Disclaimer: All HP characters are the property of JKR, the WB, and respective publishing companies - this is nothing more than a simple FanFiction that I have written. I have made no money from this or any of the other stories I have posted on this or other sites.
AN: Story beta'd by my R/L daughter Sillyhobbit.
Chapter 14: Establishing Permanency
July 25, 1985 12:13 AM
Trevor returned to his seat as Glorthock entered the room and approached him. He kept his face free of emotion as the young goblin bowed to him before making his request in stilted English, his grammar and wording lacking the refinement the older goblin displayed due to his limited command of the language.
"I want offer me as guard to child-man."
"On what qualifications?" Trevor inquired as he gave the goblin his complete attention, taking care not to speak too fast.
"What is qualiflitations?"
"Qual-i-fi-ca-tions," Trevor enunciated carefully, so the goblin could hear the syllables in the unfamiliar word. Having discussed this earlier with Backbiter, he was aware that Glorthock wasn't fluent in English and would have some difficulties in communicating. Backbiter specifically requested that Trevor not request a translator unless the younger goblin supplied one of his own free will; this had more to do with goblin pride and honor than anything else and Trevor readily understood the reasoning for not making such a request. It was never wise to shame a goblin or allow him to believe you thought him weak. "It means skills and assets."
"I is warrior. I give my blood for child."
"Blood?"
"Blood is all. Blood is breath. I know not word. Blood is not dead."
"Ah, you would give your life to Mr. Potter?"
"Life? Yes, I would give life blood to guard boy."
Trevor gave a single nod to show he understood the goblin's meaning but he floundered a bit as he struggled with how to phrase his next question. He knew only a few key expressions in gobbledygook and those dealt more with banking matters than soldiering. It was the first time in a long time he felt out of his depths and while he didn't like the feeling his greatest worry was insulting the goblin in front of him.
"Mr. Potter will spend quite a bit of time around muggles, how can you protect him then?"
"I good sneak," Glorthock bragged somewhat, though he didn't sound as sure of himself as he had when he first approached Backbiter with his request. Part of it was because he was not certain he completely understood all that he was being asked and he felt frustrated with his own lack of fluency with the language. Not wanting to risk a failure, he swallowed his pride and added, "Need help speak, some words not know. Be back."
Trevor murmured his willingness to wait and felt a small wave of relief over the fact that the goblin willingly recognized the difficulties that they were both experiencing in communicating their thoughts. While he waited for Glorthock to return with a translator, he pulled out two different contracts that could be applied to the position Glorthock was interested in. Both of them had been written out mostly by Backbiter and contained far more job duty descriptions, legal stipulations, and binding oaths than the simple tutoring and other employment contracts that Trevor had drawn up.
About fifteen minutes after he left, Glorthock returned with an elderly goblin dressed in a banker's suit. A quick introduction was made before the three of them sat down to begin formal negotiations.
"Glorthock wishes to apply for the position of bodyguard for Harry Potter based upon what he feels is his duty to the child for treating him as an equal. You are aware of this through discussions with the Clan Elder Backbiter, yes?" Stonegut, the elderly goblin, said.
"Yes, I was told of his request. We had been discussing his qualifications and ability to protect Mr. Potter when he is in the company of muggles who do not know of the magical world."
Glorthock chattered away in gobbledygook to Stonegut for several minutes once the older goblin had translated the statement.
"Glorthock is a fully trained goblin warrior, in both magic and weaponry, which can protect the child-man from all threats. He is not afraid of dying to protect his charge. He will also be able to hide his goblin features during any forays into the non-wizard world and he swears to follow the boy no matter where he goes."
Turning to address Glorthock, for goblins detested being spoken about as if they didn't exist, Trevor asked, "Would you be willing work with muggles, squibs, and wizards on a daily basis?"
"What kind of duties would require him to work alongside humans?"
"I am hiring tutors to train and teach Harry what he needs to know. I have already hired Miss Hall as Harry's governess and she will be in charge of scheduling Harry's training in addition to scheduling trips to various locations for educational purposes. There is also the matter of who will watch over Mr. Potter while you sleep or on the days you might wish to spend away from your duties."
As the two goblins discussed this, Glorthock's confidence waned a bit more for he had not given any thought to sharing his duties as Harry's bodyguard with anyone else. He understood the need for additional guards; he just felt that he had failed his new friend (and he was a bit shocked to discover that he already considered the man in a child's body a friend) in being unable to handle what he considered his solemn duty. In the end, he knew he had no choice if he wished to convince the man to hire him.
"He will work with humans, if they will treat him as an equal. Have you already hired a captain of the guard or other guards already?"
