Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own or intend to make any money from Harry Potter. It all belongs to people who aren't me.
Chapter 13
The next two weeks proved to be just as busy for Harry as the days following his return to the living world. He spent a good amount of time with Megan and true to his promise; he took her everywhere he went. Their relationship grew stronger in that time and her feelings for him grew as strong as his for her. She was in love with Harry, of that she had no doubt, but it was the strength of his commitment to her and the love she saw in his eyes for her that made her agree to marry him.
They had shared many heartfelt talks over those weeks and she knew that the difference between them was the fact that Harry had six years to come to grips with his feelings for her. They laughed when he posed that it would have taken him until he was twenty one before he ever admitted his true feelings for her.
One day she asked "Harry, where's Dobby?"
He smiled at her and took her hand. Before she could blink, they had popped away and were now standing in the middle of a luxurious suite. As was the proper thing to do, Harry gave her a tour of the suite and even stopped to show her his bedroom. She looked in at the beautiful room and blushed when he pushed her inside. As all young ladies do, she walked around the room and would pick up things here and there and look at them but the room didn't really feel like Harry to her.
"I really don't have anything here as I only really just come here to sleep. I would like a picture of us to put on my nightstand but I find myself disgusted because here you are marrying me and we don't even have a picture of us together. In fact, I don't even have a picture of my lovely fiancé at all."
She blushed but then said "Then we will have to take care of that when we get home. By the way, why did you bring me here when I asked about Dobby?"
"Oh, sorry, he's here and I needed to check on him."
He went down the hall and quietly knocked on another door, when he didn't get a response, he cracked the door open and peeked inside. The sight he saw was a much changed and beautiful Winky sitting astride Dobby as he held onto her waist as a golden glow was surrounding them. The result was a shoe smacking him in the head as he pulled back. The only thing she heard as she stood behind him was "Geez Potter, can you give us a little privacy?"
Through the closed door, Harry called back "Sorry Dobs, we just came by to check on you."
"WE? Is Megan here?"
"Yeah bro. Um…we'll leave you to it and check back later when you aren't so busy."
"Give us an hour (They heard another voice say something.) Yeah okay love, better make that two Harry."
Megan blushed as Harry laughed "They've been like this since that day I came to see you. Seems to be working too and you're going to be shocked when you see them."
The two of them left for a little while and did a little shopping. Megan used the time to get Harry some decent clothes as he had outgrown most of his stuff and was using expansion charms to be able to fit into them. Harry stopped and picked up a few things from the young ladies' section which drew a raised eyebrow from Megan but after he said "for Winky" she agreed and jumped in to help him. After two hours had passed, they popped back into the suite to find Dobby and Winky sitting on the couch. Winky sat wearing one of Harry's long t-shirts as she had nothing else to wear and blushed in embarrassment at it.
Megan reached out her hand for Winky and led her back to her bedroom where she started opening bags and helping Winky get dressed. When they reappeared in the sitting room, both boys jaws dropped at the vision in front of them. Winky stood in a yellow sun dress that brought out the olive color of her skin which was even more pronounced with her long black hair hanging to her mid back. Dobby stood and moved to her quickly pulling her into a hug.
He turned to Harry and Megan and said "Thank you. She looks beautiful."
Megan said "You're welcome. Harry started picking out things for her but I took over."
Winky said "I don't know how to thank you."
Harry chuckled. "You don't have to. We are family and so we look after each other."
She stepped over to Harry and pulled him into hug. He said "You've always been a hot little elf but can I just say damn?"
She giggled "Must be those Potter genes. Dobby said that's where most of it comes from."
Megan said "Harry said you had changed but I never expected this. You both are gorgeous."
Dobby smiled and then bowed. "Thank you Mistress Megs. That someone of your beauty would say such a thing about us means a lot. But I still wonder why you would lower yourself to agree to marry this guy."
Megan giggled and said "What can I say, love is blind."
"Hey now! You still can get out of it you know?"
She kissed him and replied "Not a chance mister. You're mine until I either grow tired of you or kill you."
The four of talked for a while before Harry finally asked "So when will both of you be able to travel again? I've been holding off some things until you are ready."
Dobby looked down for a second before saying "I'm sorry Harry. I didn't mean to slow things down. I should be ready tomorrow. Winky may take another few days."
"Whoa now, you didn't stop anything. If anything, it gave me and Megan some time together. I never meant for you to think what you did caused problems. Crap!"
Megan jumped in when she saw Harry not being able to express himself like he wanted. "Don't even think that Dobby. He told me how happy he was for the both of you and how as soon as we married, our family would finally be complete until we started having children."
Harry finally spoke. "How could I ever deny you this happiness after all you have done for me? I was just wondering as I received the notice for Gringotts that the audit was complete. It was my hope that all of you would be by my side when we dealt with that. Not only that, we need to make plans for Hogwarts as it is less than a week away. I have some ideas but I need all of your input as I want this to sow as much chaos as possible."
**LC**
The meeting at Gringotts did not go as planned at least for the Goblins. During the presentation of the results of the full audit, Harry learned that the Potter vault had been the subject of pilfering up until Christmas when the whole issue had been brought to Ragnok's attention and it was all at the hands of Dumbledore and Bearclaw. As far as the Black vault was concerned, the pilfering had continued through the day before his acceptance of the titles. He learned that Narcissa Malfoy had been the one to take the money from the vault as was her right as a member of the Black family only she had exceeded the limit imposed by the family charter as there was not an active Lord to control things.
"Where did the money go?"
"Our investigation has shown that the money taken from the Black vaults went directly into the Malfoy vaults. As far as the Potter vaults are concerned, the money was transferred into two separate accounts. One belonging to Bearclaw and another to an unregistered account holder that we tracked back to Albus Dumbledore. From that account, many payments were made to a variety of accounts under the names of Prewitt, Weasley, Granger, Snape, and Dursley. As far as the other vaults, they haven't been touched ever since they went dormant when the last holder passed away."
Megan squeezed his hand as he dealt with the emotions this news stirred in him. While he was coming to terms with what he just learned, Megan asked "What do you intend to do about this?"
Ragnok replied "We are waiting for Lord Peverell's input as to how to handle the situation. We would be willing to recover the items and the gold for a reduced percentage of what was recovered."
