Leased to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Property Valuation: 144,000 Galleons
Notes: Lease ends in 2010. Subterranean tunnel links the property to the school.
Potter Estate: Undergoing Reconstruction.
Property Valuation: 14,130,000 Galleons
Notes: Manor structure construction is complete. Wards have reached maximum efficiency and external boundary walls and Gatehouse have been rebuilt.
Business Investments
Butterbeer Distillation Company: 33% Ownership - Annual Income: 300,000 Galleons
Daily Prophet: 20% Ownership - Annual Income: 11,000 Galleons
Discreet Elf Services: 60% Ownership - Annual Income: 500,000 Galleons
Duke's Confection Production: 17% Ownership - Annual Income: 21,000 Galleons
Eeylops Owl Emporium: 2% Ownership - Annual Income: 3,660 Galleons
Quality Quidditch Supplies: 20% Ownership - Annual Income: 64,000 Galleons
Twilfitt and Tatting's: 4% Ownership - Annual Income: 12,400 Galleons
Weasley Wizard Wheezes: 30% Ownership - Annual income: 3000 Galleons
Commercial Properties
Yellow Field Farmland: Leased to Highmoon Research Institute
Property Value: 85,000 Galleons
Annual Rent: 16,000 Galleons
Highmill Farm: Tenanted to Crockford Family
Property Value: 61,690 Galleons
Annual Income: 7,000 Galleons
Rowan Pastures: Leased to European Society for the Breeding and Racing of Equestrian Creatures
Property Value: 1,300,770 Galleons
Annual Rent: 22,000 Galleons
Annual Income: 63,000 Galleons
Harry smiled as he read his statement; his finances were good but he noticed the substantial drain on them from the rebuilding of the Potter Estate and the new acquisitions.
"I approve of this Griphook." He said returning the document, "However I do have concerns; what will the return of Voldemort do to my investments?"
Griphook smiled evilly baring his teeth. "I can see that you are not foolish unlike most of your kind, our market is very small, and some of the share prices are falling as sales stop, while other prices are going higher. Many owners are buying out their shares owners and privatising their business, or some have sold their businesses and stakes to other clients. War makes good business but some enterprises will suffer, what would you like to do with your own?"
"Eeylops and Twiflitts." Harry stated. "Sell them, they are my lowest investments and I want to free up some of my gold."
"That can be arranged." Griphook said writing it down, "I would also suggest the sale of Quality Quidditch Supplies. With the dark forces on the rise the sport will not be as popular and the value will not be as high. If in the event of the fall of the Dark lord you could reinvest as the sport receives more attention."
"Sell that too. I also think it might be prudent to place a freeze on further investments. How much gold do you think I will get with the sale of those investments?" He asked thinking of something that he had thought of in Bulgaria.
Griphook didn't reply but began to look through papers and go through many calculations for fifteen minutes. "Depending on the rate I could negotiate, I would estimate at minimum of around two hundred and seventy thousand galleons. The sports enterprise sale will be the largest return depending on the buyer."
"Does Gringotts have the ability to set up a bank account in the Muggle world?" Harry asked.
"We do have a somewhat small connection to the Bank of England. Your family however should have had an account, not that it was probably used much."
Harry waited while Griphook spent the next thirty minutes looking through many ledgers and papers looking for the information. Harry however reviewed his account details for the years previously.
During his years in living in the muggle world his accounts had been frozen entirely with no expenditures at all. After his return to the community he had begun to receive income once more but money was also leaving his vaults. The largest of which had been his Hogwarts tuition fees, which came to one thousand Galleons each school term.
He was halfway through the pages of his account of his parents last months of life when Griphook spoke.
"It would seem that the Potter Account at the Bank of England was closed in nineteen eighty-four, by the bank. The money it contained was minimal. The last balance we received was for a mere fifty galleons." He said with a rather disgruntled look. "I do not know why the account was closed. I will investigate that however as funds are due back to you."