"Any employee I hire will be required to treat their fellow employees with respect regardless of species, blood, or magical status. Those who hold others in contempt will not be hired due to Harry's sensitivity when dealing with prejudices that belittle another person or being. He is young, has been through a rough time, and would suffer if constantly exposed to harsh attitudes and constant conflict. I don't see him as weak, and he won't be coddled, but he needs stability; which means anyone working with or around him needs to be able to function as a team. As of right now, the only position I have filled is that of governess, as I mentioned earlier. So, no, I have not hired any other bodyguards as of yet. I confess, until Backbiter approached me this afternoon I had not given much thought to hiring any security guards."
After another brief discussion, Stonegut state, "Glorthock wishes to know how many guards you will be hiring."
Trevor was expecting this to come up, it was one of the things Backbiter had mentioned after explaining Glorthock's original request and the War Chief had recommended that Trevor test the young goblin by making the young goblin provide the answer to the question. Immediately after that bit of advice, Backbiter had offered several suggestions of his own on the number of guards needed in order to give the squib an idea of the numbers needed for a security team to work effectively. "If you were hired to staff the security team, how many guards would you suggest I hire to securely guard any house Mr. Potter lived at in addition to watching over him while he made public appearances?"
This sparked another debate in gobbledygook as Glorthock pulled out a piece of parchment and began making some calculations while explaining his ideas to the translator. While the young soldier had not expected to be asked his opinion on the matter, he was more than prepared to answer the question. He had over sixty years of training as a goblin solider after all and scenarios like the one Trevor had presented had come up more than once during his lessons.
"Glorthock would suggest a minimum of one hundred guards, depending on where the house was located, how far the property extended, and how close the nearest neighbor lived. The larger the size of property the higher number of guards that would be needed to monitor the grounds, even with extensive protective wards in place," Stonegut offered before turning to clarify a few points with the young soldier. "He also suggests doubling that number if you live in a crowded city because of the higher number of possible threats. The number of guards assigned to accompany the child during any venture off of the property would depend upon the destination, the number of people expected to be attending the event in question, and whether or not there are any known threats that could easily be in the vicinity. Only a portion of the guards would be housed on location so that if an attack is launched in the property, backup can be brought in quickly or the child can be moved to a safe house that is already well protected without worrying about cutting his escort guard in thirds to protect the retreat and prepare a destination while still keeping the child safe."
Trevor smiled slowly and nodded thoughtfully while he unrolled both of the contracts. He flipped them both around and pushed them over to Glorthock while explaining why there was two, "This contract," he pointed to the one on his right, "is the agreement that Backbiter wrote for the rank and file bodyguards I will need to hire in order to create three full squads of approximately fifty to sixty guards each. Each security guard will be scheduled to work eight to ten hour shifts four days a week, with overtime allowed during emergencies or special events. Salary for non-officers starts at one hundred fifty galleons a week."
"This second contract," Trevor now indicated the document on his left, "is for the officers I intend to hire to oversee the entire security team; one captain, three lieutenants, six corporals, and sixteen sergeants. Starting pay for the officers begins at one hundred seventy-five galleons a week for the sergeants while the captain will start at about three hundred twenty-five galleons a week. Housing and food will be provided to all members of the security team, as will uniforms and weaponry. Both contracts are renewable on a yearly basis with promotions offered periodically for those individuals who show exceptional leadership skills. After the first year, there will be an option of signing a five year contract. Please read through both contracts and we can discuss any questions you have in the morning before we go any further."
"I am offered chance to serve?" Glorthock asked in English as he looked up from the two contracts with puzzled eyes.
"Yes, I am offering you the job. The job you take, if you accept, will be entirely up to you, which is why I gave you both contacts."
Glorthock bowed to Trevor before passing the contracts to Stonegut as the two goblins exited the chamber. Trevor shook his head and yawned before making his way over to the stone bench he'd been using as a bed for the last month and pulling a change of clothes out from beneath the bed. He then made his way to the bathroom and prepared for bed while thinking about everything he'd accomplished today. Once he finished changing; he returned to his bench, slipped under the covers, and drifted off to sleep wondering what the rest of the week would bring.
The next morning Glorthock returned with both contracts and a legal quill, this one made from a deep maroon hippogriff feather; with him were six even younger goblins who wore the uniforms of unranked clan soldiers. Backbiter and Stonegut joined them a few minutes later and neither of the elder goblins seemed surprised to see the additional younglings that had joined Glorthock.
"All parties are in agreement?" Stonegut inquired as he took the contracts and quill from Glorthock.
"Yes," the seven younger goblins replied all together.
Trevor, who'd only woken up a few minutes earlier, simply inclined his head when the elderly goblin looked in his direction.
"Then let us sign the contracts."
