Author's Notes: I'M NOT DEAD YET! Seriously, I am so, so sorry, but between Finals and Christmas, I was way too busy in the second half of December, and whenever I go without writing, I become lethargic and don't want to write and Aughhhhhhh! Anyway, thank you everyone who had faith in me, especially those of you who Favorited this story and/or Son of a Snake in spite of the long time between updates.
Anyway, this is about six pages so, hopefully the extra length makes up for the wait, and pop your champagne-poppers and blow your noised makers because Harry Potter and the Past Lives is now over 100 pages in length! Woo-hoo! (Sorry, this is kind of a big deal for me. I don't think I have ever written anything this long before, and it's still a long way from done. Sometimes, this little project of mine intimidates me).
Also, I've decided to take the advise of one reviewer. I am now in the market for a beta-reader. Anyone interested should P.M. me ASAP!
Warning: The end of this chapter has significantly more swearing than usual (which, for me, means any).
Hogwarts; North of Hogsmeade, Scotland; Earth 1; September 14, 1995; 9:07 p.m.
Harry wasted no time writing to Sirius. He already had the letter penned before he went to sleep that night. At Breakfast, he attached it to Hedwig's leg when she came down for her offering of bacon. He gave her a piece of sausage instead. It's a long way to London, he reasoned. Still, he figured that he'd hear back from Sirius tomorrow or the next day.
Instead, Harry heard from his Godfather that very night.
"Send her here, Harry!" The image in the fireplace seethed. Hedwig had been scratching at the window only two hours earlier, bearing a message which read Commonroom Midnight.
Now, the Commonroom was empty save for the green-eyed wizard himself along with Hermione and Ron, whom he had asked to join him earlier. In spite of the red-head's sulking, he'd been happy enough to talk with Sirius about "getting even with the toad." Harry had smiled at this; he loved Luna, and was falling in love with his other soulmates, but Ron had been his first friend. He'd missed the other boy.
Sadly, Parvati had been unable to join them, citing that it would be too big of a hassle to concoct a story for Lavender, her roommate. "I'm sorry, Harry, but if you want me to lie to my best friend to attend a secret meeting with my soulmate's unknown Godfather, you'll have to give me more time." (Harry hadn't been able to explain the truth about Sirius to her)
Her rejection had left Harry feeling more than a little hurt for a few moments, until Hermione took him to the side and explained that he was asking a lot of her at this early stage in their relationship. I'll have to make it up to her somehow, the young wizard had resolved.
Back in the present . . .
"Send her here," the floating head of his Godfather growled again, "and let us deal with her."
"Sirius!" Hermione'd chastised.
"I think we can do it," Ron grinned. He ignored Hermione's disapproving glare.
"Sorry, Sirius," Harry said, "but I need a . . . peaceful way to deal with Umbridge."
"Given who we're dealing with, I doubt you can find one," the floating head remarked.
"Do you know her?" Hermione asked.
"Of her," the fugitive replied. "She's one of the people who made it tough for Remus and folks like him to get real jobs. I also heard she proposed a bill to tag mermaids."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"Because they're part humans," Sirius answered. "I think she's scared of them."
Hagrid, Harry thought, recalling his half-giant friend. For a moment, the young wizard worried about what the woman would do to him, but decided the groundskeeper was safe for the moment. With any luck, she'll be gone before she can do anything. Out loud he asked, "What about Daphne's idea? Would suing her work?"
"Much as I hate agreeing with a Slytherin," Sirius answered, looking nowhere near as disgusted as Ron, "I think it will. I've been ask—"
Before the fugitive could continue, Hermione cut him off. "Sirius! There's no reason to talk like that. I've known Daphne for more than two years, and she's a respectable witch and a good friend. There's no reason to look down on her for being a Slytherin."
Sirius looked sheepish and opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the red-haired, red-faced Ronald Weasley, "Blimey, Hermione, what's wrong with you? Have you forgotten about Malfoy? Or You-Know-Who? 'There's not a witch or wizard who ever went bad who wasn't in Slytherin!'"
Hermione was about to respond by pointing out that statement didn't say that every witch or wizard who was in Slytherin went bad, when Harry broke in softly. "That's not true . . . Peter Pettigrew, he was a Gryffindor, wasn't he, Sirius? Just like you and Lupin, and Dad?"
Sirius's head sighed, blowing a few embers out of the fireplace, though the three teens were long past caring. "That's right, Harry. Peter was in Gryffindor, just like the rest of us. I guess you can't judge someone by their House . . ." The room fell silent for a moment, before the floating head continued, "As I was saying, I've been asking the others about your family solicitor for a while now. No one I've asked seems to know anything."
"So, what should I do?" Harry asked.
"My advice would be to hire one," Sirius responded.
"I can't think many law firms would work for a fifteen-year-old," Hermione said.