Harry nodded in understanding. The account had not been touched since his parents had gone into hiding. "What about my mother, she was a muggleborn, did she have an account?"
Griphook frowned and immediately walked over to another set of drawers and pulled out a folder, He flicked through the parchment before finally finding what he was looking for and he looked surprised. "She did, and my predecessor took full advantage of it."
"How so?"
Griphook looked up at him and seemed to have forgotten he was there for a moment before he schooled is expression into disinterest. "As you know your accounts were frozen when your parents died, your own trust fault was unfrozen only when you entered the bank at the age of eleven. However, for the previous eleven years your investments were still granting you revenue and I have spent this last year trying to trace where those funds went."
"And you believe that they were transferred into the Muggle world?" Harry asked surprised, not expecting a goblin to do this.
"Your father's account manager was Rigna'ri, he is dead now, but he arranged for the annual profits to be deposited into your mother's bank account rather than being transferred to the Ministry. That account was not frozen as it was not under the control of Gringotts and so the amount in that account is quite substantial." Griphook said after going through the financial reports, "I would estimate that the account will hold around fifty million pounds, which, if my calculations are correct equals just under twelve million galleons."
Harry sat aghast, he never realised that the amount would be so large. "That is quite the sum and would refill my own vault."
Griphook smiled nastily, which Harry realised was because of the terms of his employment if that money was transferred over to the Potter account he would receive a large bonus, "There is one issue that we must discuss however. The Potter account is in arrears to the Ministry, you have a substantial tax bill that you must pay."
"When you came to the Bank last year and you performed the ritual claiming your ring, as you know your accounts were unfrozen, but on that day, I was also presented with the Tax Bill from the Ministry. As I am sure you will know fourteen years of back dated taxes on your accounts and assets is substantial, so I took the liberty as your Account Manager to negotiate an interim period to allow your accounts to be organised before the bill was paid."
"How much do I need to pay?" Harry asked uneasy, he had no idea that he would be taxed and wondered how much he owed.
"A one-off payment of five million galleons will cover the bill and there is interest included too." Griphook said looking at a parchment in front of him to get the figure, "If you would rather you can pay the bill in instalments over a longer period but I would caution you against this, better to pay it off now and not have this hanging over your head."
Harry considered what to do for a moment before he decided what to do "Have nine million galleons transferred from the Bank of England Account into the Potter Accounts. Using those additional funds will cover the debt. As you say I would rather have it paid in full and never have to worry about it again."
"I will also require a different service from you Griphook. I need to you to find four properties in the muggle world, a four-bedroom house in or on the outskirts of Surrey. It is not to be extravagant, but I am looking to spend up to three hundred thousand pounds. The only thing I want it to have is a modern kitchen, garage, and large back garden. Could Gringotts arrange this?"
"Gringotts has a number of muggleborn employees who we often use to negotiate with the muggle world." Griphook said recording the information on his growing list of things to do "Is this house for yourself?"
"No" Harry said hesitantly not wanting to give too much information away, "This transaction is not to be recorded in any official records of the Potter Accounts, this is a private acquisition and one I need kept secret due to the war. I hope this is not outside the bounds of your abilities?"
Griphook didn't waste a moment, "That will be fine Mr Black-Potter, Gringotts facilitates all of their clients' needs and while unusual it is a simple matter. I will have a property portfolio put together for you but if you want it to be a secret I will have properties from across the country to prevent any trace of the purchase.
"Thank you," Harry said gratefully. "I read that the Potter Estate is now enclosed within the wards you arranged to be erected around it, and that the main structure of the manor has now been rebuilt. I think it is time we start arranging for the interior to be built."
They spent a further hour going through the plans. Griphook would arrange the labour force and materials to be sourced for the manor. They had also had to review several contracts that Harry needed to sign and authorise for the large bank transfers.
With their business ending Griphook asked. "Very well I think that will be all for now, what other service may I provide?"