Trevor signed both contracts in the space provided and watched impassively as Glorthock signed the officer's parchment as a lieutenant and the accompanying goblin youths signed the other contract. The lawyer was a little surprised that Glorthock didn't take the higher rank but surmised the former soldier felt reticent about taking a title he hadn't felt he earned. Stonegut and Backbiter then witnessed both contracts and made copies, this time leaving the originals with Trevor so that additional security guards and officers could be hired (any signature added to the original automatically appearing on the copies due to the magics involved). Trevor then welcomed each goblin to the team individually and asked Glorthock to introduce the others to Harry and Leticia.
"I would ask another boon of you friend," Backbiter stated once the seven guards had crowded around Harry's bed.
"Before a morning coffee?" Trevor joked as he tucked the signed contracts into his briefcase.
"The younglings Glorthock recruited speak less of your language than Glorthock; they will require tutoring so that they may interact with humans as needed. I would ask you to hire a translator to help teach them English and a few other human languages."
"I'm guessing you have someone in mind?"
"Yes, he asked me if I would offer my services," Stonegut interrupted in near politeness. "I have drawn up a tentative contract for myself and my wizard assistant." The translator slid another parchment across the table.
"Might I ask why you are seeking employment outside of the bank? I can understand the restlessness of the younger goblins and the excitement of doing something new and different, I can even understand Glorthock's since of duty and connection but I'm not certain why you'd be willing to relocate with the others."
"Glorthock and Glarthunk are my sister's sons. She has expressed concern over their seemingly reckless decision and she wished for me to watch over them and help them as best I could. I do as she asked because I am fond of the two younglings and because it is my wish to continue their studies personally."
"I can respect that, Stonegut, and I thank you for your honesty. Would you consider expanding your duties to include one more student and an additional language?"
"What did you have in mind and who is the student?"
Leaning back, Trevor paused for a moment to gather his thoughts before presenting his proposal to the curious and hesitant goblin. "As you might recall from our negotiations last night, I mentioned hiring tutors for young Mr. Potter. One such tutor would be required to teach him other languages, such as French and Latin. It would be beneficial, for both Harry and the goblins that guard him, if he were to learn gobbledygook as well. He is at an age where learning multiple languages will be easiest for him and the challenge would help occupy his time in between his other studies."
"You wish the child to learn our language?" Backbiter asked, surprised.
"Yes, I would have asked you about the possibility of hiring a tutor in about a year but since you approached me about the needs of Harry's new security team, I felt it prudent to broach the matter now."
"I see. Stonegut?"
"I would not mind spending time with the child-man, I find myself curious as to why my sister's youngest two sons are drawn to the boy, Glorthock especially."
Changes were added into the new contract and the document signed once a salary had been negotiated (two hundred galleons a week for tutoring the goblin guards and an additional one hundred and fifty a week for tutoring Harry in gobbledygook.
"Did I introduce you to Ms. Hall? She's Harry's governess and will be scheduling his classes with his various tutors in time. Right now, the lessons are fairly informal given that he is still recovering and only just now beginning any type of structured education and is still learning the basics. Leticia, will you please join me for a moment? Leticia this is Stonegut, Stonegut this is Leticia Hall. Stonegut has just agreed to tutor Harry in gobbledygook, the language of the goblins, while working with the new security goblins on improving their grasp of the English language."
Leticia greeted the old goblin warmly and the two wandered off discussing the types of supplies and books that Harry would need for his new lessons and when would be the best time to start the new class. Trevor shook his head and smiled bemusedly before facing Backbiter once more. "Any other goblins you'd like to encourage me to hire?"
"Yes, but they can wait for a while. Let us hunt down a hot coffee pot and cure you of the befuddlement that seems to have surrounded you this morning."
"I hope the next group will at least be warders or curse breakers, I'm going to need someone to help me secure a few houses once I find something that will work."
"Why purchase new? Why not see what is available through the Potter Estate?"
"Two reasons. First, is accessibility and location; the house will have to be outside of the crowded city and be reachable through both magical and muggle methods. Second reason is that there are enough witches and wizards that know where each and every one of the Potter houses and mansions are located and there are more than a few that might expect Harry to move into one of the existing houses. My house in Esher, for the obvious reasons, would not make a good primary home either. It can however, be warded and used as a base and a quasi safe house by the security teams as can the Potter cottage in Godric's Hollow, provided it remains in livable condition. Now, about that coffee?"
"Follow me; the kitchen was brewing a fresh cauldron when I passed by earlier. How far outside of civilization did you wish to go to find a house?"
"Not too terribly far but moving north I think, to get away from Surrey. I was thinking either Norfolk or Suffolk, possibly somewhere outside of Holt or around Halesworth; somewhere fairly close to the coast at any rate in order to provide what I believe is a much needed change of scenery."
