NOTES: I will no longer address all reviews at the end of the chapter after this, in the author's notes. For more information, go to the bottom of the page. Please review and thanks to all that did. I am open to any suggestions and criticisms. Please also note that some plots of other stories I have borrowed and twisted to my own use. Just wanted to let you know that. Thank you and enjoy!
Blink
STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, though I wish I did so I would have lots of money. Alas, it is not true, as JK Rowling owns it. I merely own what is left for a fanfiction author to own: anything not already thought up by JK Rowling.
Chasing a Shadow
Training, Goblins, and the Heir
Potter Mansion, somewhere in England...
August 2 - Real world date
Harry woke up as the alarm buzzed. He practiced his silent spellcasting and made the alarm stop. So far, he had been training for six months already. Potter time, that is. He had actually only spent 24 days in the real world.
He got up and quickly got dressed in a black shirt with red trimming. It had the Gryffindor golden lion on the back but the Potter family crest on the front left-breast. He wore matching black running pants with red lines on the sides of the pant legs.
The black shirt was charmed to keep moisture in and yet also get the toxins from perspiration out. It was also charmed to warm the wearer if the wearer got cold or cool the wearer when the wearer wants. Another charm it had that Harry liked was that the weight of the shirt could be set to specific levels so that while he was running or working out, he would have a constant weight on him.
Apparently, Shean was the best athlete amongst them. He was the number one seeker of Hogwarts at his time. He had joined the team a little late but brought Gryffindor five Quidditch Cups in a row while he was there. So it was he who was tasked with making sure Harry was extremely fit. He had, surprisingly, grown a few more inches, and now stood at a respectable 6'6".
He had grown much more muscle and any fat he had before the training was long gone. He ran ten miles a day, did two-hundred push-ups and sit-ups, then did one-hundred pull-ups. Added to that was the bench-pressing, weights, and continuing the various martial arts that he had started. He was only a blackbelt in two, having left Asia prematurely to finish the quest that the book sent him on.
He was a blackbelt first in Tae-Kwon-Do and then in Karate. The others would take bit longer, but he knew he would get it eventually. He also knew it would take a while before he became a grand master for all of them. He ran past Shean again, who was, as usual, singing some old wizarding wireless song from his time.
Harry had already also begun weapons training - which he had taken already before. However, he was surprised that this too was taught fast to him before. All for his survival, of course, but now that he had more time and so could become a true master of blades.
He sparred and did his techniques and forms at least an hour a day. Shean had taught him how to transfigure something into an opponent with a weapon and then animate it. This is what he sparred with since, of course, he could not fight a portrait.
Harry was getting very proficient quickly and it was only a matter of time, Shean said, before he would move on to other weapons and maybe even dual-wielding, which needed a mastery of one weapon first.
By the time Harry finished his run, it was already seven in the morning. He did his regular two-hundred push-ups and sit-ups then his hundred pull-ups. After that he did his stretching exercises and then practiced Judo, Taekwondo, Karate, Aikido, Muay Thai, and even some Jui-Jitsu. Shean had told him during the first few days that later on he should return to Japan and hire teachers and then bring them back here so as to train him.
"Okay, this time we'll do something different," said Shean after everything was finished.
Harry looked at him curiously, but waited for him to continue.
"There are ten stones on the table in front of you," and sure enough there were, "conjure them into your opponents," Shean told him.
Harry waved his hand a few times and soon enough all ten became gray puppets. They had the same strengths, weaknesses, and anatomy of humans but were made of a gray material. They had no emotions and no real faces, however, they were purposefully made to be skilled in martial arts.
"Now, instead of fighting just one, you will be attacked by all ten. Remember to loosen your mind because you have to make it so that you barely have to think about things and act quickly. Then loosen your muscles. Note that force does not require to be countered with more force and you should use all of your knowledge in the martial arts to your advantage. Now, banish the table and begin," Shean said, moving off to the far side so as to escape the battle. "Also, try not to use a physical shield this time. I want you to get used to pain in case your shield fails you and you don't have time to set another one."
Harry nodded as he banished the table and then walked over to one side of the sparring hall. Well, it was Harry's very own Room of Requirement and so he wanted a sparring hall. Thus, that was what he got.
The stone floor was covered with thick pads so as to prevent too much injury, especially since this is the first time that Harry will be fighting ten opponents at one time. He stretched and jumped around a little, flexing some muscles as he got into his fighting state.
Then he bowed to the 'puppets', who, in turn, bowed back, and then went into fighting stances.
"Fight!" called Shean from the side and Harry moved swiftly and fluidly forward. Hundreds of hours of practice were about to be put to the test.
One of the puppets flew into the air and spun to right as it tucked in its right knee and extended its left leg so as to hit Harry with it. Swaying back, the foot passed inches in front of Harry's face, but he did not have time to dwell on it as he made the puppet fly back with a strong sidekick to the abdomen.
He blocked some punches thrown his way as he rammed a puppet with his shoulder, effectively neutralizing its attack. He stepped back and slid his elbow up, catching the puppet on the chin and throwing it into the air.
Harry spun and ducked as a roundhouse kick swiped the air above him, where his head had been. He swept the floor with a leg and one of the puppets fell as well. The other one had jumped and avoid the attack and kicked again, but Harry had already rolled backwards and was on his feet.
Harry then ran, jumped into the air, and kicked one of the puppets three times, all of which were blocked. He did push the puppet back though and turned to face the others that had closed in on him.
He blocked, punched, backhanded, and kicked two of them, sending them flying, but the others rushed in on Harry.
One did a direct cutting strike at his throat, which he dodged with a sidestep as he grabbed the puppets wrist and elbow and then threw it onto the floor, using its momentum against it. He had no time to smile at that as he ducked another blow, however he could not avoid a kneestrike and it hit him on the side. He rolled away from it, helping to lessen the force but it stlill hurt quite a bit.
He hissed and then he successfully did a Chinese get-up. All ten were standing again and then rushed at him.
He did a double-sidekick with one leg, rotating on his left leg, and pushed back two puppets. Then, jumped and spun in the air, and then connected his jumping-turning-roundhouse that was aimed downwards at one of the puppets' head, which went into an obscene angle with a crack. The puppet went down and didn't move.
Stepping back, he let one of the puppets rush him and then the puppet threw a knife-strike at him. In a flash he had grabbed the puppet's wrist, twisted it to the maximum rotation available to the arm, and pulled the puppet forward. He slammed a knee into the puppet and then when it bent over he kneed the puppet in the face and then broke its arm. It too fell onto the ground and did not move.
Three puppets attacked him from different angles then. He jumped into the air and then did a split kick, which was blocked by one but the other got hit right smack in the face. He rolled in mid-air, using the force of hitting his opponents to 'jump' off them and keep him in the air, and brought his legs together in front of him. The puppet there stood no chance as Harry's two legs came crashing into its head from both sides.
