Right back to work. Sorry I haven't updated in a while but I was focusing on 'Mischief Managed' and wanted to finish it off for good. 'Legacy' is now my main fic, I will be posting a new scene or idea in 'Who Needs The Kyuubi' on occasion but for the most part it'll just be 'Legacy'. I'm planning to go over certain scenes from the Legacy of Kain series at different points in this story, mostly through Harry's dreams so those of you who've never played the games can get a basic idea of who or what I'll be referring to later.
'Harry Potter' belongs to J K Rowling.
'Legacy of Kain' belongs to Crystal Dynamics.
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XX 12 Grimmauld Place (Five days later) XX
"Is everything prepared Kreacher?" Harry asked, glancing at the clock that hung on the kitchen wall.
"Yessir, Master Harry." Kreacher answered. "Everything ready for Mistress' guests, even if guest is filthy mudblood."
"Kreacher, watch your tongue." Harry snapped. "Andromeda's husband is to be respected, he is Mother's guest as much as the others."
"Kreacher be behaving. Kreacher be nice to mudblood for Mistress." Kreacher said. "But-but Master cannot be happy that it is dirtying here, can he?"
"I'll admit I'm not overly fond of interacting with a muggleborn, but he is kin through Andromeda." Harry sighed. "But Mother wants this gathering... And with her ill like this I want to give her what she wants. If nothing else address him as 'Sir', please?"
"Master-Master is saying 'please' to Kreacher!" Kreacher said, blinking away tears and shaking slightly. "S-So kind, Master Harry is like kind Master Regulus."
"Kreacher." Harry said as he laid his hand on Kreacher's shoulder and crouched down to look into the elf's tear filled eyes. "You cared for me from the moment I entered this house. You deserve far more then mere kindness from me. Now come on, Andromeda and her family will be here soon."
No sooner had Harry spoken then there was a sharp knock at the door. As Kreacher rushed off to answer the door, Harry made his way into the larder were Kreacher kept the supply of blood Harry was fed from. Checking that Kreacher was out of sight, Harry drained one of the vials and added it to the pile of empty ones. Hurrying after Kreacher Harry caught up with the elf as he took the cloaks from Andromeda and her family.
"Welcome to my Mother's home." Harry said startling Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora if he remembered right, who tripped on her own feet while turning and fell against the umbrella stand. "Please try and refrain from breaking anything. Hello Andromeda."
"Hello Harry." Andromeda greeted before gesturing to the fair-haired man beside her. "This is my husband Ted and the silly girl lying on the umbrella stand is Nymphadora."
"Nice to meet you both." Harry said, looking from Ted to Nymphadora. "Her hair wasn't red a minute ago!"
"I'm a Metamorphmagus!" Nymphadora explained as she got off the stand and turned to face him, her hair loosing colour and growing longer to match Harry's. "Pretty cool eh?"
"Most impressive." Harry agreed before turning and moving towards the stairs. "Mother is in the drawing room. Kreacher, would you wait a few minutes before taking the tea up?"
Walburga was calm and having a good day, thankfully. So the lunch proceeded without any outbursts against Ted or Nymphadora's blood status. She simply asked questions about their lives. What Andromeda had done since marrying. What Nymphadora planned to do now that she'd finished school. As the day drew to a close and the Tonks family prepared to leave Harry asked something that had bothered him the whole day.
"Ted, what do you do for a living?" Harry said, ending a short silence that had developed. "I don't think you mentioned it earlier."
"I work for Gringotts." Ted answered. "I work as a go between for them and the muggle banks."
"So you oversee the exchange between Galleons and whatever the muggle currency is?" Walburga asked, confusion in her voice.
"Yes and no." Ted said. "While I do handle the Stirling or Punt that come through. My main job is to oversee transfers and facilitate purchases in one society by members of another."
"Could you give an example?" Harry asked, trying to understand what the man meant.
"Lets say... Lets say a muggle born wants to buy a house in Hogsmeade." Ted started after thinking for a moment. "But lacks the price in Galleons. Now if they have a bank account with Lloyds and could afford it using the money there. The money would be sent to me, converted into Galleons and sent on to pay for the house."
"I see." Said Harry. "And I presume it works the other way as well?"
"It could... But it doesn't." Ted admitted. "Mostly I use the facilities for such transactions to manage my Shares"
"Shares of what?" Walburga asked, a slightly vacant look in her eyes.