"Seems an odd couple of choices, nothing remotely magical in either county and off the beaten path for the most part," Backbiter noted as he led Trevor into a larger stone cavern where a good twenty or thirty goblin women (and the occasional goblin boy under the age of thirty) were cooking breakfast. The goblin Elder poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Trevor before gathering up a serving tray piled high with goblin delicacies to take back to the guest cave, though a young female goblin in a cook's apron whisked the tray out of his hands before he reached the door and followed the pair without a word.
"That's one of the reasons I was looking out in that direction. The Ministry expects Harry to be one of three places, in London, in Wales, or in Scotland some where near Hogwarts. If not in one of those places, they'd at least expect him to end up somewhere surrounded by magicals. So, logically, the best place for us to make our home would be somewhere that is not anywhere they want or suspect we would be. Dumbledore might deduce our location logically but we've effectively neutered him politically (both nationally and internationally) so that even if he did know where Harry lived, he couldn't really do much about it. Logistically speaking, the Ministry and anyone connected to Lucius and the other former Death Eaters still running free are the bigger concern at the moment."
"Preparing multiple homes for residency, as you mentioned in passing, will most likely throw them off as well," Backbiter knowingly interjected. "I know of some property in Ashwicken, Norfolk that might still be available. I believe it to be an older farmhouse with some land, nestled in one of the farming districts."
"That could be worth investigating; it's not too far from King's Lynn and close enough to the coast that the occasional trip would be feasible. What else do you know of the property and why do I have the suspicion you already knew I was looking out that way?"
"Klouse mentioned your intentions in passing last week and I had one of my more reputable warders checking out secluded properties in that direction. The house was renovated twenty years ago and was owned by a muggle widower who passed away two years ago without any remaining family. It's been on the market since then, with few muggles interested in purchasing what they call a white elephant. Why they speak of such a beast when buying old houses I will never know. The main house has six bedrooms, a cellar, and an old hayloft for an attic, there is also a small one bedroom cottage attached to the stables. The original land surrounding the house was sold off earlier but I am told the neighbor who purchased might be willing to sell if the price is right. The original size of the property was fifty acres prior to the land being sold; the house now sits on a ten acre lot with the portion of land that had been sold off sitting directly behind the new, smaller lot."
"What kind of condition are the buildings in?"
"The cottage and stables are fairly run down; both having been unoccupied since well before the renovations to the house were made in the nineteen-sixties. The main house is livable but it appears fairly primitive according to the warder who investigated the property. The low level of muggle tecknoalogy in and around the house and immediate land makes it an ideal property for warding."
"Asking price?"
"Around four hundred thousand pounds, with the neighbor looking for about the same amount for the fallow land that originally belonged to the farm."
"More than I would have liked but not too terribly out of my range. Given its existing state, we could probably talk them down quite a bit due to the length of time it has been on the market. As for the land, prime acreage in Norfolk is averaging about five thousand pounds an acre so forty acres of arable land wouldn't be worth more than two hundred thousand, if that. If the land is overly poor pasture than it isn't worth more than fifteen hundred an acre; which means whoever is selling it couldn't expect more than eighty thousand. Which begs one to ask why the person selling has an asking price that is two to four times more than market value?"
"It is possible he is selling off more than just the original forty acres or he is in a considerable amount of debt and is trying to make what money he can off the only thing of value he has," Backbiter suggested as they reentered the guest cavern to find Harry sitting on Glorthock's shoulders while the other six young goblins danced and chanted in a circle around them.
Harry was giggling, a small smile on his face, while Leticia looked completely confused and Stonegut glared at the spectacle from the other side of the room. "What are they doing?" Trevor asked curiously as he leaned down towards Backbiter so as not to disrupt the chanting.
"Dancing. A frivolous activity that involves moving one's body and feet to the beat of the music or simply in a set pattern of prescribed positions. I'm sure you've heard of it before," Backbiter dryly explained.
Trevor laughed loudly, drawing Harry's attention and causing the goblin guards to halt their festivities when they caught sight of Backbiter. "You should join them, Backbiter," Trevor announced mischievously as he accepted the tray of food from the goblin woman standing behind them. "After all, with the commission you will make on the sale of the farm house, which I already know you purchased with clan funds, you will have increased your coffers by eight percent. If you can bring the asking price of the accompanying land down to under two hundred thousand, unless he's selling significantly more than the original forty in which case I'll pay the asking price, then that will be an additional two percent profit."
Backbiter just laughed and gestured for the goblins to go back to what they were doing, much to the delight of Harry, who was secretly enjoying the antics of the goblins. Stonegut made one final sour face at the youngsters and joined the adults in breaking their fast. Plans were made for surveys of the prospective property, Harry's quickly approaching fifth birthday, and locating a handful of willing wizards to work with the goblins as part of the security team. Trevor suggested a few muggles (who were aware of the magical world) and squibs with either military or law enforcement backgrounds as well, a notion that was readily endorsed by Backbiter.
