Bound by Brotherhood, Forged in Fire
Chapter 5: Release and Freedom
The next four weeks passed quickly for Harry and Neville. They had mastered the animagus transformation almost completely.
Currently Harry and Neville were going through their daily exercise. Harry was on the floor doing push-ups, while Neville did pull-ups using the bars on the front. From their guesses their time inside was almost up. That was one of the problems of isolation, Harry noted, time seemed to meld together, making it difficult to discern the difference.
"Hey" a voice from the far side of the bars snapped.
Neville dropped back to the floor and turned around as Harry rolled over onto his back, where he saw an Auror standing on the far side of the bars
"Time's up boys" the Auror said as he opened the cell door.
"Oh good" Harry said as he sat up "I really need a shower"
"So I noticed" the Auror said as he smelled the sweat the two teens had spent the last six weeks soaking themselves in, and winced.
Harry ignored the wince and put on the sweatshirt he had brought with him when he was arrested.
After getting back the things he had with him when he was arrested, his watch, Sirius' melted penknife, and his wallet, with a few pounds inside.
Once they were outside the pair boarded a carriage that would take them to the dock and back to the mainland on the ship.
When they arrived at the dock Harry saw Remus and Tonks waiting for him, and an elderly woman Harry assumed was Neville's grandmother standing nearby.
"Remus" Harry said with a smile
"Hey cub" Remus replied as the teen approached, but he stopped when he caught a scent of the BO Harry was giving off.
"Miss me Moony?" Harry asked
"I did up till I got hit up the nose by your BO" Remus laughed "What the hell did you do in there?"
"Exercise, exercise, exercise" Harry said "Entertainment in the slammer is rather lacking"
"I know the feeling" a familiar voice to his right said
Harry froze as a ripple washed over the air and a head appeared from beneath an invisibility cloak, Sirius Black's head.
Harry simply stared at the head for a moment, trying to decide whether or not he was seeing things, until the rest of Sirius' body appeared and the Marauder poked him in the forehead.
Looking back at Remus, Harry said "If this is some kind of sick joke Remus, I swear I will kill you with my bear hands"
"It is me Pronglet" Sirius said "I'm back"
Harry stared at his Godfather for a moment before he said "Prove it Padfoot"
Sirius smiled as he handed Tonks his cloak, and a moment later the ex con was replaced by a massive dog.
"That enough proof?" Sirius asked when he returned to normal.
Harry responded by slugging his Godfather clean across the jaw.
"What the hell was that for?" Sirius demanded when he landed on his ass.
"THAT was for not taking your fight with that BITCH Lestrange seriously" Harry growled "She could have killed you Sirius, I thought she had. You're supposed to be an ex Auror, ACT like one"
"Alright Harry" Sirius said as he stood up "I'll be more careful"
"You better be" Harry said as he hugged his godfather "Cause next time I may not be there to try and save your stupid ass"
"I think it was the other way around kid" Sirius laughed
"Maybe last time" Harry said with a smile "But they say age slows down even the most demented wizards"
"I'm only thirty six" Sirius said
"Which means your ancient Padfoot" Harry chuckled "But don't worry old dog, I promise I'll buy you a nice new Zimmer frame for your birthday"
"Where did you get the attitude?" Sirius asked "Cause I swore your father put it away when he got married"
"Maybe I picked it up when I was little" Harry said with a smile
"Who knows" Sirius said as he walked down to the ship with his arm across Harry's shoulder.
On board the ship Harry sat across from Sirius as the Marauder said "When you get a shower and a change of clothes I want to bring you to Diagon Alley"
"I need to go to the Dragon Reserve in Romania first" Harry said at a whisper "Charlie's got my wand"
"Not bad"Remus said
"What're you taking be to the Alley for?" Harry asked
"Your parents left a will" Sirius replied "But they arranged it so that it could only be heard when the two of us and Moony are present" Sirius sighed as he sat back against his seat "I would have found a way to take you last year but the old man wasn't willing to give us any time alone"
"Probably figured there'd be something inside that would screw up his plans for me" Harry muttered
"I wouldn't worry about his plans anymore" Sirius said "When I voided my will I more or less cut him off at the ankles. Reclaimed all the stuff I left to him"
"Excellent" Harry said with a grin as the boat pulled into harbor.