Harry's hand slammed down on the desk as he said "NO! You will recover what was taken from my families but as it is YOUR fault in the first place, you will not make a profit on your own mistakes."
"Lord Peverell, Gringotts does not do business that way. The percentage goes to pay the Goblins who recover your possessions and gold."
"Then pay it out of your own vault. If I find that they didn't do their absolute best because of pay, I can promise you that you will live to regret it. In fact, I want you to set up a special vault to hold everything that was taken so that I can see your incompetence for myself. Maybe then I will be able to make a better judgment of whether your nation is capable of seeing to the needs of my family."
Ragnok was shaken by the outburst. He knew he was treading on thin ice at the moment and did the only thing he could to appease an important client. He bowed his head. "It shall be as you command Lord Peverell. I will place Griphook over the recovery process."
"How much?"
"Excuse me Milord?"
"How much has been stolen from me?"
"Our estimates place it at around half of your family's assets. Not counting heirlooms, we think it could be as much as fifty million galleons."
Megan yelled "How could you miss that?"
"Bearclaw was a very creative bookkeeper Milady. We wouldn't have found it unless we did the full audit."
Harry stood and said "I've heard enough. When can I expect some results?"
"The recovery of the gold will happen very quickly as we will reverse all the transactions and pull them back into the vault you requested. The heirlooms make take some time to track but we will find them."
Megan asked "What if there is not enough in the vault to cover the amount stolen?"
"Then we will proceed to stripping their personal and family vaults until we have reclaimed every Knut."
Harry stood there for a second before he said "The Prewitt vault you mentioned, I assume it was Molly Prewitt."
Ragnok nodded.
"The Weasley vault…Ronald?"
"Yes and Percy"
Harry nodded. "Arthur Weasley is an honest man. He works hard to support his family and I don't want anything taken from his vault on my behalf. The same goes for Bill and Charlie."
"As you wish, as soon as we learned of the theft, William was brought before our interrogators to determine if he was involved. I can assure you that he had no part in this and he should recover within the next few days but he is aware of why he was questioned."
Harry muttered "This will kill Mr. Weasley."
Megan grabbed his hand. "He knew something was going on and that's why he asked to speak with you. He wants to make it right between your families."
Harry looked at her and said "How can you make something like this right?"
"I really don't know love."
After they had left, Ragnok sat back in his chair and thought about everything that just happened. Just as he turned to handle some other business, Ironfist walked in and sat in the chair Harry had just vacated. He remained quiet for a few minutes before he finally said "I don't know why I didn't take your head after the last meeting. When are you going to learn that Lord Peverell is not someone to trifle with? While it was admirable from a Goblin standpoint that you would try to make a profit, your choice in trying to do it in a situation where we were clearly in the wrong is just plain stupid. I would like to caution you when next you meet with him, one wrong word will spell disaster for us and it will be on your head that I place all the blame."
He looked at Ragnok who had still not said anything. "Mark my words, this is far from over and I can assure you, we will pay in some way that does not include paying for the recovery."
He then rose and walked out of the office without saying another word.
**LC**
Their next appointment was in the conference room of the hotel. Dobby invited the gnomes to come meet with Harry so they could work out some details.
The man that stood and greeted Harry took him by surprise. The man was accustomed to the reaction and chuckled out "No Lord Peverell, I'm not a gnome, I just work for them."
"Please excuse me Sir but the only gnomes I've seen are of the garden variety."
"Ah, that explains it. A true gnome is about the size of a Goblin but much more human in appearance. They are also very hospitable. The one's you've seen are a bastardized version thought to have been created when one of the lower castes mated with a niffler. The gnome in question and his offspring were then banished to the Isle of Britain as retribution towards the Goblins for forcing us out."
"That's just…hell I don't know what to say about that."
The man laughed and said "How can the Gnome bank help you Lord Peverell?"
"I just wanted to thank you for the way you have handled my affairs up to this point and wanted to warn you to expect some rather substantial deposits in the near future."
"We would be more than happy to handle all of your needs Milord."
"I thank you for that as well and it may eventually come to that but for now, I am trying to give the Goblins an opportunity to right some wrongs they have done."
"I understand Milord. We are aware of how tightly linked Gringotts is to your houses and we also offer to administer the accounts honoring the same contracts as are in place now but at a more reasonable rate. We would not like to see the economy of Britain fail as it would have a detrimental effect on us all."
"Thank you, I just didn't want you guys to think it was anything you have done to make me unhappy. I was asked to give them a chance."
"We took no offense. Just know that we will be ready whenever our services are needed."
**LC**
The next few days were spent planning and spending time with the rest of the family at the different houses. Three days before the train would be leaving for Hogwarts, Kathleen and Celeste along with the girls cornered Megan into a discussion about wedding plans. Having seen he was out of his element, Harry gave Megan a quick kiss and excused himself. When she quirked an eyebrow at him, he replied "As long as you are happy, I'll be happy but since you're busy, I think it would be a good time to go take care of a few things."
She nodded since she knew what he was talking about and watched as he popped away from her. His destination was once again the Veil where he waved his hand to change the iris and stepped through. Once he entered the arrival room, he thought about Potter Manor and found himself on the front steps. He spent a little time catching up and talking about all that had happened since he last saw them and then called for Azrael to start the discussion which brought him here in the first place.
After several hours and a few plans in place, he found himself traveling back to the Jones' house for dinner. Once dinner was over, they took Luna and the others to the suite for the long promised TV night. When everyone was settled, Harry stepped back to his room to find a letter waiting on his night stand.
He opened the letter which was adorned with the Gringotts seal and sat down to read. It announced the completion of their task with the exception of some of the heirlooms which were still being tracked and recovered. The letter also asked for another meeting as quickly as possible so that they could settle the matter and get his gold working for him again. His eyebrow rose at the term and a small smile crept onto his face.
When he entered the sitting room, Megan's eyes caught the mischievous glint in his eye and she asked "What've you been up to?"
He smiled and handed her the letter. Once she finished it, he said "We'll need to go back tomorrow and settle things."
"Okay, but now I want you to forget about plans, business, and everything else and just relax."