"I would like to visit the Potter Ancestral Vault and if I have the time the Black Vault as well." Harry stated, "I have the written authority from Lord Black for the Black Vaults."
Griphook took the parchment from him. "I will deliver this to Account Manager Narfang but I do not see an issue, if you will follow me I will have a cart come to collect you."
He marched Harry out of the office and led him to through the corridors. They walked through a doorway which led to the tracks that stretched down to the vaults underneath them. Standing guard by the tracks were what looked like a full battalion of goblin warriors with spears and swords in full armour.
Their path was blocked by two goblins who intersected their spears to prevent entry. The goblin that seemed to be in charge exchanged what seemed like a heated argument in gobbledygook with Griphook.
Eventually they were allowed entry to the track but Griphook ordered the goblin to accompany them and he came forward holding the oddest item Harry had ever seen. It was metal and made an awful noise when it moved.
They shot like a rocket through the tunnels, so fast that at some points Harry had no idea what direction they were going or what way up they were. They plunged deeper and deeper into the earth, even through a waterfall. Griphook was busy with the cart, he was doing something to the central console when they bounced off the track.
Harry swore at the top of his voice but they were not falling, their momentum had them continuing straight on. It was when he looked up that he would have screamed if he had the time, they were heading straight for rough cave wall.
They passed directly through it and were in a new tunnel or a set of new tracks, he couldn't see much as he was blinded by white fire that spat from another tunnel. He closed his eyes at the bright light but heard the clang of metal reverberating from next to him then the light disappeared and they were able to enter a dark tunnel before they came to an abrupt stop.
The only light came from the carts single lamp which Griphook removed from its setting so that he could illuminate the step next to them as he got out of the cart.
"Please step out of the cart." Griphook said looking at him expectantly.
Harry stood in the cart and wished there was more light but too a hesitant step and felt the sure footing of stone under him and got off the cart and walked forwards, he noticed that Griphook did not proceed with him and stayed at the edge of the platform.
"You will need to walk forward alone. The magic on Ancestral Vaults are powerful, you will be tested."
Nodding slowly, he turned and looked at the area Griphook indicated to and took hesitant steps forward. After only three steps fire ignited on the walls from what looked like natural rock formation.
"Who dares attempt to enter this protected place?" said a disembodied voice that sounded like the rock itself was speaking. It was gruff and deep and incredibly foreboding.
Harry didn't hesitate in his answer, and used the words Sirius taught him last summer for accessing these types of Vault. "Harrison, Son of James, Son of Charlus, Head of House Potter." He waited with a held breath, but nothing bad seemed to happen and he came to no harm and a stone podium rose at his feet from the flawless stone. The podium was made of black obsidian with crude golden lines.
There was a large hole in the podium which he placed his hand in which was immediate stuck and unable to move.
Harry didn't move but waited. His heart raced thinking of what could happen if it was proven he was not a Potter: the podium would kill him. He felt pain sting in his wrist and his hand grew cold for a number of seconds before his hand was released.
He looked at his wrist and saw that there was a pink line across his wrist where his blood and been drawn.
"Welcome Son of our House" the voice said deeply, and a door began to seep out of the rock like water from the ground. The door was made of the same material as the podium but it was more detailed. Both the Potter and Peverell crests and Incals were gilded onto the door.
It was the first time that Harry had seen the Peverell crest. It was simpler than the Potter crest, reflecting an earlier age, but he could see where parts of the Potter crest had been drawn from. It showed a skull spiked by a spear with a triangular banner with the letter P inside a circle displayed proudly. Surrounding the banner were two thestrals.
There was no key hole from anywhere in sight so he turned back to Griphook. "How do I open the door?"
"Just touch it, it will respond to your touch. Once you do so, I will need to do the same." He replied as he walked forward to join him.
Harry did as instructed and the effect was immediate, a crack appeared in the metal door. Griphook slid his clawed finger down the crack and the sound of many mechanisms could be heard behind the door but it did not open.