Harry let his upper torso fall but kept the grip on the puppets head as he did a spin, breaking the puppet's neck. He pushed himself off the ground and narrowly avoided an axe kick. Then the puppet jumped at him and kicked, but Harry sprung into action and grabbed the extended leg's ankle and threw the puppet into another, hard.
He fought them, slowly picking them off, but he knew that in future fights like this he would do it faster. He just needed more experience. After what seemed like an hour, though it was only about thirty minutes, Harry stood and swayed a little. He wasn't tired, but he did expend a considerable amount of energy. However, his long runs and work-outs coupled with his training had helped him achieve greater endurance and strength.
"Bravo, Harry! Bravo! Splendid fight, though I could see you were hesitating a few times and that there were other times that you could have used a more effective and better technique, but that will come with experience. We shall do this, from now on, twice a week until you are able to face twenty black-belt level opponents," Shean informed him, "Now go along and get some breakfast."
"Thanks Shean," he replied, smiling, as he banished the puppets and retransfigured them into rocks.
He left for the dining hall where he ate sausages, some rice, vegetables (upon the great insistence of his relatives), and other good food. He ate quickly though, eager to get to his class that involved relating with other magical creatures and how to act appropriately with magical creatures. It also included information on the magical creatures themselves.
Michael, Henry's father, was surprisingly a master diplomat and was also a beast master of his time. Harry had shown a gift for being a beast master when they tested him long ago. He thought back to that surprising day as he walked to his next training class...
Flashback
Harry stood nervously amongst his relatives' portraits. He had done this before, but that was long ago and something might have changed. He looked at Henry, who was talking with the twins, Alfred and Anton.
They broke up and then Henry looked at him.
"Harry, you are here, as you know, to be tested on your gifts again. We want to see if there is anything different and we also want to see for ourselves so we can judge the level of your strength.We will then tune this into our classes so that you are at optimal and maximum potential at all times," Henry said, smiling. Harry grinned back.
"So, without further ado, cast these spells..." he then proceeded to tell him of the incantations and movements.
"First," began Anton, "We shall be checking your gifts and abilities. After that, we shall check your magical aura and power. Now, please proceed."
Harry did all of the spells, as instructed, and the portraits were awed.
Harry had the potential to be a Master Mind Magic user, a Potions Master, a Transfiguration Master, a Charms Master, an Archmage and a Sorcerer. They were apparently very valuable abilities and it was the most anyone had seen, apparently. He was destined for great things.
They moved on to his gifts though. He had a somewhat dormant but powerful Heightened Magical Reflexes (which they said was important to unlock the full potential of the gift), Magical Sight, Teleportation, Silent Spellcasting, Spell Manipulator, Beastmaster, and Heightened Magical Power (which was near full potential).
"The last gift. I never knew I had that," Harry told them.
Alfred nodded at that, "Yes, the spell we just told you shows most gifts. There are others, such as your animagi ability, which we cannot do with spells alone."
"Well, this shows that we won't have too much to work on yet. However, that does not mean we will train you lightly. On the contrary, you will probably be the hardest drilled wizard in the world at this moment," said Henry, grinning slightly.
Harry paled at that. Though he had frowned earlier when he saw all his gifts and abilities once more. He hated being so special and so rare. It made him feel so alone in the world.
"Now, Harry. You're training begins," Henry spoke, and so it did.
End Flashback
Being a beastmaster meant that he would have a stronger connection and influence with other creatures when he interacted with them. It also meant he could understand all manner of speech and communication between other magical creatures. However, it did not mean he could speak other human languages or understand for that matter. He would still have to study to learn those.
It was also necessary for him, as a beastmaster, to learn etiquette and also to learn how to act with specific races. It was a tedious task but necessary nonetheless.
"Hello, Harry! Hurry up now and take a seat. We have much to get through today," said Michael, and with that, they continued their lesson on Centaurs.
After wrapping up the Centaurs, Harry finally understood why they kept to themselves at despised wizards. They had been shunned by society and were often called beasts, which was the wrong term since they were fellow beings and creatures.
'They probably think that we are beasts!' thought Harry, amused.
Their suspicion and hatred of humans also stemmed from the fact that their natural and ancient lands had been wrested away from them and they'd been moved to other lands to accomodate the 'growing' world. With the knowledge given to him though, Harry finally knew how to act with the Centaurs and he had a plan to test out what he had learned with the Centaur herd in the Forbidden Forest.
"Now, we will be moving on to a very interesting race. One that you may very well be familiar with and yet not know much about. That is, of course, the goblins," said Michael.
Harry straightened at this. Truthfully, learning about Centaurs wasn't too interesting, but goblins on the other hand, interested him. Especially since they were adept at magic and were in charge of much of the wealth in the wizarding world.
"Now, what do you know of goblins?"
Harry thought for a moment. What did he know? not much. Only that they were, as mentioned, extremely adept at magic and especially warding. Also, they had a lot of wealth in their hands. He told Michael what little he knew, who nodded in understanding.
"I thought they would teach this at Hogwarts, but the Ministry has long since tried to stop any education about them and also has tried to burn most books on goblins. That was back when Grindelwald had control of the Ministry and had wanted to make the goblins submit to his rule. Since they did not, he had wanted to destroy them and all knowledge of them, though he failed in the former act, the latter act he nearly succeeded," explained Michael, moving about in his portrait.
"You see, the goblins are very strong with magic and an army of them is quite formidable. However, the last time they went to war was against Grindelwald, more than fifty years ago, and who knows now how strong the goblins have become. I assure you that back then, they were weakened due to the first strike by Grindelwald. Anyway, since they have been misunderstood and treated badly, they have long since harbored some hate against wizards, as you have seen in your interactions with some of them.
Goblins want, first and foremost, respect and also praise. After that comes business and, if you are extremely lucky, perhaps even friendship. However, since the Ministry has gone to painstaking lengths to ban or abolish most books on goblin study, leaving only the more obscure or less detailed ones out, you must go to the Potter library yourself and get any books required there," continued Michael, "I shall await you here."
Harry nodded, processing some of the informaton as he ran quickly over to the library to get goblin books.
The Potter Library was huge. Larger than even the Hogwarts one and it also contained better books. Harry went to the stand near the entrance to the library. On the stand was a large tome called The Catalogue and if you tapped it while thinking of the subject matter that you wanted, it would list all books related to it. All you had to do after that was pick out the books by pointing to them with your finger and the tome would send out for them magically.
Harry did just that and picked off the first few ones and some with more interesting titles. So you think you know goblins? by Harold Spunker, Goblins, Gringotts, and Gold by Horace Flanders, Dealings with Goblins: A Guide by Kensington Karter, and Goblins: A History by Ornwald Stagen were but some of the books he had picked.
They soon came flying to him and hovered next to the catalogue book, getting into a pile automatically. There were six books in total, all of them at least three inches thick. He made them follow him and stalked off, back to Michael's room.