"No," the fugitive responded, "but I expect Gringotts' might."
Hogsmeade, Scotland; Earth 1; September 18, 1995; 10:45 a.m.(1)
Harry exited the carriage and held out his hand for Hermione. The brunette witch hesitated for a moment, before allowing Harry to help her down. Ron grimaced a bit but kept his thoughts to himself (a rare occurrence). The other girls smiled at this, before exchanging glances and forming a line.
Daphne smirked as if to say, Well done, servant, before daintily placing her hand in his and stepping down. Then, came Luna, who smiled like the full moon when she wrapped her fingers around his hand, and kissed his cheek when she reached the ground. Padma hesitated for a moment, then took Harry's hand, murmuring her thanks as she stepped down. Parvati smiled almost as brightly as Luna had, even kissing him on his other cheek when she touched down.
"Parvati!" her sister gasped.
"What?" the witch asked, walking over to her sister. "I'm going to marry him, anyway, aren't I?" she whispered, so Ron wouldn't hear.
He didn't, but the others noted he looked rather upset. He still didn't say anything, though, just stomped down the carriage steps and stood a few feet away from everyone else. Most of the group simply chalked this up to jealousy; alongside her's and Hermione's roommate, Lavender Brown, Parvati was considered one of the most attractive Fifth-Years in Gryffindor—in the school, really.
Padma, meanwhile, struggled to find an appropriate response to what her sister had said. Unfortunately (maybe) for her, Luna snuck up and responded first. "She's right, Padma. Why, we're practically engaged, aren't we?"
The two Indian witches turned to their Scottish friend, Parvati only vaguely aware that the others were staring at them. The younger girl continued, "I've said it before; we're going to share a family between ourselves, not just a husband."
"Is that a Viewing, Luna?" Padma whispered, finally finding her voice.
"No, I just won't let it work out any other way." Luna turned and walked over to the main group, where she casually slipped her arms around Harry and Hermione's own. Apparently, the matter was closed.
"Can we go now?" Ron asked, kicking the dirt lightly.
"Sure," Harry nodded. He was almost as lost as Ron about what the trio had been talking about, as well as Luna's very obvious displays of affection. Although, he had to admit, he liked it. Luna's arm felt good in his, and he smiled as he saw Hermione, initially flustered by Luna's actions, relax a little. He might even go so far as to say she appeared to like it. Soon, however, his own blush returned, as Daphne walked up beside him with a peculiar look.
"Offer her your arm," Padma whispered, coming up behind him. Blushing worse, Harry nodded and did as he was told. Daphne nodded slightly as he gently placed her fingers around the offered appendage. Still, she couldn't hide the light that danced in her violet eyes.
As the group began their journey down the street, they were all smiling now, all their troubles forgotten, except two. Ron was still sulking as he followed the others down the street a few steps behind them. The other was Luna, who was trying very hard not to look over her shoulder at the red-head; it wouldn't do to draw attention to herself.
Soon the trio came to a dirty-looking pub with an . . . unusual sign hanging from it. It looked like a severed boar's head on a plate. Harry's stomach churned as he looked at it, although that might have been from the smell coming from inside the small building. "What is this place?" he asked Hermione.
"The Boar's Head pub," the bushy-haired witch answered. "It's known for being a place that never has a crowd. We should be able to Floo into Gringotts' without anyone seeing us."
Harry nodded. "All right," he said. "Let's go."
"Must we?" Daphne asked. She wrinkled her nose.
"Unfortunately," Hermione replied.
Ron just grunted. The group was about to step forward when, Padma and Parvati simultaneously shot out their arms and blocked Daphne and Harry from advancing, causing everyone else to stop as well. "Now what?" the red-head grunted.
Harry frowned a little at his friend's comment but said nothing about it. "Is there a problem?"
"We shouldn't use this place," Padma said.
"Why not?" Hermione asked, getting a little annoyed. "This is the least popular pub in the village."
"Exactly," the Indian girl replied.
Parvati took up the thread before Hermione could speak. "Almost no one comes in here, Hermione. No one does anything or says anything."
Hermione frowned for a moment, then cringed. "People will notice us if we walk in and use the fireplace to Floo out."
"People will probably notice if we go in at all," Daphne noted, wrinkling her nose.
"Three Broomsticks will be safer," Parvati said, nodding.
Padma picked up the train of thought. "There will be too many people to pay attention to, too much noise, to hear us, and people likely use the fireplace all the time."
"Hiding in plain sight," Harry realized,
"Exactly," the twins answered at once.
Ron groaned. "Why couldn't you have thought of that earlier?"
"Do you have a problem, Ron?" Parvati asked, pronouncing his name like a curse. Ron actually took a step back at the look on her face; Fluffy the three-headed dog had looked less threatening.