"This is where I will have to leave you." he said and stepped back into the cart, "When you wish to leave, close the door and then hold your wand over the track and a cart will come to bring you back up."
The cart then left leaving him standing all alone. He walked out to the door and pressed his hand to it and the door slowly opened.
The room inside was not overly large. It was made of sculpted polished stone and lit by witchlights imbedded into the ceiling and had three doors coming off of it. In front of him was an ancient looking wooden table over which was a tapestry that was incredibly old but highly detailed, it was of the Potter and Peverell Incals entwining.
The left-hand door opened onto a treasure trove of gold, silver and bronze coins, there was mountains of coins and Harry couldn't not believe the sight of so much money it shocked him and it made his previous trust fund look like pocket money. He was about to leave when he noticed something odd, right at the back of the vault was stone shelving recessed carved out of the stone walls, stacked inside were golden metal bars that were speckled by gem shards and engraved with the Gringotts seal.
The middle door opened into a long narrow space where the air was much colder and there was a lack of moisture in the air, on either side of him were tall shelves filled with all manner of scrolls, ledgers, books, parchments, and journals and looking at them he saw that some looked to date back centuries while others looked relatively new and he assumed they were records and important documents that needed to be kept safe.
The third room was by far the largest of three. It contained boxes and chests all of which were full of assortment of Potter personal belongings, there was a large collection of very large wooden chests that were bound in rune covered iron bands, there were paintings, carpets, and tapestries, he found portraits of Potter family members as he could see the resemblance but others were of people he didn't recognise.
He had a look through many the shelves and found boxes of ancient weaponry and armour, clothing and some odds and ends on one shelf. In jewelled chests, he found a trove of jewellery, gems and accessories and in another chest was a large collection silverware.
Harry didn't take anything from the vault he just looked at what his family had placed in storage and found it odd that deep within the underground tunnels of London in a stone vault he felt a great sense of familiarity and belonging that he had only felt in Grimmauld Place, but here it felt stronger as he was surrounded by the Potter family history and treasures and he felt like his family were all around him within the items that they had put here.
As he was leaving he noticed that each of the large wooden chests bound in rune etched iron had a serial number painted onto the lid and he realised that all of these chests had come from the Peverell Manor when his grandparents had emptied it of valuables and heirlooms due to the war.
He left the room and walked over to the desk in the entrance room and saw that it had three things on top. The first was a medium sized silver box with inlaid emeralds in the shape of the letter "P". The second was a photo album very similar to his own, that had a doe and a stag on the front. The third thing was a letter addressed to "Harrison James" in a hand that he was very familiar with after reading journals written in the same hand, so he opened it.
Harry,
I truly hope that you never have to find this letter for if you have it will mean that both your father and I are no longer with you and for that I am truly sorry and I wish that we could have raised you.
I know that if both your father and I are no longer with you then your godfather Sirius will have taken great care of you, he may be reckless and an old dog but you could not want for a better guardian, and it would have been no different that if your father raised you without me, I just hope that Alice can keep him in line and stopped him from turning you to mischief to soon.
You will know by now that we went into hiding because of Voldemort; he was targeting you so we went into hiding to protect you. If we have been found and killed please know that we did everything we could to protect you, even if it took our own lives to do it and I would not regret it.
We have placed these letters into the Ancestral Vault just in case anything happens to us, these are just few words from parents who love you and wish that they will always be there to guide but fate seems to have other ideas and I hope that they will let you know us a little more personally.
The silver box was a wedding present from your grandmother Dorea, she and her sister made it many years ago when they were experimenting with blood magic and they bound it to our family line, only a Potter can open the box.
Inside you will find a few things that we want you to have and I know they will not make up for the birthdays and Christmases we might have missed but this is all we can give you.
My greatest wish for you is to have a long and happy life and being married with children and grandchildren, remember family is the greatest gift you can have.