"Ahh, I remember this book," said Michael as he ran a hand over the cover of Goblins: Don't go Wrong! by Ashen Mulwack.
"Now, I advise that you read all of these books over the course of our going over the topic. These will certainly help you once you start to deal with goblins. I assure you, they will be very good allies in the war to come," Michael told him, making Harry groan.
It was not because he didn't like to read, but it was because he couldn't read fast enough and it usually took him several hours just to finish one book. He would have to talk to Johnathan, who was his charms instructor, about that.
"Now, let us begin with how to act appropriately around goblins..."
Harry's head was swimming. There was a lot of information that he just received, however he began to concentrate and sort through what he learned. Thanks to Kevin, who was a Master at Mind Magic, he had been taught how to organize his mind so thoroughly that he would learn things at a faster rate and also retain things for indefinite periods of time. However, he was still new to it and he still had to concentrate to organize his mind. Kevin did say it wouldn't take long before it became natural to him and he had to admit that he was getting slightly better at it. His mind also sometimes organized itself, though it had happened only a few times.
Harry's Occlumency was extremely strong and he had no doubt that even Dumbledore would not be able to penetrate his mind. He had set up numerous defenses and wards around his mind. He even had different levels of strength and different wards. There was the constant and powerful ward that he placed on his dearest memories. There was also a constant ward on the worst memories.
He then worked to destroy any of the ones he wanted to forget and thus freeing up space in his mind, though his mind could take a colossal amount amount of information, it was always safer to delete unwanted memories. However, he tried not to do that too much, since he did not want to leave too many holes in his past.
He then had different levels of power and alertness. He had a constant ward that was low in strength and detected if anyone was trying to get into his mind. He then had moderate strength wards that did the same thing. Then he had the full power wards and shields that guarded his mind with an impenetrable steel, stone, and concrete wall (or at least it looked that way if someone tried to get in). He would also be alerted of anyone trying to break into his mind, but if anyone tried, they would recoil as the magical barriers would attack the mind magic user until the user retreated into its respective mind.
He sighed, it took a few minutes, but now everything was clear to him and he smiled. He would surprise the goblins the next time they would meet. He walked to another room and found Henry there.
"Hello Harry. Ready for some more training?" asked the old man humorously.
Harry rolled his eyes and stood, waiting.
"Now, we will practice some more of your silent spellcasting, since you are already a master of wandless magic. However, do remember that wandless magic is only sometimes stronger than magic with a wand and magic with a staff is far more powerful than magic with either of those two. Now, let's begin," instructed Henry.
For the next two hours he levitated things silently, then transfigured things, and then did many other things such as dueling with magical Puppets, among other things. He made some progress, but it was still a while before he would become a master. Henry was a sorcer in his day as well, but was never an archmage and so did not know how best to instruct on that field. But, Harry knew that he went to the library to read up on some things - with the help of the house elves, of course.
He left and went to Johnathan's room, where he asked the question about any charms that could make a person read faster.
"Well, I believe there is one charm that I had found once. It was very effective and I read more than a fifty pages a minute, though the strength of the spell varied with the spellcaster. Let me see..." he screwed up his head in thought, closing his eyes.
"Ah, yes! The incantation is: Legocursim. Fairly straightforward, all you have to do is tap the space between your eyes as you say the spell," he told Harry, who smiled brilliantly.
"Great! Why didn't you tell me this before?!? It could have helped me so much!" said Harry, a bit angry and yet more overjoyed at the spell.
"Well, you never asked," replied Johnathan, who grinned.
"Now, we shall discuss how to magically harden liquid. This is most benficial when you want to trap your enemy. First, you shoot water at him and then once that is accomplished you use the Cougelo charm to harden the liquid, effectively hindering any movement. It could be used for other uses as well, such as sealing a doorway or making a wall thicker. By using this spell, you convert it into a strange compound that is unrecorded, however it is very strong and can withstand numerous powerful reductos if applied thickly," Johnathan told Harry, who began practicing it already.
After he had successfully mastered that, they moved on.
"Well, let's see. Ah! Speaking of 'seeing', let's try some strong sight spells. First we shall learn how to make a target unable to see clearly. The Ocelloucae charm will do the trick. Oh-Say-LooSay. Yes, that's it. Now, try it on yourself."
Harry did as told and before he knew it, all he could see were blurs, really blurry blurs. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face properly.
"Wow... that's pretty powerful," commented Harry, "Useful too, in tight situations."
Johnathan nodded, "Now try the clear sight charm. The incantation is: Acclaro. Simple, really, but it takes average wizards a while to master it and so not many people know it well. And yes, it can cure your eyesight, which makes me wonder why no one wanted you to do that in the first place," said he.
Harry took his glasses off, not that it helped when his vision was really still blurry, and he cast the clear sight charm. It worked like charm - no pun intended - and he could see things so much clearer. Clearer than when he DID have the glasses on, which surprised him. He could see intricate details on the wall and when he looked out the window and focused, he could see a pair of butterflies flying in a patch of flowers more than a hundred feet away.
"Now this is amazing," Harry smirked.
Johnathan just laughed, "Well, let's move on, shall we?" and with that they did move on to other charms and other practical uses.
Harry broke for lunch at about one o'clock and ate hastily, talking to Lopa and Dobby. Mundy was apparently helping one of the portraits.
"Dobby, remember when I told you to keep a journal or something about the events that happened in the wizard world while I was gone?" asked Harry, draining a goblet of pumpkin juice.
"Yes, Harry. I is remembering that. Do you want it now?" replied Dobby, smiling eagerly.
"Not yet, but I shall want it soon. How are you guys, by the way? Anything I can do for you?"
Dobby and Lopa looked at each other, "No sir, nothing is needed. We is very happy serving the great Harry Potter. But..." Lopa paused.
Harry looked at her curiously, wondering what she wanted.
"...well, we is wondering if Winky can be working here too. She is missing Dobby and Dobby says she is not well in Hogwarts."
Harry nodded at that, "Sure, why not? Just bring her over here and I'll hire her." He smiled as he saw their big grins.
They thanked him profusely as he got up and went off to find Anton, who was his offensive spells teacher. After him, there was Alfred, who was his defensive teacher. Then he had free time. Tomorrow, he would have a full day of learning the art of healing, human anatomy, and the like, all of which were to be taught by all the female portraits while the men took a day off.
Harry smiled upon entering the Room of Requirement, which had expanded into a large hall with figures in it. Unanimated forms of Harry's "Puppets".
"Okay Harry, you've covered everything you've learned from Dumbledore and from your own studies, but now we must go on. Today, we shall start with a few more powerful spells. Now, mind you, some may say that some of these spells are dark, but I assure you that the thinking of light and dark magic is very biased and controlled by the Ministry. However, that is a lesson that Henry will give you in the future. Now, here are the spells that you will learn today," he spoke to a very eager Harry.
Harry had always thought his repertoire of spells was significantly small and full of weak spells, which it was when Anton told him some of the spells he was to learn.