"My parents invested money in some small businesses when they were alive." Ted explained. "I inherited them and, on occasion, buy or sell more."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"Why what?" Was Ted's confused reply.
"Why bother with muggle businesses..." Harry clarified. "Why not invest in Wizarding stores?"
"Because there are more companies to invest in." Ted told him. "Some were a quarter of a single percent could make you, in a day, more then I make in a week. The muggle world is advancing faster then most wizards realise."
"Huh, if you say so." Harry said dismissively. "But, say I gave you money to buy these Shares... How much would it return?"
"That would depend on what the shares were worth when bought, how much the company earned and if you sold them off instead of taking a dividend." Ted explained. "It would also depend on how many you bought as well."
Any further discussion on the topic was cut short as Walburga lost consciousness fell from her chair. Her head had barely touched the ground before Harry was at her side, having moved at a speed that would normally be impossible for a boy his age. As Ted and Andromeda moved to join him at her side Harry summoned Kreacher.
"Contact St. Mungo's!" He ordered. "Tell them Something has happened to Mother. Tell them to send a Healer at once!"
XX St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries XX
"Have the Healers finished seeing her?" Andromeda asked as she took a seat next to Harry.
"Not all of them." Harry answered mutely. "I heard them talking... They don't think she'll leave St Mungo's this time."
"This time?" Andromeda's repeated in confusion. She'd heard rumours that Walburga's health wasn't what it use to be, and Harry's admission earlier in the week had confirmed it, but to think she'd been admitted to St. Mungo's before was shocking.
"Yes." Was Harry's reply, his voice vacant and dull. "She begun to get sick in eighty-five. Over the years she got worse."
"Why... Why didn't anyone know?" Andromeda asked trying to work out why no one she knew had told her, even if it was merely to laugh at Walburga's suffering.
"Mother was worried that if people found out how sick she was, I'd be taken away." Harry told her, never taking his eyes off the door to Walburga's room. "With Regulus dead and Sirius cutting all ties... She didn't want to lose another son."
"Have you contacted anyone else? My parents, Narcissa?" Andromeda checked, turning to see if anyone was coming up the corridor.
"I tried." Harry answered, a seething rage noticeable in his voice. "Cygnus said he'd come visit tomorrow evening. Narcissa's Elf said they were having dinner with the Greengrass family and he'd tell them once they got back, so much for seeing France."
"What about Sirius? Have you told him" Andromeda regretted asking the moment she said it. Harry's fists had clenched so tight small ruby drops began to drip from them.
"I did." Harry spat. "He informed me that, should she actually pull through, I should call him again and he would be more then happy to 'correct that mistake'."
"No! He wouldn't of!" Andromeda argued. "I know he and Aunt Walburga had fallen out but to say that, never!"
"He did!" Harry snapped before taking several deep breaths to calm himself. "Sorry... You should go, it's late. And there should be things for you to sign at your home."
"What things?" Andromeda asked, somewhat taken back by the venom with which Harry had snapped.
"Mother sent a letter to Gringotts before you arrived." Harry told her, a small, sad smile forming on his face as tears began to fall. "She was so sure the lunch would go well, she told the Goblins to alter their records. That you were to be recorded as once again being a member of the House... She told them to take your dowry from our vault since Cygnus hadn't paid it. All week... All week Mother was so happy. The House on the road to becoming whole again. And-and now she won't see it."
"She-she brought me back?" Andromeda couldn't believe it. While she'd said for years that she didn't care one bit, it had always stung that her family refused to recognise her husband or child. "That doesn't matter right now. I can't just leave you here."
"It's fine. I just want to be alone... Just want to wait for them to let me see Mother." Harry told her. "Go home... And thank you."
"For what?" Andromeda asked as she reluctantly rose to leave.
"For coming today." Harry told her before turning his full attention to the door.
It was near two in the morning before Harry was allowed to take a seat at Walburga's bedside. He sat there in silence until near four when she woke.
"Harold?" She croaked hoarsely.
"I am here Mother." Harry said softly. "I-I will call the Healers, do you need them?"
"No. No child, I just need to sleep." Walburga whispered as she closed her eyes again. "I just wanted to see you before I went to sleep. Goodnight Harold."