However, the red-headed wizard quickly recovered, glaring back at her. Before he could think of a response, however, Harry intervened. "Come on, you two. There's no reason to fight." Turning to his Indian girlfriend, he said, "Parvati, Ron's just a little tired is all, so cut him some slack." Parvati turned her glare on Harry, but he had already turned to his best friend. "And Ron," he tried to think of what to say. "Parvati and Padma can't think of everything beforehand; no one can. Besides, they didn't know where we were going."
Ron scowled for a moment, before he responded. "So . . . Harry, are you saying it's Hermione's fault because she didn't tell us where we were going?"
"What?" Harry cried. "No, I'd never say that!"
"Sounds to me like you did," Ron pressed.
"Honestly, Ronald," Hermione huffed, cutting Harry off before he could deny it further (which was just as well because he was very distracted by Luna's squeezing his hand). "Stop making such a big deal of it." Turning to the others, she declared. "Let's go, then. Shall we?"
"Let's," Daphne replied, taking Hermione's hand and gently pulling her back down the street, ignoring the death-glare Ron was sending her way. He stomped off after them almost immediately.
Harry stayed behind with Luna, Padma, and Parvati. Turning to the twins, he said. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with him today."
Parvati opened her mouth to say something, but Padma stopped her with a gentle touch of her hand. "Ron does not enjoy having to share his best friends. However, I am certain he will accept us; he just needs time." Parvati made an unpleasant face, but nodded once. Her sister nodded back. "Now, let us rejoin the others."
The twins walked off, leaving Harry with Luna. The blond witch started to follow after them, but Harry held her back. "Wait, Luna," he said. "I need to ask you something." She turned to him, and Harry was shocked at what he saw. Luna was looking at him as though he was an angry dragon, exactly how she had looked when he had become angry with her that day by the Lake. "Hey," he said. "Luna, I'm not mad at you. Why are you so upset, and why were you squeezing my hand like that?"
Luna took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Harry," she said, loosening her grip on his hand. "I just . . . I didn't like the way Ron was speaking about you."
Harry shook his head. "Don't worry about it, love," he said, pulling his wife into a hug. "He just gets these moods sometimes. It'll pass; it always does."
Luna sighed into her beloved's chest. "I hope so," she whispered. "I wish so," she added, too quietly for him to hear.
Gringotts' Bank, London, England; Earth 1; September 18, 1995; 11:03 a.m.
"Ooph!" "Ouch!" "Ghyah!" "Oh, Merlin."
The stream of groans, grunts, and exclamations marked the arrival of the seven students into the Magical World's only bank. Harry attempted to push himself up, only to discover his hand was resting on Ron's stomach, a discovery he made when his hand sank down and his best friend cried out in pain.
"Sorry, Ron," Harry said, removing his hand.
"Watch where you land next time," the red-head replied. Neither noticed the glare Parvati and Daphne sent his way. Luna, however, put her hand on Parv's arm and slowly shook her head. Daphne noticed and held her peace as well.
The group hoisted themselves up without further incident, although Harry won some points with his ladies by offering his assistance to Padma and Hermione, and Luna did likewise with Hermione who promptly offered her hand to Daphne. As she was getting up, the blond Slytherin noticed Parvati's outstretched hand and, after a moment's hesitation, accepted the Indian witch's help the rest of the way up.
Next, they made their way to the nearest teller. The elderly Goblin sitting behind the desk looked from his paperwork. Most of his hair was missing from the top of his head, although there was a thin, grey curtain which fell from the back. His green skin was wrinkled like a piece of paper that had been folded over too many times, and he looked at them through thick glasses(2). Opening his mouth, he revealed two rows of pointed teeth. "May I help you?" he asked, not sounding eager to do so.
Harry swallowed. What had Daphne told him to say? "Harry Potter, sir, here to inquire about my parents' will and to hire a solicitor, if I may.
The Goblin looked over his glasses for a moment, before nodding. "Very well."
Harry and his friends soon found themselves in a large conference room. Waiting for them was another Goblin, younger than the previous one. His hair was still very thick, and the top was black, although the sides had gone grey. He introduced himself as "Nagnok, executor and financial advisor of the Potter estate(3)." Goblins, Harry noted, never said "at your service," or the like.
"Nice to meet you, sir," Harry said. He was sitting at the opposite end of the table, with Hermione and Luna on either side of him. Ron was sitting next to Hermione, and Padma and Parvati sat several inches to his other side. Daphne was sitting beside Luna.
"We'd—I'd like to exam my parent's' will, if possible, sir," the dark-haired wizard went on.
The Goblin paused for a moment, then nodded. He pulled a piece of parchment off the top of the stack in front of him and pushed it towards Harry. "Here you are."
"Thank you," Harry said, taking it. However, he looked up before he starting to read it. "Excuse me, sir, but you said you were the executor of my parents' estate?"