Harry tried the first spell on a large rock that he had created. "Silextelum!" he cried, his hand stretched out. A dozen bolts of sharp thick rocks flew at the boulder, embedding themselves into the large rock. Some buried themselves very deep and Harry smiled. The Dark Order was going to suffer far more than the Death Eaters ever did.
"Fervefatelum!" he cried, trying the second spell. This time, multiple red bolts shot at the rock and where it contacted, there was a loud hissing noise and lots of smoke. The parts that were hit were melting fast from the intense heat.
"Gelidustelum!" he followed after a few moments of observing the second spell. This third spell threw freezing bolts this time and any parts that were hit were frozen for a foot around the contact point.
"Dissescido!"
The rock was cut savagely and the frozen pieces shattered immediately. The large rock was extremely maimed and large deep cuts and ruts were all over it. Some parts of the rock even fell off.
"Fulmenis!"
This time a bolt of lightning erupted from the tip of his wand, striking the rock and breaking it into a million pieces.
"Wow, better be careful with that one," he whistled slowly.
He made multiple boulders with the fragments of the broken rock and tried the other spells, sometimes even trying previous spells again.
"Flamma," shot out a fiery jet of flame that could rival that of dragon flame.
"Cremo," was very nasty and the flames consumed the target. In this case, the rock was smoldering and molten before Harry froze it with multiple Gelidustelum spells.
That was all the spells he learned for the day, but he had mastered them quickly and had even dueled with the puppets - after animating them of course.
He then waited as Anton floated out of the room and Alfred came in. After repairing the puppets, Alfred made him duel a few of them, but instead of taking them out immediately, he was required to keep dodging and blocking attacks for as long as he could. That way, he would get so used to dodging, weaving, and pretty much moving in battle and it would also hone his reflexes and defensive skills.
After that, Harry was feeling a bit tired but he still had a significant amount of magic and strength left in him.
"That was great, Harry. Soon we'll move on to the more advanced stage of defense. Well, I'll teach you a particularly powerful shielding spell. I created it back in my day and it's far more powerful than your Protego and your other shield spells."
"That would be great! I had always thought that some of my spells were a bit on the weaker side."
"Ah, but remember. Even if a spell is weak, the amount of magic you put into it and the power of the user can make it stronger - though I guess they are not as strong as other spells out there," replied Alfred, his eyes twinkling.
Harry smiled as he was told how to work the Advanced shielding spell.
"The incantation is Contepresidi. Remember, it's Con-teh-preh-see-dee, not Con-tey-prey-see-dee, though I guess after you work out your silent spellcasting and your wandless spellcasting, you won't really need to say it," he told Harry with a wink.
Harry tried the shield out and found it took a bit more energy than the Protego spell, but was far more powerful. Smiling, Harry left the Room of Requirement and headed to his room.
After taking a long hot shower, he got dressed and quickly cast the speed-reading charm on himself. He then focused so that his mind would sort the information well and he would retain everything perfectly.
He then got the goblin books and began reading.
Thirty minutes later, he had already finished two of the thick books. Smiling triumphantly, he continued on, getting much more interested when the books talked about goblin magic. Though gobin history was boring, much of the books on interacting with goblins got their facts from the goblins' history.
Goblins have no need for any items to focus their magic, such as a wand or staff, though wizards also have no need for it if trained in wandless magic. However, it is important to note that goblins have been on Earth long before wizards and this may be the reason why they are more attuned to magic. Since they have a better connection with magic, their magic is significantly greater in respect to their ability to tap into the flow of magic. It is also interesting to note that during the war with Grindelwald, the goblins formed an army and stormed one of his bases in France.
It is not widely described and not well known, but sources say that no dark wizard in the French base of Grindelwald were left alive. Thus, if in a battle goblins may prove to be considerable warriors, especially since their knowledge and use of magic seem much deeper than most average wizards. Another significant characteristic of goblin magic is that most of their spells require no incantations and instead, rely on the intent and thoughts of the goblin casting it. However, one wizard was said to have heard goblins casting spells in Gobbledeegook...
Harry took note of the information on that page. That was why the goblins had such powerful wards, spells, and defenses at Gringotts! They would certainly prove valuable allies in the coming war. Harry then made another mental note to try to learn Gobbledeegook.
He finished the last book and checked the magical clock in his room. It showed that he had spent tw hours reading six thick goblin books, which was a surprising feat. He would have to read some more before dinner.
He walked over to his closet and dressed in a plain deep red robe. He then shrunk the goblin books and went over to the library, putting them in the shelf that said Returns. The library was empty and so he decided to read there so as to get through as many books as possible, especially now that he had the spell to make him read faster. He thanked Henry for helping him with his Occlumency and Legilimency, though the former was the more important one when it came to organizing his thoughts properly.
He quickly called up some books on offensive spells and techniques as well as some defensive ones as well. He took about ten books for offensive spells and ten for defensive spells and walked over to the side, carefully levitating the books. He placed them on the table and sat down, instantly grabbing one of the books and starting to read.
It was close to dinner time when Harry finally finished his intense reading in the library. He had gone through the first twenty books so fast he had time to read some more books. He had then decided to look up 'archmage' in the Catalogue and found only a few books on the subject, all of which he took.
Archmages: The Truth was the most descriptive and most helpful of the books he had read. He read it with a fervor, even rereading one more time to make sure he got the information contained within its pages.
An Archmage is, generally speaking, a far more powerful sorcerer. Sorcerers have long been known to have wandless magical abilities, something that is nigh impossible for average to even some strong wizards to achieve. One must truly be born a sorcerer to achieve their power. However, this book is about Archmages, who are the rarest kind of wizard. It has long been historically documented that Archmages are usually born to tumultuous and dark times and often are tasked with saving the world from the tides of evil...
Archmages have a closer relationship to the flow of magic and can control the elements. They are formidable in strength and power, which is why it is on their shoulders that lie the salvation of the world from evil. Many of the common gifts is, of course, wandless magic and silent spellcasting. Also, spell creation and spell manipulation seem easy to an archmage, especially one trained well. It is known that the abilities of a true archmage can never reach full potential if the archmage is not taught and trained by a master archmage. However, even improperly trained archmages are considerably more powerful than the strongest wizards...
... archmages' emotions are said to influence the power of their magic. A historical document written by a first-hand witness once wrote that when Merlin fought, he usually was calm and did incredible magic and damage. However, when he was angry, according to the document, it was as if the apocalypse had begun and the gods had torn the earth asunder. However, it was said that while anger did exponentially increase an archmage's power, it also drained them so much faster since their emotions burn through their magical power as much as their spells do. Thus, being peaceful and having a clear mind is far more effective and efficient than having the mind clouded with emotion...
... reach a certain level of power, wands can no longer withstand the amount of power coursing through it. Though rarely does an archmage need a magic focus, it has been documented that all archmages have carried a staff, which can handle the amount of power harnessed in an archmage. It also allows for stronger magical focus in certain situations and may do other things that the author of this book has not found out...