As she snuggled into his arms, he said "Yes Dear."
**LC**
Harry stood in front of an open vault and stared at the gold piled up in there. He finally asked "Just how much is there?"
Griphook replied "Not including the value of the heirlooms, there are one hundred and one million galleons in the vault."
"How? I thought Ragnok said that you guys estimated the theft to be around fifty million."
Griphook chuckled. "Yes Harry that was the amount of the theft. Let's just say that we were creative and penalized anyone who ever took money from you. The Malfoy family has had their accounts drained dry and then we started selling off their assets. They have refused to leave the family manor and have raised some serious wards to protect themselves. An unofficial report says that Tom is hiding there as well."
"Surely that doesn't add up to that much."
"No, very astute of you Harry. We drained what was left from the vaults Dumbledore moved money to except for one. It is my understanding that Miss Granger sold the books she purchased with the money she earned and then cleaned out her account. The next transaction she made was to deposit the entire amount into the account for the magical orphanage in honor and memory of the friend she lost. The remainder and any shortfall came from Dumbledore's personal vault. I thought it best to charge him interest in the matter and even paid the recovery team a bonus from there as well. I would love to be there when he gets his next statement and only sees the thirty pieces of silver we left for him."
"Fitting."
"Yes, I thought so. Now the rest came from the personal and family vaults of Bearclaw. Ironfist thought it would serve well as a reminder of what happens when you cheat a client."
"Thank you Griphook, I appreciate the efforts you made on my behalf."
"It was my honor to do so Harry."
"Please do not take offense at what happens next."
Griphook chuckled "I already have the transfer order filled out and waiting for your signature. I would honestly do the same thing if I were in your shoes."
"You know my offer was genuine. If you ever find life here unbearable, come find me. I will always a place for you."
Griphook bowed to him and then escorted them to Ragnok's office who had a greedy gleam in his eye as soon as he saw Harry. "Ah Lord Peverell, are you ready to put that money back to work for you?"
"Yes I am." Harry placed the transfer order on his desk.
As soon as he read it, Ragnok asked "What is this?"
"I thought it was obvious. With the exception of Griphook and his team, Gringotts does not deserve to touch the gold that you allowed to be stolen from me. I will not subsidize Goblins who have no concern over the accounts of my houses and just look at me as a way to line their pockets. I will warn you now that any further mistakes on the part of Gringotts will see me pulling everything out. And before you even bring up the loans and everything else, I've already had a very lucrative offer from the Gnomes to manage those accounts."
Harry nodded to Griphook and they were led from the office. As they walked down the hall, they conveniently ran into Ironfist. Harry bowed low.
"Milord, I thank you for your assistance. Please understand that my actions today were nothing personal and just business."
"I understand completely Harry. I am in agreement with Griphook in this matter and am grateful that you are at least allowing the remainder of your accounts to remain here for the time being."
Harry smiled "I couldn't allow anything to happen to the two men who I now consider friends."
Ironfist bowed low. "For a human, you don't stink so bad."
Harry laughed and replied "Neither do you for a Goblin. If you need me, you know how to find me."
"What will you do next?"
"It's time to sow a little chaos."
Ironfist gave him a feral smile. "Your father would be proud. I return your sentiments, if you need me; you know where to find me."
**LC**
On August 31st, owls were winging their way from Gringotts with the most up to date account statements for all their vault holders. In Crawley, the ledger that was received showed a zero balance and also had a letter attached from the orphanage thanking her for her generous donation. The young lady had lived through a rough summer with her parents and was looking forward to returning to Hogwarts in order to try and prove herself a trustworthy person once again. The only thing she knew for certain was that this was going to be an even lonelier year than the one that just passed. The loss of Harry was hard on her and she mourned his loss along with the loss of the opportunity to ever get to the point where he would at least speak to her. Finding someone to hang out with would be difficult as no one was guiltless in Harry's betrayal and the only ones who were would never accept her into their company. She walked into her father's study and laid the ledger sheet along with the letter on her father's desk in the hope that he would one day be proud of her again.
Harry received his statements along with a letter from Griphook. The letter stated that he was to receive the estate of Severus Snape along with a personal letter. Harry thought about it for a minute before writing back saying that it was his wish that Griphook liquidate the estate and in turn donate it to the magical orphanage. As to the letter, he said to burn it as he had no desire to ever be subjected to the demented ranting of the arsehole.
Albus Dumbledore saw his statement and sat it to the side. He knew he had more than enough money than he would ever need. His first signal that something was wrong would be when he saw Molly Weasley storming into the castle the next day after dropping her kids off at the express.
Another owl was making its way to the Burrow that was close to the Jones' home. Ron and Molly hurried to get their statements before Arthur saw the owl. As soon as he entered the room, they hurriedly pocketed the ledger sheets as he sat down to look at what he had to work with. He released a sigh that he never had enough to meet their needs but was always positive that things would work out.
As Molly and Ron both snuck off to check their balances, the screams of 'no' could be heard all the way to where Harry and Megan were sitting out on the lawn and enjoying a quiet evening together. She kissed his cheek and chuckled out "The Weasleys must have got their statements."
Harry smiled at her and said "Sounds like it to me. You can't miss the cry of anguish from Ronniekins or the harpy like screech of Molly when something doesn't go her way."
She pulled him down onto the blanket they were using and held onto him as it was their last night together. After a while "Promise me you'll be careful."
"I will as long as you promise me to keep your head down no matter what happens until we have control of the situation."
"But…"
"But nothing. Dobby has my back. We'll be fine."
She snuggled into him and replied "Yes dear."
They stayed like that until it was dark and Kathleen called Megan back into the house. As they parted, Harry gave her a passionate kiss and told her he would see her in the morning.
**LC**
Harry arrived early in the morning as Kathleen and Megan were wrapping up the preparations for her return to Hogwarts. While they were busy, Harry was down in the study with Reggie discussing things that Reggie did not want to hear.
"If things don't go according to plan, I've left Megan everything so that you guys can continue to make the world a better place."
"Why does it fall on you? We would be more than happy to help you with this."
"Who else is crazy enough to do it?"
Reggie nodded. "Just make sure you make it out alive. I can handle almost anything except the broken look on her face that I saw when it was reported that you went through the Veil."