July 30, 1985 All Day
The purchase of the house in Norfolk would be finalized in less then two hours, plans to purchase the additional acreage (a total of one hundred forty additional acres according to the initial assessment) were well underway, and several more security guards had signed the contract. Fifteen of the newly hired guards were slightly older goblins with training in wards, curse breaking, runic magic, healing, and construction. They grudgingly placed themselves under the command of Glorthock, even though they were anywhere from fifteen to fifty years older than the new young officer. The other twenty-six guards were human, with six of them being wizards with auror training, eight were fairly young muggles with military backgrounds that chose not to reenlist once they'd served their time, another five were older squibs that had been part of a muggle security force for a company that had recently gone bankrupt, and the last seven were eighteen and nineteen year old muggleborn wizards and witches that had wanted to become aurors but didn't get the grades to qualify for training (all seven of them having been failed by Snape in potions because they weren't Slytherins or purebloods).
Of the new former aurors hired, one was formerly a training instructor that had been crippled during the war with Grindelwald who was forced to resign from his position just before the rise of Voldemort. The man was the only new officer in the entire group, signing on as a sergeant who would be responsible for training those guards with little to no experience. Trevor hoped to find at least three more such trainers to hire as sergeants; a goblin arms trainer, a military training officer, and a security specialist or at the least someone with combat experience of some kind. The three men and one goblin would, ideally, work together to train the entire security force to work as a well oiled machine.
Each of the newly hired recruits were asked to provide the names of friends or former associates who might be interested in joining the growing guard force and as a result Trevor had a list of an additional seventy two people he'd contact over the next month. Trevor was also negotiating another contract with Gringotts to hire the services of a few more professional warders to work on the property protection upgrades around the new house. Klouse, as a favor to Trevor in between cases, was working on hiring two teams of construction workers. One would be a muggle team to gut the old cottage and barn in order to turn it into a barracks for the guards that would be living on the grounds and a mess hall. They would also make repairs and upgrades to the main house to bring it up to code.
The other would be a team of wizards to go in behind the muggles to add additional rooms, room expansion charms, runic plumbing, install Floo compatible fireplaces, and excavate a series of tunnels and rooms to expand and connect the cellar of the main house to the proposed basement that would be built under the stables. They would also be responsible for charming and warding all electrical wiring on the property for protection against magical surges and to allow muggle electronics to be used for surveillance cameras and lighting.
The warders would need to go in afterwards to set up various protective wards around the perimeter, designated magical entry points, buildings, and through the tunnels and underground rooms. These wards would include anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards that would shunt any one attempting to enter the property by those two means to a designated entry point, a blanket illusion ward to give the property and grounds the appearance of a rundown old farmhouse and fallow fields, several fire prevention wards on the buildings, strengthening wards on the underground tunnels, water repellant wards, and an inversion ward to hide the magical presence of the wards. Runic ward stones would be spaced around the property edges to make the land virtually unplottable without interfering with the electrical wiring.
The entire project was expected to take at least two months to complete, most of that time being spent doing the muggle upgrades and repairs to the buildings. The additional acres Trevor was purchasing, forty acres in back of the house (south of the original property), seventy to the east, and thirty to the west, would be left virtually untouched on the surface, while below grounds an extensive training facility and specialized underground greenhouses (based upon the goblin designed greenhouses that littered the underground network beneath Gringotts) would be built and linked to the underground network of tunnels and rooms under the main house and would be ready sometime between November and December.
On the domestic front, Trevor had hired several young wizards, squibs, and muggles to maintain the house and grounds. He could have purchased a handful of house elves instead but he was disinclined to draw the Ministry's attention by making such a purchase as all elves were required to be registered with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. (There was also the complication of any elves needing to be bonded to a witch or wizard in order for them to survive) Backbiter was checking the Potter records to see if any elves had been bonded to any of the properties but so far had turned up nothing. Surprisingly, Trevor had ended up hiring the former Professor Sprout as chief herbologist for the planned underground greenhouses as well as two of her former Hufflepuffs that she had recommended as showing an aptitude for working with both magical and muggle plants. The mild mannered witch also readily agreed to teach Harry Herbology when he began his magical studies.
Harry reacted negatively to the large increase in visitors to the cavern; the shy and extremely nervous child taking to burrowing under his covers and refusing to come out unless the room was empty of all strangers. He'd even eat underneath the blankets to avoid being stared at by the various goblins, witches, wizards, and squibs that visited Trevor in the cavern. Trevor was torn between moving his negotiations to a different location and ignoring the child's extreme discomfort around strangers. On one hand, he wanted Harry to feel safe and secure; while on the other, he knew the boy would have to eventually become used to dealing with large crowds of strangers on a regular basis. Harry wouldn't be able to function in either society if he didn't. Trevor held off making a decision either way for the moment, knowing that Harry would be returning to St. Mungo's after a small birthday party the next day where he'd be away from all the hustle and bustle of the hiring process for seven days.