... Merlin was the last documented great archmage, though some say that Albus Dumbledore is an archmage, he is in fact, just a very powerful mage and sorcerer...
Harry looked up and rubbed his eyes. That was a lot of information in such a short amount of time, but he had sorted them out well with his occlumency, which he was slowly getting mastery at. He looked up at the clock above the doorway and noticed that it was about thirty minutes before dinner, which was at 8pm.
He stood, returning the archmage books, and decided to take some books with him. He thought for a moment and decided that maybe he could learn some potions, arithmancy, and alchemy since he was doing pretty well in his magic and spellwork.
He took four books on alchemy, three large tomes on potions, and three more on arithmancy. He left the library with a slight buzzing headache from all the information, but he was happy.
After shrinking and pocketing the books, he whistled all the way to the dining hall. Everyone was there, as usual, and were talking with each other. They greeted Harry when he came in and then continued to discuss something. Harry paid no mind to what they were talking about and devoured the food prepared hungrily. He was midway through his meal of roastbeef, mashed potato with gravy, and some salad when the house elves popped around him.
They had brought Winky with them, who smiled nervously and bowed low to Harry, who quickly scolded her for her actions and told her that if she wanted to work for him, she would not bow or do anything of the sort.
"I'm you're friend, Winky, just like Dobby, Lopa, and Mundy. Besides, I'm also hiring you and paying you a set amount of galleons a week..." but at this Winky seemed stupefied, "Now, now. If you realy want to work for me, you must accept. I will not have you as some sort of slaves. You are my friends and are just helping me run my household," he assured her.
She smiled then and then bound herself to Harry's service, in exchange for being friends and payment for her services, of course. Henry beamed at him, and so did the other portraits, who admired and respected the young man before them.
"Truly remarkable, what you have done, Harry. Very few wizards approach house elves like so and I am proud of you," said Henry, tears in his eyes.
"Don't get all mushy on me, grandpa! It makes me feel...uncomfortable.." Harry squirmed in his seat, trying to finish eating.
The others laughed and so did Henry.
Total Potter Time: 1 year, Total Outside Time: 48 days (August 26).
Harry was adding some salmander blood and some finely ground metal balls to his advanced strengthening potion under the watchful eye of Kevin Weathers Potter, who was the family's best potions master. He quickly stirred the potion eight times counter-clockwise, five times clockwise, and then added some Pomegrenate juice, quickly stirring it ten times clockwise right after and two times counter-clockwise.
He whiped some sweat off his forehead to keep it from falling into the cauldron, which had turned a dark blue color. He then added some tiger claws and four alligator fangs, careful to mix it properly.
"That's it Harry, now you only have to stir it a bit more and wait a couple of weeks before you can drink it. It is only a one-time effect though. It is not known why it only works once, but I suspect it has something to do with the body of the user and how it can only go so far. Perhaps it may even have something to do with the potion itself that if you use it once, any additional doses might be cancelled by the previously consumed potion," said Kevin.
Harry nodded, "Don't worry, I don't really think I need to do it twice. If I do, I might as well become the Hulk," he joked.
"Huh? Who is the... the Hulk, did you say? I've never heard of him. What feats did he accomplish for you to talk of him with such praise?"
Harry rolled his eyes, "Nevermind. It was a muggle comic character who was extremely powerful because of something in his blood that mutated his genes. He became somewhat indestructable as bullets, bombs, and the like did not pierce his skin," he explained.
"Interesting. Very interesting. I shall try to look this Hulk up."
Harry just shook his head, muttering something about ignorant wizards. He took his stirring rod out of the cauldron, which had turned a dark orange color. He smiled, he had successfully compelted the potion.
He had gone through every potion he had learned in Hogwarts and then some. This was better than the strengthening potion he made in fifth year. Not only because he was better at potions and he brewed it near perfection, but because the potion itself was more powerful than the one in fifth year.
He then proceeded to start on his wolfsbane potion, which was by far the more difficult of all the potions he tried so far. He could not finish it all in one day though, since some of it required an addition of ingredients after certain time periods and in one instance, the addition of wolfsbane during a new moon (moonless night), which was coming up soon. Harry hoped to try his variation of the wolfsbane potion on Remus, since Kevin and Harry had changed some of the ingredients and brewing instructions to make the potion more potent and more powerful.
After finishing with that, it was time for lunch and so Harry carefully put the cauldrons away with some wandless and silent magic before walking with Kevin to the dining hall.
"I cannot wait to try the new wolfsbane potion on Remus! If our changes and calculations are right, it should make his change barely painful and also keep his head clear at the same time. Maybe in the future, we can brainstorm a way to even prevent changes!" Harry exclaimed excitedly.
Kevin chuckled, "Yes! What a delightful idea. I do believe we did make the right changes, though we shall see if it works or not during the next full moon."
It was during lunch that Harry decided that it was time to make a visit to Diagon Alley. He smiled when Dobby wished to accompany him, but he told the elf that he might be recognized and so decided to bring Mundy instead. Dobby looked sad at that, but Harry assured him that he would try to spend more time with him in the future.
"No, great Harry Potter sir! I is knowing that you is training for war. It be very bad of Dobby to be distracting you!"
"Nonsense, Dobby. I shall spend my time as I please and with who I want to spend it with," he replied with a smile.
Dobby grinned toothily, his eyes wider than usual, "You is really great wizard, Harry! Great, great wizard!" and with that he was gone with a pop.
"I can never truly understand house elves," said Harry to no one in particular.
"Well, you have never tried to understand, now have you, dear?" asked Susan.
"Well, I guess not.."
"So that is why you don't understand. To understand something, you have to take the time to learn what you want to understand," Alfred told him as he smiled at his wife.
"Yeah, I... Well... Okay, you win!" he shook his head, "I'll set aside some of my freetime to get to know house elves."
"That would be very wise. Yet again, you surprise me Harry," Henry spoke, eyeing him with pride and care.
"Well, I guess I'm just full of surprises, now, aren't I?" he replied jokingly.
"Finish your food, dear. Didn't you say you wanted to go to Diagon Alley today?" asked Melanie.
"Oh, right!"
He then proceeded to quickly wolf down his food and saying a quick goodbye, he ran up to his room. He decided to wear a fine golden-yellow robe trimmed with white that was charmed with protective spells and slightly made of battle-robe material, which meant if hit the robe would absorb or dampen the blow, though it was not as strong as a full battle robe. He then wore white gloves that also had protective spells and had a charm on them that your wand would never leave your hand if someone tried to disarm you of it. It was also charmed to keep the wearer at a certain temperature.
He wore matching white boots with yellow trim and laces. It had silencing spells, a warming charm, and gave a slight boost to speed. Smiling at himself in the mirror, he truly looked like some rich pure-blood. He laughed at that, even Malfoy would not recognize him now, though to be sure, he placed a spell on his face to make it look different. It was some type of a 'masking' spell that Jason had learned of to conceal his identity, since back then the Zabini family was a supporter of Grindelwald and he did not want them to recognize him in any case.