"Your family's estate," Nagnok corrected him. "I have been for the past two hundred and three years."
"Two hundred and three . . ." Harry gasped.
"Goblins have an average lifespan of eight hundred years," Daphne explained, eying the diminutive executor, "I would guess Nagnok is in his late five to early six hundreds."
"Not bad, ma'am," the Goblin answered, puffing up a little. "I am in actuality six hundred and thirty-three."
". . . You look great," Harry stammered out. When the Goblin didn't respond, he swallowed, before speaking again. "Then, sir, you knew my parents?"
Nagnok stared at him for a moment, as though he was inspecting his signature to see if it was really his. ". . . I have known many members of your family, Lord Potter, including your parents."
Harry stared at him for a moment, waiting for the "middle-aged" Goblin to continue, but he said nothing more. Sighing, Harry looked down again and started to read the document before him. Much of it was legal phraseology he couldn't understand, but which Daphne assured him was correct. Then, it began to divide his parents' wealth and property amongst their friends and relatives: including Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew (Harry's fists tightened at that name, but Hermione gently placed her hand on his and wrapped her arm around him while Luna embraced him from his other side, calming him together), the Dursley's (Harry was annoyed to see that his parents had arranged to pay off their mortgage; he wondered if that gave him any legal ownership over the house he had been neglected in for ten years), Professor McGonagall, and others. Harry was surprised to see that his parents had even included their own names in case one should outlive the other. Finally, he came to his own name.
To our son, Harry James Potter, we leave everything not gifted to others or given in payment of imbalance—Daphne explained this meant paying off their debts—as well as lordship over the House of Potter. If we pass on before Harry has come of age, then he is to be placed with:
1) Sirius Orion Black, his Godfather and our good friend.
2) Charlus Richard and Dorea Penelope Potter, Harry's grandparents.
3) Frank Brian and Alice Elizabeth Longbottom, a pair of good and noble souls.
4) Arthur Jonathan Molly Agnes Weasley, our loyal friends and comrades.
5) Theodore Stewart and Andromeda Druella Tonks.
6) If any of the above are unable perform their duties, Harry is to be placed in the care of St. Mungo's Orphanage. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES is Harry to be left with Lily's relatives, the Dursleys.
Harry didn't know whether to cry or roar. He was never supposed to go the Dursely's; he was never supposed to go to that Hellhole on Privet Drive. His vision blurred and his body began shaking violently. It took him a moment before he realized that Hermione and Luna were again holding onto him. In fact, Daphne, Padma, and Parvati had all gathered around him.
He finally let a few tears out, overwhelmed by this display of love and concern they showed for him.
With Harry unable to speak, Daphne took over the responsibility to do so. "Master Nagnok, we would like to engage the cervices of the Potter family solicitor, if you know him or her. If not, we would be most grateful if you could procure one for us."
Nagnok, who had been watching the whole display (as well as Ron's silent frown at the proceedings), nodded his head. "In what regards?" he asked.
Parvati looked up now, and gently held Harry's right hand up for the Goblin to see. "We want to fucking sue some bastards!"
Author's Notes: I warned you. Yeah, Parvati is really P. , and sometimes there's no way and no reason to sugarcoat it. Anyway, how was that ? It's pretty hard to balance multiple people in a large group (why I may enjoy reading harem stories more than writing them), but I think I did all right.
I know some of you are wondering what's up with Ron. Well, I'm not ready to drop the bomb about him yet, so Harry still sees him as a friend and will for some time. Why isn't Luna telling Harry anything, I hear some of you ask. Well, I was going to explain that here, but then I thought it would be better to show it in the next chapter.
Also in the next chapter: more of what goes on in Gringotts', plus we get to learn about the Goblins of Earth 1. I should probably mention right now that my knowledge of American legal proceedings is slim, and my knowledge of British ones is basically next to non-existent. I have a relative who works in inheritance law, but I would die of embarrassment if I revealed this stuff to her, so please forgive me if I make any dumb mistakes.
Footnotes:
(1) Remeber, Hogsmeade trips are on the weekends. On the off chance any of you are keeping track of the dates, the eleventh was a Saturday, so the nest one would be the eighteenth.
(2) This Goblin's appearance is based off the teller Harry met in the movie of Sorcerer's Stone.
(3) According to the Harry Potter wiki, this is an actual Goblin name. Most authors like to create "combination names for the Goblins, like Steelgrip of Snugglekitten69's At the End of All Things (which just released a new chapter and you should all read it 'cause it's an amazing story by an amazing author), but I wanted to go for something more authentic.
Am I the only one who thinks my obsession with authenticity is weird in fanfiction? Then again, some T.V. and movie adapters take great pains to be authentic to the source material when making shows or movies based on comics, and those are basically fanfiction-at least, very few of them follow the original story beat-for-beat. I guess it's a mark of respect for the source material.