July 31, 1985 9:45 AM
Harry woke earlier that morning to the smell of his favorite goblin breakfast – crispy fried home-style potatoes with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and spicy goat sausage smothered with three different kinds of cheese and topped with thick, white gravy over a steaming bed of fresh baked biscuits – and a huge glass of grapefruit juice. Beside his meal was a small modest pile of gaily wrapped presents with huge bows. He'd been shocked to see the gifts; having no idea why there would be presents sitting beside his food due to not actually knowing that today was his fifth birthday.
Unsure, he continued to study the presents curiously (and with more than a little longing) while he lifted his fork and took his first bite of breakfast. He moaned in delight as the explosion of flavor hit his tongue. Having lived on bland food for most of his life, Harry had quickly developed a taste for the spicy and flavorful foods of the goblins as nothing his aunt had ever given him had ever tasted so exotic. A fact that secretly thrilled those goblins that had been hired as part of his security force as the younger goblins started bringing him some of the rarer goblin treats that few humans had the opportunity to try.
Turning his attention from the pile of presents for a moment, Harry focused on the veritable feast (to him anyway) in front of him. Each bite was followed by a small sip of grapefruit juice which enhanced the spicy flavor of the goat. He was in heaven and all too soon he was stuffing the final bite of biscuit and gravy into his mouth with soft sigh. He was full to the bursting, this having been his largest meal to date but wished there'd been just a bit more on his plate (it had been that good) even if he felt his tummy would burst if he ate another single bite. He was also pleased over the fact that it was the first meal where he'd not had to be hand fed by one of the adults that usually watched over him (though his arms still shook and wobbled sometimes).
It was about this time that Trevor and Leticia joined him, both of them already having eaten earlier. Both seemed mildly surprised that the gifts had not been touched but it was Leticia who voiced the question out loud to Harry. "Harry? Why haven't you opened your birthday presents?"
"I have a birthday?" Harry countered in surprise, his eyes both disbelieving and hopeful as he looked up at her.
"Of course you do, silly, everyone has a birthday. Yours just happens to be today, which is why some of your friends have left you these gifts. Glorthock brought them by earlier along with your breakfast."
Harry smiled shyly as a few tears trickled down the side of his nose at the thought of having both a birthday and friends. With one hand he picked up the topmost gift and pulled it to him. Beside the bow there was a tag tied to the ribbon. "It has my name on it!" Harry gasped with wonder, his name being one of the few words he now recognized thanks to his lessons with Leticia.
"Yes, and the name below yours is Clawtoe; he's the one who gave you that gift."
"Wow," Harry breathed as he tenderly peeled the paper and ribbons from the box to find a small cauldron shaped basket filled with a pile of the jerked meats that goblins served as delicacies. Each chunk of jerky was twice as thick as Harry's thumb and covered in a sweet pineapple sauce spiced with several different kinds of peppers. There were four different types of meat mixed in this particular batch; goat, lamb, venison, and bicorn. Harry happily pulled out a cube of his favorite meat, the venison, and popped it into his mouth. His tummy burbled loudly in protest but Harry felt it was worth the slight discomfort just to savor the tangy sweet and spicy flavor of the treat.
The next gift was a small flat box from Glarthunk, Glorthock's younger brother, and contained a beautiful cream colored tunic with embroidered green and brown dragons along the hem. The dragons lazily flew around in circles and occasionally breathed long gouts of flame colored threads. Harry loved it so much he immediately asked Leticia to help him pull it on over the t-shirt he'd slept in and spent several minutes just watching the dragons fly over and around the wrinkles and creases of the fabric that piled around his legs.
Axenose's gift was a tin full of thick goblin taffy rods. Each rod was about five inches long and made with a sour taffy coating a crystallized fruit center, usually made of dried and crushed pineapples, mangoes, or peaches mixed with sweet peppers and a bit of salt. This particular goblin treat was the closet goblins ever came to eating candies, as in general they disliked the over-saturated sweetness of sugar and most chocolates; they did, on the other hand, enjoy the naturally sweet flavors of fruits. Harry longed to tear into one of the yellow pineapple rods but just the thought made his little tummy ache. He now almost wished he'd not eaten such a large breakfast.