With all my love,
Mum
There was a second letter in the envelope which Harry knew was from his father and he pulled it out eagerly.
Harry,
Your mum had things she wants to tell you and as do I;
I hope you have a happy childhood, and I hope that when you entered Hogwarts you have some of the most memorable years of your life filled with excitement and adventure. My own years at Hogwarts were some of the best times of my life and I hope that you experience half of the joys that I found in that ancient castle, although if you turn out anything like your old man you may spend a good portion of your time in detention!
I intend to give you our invisibility cloak, or if you are too young then I will leave it in the care of either Sirius or Alice for when you enter Hogwarts in your first year, but it is currently with Professor Dumbledore who has borrowed it to study as he thinks it is remarkable.
Although between you and me I think he has taken it because he doesn't want me to use it to sneak out of this house! If your godparents do not have it you will need to speak with Albus, that cloak has been in our family for centuries and is a family heirloom that should be in your possession, it was my fathers before me and it should be yours.
(Just so you know that cloak is very useful for exploring Hogwarts, just don't let the teachers find out you have it!)
If you are reading this letter it means that you are now in the Ancestral Vault, you will find that it is full of a great many things, I myself do not know what is in there as its contents have been accumulating for many generations. You will also find the entire contents of the Peverell Manor which were placed into storage when Voldemort began his campaign and I began to fight him as a precaution. The chests have extension charms and are bound in compression runes to keep their contents in storage, you will find a ledger in the Archive Room which will tell you what is in each of the chests.
Our family home was destroyed in an attack, I was there that day and it breaks my heart to know you will never see the house our family has lived in for generations, something that I will never forgive myself for.
Rebuild the manor Harry, as you do you will discover that our family has a diverse and rich history. Within those chests you will find the entire Potter library with will have books of our history and even our knowledge! Sirius will have taught you of the family status and your position, but if he did not for whatever reason seek out the Longbottoms, Blakes or the Bones family and they will help you, long have they been allies to our family.
We Potters are an old family and our wealth is quite large due to the custom of being lucky of gifting money to friends who make a fortune and share it with us freely! Our vault contains enough money for you to live like a king and rebuild the family home and still have enough money for the next five generations, but gold will not buy you happiness.
I may be a pureblood, as were my parents but the family has never stuck to the ideology of some of the other families regarding the mixing of magical lines, my marriage to your mother is a fine example of this, she may be muggleborn but she is still a witch, but to me she is just a human who I fell in love with and that is what matters, not her blood or even her magic.
My father believed, as do I, that muggleborn's are new Pureblood's, they will probably have a magical ancestor somewhere in their ancestry but it is their own magic that makes them magical and if their parents are not magical at all then they are a pureblood witch or wizard. So I married a pureblood witch and have a pureblood son, but even if you were a squib, muggleborn or halfblood, I would love you all the same.
When you are seventeen you will be recognised as Lord Potter. I hope that you will use your position well to help our community develop, you should not allow the title to go to your head. We are the protectors of our community, we do not rule, we are only advisors.
We have moved into the cottage in Godrics Hollow which my Grandfather used to tell me stories about the cottage when I was very young, he said that it was the retreat of Ignotus Peverell and it protected him until he died of old age. I hope that the magic still lies in the house and will protect you and Lily.
I wish that I was able to see you grow up to be the wizard that I believe you will be but I do not believe that is possible as I have a bad feeling in my bones, I do not think I am long for this world and 'I will soon meet an old friend on my path.'
Remember that I love you, and that I did everything that I could to protect you. Be happy and enjoy life.
Love Dad,
Harry felt tears fall down his cheeks as he finished reading the letters and he carefully tucked them back into their envelope. He chose not to open the box yet, it was a box he didn't feel he was ready to open but he pocketed the letters and photo album and left the vault after filling his coin purse.
As he had been instructed he walked to edge of the platform and stuck out his wand, as he waited the vault door behind him closed and the door withdrew back into the stone leaving no trace of the vault he had just entered. Two minutes later a cart rocketed down the tracks and came to a grinding halt in front of him.