It wasn't until the Healers rushed in that Harry realised Walburga had died. After the Healers took her body away, Harry had Kreacher take him home. He didn't speak until the will reading.
XX Gringotts (One week later) XX
Harry sat in silence listening as the goblin, Gornuk, read his mother's will. The first matter was in relation to Sirius and that, should he have met certain requirements, he would be reinstated as Head of the House. Gornuk seemed to scan the list of requirements before noting that they hadn't been met and so it would not happen. This meant that Harry's care was to be left to Kreacher himself, a clever trick of Walburga that effectively gave Harry complete control of his life as Kreacher would obey any order given. Cygnus had protested loudly when Andromeda was given an inheritance of equal value to Narcissa.
"A Blood-Traitor! Inherit anything!" he roared. "No! I will not stand for it!"
"Then kindly sit down or leave you worthless oaf." Harry snapped. "At least she visited Mother, what had you done lately to warrant any inheritance at all?"
"You dare speak to me like that boy!" Cygnus snarled, turning his attention to Harry. "I will not have some stray Walburga took pity on speak to me like that."
"Then find another House because with Mother's death I am the Head of the Black Household and I shall speak to it's members however I wish Uncle!" Harry roared.
"Find another House?" Cygnus repeated. "Are you threatening to disown me from the family?"
"No. Simply telling you that if you don't like how things are, feel free to leave your inheritance and this family." Harry told him. "I'm sure Gornuk could deal with the required paperwork."
As Cygnus sat down Harry scanned the rest of the small crowd that was present. None of them had bothered to visit his mother when she was sick. None cared for what she'd wanted, only what they could get from her. When the remainder of the will was read and the crowd moved to leave Harry blocked the path of the Tonks family.
"Invest this." He said as he threw a sack of Galleons to Ted. "When I return from Hogwarts, you can keep a third of everything you've made me. Goodbye."
XX Platform Nine and Three Quarters (September First) XX
As Harry moved to enter the train he passed a bushy haired muggle who was staring in wonder.
"Never seen a train?" He sneered as he boarded. Finding an empty compartment Harry stored his trunk and drew the small blind, blocking some of the light that had been irritating Harry's sensitive eyes. As Harry debated with himself if it would be easier to just release Glaucus and let him fly on ahead the door opened and a dark haired girl, not much smaller then Harry himself, entered and made herself comfortable. Not really caring that someone else had appeared Harry decided to let Glaucus fly and opened the window. As he sat down again and prepared for a long, boring train journey the girl spoke.
"They're pretty cool." She told him.
"What are?" He asked, confused at the statement.
"Your eyes." She said, sliding down the far seat until she was opposite him. "Like tarnished gold. But you could do with some more sun!"
"Sunlight isn't something I care much for." Harry said, adjusting the blind to ensure it dimmed all the light. "Hurts my eyes."
"Huh, you know that it never completely gets dark around Hogwarts right?" The girl told him, a small smile on her face.
"Only in summer and I don't see it being to much of a problem." Harry pointed out. "Slytherin Common Room is below ground."
"So hoping to be in Slytherin as well?" She said, her smile growing.
"Only one Black wasn't. And I aim to be nothing like him." Harry said, a hint of venom in his voice. He was silent for a moment before he offered his hand to the girl. "Harry Black."
"Tracy Davis." The girl replied, shaking his hand.
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And I'll leave it there for now. Anyone here on Pottermore [and that was sorted into Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff]? I want to know if mentioned any famous ancient wizards/witches from those houses... Merlin was a Slytherin, which is Cool.
Figured I'd provide a bit of info in relation to Harry's status. He is a dhampir, and a weak one at that. At this point he suffers from several of Nosgoth Vampire weaknesses [Blood thirst and sterility] while only gaining enhanced senses [with smell/hearing being the strongest, followed by sight, then taste and touch being the weakest]. When he was younger he suffered from two other weaknesses [to sunlight and water] but they have faded by this point. He will gain more powers as time passes but it'll be slow and gradual. I don't want to make him overpowered, at least not for a long time yet.
I also just realised that in the first four chapters I've included the main character dying [while as a toddler no less], seeing his oldest friend die, seeing his adoptive mother [who he lived dearly] die, abandoning an entire country to a madman and hinted that there may be some unseen power trying to manipulate his life from a distance... Not shaping up to be a happy fic is it?
I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.