Looking at himself, it only altered a few things, and surprisingly enough, the spell hid his lightning-bolt scar and changed his facial features to make them a little older in appearance and his emerald green eyes seemed to have a twinkle in them, though if it was because he didn't really notice before or because of the spell, he didn't know.
Nodding in approval of the spell, he left his room, calling upon Mundy to accompany him. He told the elf to look for and follow him in Diagon Alley and then teleported off.
He purposefully teleported a block away from the Leaky Cauldron, in an obscure alleyway that he had seen earlier in his travels to and from Diagon Alley. It was a bit chilly and he thanked whoever charmed his clothes for adding warming charms to them.
He briskly walked to the pub and pushed the door open as he stepped inside. All heads turned as he walked in, his golden robe shining bright. He looked every part a rich and powerful lord.
"May I be of assistance, Lord?" asked Tom, the bartender.
Harry shook his head slightly, acting as if he were some great lord indeed. He did reach into his pocket and grabbed five galleons, which he then placed on the bar in front of Tom. The bartender smiled and took the gold, eyeing the people in the pub. They turned back to their drinks and their food as the golden figure nodded to him and then walked to the entrance of Diagon Alley.
Tom had a feeling he knew that person before, but it was better to be polite to the rich and powerful - which is what he did. He got a few galleons for it, after all. Though the man did look as if he knew Tom personally. 'Strange, very strange' he thought as he went back to brewing some drinks.
Harry smiled, Tom had not recognized him and so did the other people in the Leaky Cauldron. It was going to be easier than he expected. He tapped the bricks in the wall as it slowly moved into an archway for him to walk through. He entered Diagon Alley.
There was a considerable number of people in the Alley. Far more than when Voldemort had been alive. Harry smiled at that, happy that he had helped these people get rid of their fears and helped them to live freely once again. He just hoped he could do so again, when the darkness returned.
He walked quickly to Gringotts, noticing that a few people turned their heads at him. His robe was truly brilliant and expensive, though he tried not to mind it. What he didn't see was the golden lion that was on the back of the robe, since he had just picked it off the rack and didn't really bother to look at it all. He did hear one man say something about "... Lord Gryffindor?" the man had asked as he passed by.
He paid no heed to it and forgot all about it as he stepped into Gringotts Wizarding Bank. The instant he stepped in, he felt the numerous wards and spells surrounding him. It was overwhelming and as he walked it felt as if he was swimming under a large sea of magic. It was nothing compared to the outside, where he felt the magic as well. It was so thick and dense that Harry was surprised that no one else noticed.
He walked up to a familiar face and smiled as he approached the goblin. His name was Griphook and had helped Harry before. It took only a few seconds before the goblin looked up, eyeing him and a little surprised.
"May I help you, sir?"
"Yes, Griphook, you can. I would like to have a statement on my holdings and I would like to visit my vault as well," he replied smoothly.
Visibly surprised that his name was known, he leapt off his seat and walked around the table. "If you can please follow me," he said, before walking off.
Harry followed closely, his steps silent and light, as he observed Gringotts thoroughly. There was a large main hall that was rectangular in shape. It was also a bit larger than the Great Hall in Hogwarts. It was also made with stone and had arched stone support beams crossing the ceiling and supported in turn by two large stone columns on opposite sides of the hall.
Two rows of tables ran parallel to the lengthwise walls, all of which were filled with paperwork and behind all of them were goblins. Harry even noticed that the seat that Griphook vacated had instantly been filled by another goblin, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. There were multiple doors down the hall and Griphook took the second door to the right, nodding to two goblins that flanked the large wooden doors. They opened of their own accord and Griphook and Harry slipped into another, but much smaller, hall.
It was more of a hallway actually as many doors ran down the length of it. Goblins scurried around, their minds set on some task or job that needed completion. Some had other wizards with them, but Harry only glimpsed them fleetingly. Griphook went to one of the doors and opened it.
Harry then smiled at that. They then passed through a few other hallways and rooms before coming to a stop in front of another set of large wooden doors, this time coupled with some brass. The bank was planned so that any attackers would have extreme difficulty trying to get out once they get in, since their anti-apparition wards were extremely powerful and so were their anti-portkey wards. However, Harry noted as he looked around that they had no wards against teleportation, which he could bet that the goblins had the ability to do.
Two goblins, again, flanked the doors and Harry had a feeling they were there for protection.
'They must be battle goblins' he thought as Griphook nodded again at one of them, who nodded back. The doors swung open to reveal a moderately-sized room filled with a few tables and goblins. Griphook approached the one farthest from the door and bowed low. Harry also bowed, but not as much.
He greeted the goblin behind the desk in gobbledegook, surprising both of them immensely. So much so, in fact, that they were utterly speechless and staring in wonder at him. Harry stood still, though inside he was wondering if he had said it right. He thought he had, but then again it was easy to make a mistake if you're learning just from a book about a subject that isn't taught widely.
Then the goblin replied in gobbledeegook, thanking him for the greeting and asking how he came about to know gobbledegook.
"Well, I am no expert, but let us just say that I studied hard and that I have some talents," he replied, still in gobbledeegook.
Then he changed into English.
"You have no idea how difficult it was to craft that sentence. Gobbledegook is an extremely difficulty language to grasp, especially since I am not a goblin."
They both smiled, "Very interesting. Very, very interesting. I also would like to express my gratitude that you are doing business with us, one as intriguing and great a wizard as you seem to be. Griphook here tells me that you even remembered his name. Such trivial matters are supposedly beneath most wizards," he said, eyeing Harry curiously.
"Well, I am not most wizards. That, I can assure you."
"Indeed, you are not. Very well then, Griphook tells me you wish to have a copy of your current holdings and that you wish to visit your vault. Though, if I may ask, what is your name?"
Harry paused for a minute, "It still stands that, as long as a client is for the good and light side and has done no evil deeds against any laws or creatures, that the information exchanged between client and Gringotts is kept strictly confidential and is woven with multiple secrecy and anti-spying charms?" he asked.
Again, a look of surprise flashed across both goblins faces, before disappearing as fast as they appeared, "Why, yes. That rule still stands. It is one of our most kept and highest rules here at Gringotts," he answered.
"Good," with that Harry waved his hand and the masking spell disappeared, though he still remained the same save for his facial features changing back to normal, "I would not like my presence to be known yet and I have matters of secrecy to finish before I face the world once more. Oh, and my name-" but he did not get to finish as both goblins cut him off.
"Harry Potter!" they cried in unison.
All the goblins in the room stopped, puzzled, and turned to look at the golden-robed wizard. Harry felt their stares and was surprised at all that he would elicit such a reaction, from goblins no less!
"Is there a... problem?" he asked, confused.