In the next present, Harry found a pair of dark brown pants that matched his dragon tunic, a robe of dark green fabric with cream cuffs and collar, dark green dragon hide boots, and a hand tooled leather belt with a silver and gold buckle in the shape of a dragon's head. These were collectively from Hobblefoot, Pitdigger, and Slingstone. The final and largest gift was from Glorthock and Harry opened this one far more carefully than he had the others as he considered Glorthock his very first friend. (While he liked Trevor, Jake, Klouse, and Leticia, he saw them more as proper guardians and parental figures than friends.)
When Harry first opened the box from Glorthock, he'd been surprised to see it was much larger on the inside than on the outside. He knew magic could be used to increase the space inside of an object but he'd only seen moderately expanded items such as his briefcase. This box, which was roughly two and a half feet long, two feet wide, and only six inches high, was big enough on the inside that Harry could climb inside of it and be unable to get back out without help if not for the ladder attached to one side. The outer box was made with fire hardened oak and bound together with cast iron brackets on each corner and an intricate lock and clasp that was shaped like a dragon head similar to the one on his new belt, only in the same black iron as the brackets. The outside was also lightly stained with a deep red that allowed the natural grain of the wood to shine and had an animated hand carved dragon floating on the top of the lid. The inside of the lid was lined with dark red felt and was divided horizontally into two equal sections designed to hold roughly thirty books and each fitted with an oaken door that was hinged on the top. The bottom half of the chest was paneled in natural oak with what looked like a curio cabinet attached to the left side and a wrought iron and oak plank ladder attached to the right. There was a short note attached to the top cabinet in the lid.
Lettie read it out loud;
This is a goblin treasure box. Use it to hold and protect all
of your treasures. The dragon will only open for you.
Glorthock
Harry's eyes devoured every inch of the box, his heart pounding harshly in his ears as his fingers tickled and traced the dragon on the lid. Reverently, with the help of Lettie and a slightly stunned Trevor (goblins rarely ever willingly parted with the magical artifacts that they created), he placed his birthday treats and clothes (minus the shirt he was wearing and the pants which he wished to wear) inside the top cabinet in the lid before placing all but one of the tiny figures that Leticia had given him last month in the bottom cupboard where they'd be safe. In the top right cupboard of the curio cabinet in the bottom half of the box, which could be reached without having to enter the box, Harry placed the folded up remains of the wrapping paper, ribbons, and tags from his presents (the five year unwilling to throw them out). He spent the rest of the morning alternately running his fingers over the outside of the box and peeking inside to check on all the treasures he'd placed inside.
For lunch, Harry was given his first birthday party. Glorthock and the other six younglings arrived with Backbiter, Amelia, Jake, and Klouse, the latter four carrying additional gifts while the former hauled several large trays of roasted pork and goat meat seasoned with sweet and spicy sauces, roasted tubers, and fresh baked breads. While it was not a loud and boisterous party filled with games and sugary sweets; it was wonderful in Harry's opinion. He ate a delicious lunch, opened more presents (which mostly contained more clothes and a few dragon themed books and toys), and enjoyed his first ever slice of cake (a fluffy angel food cake without icing).
Afterwards he was helped into his new pants and boots and escorted to the surface by the newly hired security force. Another short trip on the underground and the group was standing outside of St. Mungo's once again. Inside, Harry was led to a different room, one that was slightly more secluded than the last, and set up on a hospital bed where he was prepped for another round of bone regrowth. This time they'd be working with his leg and hip bones, starting with the right tibia and fibula. The second night he'd regrown his left tibia and fibula followed by the pelvic and pubis bones on the third. The fourth and fifth night was spent regrowing his femurs and patella bones while the final two days were spent in therapy helping Harry adjust to the biggest changes in his bone structure to date.
His next session of bone replacements weren't scheduled to take place until November sixth to give him an additional eight weeks to rebuild some of the muscles in his legs and allow his body to rest for the next series of replacements, which would be one of the most critical procedures as they replaced his entire skull over a period of two weeks. They had to divide the skull into smaller sections to be regrown individually in order to preserve Harry's facial structure and protect his eyes and brain from potential damage. Thankfully, due to the natural design and growth of the human skull, that was the one bone structure that would not have any significant size increase. Prior to starting the procedure, Harry would be taken for a series of cat scans to check for any lingering injuries or damage from his two skull fractures and to have the thin plates the Muggles had attached to his skull removed so they didn't interfere with the regrowth.
The Daily Prophet printed a late afternoon special edition on Harry's birthday, complete with Rita's vamped up articles featuring the Boy-Who-Lived undergoing his second round of treatments. She'd outdone herself as three additional printings of the paper were sold world wide, as the wizarding public drank up the latest news and rumors of their treasured hero. At least this time no new photos had been released, the anti-animagus wards installed this time preventing Rita from sneaking into Harry's private room as they suspected she had the first time. Gawkers were discouraged by the pair of taciturn goblins that had been stationed right outside of Harry's rooms as a deterrent for any witch or wizard who wished to attempt an attack on the incapacitated boy.