"Dobby will get me out if necessary and Winky will be poised to grab Megan and bring her home. Just make sure all of you get out as well."
"We'll have your back if you need us. Just be careful son. I also want to apologize for yesterday, I'm kind of..."
"No need for apologies. I never meant to make it sound like I wasn't going to consider your opinions. I'm just a little protective myself. Let's just write it off to emotions running high."
Reggie nodded.
Megan came down and shared a long kiss with Harry before her parents pulled her away in order to get to the station on time. "I love you and will see you this evening."
"I love you too. Please don't make me a widow before I even get to marry you."
"Everything will work out fine. Just tell everyone to keep their eyes on Dumbledore."
She gave him another kiss before disappearing with her parents.
**LC**
Harry popped out right after them and met Dobby at Kings Cross. They stayed invisible as well as stayed in the shadows to watch over the family.
As soon as Megan and her parents met up with the rest of the family, Daphne was casting her eyes around and noticed a subtle shake of Megan's head. "He may be here but we won't see him unless there's a problem."
Cedric escorted Cho and were chatting with the others when Susan and Hannah made an appearance. They simpered out 'Good Morning Cedric' as the others rolled their eyes. "Hello girls, aren't you a little young to be here without an escort?"
The blushes and shocks on their faces were evident as they hurried off to the train. Daphne laughed and said "That was just mean."
"Yeah way to go big bro. You just called them little girls."
Cedric smirked "Oh, I didn't realize."
Cho giggled and gave him a long kiss before boarding the train. It wasn't long before goodbyes were said and they all gravitated to the same compartment."
The last to arrive was Luna who said "Your fiancé was watching us the whole time. If I didn't know him better, I'd think he was one of those guys who preyed on young girls. Oh sorry, that was Viktor wasn't it."
They were disturbed from their laughter by a knock on the door. When they looked up, they saw Hermione Granger standing there and Tracy moved to answer the door. "May I sit with you?"
Daphne looked up and said "I don't think that is such a good idea Granger."
"Why not?"
"Because we may discuss things that we wouldn't want the Headmaster to know about. It's nothing personal, well yes it is because even with my reputation, I wouldn't screw someone over for money and then break his heart as an encore."
Hermione looked stunned but stood there and took the abuse she knew she deserved.
She then heard a dreamy voice say "Is this going to be like one of those showdowns like we saw on TV the other night?"
Megan looked at Luna and saw the glint in her eye. She smirked and played along. "What do you mean Luna?"
"Well we have the Ice Queen of Slytherin facing off with the Heartless Bitch of Gryffindor. It should be quite the show."
Hermione stood there for a minute before she calmed herself and said "I know I deserve it and if Harry were here, I'd be on my knees begging forgiveness for what I did."
Cho coldly said "You tried that and if I remember correctly, he didn't want to hear what you had to say either so move along. We have better things to do than sit here and talk to someone we wouldn't choose as a friend if they offered us all the gold in Gringotts."
After Hermione left, Lilith said "That was rather harsh."
Megan replied "Your point is? You weren't there to pick up the pieces that were left of Harry's heart."
Luna chipped in "AH, but you were."
With a smile, Megan replied "Best thing I ever did. Now, while there are no interruptions, my fiancé asked that you keep your eyes on the Headmaster tonight."
Daphne asked "Do you know what he is planning?"
"Not entirely, he just said for us to protect ourselves and keep an eye on the old fool. I wouldn't be surprised at anything that happened tonight."
Daphne said "Stupid Gryff is going to get himself killed one day."
She looked up when she said that and saw the wide expressions of shock on everyone's face. They calmed when Megan said "Won't be the first time but at least he has a plan this time."
Everyone nodded at her comment and settled down for the long ride. They were mostly left alone as no one could withstand the glare cast by the girls whenever someone attempted to enter their compartment.
**LC**
Harry and Dobby were watching as the large group of officials along with lords and ladies made their way across the grounds and to the doors of the castle. Harry took a deep breath as he stood outside the wards that surrounded Hogwarts. He knew that the moment he crossed them, he would be committed to the plan. He felt something reach out and touch his magic and at that point, he felt he could communicate with the castle so he asked that his presence as the heir to Gryffindor and Slytherin be suppressed for the time being.
After seeing the group disappear into the castle and another deep breath, he turned to his companion and asked "You ready for this?"
Dobby chuckled and said "Yeah like you can ever be ready for something like this. You do realize that we are going to be staring both of your enemies in the face tonight?"
"Your point is?"
"You could die."
It was then that Harry let out a laugh. "Dying isn't so bad. It's living that's tough."
"Are you ready to face them again?"
"Not really but hopefully they will be off balance. I can imagine the faces when they see me alive."
"Want to lay odds on how many piss their pants? I've got friends amongst the house elves. I'm sure they would be happy to pass it along the results of their cleaning."
"No bets, I remember the last one and I'm not sure how you could top making me streak past the Pearly Gates."
Harry got serious for a minute and said "If this goes bad, get Megan and you get out of there. I'm counting on you to take care of her."
"Don't worry."
"I don't. Thanks for always being there when I do something stupid."
"There's no place I'd rather be."
They pulled the hood of the heavy cloak over their heads and then both cast the glamour that made their hands and heads looked skeletal. Dobby picked up two sticks and handed one to Harry. With a glow of their hands, the sticks were transfigured into long scythes. Dobby finally laid his hand on Harry's arm and they disappeared.
**LC**
The Sorting Hat was just finishing up placing the last of the first years when the doors to the Great Hall swung open to reveal Minister Fudge leading Amelia Bones as well as a few of her Aurors into the hall. If that wasn't enough, they were followed by Augusta Longbottom and a good amount of Lords and Ladies of the Ancient and Noble Houses.
Albus nervously stood "Good evening Minister, Madam Bones, and dignified guests. This is an unexpected surprise. May I ask what brings you to Hogwarts this evening?"
Cornelius Fudge stepped forward "That's what we would like to know Headmaster. We all received invitations requesting our presence here this evening."
"I can assure you I haven't sent out any invitations. Minerva?"
"No Headmaster, according to the schedule, it was to be a standard welcoming feast with no special guests invited to attend."