Getting up Harry nodded to Neville and said "I'll see you later Nev"
"Yeah" Neville said as he transformed into his Pyrolf form and vanished in a burst of flame.
"Show off" Harry muttered as he transformed into a Shadow Tiger.
Sirius gaped at the massive tiger before him as it let out a low rumbling growl. And bounded off the boat.
"Was that what I think it was?" Sirius asked
"A Shadow Tiger and a Pyrolf" Remus nodded "Harry and Neville have become Animagus"
"They work fast" Sirius said as he departed the boat.
When they reached the dock Remus saw Harry standing on the boardwalk "You guys head for home" he said "I want to see how many shadow jumps it takes me to reach London from here"
"We're not staying at headquarters" Sirius said "I've got a flat about three or four blocks south of Charring Cross. So try to make it to the Leaky Cauldron and we'll walk from there"
"Got it" Harry nodded as he transformed and melded into the shadows beneath the tiger's body.
It took Harry three several jumps, but he managed to reach the Leaky Cauldron.
Where Sirius and Remus were sitting at a table in the corner with four red headed men.
"Afternoon gents" Harry said as he approached.
"How was the slammer Harry?" Charlie asked
"Boring" Harry replied as he plopped down in an empty chair at the table "Had nothing to go but work out and make myself stink even more than I already do"
Charlie smiled as he reached into his coat and produced a dark brown length of wood.
"I did what you asked" Charlie said "No record of the you know what"
"Excellent" Harry said as he slid the wand into the loop of his jeans
"Can I ask what that's about?" Sirius asked over the rim of his bottle of butterbeer
"Some other time" Harry said
A contented smile crossed Harry's face as he leaned against the shower wall. It felt good to wash awaysix weeksof sweat and grime.
"Harry" Sirius called from the door "I left some clean clothes on the bed for you. Moony put some charms on them to shrink to fit you"
"Thanks Sirius" Harry called back as he reached for the soap.
A short time later Harry stepped out of Sirius' bathroom wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, and a black t-shirt. His hair was still damp from the shower and it looked tamer than usual. Although Sirius guessed that the fact that Harry hadn't gotten his hair cut in a few months may have had something to do with that as well.
"How do you feel cub?" Sirius asked with a smile as the teen sat down.
"I'll feel better when I get some real food" Harry said "That slop we got inside wasn't fit for human consumption"
"Tell me about it" Sirius said "I had to eat that shit for twelve years"
Harry frowned as an angry expression crossed his godfather's face "Don't worry Paddy. He's number two on my to brutally slaughter list"
Sirius was about to say something when there was a knock at the front door.
Harry looked at the door for a moment before he asked "Who knows about this place?"
"Your parents, Tonks, and Mad Eye" Sirius said "And if Tonks and Al were coming in they'd Floo"
Harry frowned as he raised his wand and approached the door.
When he reached the door Harry looked through the eye hole, and saw Professor Xavier sitting on the far side with, and standing on either side of him was Scot, and Ororo.
"Prove it's you" Harry said through the door "Tell me the name of the person you went to see the day before you saw me"
A few moments later Harry heard "Neville Longbottom" in his mind.
"Come in professor" Harry thought as he opened the door
"You're a hard kid to find" Scot said as he stepped inside
"Yeah" Harry said as he closed the door "Well you get that when you spend six weeks in jail"
"Ouch" Scot said
Harry, seeing the expression on Sirius and Remus' faces smiled and said "Don't worry guys, I've been expecting the Doc since before I was arrested"
"Why?" Sirius asked
"You haven't told them?" Xavier asked
"I've only been out for two hours" Harry defended "I needed a shower"
"What's this about Harry?" Remus asked as he motioned for Scot and Ororo to sit down
"The day I was arrested" Harry said "The Professor here came to see me. And told me I was a Mutant"
"What?" Sirius asked
"Yup" Harry said "And when I was inside I found out he paid Neville a visit the day before"
"So what now?" Remus asked
"We offered Harry a place at our school in Up-state New York" Scot said "If he's interested that place is still open"
"Give me a day to settle accounts here and I'm in" Harry said
"Harry?" Sirius gaped
"Sirius" Harry sighed "For all I know this could be the 'Power the Dark Lord knows not' that Trelawney was harping about seventeen years ago"
"So you're in?" Xavier asked
"No question" Harry nodded "What about Neville?"