"Will you require another vault?" the goblin asked.
"No," Harry said looking at his watch. He had spent three hours going through the vault and he had other things that he wanted to do, "Take me up to surface please."
The trip was much easier than before. They had sped out of the tunnel through what looked like a solid rock wall, only to land on a track bellow and climb out of the tunnels.
"Would you happen to know what those gold bricks with gem dust in them are? I saw them in my vault."
"They are a goblin alloy we use to represent vast amounts of gold, reducing the amount of singular coins needed for customers and reduced the amount of gold needed, they each hold the value of fifteen thousand galleons." The Goblin driver explained but didn't elaborate any further so Harry kept quiet.
Once he reached the surface he left the marble of the bank bypassing the impatient clients who were standing in a queue and stood in a secluded corner and mirror-called Sirius to get him to meet him outside.
Sirius arrived after a few minutes and took Harry by the arm and took him side long and they landed on a small country dirt road surrounded bordered by trees, Sirius couldn't stay with him and had to leave almost immediately.
"Once you are on the Estate you can create a portkey back home. Now I better go, the Order is arriving soon for a last-minute meeting, see you when you get home." He said studying Harry's face and he must have seen something in his expression as he added "Unless you want me to stay?"
"No go." Harry said trying to sound sure of himself, the letters that he carried from his parents weighed heavily on him. "You should be in the meeting. With Dumbledore gone they need a strong leader, go, they need you more than I will."
Sirius gave him a searching look but didn't seem to find anything as he spun and disapparated laving Harry on the dirt road which he began to walk up towards the Estate, the road twisted and turned but eventually after a random line a large Gate House appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
Two stone towers rose up either side with a stone bridge connecting them, the face of the stonework was the Potter coat of arms and on top of the towers were two stone figures, a thestral and a Griffin, that were rearing and looked menacing and majestic at the same time.
Under stone bridge was a large metal gate. The Great Gate, as Harry recalled them being called, they were made of an enchanted metal and were a doorway through the powerful wards that lay over the walls that the Gate House was built into.
The Gates were not a solid colour, some of the metal was blackened and scorched whist other parts were shining silver that gleamed in the sunlight. Harry knew that the scorched metal had come from the original gate that had been smashed through by the Death Eaters using powerful magic to break the Estate when his grandfather had been killed.
They presented a very imposing structure with the tall towers, the Arms and Incals on display and the large walls surrounding the estate, but they held a kind of elegance and beauty. He stepped up to the gate and placed a hand on the metal and he felt a flare of magic. He winced slightly but nothing happened and the gates opened silently and his Potter ring glowed and allowed him entrance.
On the other side of the gate he got his first look at the rebuilt structure that he had ordered built over the last year, and from this distance he could see the size of it and he felt himself catch his breath. He had seen it in a memory but that did not prepare him for seeing it properly with his own eyes.
The house itself was not finished and was a mere shell of its former grandeur, all that hand been built were the basic stone walls, floors, and roof. It would take a few more years before the house was ready to be moved into.
The Estate grounds were vast; large woods surrounded the house and lake, it had large hills that were dwarfed by the surrounding mountains, it reminded Harry of Hogwarts but less magical and far more beautiful and tranquil.
He wondered about the lands history, and how his family had come to own such a beautiful estate, suddenly he felt his ring grow warm on his finger and he looked at it to see the Potter ring's stone glow and images pressed themselves into his mind all showing the Estate throughout its history.
An ancient looking village, then newer settlement made of stone, and then an imposing castle had been built where the house now stood. In the next image, he saw that the castle had been demolished, and it was slowly rebuilt into a large stone structure the structure changed through the images and it became more refined and took eventually became the Peverell Manor.