Albus looked confused for a minute before a flash occurred in the hall and another table appeared. "Well it appears as if the castle is aware of your invitation and has made accommodations. Won't you join us then?"
Albus waited for the visitors to be seated before he made his way to the podium for his start of the term announcements. Just as he was about to open his mouth, a cold voice echoed around the hall.
"Ah good, everyone has arrived. I guess that means we can get this party started."
As everyone was looking around the hall for the person behind the voice, two figures in long cloaks appeared on the steps leading down into the hall. There were startled gasps as they got a better look at the hooded duo and saw the skeletal hands and the long scythes they both held.
Albus asked "May I ask who you are and what your business is here this evening? This is a school and therefore visitors usually ask permission before arriving in the castle."
"I find it ironic that the Minster and his entourage were welcomed with open arms and yet I am not. What's the matter Headmaster, afraid of what they might overhear? Are you afraid that these Lords and Ladies would not be susceptible to compulsion or memory charms? Aren't those your weapons of choice?"
Minerva was on her feet instantly coming to the defense of Albus. "You are not welcome here and it would be wise for you to leave and cease the disparaging of the good Headmaster's name."
Harry chuckled "Headmaster, you need to put a leash on your pit bull before she gets slapped down with a rolled up newspaper."
He then turned to McGonagall and said "Don't worry Professor, his won't be the only reputation torn asunder this evening. Be patient, your time is coming as well."
Minister Fudge stood "Milord, may I respectfully inquire as to your identity what your and our purpose is here tonight?"
Harry gave him a slight bow. "Of course Minister Fudge however I would think that our identity would be very plain as we were reported to be here several weeks ago. But for those who haven't made the connection, we are emissaries from the House of Death who were sent here to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Harry James Potter. We asked you here to bear witness to the results of our investigation as we seek recompense for an innocent who was treated unjustly."
Amelia stood "Milord, under our laws, everyone is entitled to a fair trial before a panel of their peers. I mean no offense but I don't believe in kangaroo courts."
Harry said "And where was this justice for Harry Potter? Why did a young man in his prime choose death over life?"
A surge of fear went through Albus as he heard those words. He knew who was responsible for ninety-five percent of the things that had been so wrong in Harry Potter's life. His fear's of everyone finding out everything he had done to the boy were being realized as the statement from Gringotts proved this morning. His mind was whirling as he tried to figure a way to turn this conversation to his advantage.
Albus said "I can assure you that we were all very distraught at the loss of Mr. Potter. He had many friends here that truly miss him and would like nothing better than to make amends for some minor mistakes they made last year."
Harry chuckled "I fail to see how you can consider their actions minor mistakes. How can you trivialize their actions that were the cause behind a young man preferring losing his magic or his life to get relief from the life he had to lead? What about your mistakes old man? Would you beg for forgiveness for the atrocities you allowed to happen to him if he were to appear before you?"
"I always did what was best for the boy."
"And I'm sure he will return the gesture ten fold when you meet him and his family on the other side. I can assure all of you that he is waiting patiently for his chance at getting his pound of flesh."
McGonagall stood and pleaded "Please Milord, there are young children present. Don't subject them to whatever it is you have planned this evening."
"Ah, Professor Minerva McGonagall, you must have been feeling left out but I can assure you that Lady Lily is especially waiting for your appearance. It seems you made a promise to her many years ago to look after her infant son if something were to happen to her. Her contempt for the Headmaster is only surpassed by her contempt for you. She considers you an oath breaker and a child abuser and therefore deserves the very worst fate imaginable. I would also like to point out that your compassion and concern for your students seems to come somewhat late if you ask me. Well, let me rephrase that. You have always shown a lot of compassion for your students unless their name was Harry Potter."
Minerva dropped back into her chair in shock at those words. The cold chill that crept up her spine caused her to shudder at the meeting that awaited her with someone she had considered almost a daughter. Her eyes closed and she could picture those emerald eyes turning on her in hate.
Poppy stepped forward and pleaded "If you will not do it for her, will you do it for me? Will you allow the younger children to leave the Hall since they had nothing to do with the issue which you are here for?"
Harry bowed deeply to her and said "Harry always spoke very highly of you and asked that we grant any request you made. The first, second, and third years may leave."
"Thank you. Would you allow me another request?"
Harry nodded. She asked "Is Harry happy now?"
"Yes ma'am. Harry James Potter said that death was the absolute best thing that ever happened to him. He also wanted us to tell you that he thought it was time for you to leave the castle before your soul was corrupted by those around you."
She smirked "So he is still the cheeky little bugger that he always was?"
"Even worse, he has his heritage now."
Albus couldn't stand not being the center of attention and asked "And what heritage is that?"
"Oh that would be the heritage you denied him all these years Headmaster. It took his death to gain everything that you had tried to hide and steal from him."
Albus tried to raise his wand but before he could do anything, Dobby had him bound in magical ropes and suspended just above the floor as the wand flew straight into his hand. McGonagall and Flitwick moved to defend him but were met with a mocking voice. "Do you really want to throw away your lives that carelessly? Perhaps you could place him back on his throne so that he can lord over these proceedings as he tried to do over Mr. Potter's life."
Dobby waved his hand and Albus was floated to his throne and dropped into it with and 'oomph'. "I'd suggest you join him so that we can get on with the entertainment for the night."
As they walked down the hall to the head table, Poppy started to usher the younger years out but Harry asked her to stay. He nodded to Dobby who snapped his finger and the head elf appeared. "Please see to the children and make sure they are fed and tucked in."
"At once Milord. If there is anything else Milord requires, just name it."
"Thank you"
Minerva sputtered at the elves following the intruder's orders. "Just who do you think you are to come in here and take over like you own the place?"
Albus looked up at the cloaked figure as he started laughing and knew his fate was sealed. "It's funny you should ask that but perhaps we should save that little tidbit until later. Just know that I have more right to be here than anyone else in this castle."
He turned back to Amelia and said "I find it relevant to our discussion that Madam Bones brought up the law of the land tonight. I know that she holds great stock in the laws and does her utmost to see them followed. We have also witnessed Minister Fudge as well as many of these fine Lords and Ladies who also try to act within the law but there is one amongst you who sees the laws as his own personal playground. He uses the loopholes that he helped write into the laws for his own benefit."