"He's agreed too" Scot said "We'll be leaving from an airstrip just outside the city tonight"
"I'll be there" Harry said as Ororo gave Remus directions.
"We'll see youthis eveningHarry" Xavier said as he wheeled out.
A few moments later Harry grabbed the pair of shoes Remus left for him.
"You ready to go?" Remus asked
"I'm shipping out tomorrow night" Harry said "I need to have everything taken care of before I leave"
"Before we leave" Sirius corrected
"We?" Harry asked
"You don't think I'm gonna let you do something like this alone do you Harry?" Remus asked
"No I guess not" Harry agreed "First things first, Diagon Alley"
"Yeah" Sirius said as he stood and took his coat off the back of the chair.
Half an hour later Harry, Remus, and Sirius sat before a Goblin in Grignotts.
"Good afternoon gentlemen" the Goblin said "My name is Breakstone. I am the account Manager for the Potter family accounts"
"Nice to meet you" Harry said
Breakstone nodded as he reached into his desk "You are here today to hear the last will of James William and Lilly Marie Evans Potter. Before we begin I would like to know if the correct men are present. Harry James Potter"
"Here" Harry said
"Remus John Lupin"
"Present" Remus replied
"Sirius Orion Black"
"Right here" Sirius called
"Very well" Breakstone said "Let us begin"
We, James William Potter, and Lily Marie Evans Potter, being of sound mind (Shut it Padfoot) and body hereby declare this to be our last will and testament.
If this will has been heard on our son, Harry's eleventh birthday as we instructed, then happy birthday son.
Now, instead of getting all mushy in a will we'll just get down to business.
If this will is being read then the Fidelus has been ineffective and Peter has betrayed us. Moony, Padfoot, if you two are here, deal with the rodent in any way you choose.
Now, down to business.
First, to our son Harry James Potter. As the sole heir to the Potter bloodline, I hereby bequeath the Potter estate to you son.
This includes The Potter Family storage Vault at Grignotts is over one thousand years old, and dates back to our ancestors among the Founders and even further back. It's filled with family heirlooms, weapons, magical artefacts, and a ton of other goodies that the family has found handy over the years. I'd suggest you take a look.
As the only Potter remaining you also inherit the pile of investments and money, I think the total net value now is somewhere in the region of 20,000,000 Galleons. But I'd suggest you just let the Account Manager Breakstone handle that for you. I did.
You also inherit several properties in different parts of the world.
My parent's estate in Godric's Hollow, Whales, a penthouse apartment in New York, a ranch on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas that belonged to your mother, as well as her apartment in Cairo, My grandfather's dojo in Shanghai, and a villa belonging to my parents in Spain.
I also leave the contents of Lockup #12 at Charring Cross Industrial Estate in London. There are some things in there I swore to your mother I wouldn't let you touch until you were sixteen, so try not to cause any damage.
And finally son, now this was your mother's idea. If we're dead, the chances are that you'll be sent to Petunia. So we've decided to go for a little Marauder Mischief to bug Dumbledore. Because with this will, are a set of mostly signed Emancipation papers. Enjoy screwing Dumbledore's plans my boy.
Harry grinned evilly as he read that part. He had every intention of getting one over on Dumbledore. With a chuckle he continued to read
To one of the only men I ever called brother, Sirius Orion Black; I leave the flat we shared when we were at the Auror's academy. You always loved to get up your mum's nose, so now you can.
I also leave you my set of leathers for your motor cycle. Have fun Paddy.
To our old buddy Moony, despite the fact that you hate it my furry friend, I'm leaving you 1,500,000 Galleons, and I leave you the cabin on the shore of the loch where we spent our summers after we were fifteen. It's isolated, and hard to find, it's also got a basement as you remember, so you can lock yourself down there with the full moon if Padfoot can't make it.
Well, that's it boys. All the goodies have been passed around. I just hope this will is never read. But if it is, I want you guys to promise to look after our cub. A pack is never truly complete without a cub for the boys to look out for.
See you some time.
James William Potter and Lily Marie Evans Potter.
Mischief Managed.