The transformation to the House had been fascinating, watching how over time and centuries new advances had changed the appearance of the House until it became what it was, but what had shocked Harry early on was the village that he had seen in the images, once it had been on the spot of the House but after the village was removed it had been relocated to a different part of the estate and Harry had seen it for what he guessed was centuries but it looked to have been abandoned many years before and it couldn't even be seen maybe a hundred years previous.
Deciding he wanted to see the site of the old village he set off across the grounds and eventually arrived and when he did he felt a residual power in the very earth under him, the Village itself was long since abandoned and removed but he found remnants of walls of the cottages and houses, under the mud and grass that had overgrown the untouched area of the Estate.
One curiosity remained, in the centre of the area was a structure that had not been removed and it even looked like it had been maintained as the grass around it was cut and had four paths leading to it, a large stone well made of blacked stone that was covered in carved writings. Harry inspected the scripture and saw that there was actually numerous different languages on the stone, some he recognised and he could read them;
These ancient hills and the waters are called the Dead Lands, the home of the Veraelidir Tribe. Protected by the deity who takes the form of the thestral, who bestowed its power to the Eldar.
In the years of the Western Conquest, the mages of the olive lands attacked the village and killed our Elder overwhelming the village with new power. These conquerors claimed these lands as their own but the Elder Blood endured.
The Olive Rulers governed this land through the cruel legionnaire Usurper. After years of bloodshed and wars the Usurper was killed in a war in the south. The granddaughter of the last Elder and the Usurpers son wed, and ruled over Verale.
Turmoil comes to our shores from the north seeking conquest, and these blood thirsty men seek only death and riches. They killed the Patriarch dishonourably, but with his passing the son took the mantle of Patriarch and in a show of great power drove the invaders out of the village of Peveralle and barred their entry to these lands.
The Dragon King to the west has begun a purge of his kingdom and gone to war against the Old Religion and the general practice of magic. Realising the threat, the Patriarch protected these lands from those of mundane power, but even in the hidden valley the Great Purge was felt.
When the throne passed to the Once and Future King who sought only peace and stability. He brought together the families who practiced the Old Religion and were recognised as the oldest houses of magical blood. The King officially recognised the ownership of these lands to the knight head of the ruling house of Peveralle.
A war broke out between the Kings forces and the Saxons aligned with the Raven Witch, the King was killed in a great battle and his kingdom splintered and the purge began anew. The Great Enchanter summoned the Lord of Peveralle and gave him a gift to help govern the magical users of the kingdom.
House Peverelle endured for centuries and rose high in standing but a great plague came to the country and dark force came, unseen to the ordinary folk. The war tore through the magical lands and it arrived on our borders. Our Lord refused but in retaliation they unleashed a new plague killing most of the people of the Valley. The three sons of Peverelle fought back together and ended the conflict but cursed were the three for all their accomplishments.
On this day we lay to rest the last Lord of House Peverell, there will his bones lay with his ancestral kin forevermore. The ancient line ensures through the rebirth of the House under a new name. The Blood of the Griffin joint with the Blood of the Thestral, an unlikely union but met as equals, they both now protect this land and those of the blood.
Harry smiled to himself, the writing was like a history of his family and how they had risen to be who they were and he wished he could read it all and vowed that he would one day translate it all to see what else was written in the stonework.
He wondered why the village was no longer standing especially as he knew that Hogsmeade was the only entire Wizarding settlement in the country, which made him wonder why this village and possibly others on the other family's lands had been abandoned.
Deciding on one more place to visit Harry approached the front of the house where there was a perfect circle of earth in the lawn, but even the earth looked dead. When he entered the circle, he felt like was being suffocated the very air was poisoned and it felt evil. Harry knew what this place was, it was the site where the elves had been killed and they had marked it with their death.
"On behalf of my family, I thank you for your sacrifice" he said quietly touching his hand to the centre of the circle and ignored the effect it had on him, "You will always be remembered."
Not wanting to linger any longer especially after being exposed to the magic from the death of the elves he created a portkey back to Grimmauld place and activated it.