Amelia stood "Would you please elaborate?"
"I had no intention of going into this tonight but circumstances dictate otherwise. I would first like to begin with a sad tale. You see, there was once a young couple of an elevated house that had a son. The couple was smart and did everything in their power to make sure that their son would be taken care of in case something happened to them. From what I understand, there was a war going on at the time. They made out a detailed will that made sure their son would be well cared for under the proper guardians that they had picked out and trusted above all others. There was another man who was hell bent on gaining control over their elevated house and saw to it that the parents of the father of the young boy met an untimely end. At the time of their death, the young couple was behind wards cast by this man that were charmed so that the young father would not be notified of his parents' deaths and therefore did not take up the title of his father's house. For simplicity's sake, the bad man who caused all this spent the entire summer searching and ransacking the family manor trying to find the family secrets while the young couple was hidden away. After a frustrating and unsuccessful summer, he torched the manor and blamed it on a rival group."
The whole hall was engrossed in his tale and were shocked when he walked over to Albus and asked "Does any of this seem familiar to you?"
Harry stepped away to collect his thoughts. "The bad man then turned his attention to the young couple and set them up to be murdered but by accident, their one and a half year old son survived. At first, the bad man was upset by this turn of fate but then he saw an opportunity to gain control over the house by controlling every aspect of the baby's life. He sealed the young couple's will and then called in some favors to have himself given the position of guardian to the child and on his own authority, he dumped the child on his mother's sister who was well known for her hatred of magic as well as her sister."
Minerva put a hand to her mouth.
"I think Professor McGonagall finally put the pieces together and realizes who I am speaking about since she was one of the ones who helped perpetrate the crime. Anyway, the boy was dumped in the muggle world where he was beaten, starved, and treated no better than a slave for the next ten years of his life. This boy who was the heir of a Most Ancient and Most Noble House was not told his name until he was six years old and was told his parents were drunks who killed themselves in an automobile accident. The kindest name they had for him was 'boy' but he also answered to 'freak' since that was what he was called most often."
Harry sarcastically said "When the young man turned eleven, a miracle happened and the boy was rescued and brought into a whole new magical world where he found out he was famous. There were high expectations placed on the young man and each year, he found himself thrust into more and more dangerous situations. In first year, he fought a troll, killed a man and found out there was a bad man that wanted to kill him. In second year, he grieved over his friend who was petrified and fought a sixty five foot basilisk to save the sister of his other friend. He almost died that night but was saved by the Headmaster's phoenix only to almost have his soul sucked out by Dementors in his third year. That year he also found his godfather but the bad man did everything he could to keep him away from the young man. In fourth year, he was made into an outcast and found out that the two people he loved more than anyone else were paid to be his friends and were reporting back to the bad man. He felt he couldn't trust anyone at that point so he forced anyone who tried to get close to make oaths for him to even trust them. He competed in a tournament against his will and almost died and at the end of the second task, the second bad man cast a curse at him that gave the young man something he had never had before. A choice."
Everyone was sitting there stunned. He once again said "Whether you believe this story or not, it is the truth from the young man's point of view but one thing you must remember is that one way or another, his death was always guaranteed by the man who set up his family to die."
Lord Greengrass stood "Milord, may I ask if you know the reason behind the denial of the young man's heritage?"
"Yes as it was obvious when we spoke to the Goblin king. It was done to hide the fact that the man was robbing the young man blind of his inheritance. We can only assume that it was done since the young man was never expected to survive his education."
Augusta Longbottom stood "Not that any of us have any doubts but could you name the man responsible for all this? And is Mr. Potter truly better off now?"
Harry chuckled. "Madam Longbottom, as I'm sure you have guessed, the man who orchestrated this whole thing is none other than your esteemed Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. If you would like me to name his accomplices in the circumstances surrounding Mr. Potter, I would have to say the entire staff except for the Healer and the entire student population save eight. As to your second question, as I answered earlier for Madam Pomphrey, he was given a choice, he could stay here and continue in his miserable existence or he could step through the Veil and take a chance that there was something better for him on the other side. It took him all of a second to make that choice as he thought oblivion would be better than what he had."
There were tears falling from quite a few eyes after hearing all this. Augusta reached out for Amelia and grabbed her hand. Amelia stood "Houses Bones and Longbottom failed to do our duty to House Potter and therefore we seek your punishment for our transgression."
"I find it extremely refreshing that you want to atone for what was done. It almost restores my faith in wizard kind. If you truly wish to atone then it is only fitting that your Houses suffer the same fate that House Potter did due to your inaction. My recommendation would be for you to sterilize your heirs and let the lines die out just as the Potter line has."
The whole hall gasped at this suggestion. Augusta stepped forward and said "It is only fair. I will see it is done."
Everyone turned around as they heard a thump as Neville passed out on the floor. Susan did the same when Amelia agreed as well saying that it was a just punishment.
Harry chuckled out. "I don't think that will be necessary at this time. House Potter does not feel you are to blame for what has happened as it was manipulated so that you couldn't do your duty. However, I would not tell your heirs for some time as they need to understand the severity of their actions."
Amelia said "It will be as you say Milord but may I say in my experience, you know way too much from a mere investigation."
Harry chuckled again "Then I'd suggest you stick around for the second act. I promise it will be even more revealing."
Albus broke his bindings and stood. He pointed his finger at Harry and yelled "Everything you have said is all lies and fabrications. I don't know what you are trying to accomplish here other than to ruin my reputation but I can assure you I won't stand for it. Even if it were true, you are telling us things that you could not possibly know. I don't know how you can expect anyone to believe these outrageous lies."
Harry stood there for a minute. "Hmmm, I can see your point. I would be willing to take an oath that everything I said was the truth."
Madam Bones said "I'm sorry Milord but that would not be acceptable as you cannot legally swear to hearsay as it allows for rumor and conjecture."
Harry was trapped and he knew it. He could reveal himself now or he could back down. He had cast doubts on Dumbledore and it would hopefully be enough to get people looking in the right direction now. His eyes moved to Reginald who gave a nod. He then moved back over to Dobby who whispered "You'll never have a better chance. Finish the old goat off."