"No, no, no! No problem at all, Mister Potter. It is just that we goblins have much debt to you since you defeated the great Dark Lord Voldemort, who had long since threatened to destroy us, enslave us, or to make us join him. We also wanted to thank you for standing up against Fudge, who had betrayed and cheated some fellow goblins of their money and also wished to wrest the control of Gringotts away from the wealth of the world," replied the goblin, who stood on his chair and took a bow, "My name is Sharpstone, by the way."
Suddenly, Harry was surrounded by goblins who wished to congratulate him on his victory against the Dark Lord and to thank him for it as well. Just then, Sharpstone's eyes widened.
"I believe that I am no longer going to assist, you, Mister Potter. It appears that the President of the bank wishes to accomodate you personally. If you would please follow Griphook, he shall take you to the President," said Sharpstone, a bit saddened.
Hiding his confusion and surprise, Harry nodded at that. "Trust that I shall not forget you. All of you," he said before leaving the room. In truth, he would not forget unless he chose to, his head having already automatically organized the names with the faces of the goblins he met.
It took a bit longer to reach the President's office, passing through higher-level security halls as more armed and serious-looking goblins stood or patrolled the area. Some wielded heavy-looking double-bladed axes while others wore short-swords on their belts. They had armor on as well, which seemed to be made out of some strange metal. Harry had no time to observe one closely as he was ushered through a set of large stone doors guarded by six battle goblins.
"Mister Potter, so nice of you to come visit us! Please do take a seat, we have much to discuss," said the rather large and wealthy-looking goblin.
He wore strange robes made of rich material, but over that he wore the same strange metallic armor of the other battle goblins.
"Ah, you have seen some of our fine armor? It is very nearly indestructible, though a bit heavy, really," he commented excitedly.
"Now, I hear you know how to speak in our language? My name is Fireswift" he asked in gobbledegook, as if testing.
"Yes, I taught myself how, though it was extremely difficult. I had trouble even with some good books. It is a pleasure to meet you, Fireswift," he replied after a bit of thought.
"Intresting. Now, of course, it is difficult to trust you as of yet, so may you please put a drop of blood on this parchment? It will reveal your true identity, as well as your bloodline and any other identifying factors. This is, of course, precautionary, and I do hope you understand."
"Of course. Security protocol 183C Section 4 Subsection A - If a client disappears, client's holdings have little activity, or the client has not made contact for a long period of time with Gringotts (usually more than three years) then upon the next visit of the client, he or she must use a blood-identity parchment to ensure proper identification before futher business can be made..." he recited as he sifted through the information he read on Gringotts in a flash.
The Gringotts president smiled wide at that, "Interesting that you should know our protocols by heart. Very surprising. Now, if you please?" he said, a little bit awed.
Harry carefully pricked his finger with a silent spell and let a drop of blood fall onto the parchment. It was then absorbed and disappeared as writing soon appeared on it. He healed the small puncture wound with a slight movement of his finger and waited.
Fireswift looked at it and his smile turned to a frown and then to a look of horror.
"Oh, dear. I am... oh, where are my manners! How could we not have known! Such... this is very bad... I only hope you may forgive me and Gringotts for this gravest mistake," he said in a somewhat pleading and worried voice.
Concerned and confused, again, he asked what was wrong.
"Well, it says here that you are the eldest heir of Lord Gryffindor, the remaining heir of the Potter family and Baron Potter, the heir of the Black Family and Sir Black, and also the heir of Lord Hufflepuff, husband of the renowned Helga Hufflepuff," he said, wincing, "We apologize sincerely for our grave mistake of not calling you by your rightful and honorable title, Lord Gryffindor," he spoke.
Harry sat on the chair, stunned beyond belief. His family had a Baron? He was the eldest heir of Gryffindor? Hufflepuff?!?! and Sirius was knighted? His mind carefully stored the information, but he still had the feeling of a headache from the shock.
"Are we forgiven, my Lord?"
"Wh-oh! Yes, yes. Of course.." he trailed off his reply, still wondering. Did Dumbledore know?? Did he hide it from him, again?
The president let out a breath of relief and smiled again, "Rest assured that all are informed of your status now, my Lord. That mistake will not be repeated again," he stated seriously.
Harry nodded, though he did ask one quesetion, "If I am the heir of... them, then howcome you call me just by Lord Gryffindor?"
"This is because it has the highest honor, respect, title, and position out of all of them. Now, with that matter, you're holdings..." and he rummaged through some files below the desk.
"Ah, yes! Here we go. It seemed thicker than when Harry last saw it and he wondered if it had anything to do with the recent revelation. His mind still swimming, he tried to concentrate and to ask the others about it later.
"It appears that your very first vault was only a vault that you could access while you were still under twenty years of age. Once you reached twenty, we were to allow you to access the Potter Family vault. Now, here are the keys,' a thick envelope suddenly appearing out of nowhere. He gave it to Harry.
"Why are there multiple keys?"
"This is because they are seperate keys. One for the Gryffindor vault, one for the Hufflepuff vault, one for the Potter Family vault, and one for the Black Family vault, which you apparently did not receive after we had sent the key to Sir Dumbledore," he seemed very irritated about that fact, and so did Harry.
The old man had hidden things from him again! He gripped the seat of the chair in anger, but then let his anger subside and cool quickly so as not to do anything that might attract further attention from Fireswift.
"Please note that these do not include the other individual items found within each seperate vault. You must find those out for youself, since we are not allowed within the vaults themselves," he said.
Harry nodded, wondering just how much he had.
"Now, in your first Potter vault, which was set aside for your school funding, there are roughly one million and eight-hundred ninety-three thousand galleons. This includes all sickles and knuts as well as galleons, of course. Then in the Potter Family vault, there amounts to approximately one billion three-hundred million galleons along with the titles to Godric's Hollow, Potter Mansion - which has yet to be found - and other various places and plots of land. You also are a part owner of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, owner of Quality Quidditch Supplies, owner of the Nimbus Racing Broom Company, and other smaller businesses.
Now, with the Black Family vault, you have eight-hundred million six-hundred eighty thousand galleons along with part ownership of the Chudley Cannons Quidditch team, part ownership of Firebolt Quidditch Brooms Inc., and part ownership of Puddlemere United Quidditch team. You are given the titles to various plots of land as well as ownership and rent on other businesses.
For the Hufflepuff vault, therein lies about nine-hundred million galleons and titles to quite a few lands. Along with this is the ownership of several potion-making businesses as well as part ownership of Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley.
Now, for the Gryffindor vault, there is a substantial amount of galleons. Amounting up to two billion, combined with all titles of land of course, which amount for a fourth of that amount. You are also the owner of the Grodzisk Goblins Qudditch team and other businesses as well," he stopped, looking at a very shocked Harry Potter.
So shocked, in fact, that he had forgotten to breathe and had turned a little blue.
"Lord Gryffindor? Please, I would like it if you did not die here, or that you not die at all, actually," said Fireswift, concerned.