Harry frowned as he asked Sirius "Why did they have so many properties?"
"Your mother was an Archaeology student" Remus said "She spent her teenage years studying ancient magical civilisations"
"And your dad used the ranch for his weapons research" Sirius said
"Weapons research?" Harry asked
"Yeah" Sirius said "Your dad did a lot of travelling after they got married. And during one of our trips stateside he somehow ended up in the middle of a shootout between American Aurors, and a gang of wizards with guns"
"Why would a wizard use a gun?" Harry asked
"More messy" Remus said "And less chance that the medi-wizards will be able to put the poor bastards back together"
"Anyway" Sirius said "Your dad got it into his head to learn the mechanics behind a gun. To see if there was a way they could be altered to fire something other than a bullet"
"You mean like magical energy?" Harry asked, remembering a episode of Star Trek he saw one time where they used the phasers.
"Yeah" Sirius said "And since the American Magical world works in conjunction with the Muggle Government in a lot of things, the Americans thought it was a good idea and gave him the funding to start the project on a small basis. Starting with handguns and working from there. And since your mom was going to be in Mexico for a few months on a dig in the Amazon, she had no objections to the work, as long as he didn't blow himself and half of El Paso to kingdom come"
"Did it work?" Harry asked
"Haven't a clue" Sirius said "We came back to Texas in the spring of seventy nine and I went home while your parents went to Egypt to tour the ruins for six months. As far as I know your dad submitted a journal and a pensive with all his research to the guys at R&D in Washington before they caught a plane to Cairo while I went back to England. Next time I saw your parents was before your mothers baby shower in Cairo in the winter of seventy nine"
"Was I born in Egypt?" Harry asked
"Nope" Sirius replied "You were born in San Francisco, before you were born your mom got word that one of her friends from Oxford was getting married so she dragged me and your dad all the way to San Francisco bay for her wedding. That was the last piss up me and your dad ever had"
"But when the prophecy was discovered Dumbledore dragged the three of you back to England" Remus growled
"He told the Order the prophecy existed, but he didn't tell your parents the contents until after your first Birthday, when he forced the three of you into hiding" Remus said
"Old bastard should have left them alone" Harry muttered "They had places all over the planet they could run to"
"Oh but you forget" Sirius laughed sarcastically "Dumbledore is all knowing and always right. He practically forced the three of you into the house at Godric's Hollow"
"Meddling old bastard" Harry growled
"Well if you would like to keep him from meddling any further Mr. Potter" Breakstone said "I suggest you sign the emancipation forms"
"Right" Harry agreed as he took the quill Breakstone offered him.
Inside his pocket Harry's wand began to give off a pale red light when he finished signing the forms.
"Congratulations Mr. Potter" Breakstone said "You are now a legal adult"
"Excellent" Harry grinned "I'd like to visit the family vault if possible"
"Of course" Breakstone nodded "But first…" then Breakstone set a folder and several sets of keys on the desk as he said "The deeds to 12 Godic's Hollow Whales, Apartment 163 at the Walker Complex on the corner of 12th and 20th street, Manhattan, New York city, Prong's Playground Ranch, El Paso, Texas, 6 Costa De La Rosa, Malgrat, Spain, The Zen Dojo at 22 Da Chao Place, Shanghai, China (ANi think)and Apartment 16, Karnak Place, Cairo, Egypt. The keys to said properties, as well as the keys to Lockup #12 at Charring Cross Industrial Estate, London"
"Excellent" Harry said as he pocketed the key sets, while tossing a set for the Apartment in New York to Remus, and separated the keys to the Lockup from the others.
"If you will follow me I will take you to your Family Vault Mr. Potter" Breakstone said
"OK" Harry said as he stood up "While I'm here I wand you to set up a funds transfer from my vault here, to a muggle bank in New York"
"How much are you after?" Breakstone asked
"What kind of a dent would a quarter of a million dollars put in the account?" Harry asked as they reached the cart.
"Not much" Breakstone said "There is approximately half a million Galleons in your Trust vault, 250,000 would be approximately 50,000 galleons"
"Good" Harry said as the cart descended into the bowels of the tunnel network.
Authors Notes: Done.
Next time Harry raids the family armory, and pays a visit to the family to say goodbye.