He then looked around the room until he was staring at Megan. He could see the love in her eyes shining back at him. He watched her lips mouth "Do it!"
With a nod, he turned back. "No Madam Bones, I would not be swearing to hearsay. I would be swearing to what I lived."
It took several moments before realization started setting in and gasps were heard all around the hall. He stood before Madam Bones for a minute before lowering his hood. As she looked up, she saw two glowing emerald orbs staring back at her.
From the crowd, there were shouts of "Impossible" and "It has to be some kind of hoax. He lied last year." The most recognizable was "Bloody Hell"
Amelia was still stunned and could only say. "But you went through the Veil."
"Yes ma'am, and gave up a life of ridicule, abuse, betrayal, and sorrow as the boy-who-lived or whatever rot you people decided to call him."
Amelia stood for a minute before asking "Poppy, could you come verify that he is who he says he is and that he is indeed alive?"
"I verified it last night. Even saw the scars."
Amelia said "Mr. Potter, I'm afraid that will not be good enough. Either you have done something that was thought to be impossible or you perpetrated the biggest hoax known to wizardkind."
Cho stood and said "Madam Bones, you're talking about Harry and if you knew him, you would know that nothing is impossible for him."
Harry flashed Cho a grin before saying. "Madam Bones, it was no hoax and the only answer I can give you as to how it happened would have to be classified under family magic that cannot be revealed to anyone outside my line. How about this?"
"I swear on my life and magic that Harry James Potter died when he went through the Veil. So Mote It Be." The oath was accompanied by the expected flash of magic.
Albus said "Very slick Harry. However you did not swear it on your name so it is not binding. If you are not Harry James Potter, then who are you?"
Harry smirked. "One topic at a time. Why don't you summon the student registry book and see what it says about me?"
Albus turned to Minerva who summoned the book, when it landed in front of her; she turned to the correct page and paled. She said in a shaky voice "Harry Potter's name is in red indicating he is dead. There's no way to cheat or fool the book."
Albus looked at him warily. Harry asked "Is there anyone new listed in there?"
"It says….it says…" She looked up wide eyed in disbelief.
Megan stepped forward and grabbed Harry's hand. In a strong voice, she said "It says Harrison James Peverell, the Lord Peverell, the Lord Gryffindor, the Lord Slytherin, the Lord Potter, and the Lord Black."
Albus said "How is that possible?"
Harry said "You should know Headmaster; you nosed around in my family's business for years. It was ancient magic stemming from the creation of all magic. It was magic an evil light wizard such as yourself would never understand because it is pure unlike you."
Someone yelled out "How can a light wizard be evil?"
"The same way a dark wizard can be good."
Ron said "All dark wizards are evil."
Harry smirked "I'll tell Moody you said that next time I see him."
Harry then stepped away from everyone and around the head table. As soon as he was below the large Hogwarts seal, he raised his hands and it lowered to the floor. He took out the ritual knife and sliced his palm. Everyone sat there with there mouths hanging open as he smeared his blood over the Gryffindor and Slytherin sections of the shield. As soon as it was raised back into place, the shield flashed with a bright white light.
Fudge asked "What was that? You know blood magic is against our laws."
Harry smirked. "I just claimed my station in the castle as the heir to two Founders. As far as Hogwarts is concerned, putting on the rings is not enough."
Minerva asked "What does that mean for Hogwarts?"
"It depends."
"May I ask your meaning?"
"Yes, it depends on how bad you piss me off the rest of the night whether or not I remove the name of Gryffindor from the list of houses."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because there's no way I want that bunch of back stabbing traitors to share my name in any way. They are an insult to the name Godric Gryffindor."
Harry walked away from her and escorted Megan to her parents and motioned for the other girls to join her. Everyone grew quiet as he hugged each one of them. "Protect yourselves and watch out for the old fool." Megan kissed him hard and said "Wrap this up love, I want to go home."
He gave her a smile and moved back to the entryway. He said "Well, now that you know a little more about my life, it's time we got to the real reason I wanted witnesses here tonight. It was my intention to have you bear witness to the destruction of a dark lord but I never thought I'd get a two for one deal."
Albus said "Are you going to kill me Harry?"
"Oh no Dimples, I've done far better than kill you. I've ruined the reputation you've spent a lifetime building. I've made it possible for everyone to remove their blinders and see you for who you really are. It is my hope that you will just fade away into obscurity but if you ever come after me or my family again, I promise you that I will kill you."
Amelia asked "May I ask what your true purpose here is?"
Harry smiled and turned to Dobby. "You ready?"
"Always"
"I, Harrison James Peverell, the Lord Slytherin, command that the member of my line known as Tom Marvolo Riddle appear in front of me at once. So Mote It Be."
As soon as he finished, there was a flash of magic and Lord Voldemort appeared followed by screams and people scrambling as far away as they could get. As soon as he arrived he screamed "I am Lord Voldemort. Nobody summons me."
"Yeah well Morty, I just did."
"Ah young Harry, were you eager to meet me again? I see you recovered from the withering curse I hit you with."
"No Morty, I died from it but as you can see, I'm feeling better now. You know, the more I think about it, you really aren't much of a dark lord if you can't even truly succeed in killing me. What that's five times now? You've almost caught up to Dimples over there."
Harry glanced around the room and saw most everyone cowering in fear. The only ones standing were the families who had supported him along with Amelia and Augusta. He was disgusted to see that even the professors were hiding behind their table and not moving to protect their students.
"I will not tolerate your impertinence." His wand came out and he fired off a killing curse which Harry dodged. As he spun around, Harry pulled his wand and fired a bludgeoning curse which sent Tom flying. He landed with a thud on the Slytherin table and before he could blink, Harry was standing over him.
Harry raised his hand and the sword of Gryffindor appeared in his hand. "You see Morty; I didn't summon you tonight for you to have the opportunity to try what you have failed at so many times. No, this is about me finishing the job I started fourteen years ago."
Albus moved towards them to try and stop Harry but was too late as the sword flashed and Tom's head rolled down the Slytherin table for each and every one of the junior death eaters to see. Harry looked up and said "So what do you guys think about your master now?"
Albus said "What have you done? He'll be a spirit again."