Harry breathed in finally. His mind had gone numb and his heart had nearly stopped beating. He was... bloody hell! He was probably the richest wizard in England! Maybe even Europe for that matter.
"Bloody hell, I just... wow.."
"Yes, quite a substantial amount of wealth you have there, Lord Gryffindor. However, I am not surprised that one such as you has this much."
"It's very...surprising. I never knew..."
Fireswift nodded, "Is there anything else you wish to do before you visit these vaults?"
"Yes please. I would like to transfer some..."
Later, Underground Rail System, Gringotts...
Harry smiled, his head still flying high in the sky. He was richer than he had ever thought he was. He had suspected the amount in his trust fund, but never the amount that had just been told to him that day. He was going shopping, that was for sure.
He had transferred all his trust fund money (about one and a half million galleons) to the Weasley Family vault, which he found was just above his in the age of the family, being the fifth overall oldest family. The Potter family being the sixth.
He had then also transferred a million each to the vaults of Lupin, Tonks, Granger, Lovegood, and Longbottom. He then gave a million each to the Order members and his Hogwarts professors that had fought alongside him, such as Kingsley, Mad-Eye, McGonagall, Flitwick, Pomfrey, Sprout, and even Hagrid.
"Griphook, tell me, what are the differences in the security of the vaults?"
The goblin thougth for a moment before giving Harry the answer as they plunged a few dozen feet, making Harry a bit uneasy.
"Well, Lord Gryffindor, there are different types of vaults. The more prominent, popular, powerful, and respectable a person or family is, the more protection they get. However, in Gringotts, there are different levels. The lowest levels are for vaults such as the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw vaults. Above that there are the Family vaults, such as the Malfoy, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom, etc., they are distinguished and respected families as well as wealthy and powerful. Then above that level are moderate-security and above that the lower-level security vaults.
The lowest vaults have dragons, very powerful goblin protective spells, personal spells by the owners, and even traps and teams of battle goblins. Then the Family vaults have dragons, powerful protective spells, and some personal spells as well. There is one battle goblin team each. The moderate-security vaults have powerful protective spells and the lower-level security vaults have protective spells for the much less wealthy.
And, of course, through all this, one must have the proper keys to open the vaults themselves. However, the Family and lowest level vaults need a direct bloodline descendant to even put the key in the lock," he explained as they finally came to a stop.
He got out and walked over to the Potter Vault, where he saw mountains of galleons that towered over him. The vault itself was huge. Numerous items and trinkets lined shelves on the walls and some were also just strewn about. He found a few interesting things, such as a box of charmed jewelry pieces that he wanted to look at later, a few magical daggers, and some more battle robes. He also found a few books and he stopped as he found a chest filled with photos and other personal items. He quickly shrunk them and placed them in his pocket, careful to add protection charms now over the pockets.
They then moved on to the Hufflepuff vault, where Harry decided to get some galleons. Teams of goblins stood at the ready, flanking the steel and stone doors to the vault. Engraved on the doors was the Badger of Hufflepuff. A nasty-looking red dragon snorted some smoke, but allowed him entrance. Harry took note that there must have been spells that made the dragon know who could access the vault and who could not. He took about ten thousand galleons and looked around, finding some more books and items, but he decided to just pick up the books for now. He would look at the other items at a later date.
Upon arrival at the Gryffindor, Harry opened his eyes wide as he saw note one dragon, but two! Two very large and very vicious-looking Hungarian Horntails watched him, but also allowed him entrance. The battle goblins stood to attention and bowed slightly. He returned it and thanked them in gobbledegook, eliciting some smiles and more bows.
He felt the magic tugging at his body and he felt right as he placed the key in the lock of the vault. Large mechanisms sprung to life and smaller ones whirred and clinked. Soon, the gate opened, shaking the ground.
A very large mountain range of galleons lay to one side of the enormous vault. On the other side were full sets of steel armor, chain mail, wizard battle robes, staves, swords, shields, boots, gloves, and everything to pretty much equip a small army. On the far side lay fewer items, but they seemed much more expensive and were set on tables with red cloth. There was one thing that actually caught his attention and it was a wand on a pedestal between two of the tables on the far side.
He approached it and grabbed it, yelping when his magic connected with it and he felt a surge of energy rush through him. The wand felt so much better in his hand then his old one did, though he decided to keep both. He found a matching golden holster, charmed to be light and to prevent disarming spells. It even came with protective barriers and spells that activated when the wearer willed it.
Then he saw robes unlike any other. The robes were the deep royal red of the Gryffindor house. It was trimmed in gold thread and had a large roaring golden lion on the back. It shone with unmatched brilliance and was extremely light and relatively soft, but Harry knew it was the battle robe of Godric Gryffindor himself. He knew it. He touched it and he felt a surge of magical energy and he felt connected to Godric, somehow.
He quickly took off his gold robes and replaced it with the robes of Gryffindor, which magically fit snugly to him, showing off his muscles and yet giving him a truly lordly appearance. He scanned it and found that it too had warming charms and also cooling charms. It had over a hundred layers of protective magic and strong battle-robe material that could block a sword blow. It also allowed for greater access to magic and could also 'mask' itself so that no one would see he had it on and instead see some other robe.
Fascinated and awed, he was about to leave, deciding to come back again when his head wasn't spinning like mad, when he saw a lone book that was under the robes of Gryffindor. He took it and nearly dropped it as he read the title.
The Diary of Godric Gryffindor
He quickly pocketed it, careful in his handling of the precious and one-of-a-kind book. He would have to read it soon, he knew, but not now. Not yet. He did not touch anything else and forced himself out of the vault. He needed some time to think and to get used to what he had just found out that day.
He quickly thanked Griphook and bade thanks to Flameswift through him, before exiting the bank. He teleported as soon as he was sure no one was looking. He had found out a lot more than he bargained for.
Author's Notes: Thanks for reviewing. Anyway, the story is focused on these three characters (Harry, Hermione, and Ron) for now, but it will expand later so you'll see everyone later on. Don't worry. Phew, that was one long chapter. :)
Bertiee: Thank you for your review. It gladdens me that my story is liked.
Darknight3030: Thanks for answering that question. Hm, well I wasn't really planning on a Menage a trois. I guess I might do that, but then again I'm more of an HHr writer. I was hoping to pair Ron with someone else later in the story. So I'm sorry but I don't think I'll do that.
Fuzzball2000: The Harry Potter Lexicon clearly states that his first name is Shaklebolt (which I have mistakenly spelled, though I'll let it be) and his last Kingsley. Also, the books of JK Rowling have his name the as Shaklebolt Kingsley. Thanks for pointing that out though, I thought I had gotten it wrong though I was sure it was right.
After this, I will no longer directly reply to reviews - apparently it is against FFnet rules to do so in the story. Forgive me, but I did not know until now. I shall reply to reviews through the reply button in the reviews page (which means an email, yes?). Keep reading and reviewing! Thanks.
Blink