Harry smirked as he reached into his pocket and started pulling out the horcruxes. As soon as he saw them, Albus' eyes widened. Harry said "You knew all along didn't you?"
Albus couldn't even meet his eyes. Harry jumped off the table and with a wave of his hand; the head and the body floated off the table and came to hover in front of him. He walked back to the entryway where he placed them on the floor when he whispered "Great grandfather, it is done. I have need of you."
Everyone was watching as they saw him mutter something and then once again shrunk back in fear a minute later as the Grim Reaper appeared.
When Azrael arrived, he looked down at Tom and then smiled but only Harry, Dobby, and Megan could see it. He held out his arms and to everyone's horror, Harry embraced the vision of death.
"Well done my son. You accomplished it faster than I expected."
Harry laughed "The pieces were in place, no point in waiting around. I do have a life you know."
"Yes, I imagine you would feel that way." Azrael cast his gaze across the hall and chuckled at everyone's shudders. "So what are your plans for the old goat? I think the rest of the family is anxious to see him again."
Harry laughed "Tell them to be patient. I'm not done with him yet."
"Very well but when you grow tired of playing with him let me know."
"I will but I've only removed his teeth. I think his balls will be next."
Everyone heard a scary chuckle and Albus started moving backwards. He whispered "Yes, how come my granddaughter did not come greet me properly?"
Harry chuckled and whispered back "I don't know, why don't you invite her over?"
A booming voice sounded in the hall. "Megan Alexis Jones, I have come for you."
She caught the glint in both their eyes and schooled her face to look frightened. Everyone looked on in horror as Megan rose and made her way towards the Grim Reaper. Reggie and Kathleen were about to go nuts until they saw Megan wink at them.
As soon as she got to them, Azrael held out his hand and touched her shoulder and about a third of the room fainted. Those that were watching in horror saw the Reaper pull her in and give her a hug as she returned it. Azrael whispered "As soon as you are truly of my line, have your husband bring you to meet the rest of the family. After Lily and Dorea informed me of how much pain I had caused you by my actions with Harry, they told me I needed to reward you so I brought Mikey to the manor to live with the rest of the family. He is looking forward to seeing you again."
If Azrael had been a real person, you would have been able to hear his ribs crack from the strength of the hug she gave him. As tears were flowing from her eyes, she said "Thank you grandfather."
As soon as she released him, Azrael patted Dobby on the shoulder and said "Look after them for me."
"It would be my pleasure."
Azrael waved his hand and Tom's body floated in to the air. In the next moment, both vanished from sight.
Harry put his arm around her and she said "You wanna hurry this up. You're cutting into my snog time."
"Yes dear."
He took her hand and dragged her to the head table. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two pieces of parchment and handed them to Minerva. "Those are mine and my fiancé's resignations as students of Hogwarts."
"But you're a Founder's heir. You belong here."
"Yes, I should be here but I refuse to subject either of us to the substandard education taught here and you will not be able to use my attendance here to make yourselves look better. If that were not enough, we just find most of you distasteful and want nothing to do with the lot of you."
Daphne stepped up behind them and there were six more letters lying on top of theirs. Minerva looked up and saw that Daphne, Astoria, Tracy, Lilith, Luna, and Cho were standing behind Harry and Megan.
Harry turned and kissed Daphne's cheek. "It seems as if some of the Ancient and Noble Houses agree with me. Are you sure sister?"
Daphne replied "Yes, as you suggested, we did some research and found the curriculum to be rather lacking in substance. It seems to have been in decline ever since Dumbledore took over as Headmaster."
Harry chuckled "That sounds about right. He wouldn't want anyone to seem smarter or more powerful then he was. He would want to establish the myth surrounding him by casting 'lost' magic that was really only stuff he didn't want taught anymore. I think we will get a much better education no matter where we go."
Luna said "I vote for Area 51."
Harry smiled and said "I told you it didn't exist."
"Neither does the Stargate but yet you walked through one."
Minerva desperately said "But your parents would have wanted you to attend Hogwarts."
Harry laughed "No, my parents wanted me to get a real education and told me to get the hell out of here as fast as I could. In fact, they told me to get as far away from the manipulator and the oath breaker as possible. You know, when mum gets done with you, I doubt they'll be enough left of you to burn in the fiery pits of hell. By the way, I posted a letter to your daughter this morning explaining everything. I'm sure you will have fun explaining to her your reasoning behind what you did to the child of the girl she thought of as her little sister."
As they were walking out of the hall, Harry stopped and yelled "Hey Cedric, you coming or what?"
Everyone looked up and saw Cedric step out of the shadows with a man beside him. As soon as they met up, Harry held out his hand and said "Harry Peverell."
"Barry Timmons"
"Well did you get all that?"
"Yes Lord Peverell, I want to thank you for the opportunity."
"Thank Cedric; he thought it would be best to have someone on the outside who could tell the story before everyone in the hall forgot about it by morning."
"Would you clarify something for me?"
"Of course"
"Just to be sure I have it right, you're saying that you as the heir of two Founder's of this once illustrious school is rejecting his heritage and refusing to attend because of the poor standards of education that are taught here."
"No Sir, I don't reject my heritage but I do refuse to attend a third rate school with students who have no integrity. In my whole time here the headmaster has been more concerned with things like the Wizengamot, giving second chances to death eaters, and trying to control me rather than focusing on turning out exceptional wizards and witches. As long as he is headmaster and the current staff remains, Megan and I will not return and if things don't change, I doubt you will see any of our children attend here either."
When Harry got to Dobby, he held out his hand and took Dumbledore's replacement wand from him. With a smirk, he snapped it and threw it on the floor. "That should give everyone enough time to get away before he comes up with another."
The older family members were moving to join up with the kids and when they met, Reggie loudly asked "I thought your plan was to just deal with one dark lord tonight. Why'd you go for both?"
Harry laughed "Dobby suckered me into a bet and there was no way I was going to let him win this time."
"What was the bet?"
"Well, if I lost, I was going to have to polyjuice myself as Ron Weasley and have to go to the Headmaster's office naked. I'd be willing to bet it wouldn't be the first time that happened but I don't want to be the one to find out what they do behind closed doors."