Once Harry was released from the hospital, Trevor drove the two of them (along with a small force of security guards that followed behind discreetly) out to the new house. The construction team making the renovations on the stable and cottage were on location and the air was filled with the bangs, whines, and roars of hammers, saws, and electric drills that startled Harry a bit when he was first lifted out of the car. He quickly ignored the loud noises though as Trevor carried him into the house to give him a tour. He asked a few questions but for the most part remained silent as Trevor pointed out various rooms and fixtures and discussed the planned changes with the foreman on site.
When they finished, Trevor tucked him back into the car and they drove out to the coast where Harry saw the sea for the first time. They spent the three nights at a local hotel and the days visiting the various sites along the coast. It was a bonding moment between Harry and Trevor, as the two discussed what would happen over the next four months.
Harry still felt extremely uncomfortable in the heavy crowds and often hid his face against Trevor or under the nearest blanket or towel. Trevor refrained from scolding Harry about the behavior, as he knew it would take the boy time to get used to being around large groups of strangers. However, he also didn't go out of his way to shield Harry when they were out in public, he knew the boy needed that exposure to help him adjust. Trevor did offer comfort and reassurance constantly though, so that by the end of their last night Harry would at least look out over the crowds to view whatever attraction they were visiting.
On Sunday, they returned to the farmhouse for another look, this time it was completely quiet as the construction workers had the day off, and spent a few hours wandering through the fields looking for bird nests, glittering rocks, and fancy wildflowers. The latter intended as a gift to Leticia from Harry when they returned to the cavern below Gringotts.
The long drive back to London was filled with a contented silence as Harry slept in the modified car seat in the back as Trevor drove; their shadow of guards, ever following behind them as they traveled the highways.
September 30, 1985 2:05 AM
A large moving truck arrived at a deceptively empty field in Norfolk and disappeared unseen through the wards surrounding the now hidden farmhouse, which had formally been named the Potter Compound (often just called the Compound by those who would be living there). The vehicle ground to a halt just outside the front door to the main house with a loud squeal of breaks as the rolling door of the trailer opened with a loud snap and two dozen men in dark brown uniforms poured out and swarmed the house and surrounding property. The loud piercing cry of a goshawk signaled the house had been declared all clear and six burly goblins in dark green uniforms dropped down out of the back of the truck carrying heavy battle axes. The goblin guards were followed immediately by a seventh goblin that carried a sleeping child cradled in his arms and a woman wearing a dark brown jacket over jeans and a jumper.
Two more armed guards in brown uniforms stepped down from the cab of the truck, followed by a third, older man wearing a dark blue suit and joined the cluster of men and goblins surrounding the woman and child. Together, the odd group entered the house through the front door where they were met by another group of guards and escorted to an empty room. The goblins quickly took up positions around the perimeter of the room while the other men in brown uniforms left to patrol the grounds.
Outside several shabbily dressed goblins (when compared to those that had been hired to guard Harry) began jumping down from the back of the trailer while others passed down boxes and various pieces of furniture that were quickly carried into the house and deposited in what would later become the living room of the house. Several chairs and a couch were delivered to the goblin guarded room where the woman, the man in the blue suit, and the goblin holding the child stood around whispering in low tones. The boy was briskly transferred to the couch by the goblin once it had been placed just opposite of the door, before he took up a protective position directly behind the bulky piece of furniture.
Leticia Hall, the woman in the room, gratefully sank onto one of the chairs that she pulled up beside the couch while Trevor Matheson, the man in the suit, chose to remain standing. They spent close to two hours waiting in the room so they would not get in the way of the goblins lugging in the various furniture and boxes. Once the truck had been emptied; Trevor, and two of the goblin guards, headed back outside where he thanked the goblin movers and tipped the driver of the vehicle before watching the truck vanish into the darkness that still clung to the early morning.
The next few hours were spent distributing the majority of the furniture to various rooms around the house. The only exceptions were the personal belongings of Trevor, Leticia, and Harry's that would be deposited in their rooms once they'd chosen said room. Trevor had promised Harry could have first choice, which was why the other two were waiting on the sleeping child to wake before picking rooms for themselves. During this time, a second moving truck pulled up to the house carrying another fifty security guards and the furniture for the barracks in the back. The vehicle was searched by the team already on site, before being given permission to pull around back where a group of goblins quickly began off loading the equipment and carrying it into the barn.
By the time Harry woke up and ate breakfast around eight o'clock, a third vehicle carrying food supplies and the personal effects of the hired help had been parked just outside the kitchen in the back. These items were being offloaded by the men and woman who would be working in the kitchen and on the grounds. The maids would not be brought in until everyone else had been settled as a floor of rooms had not yet been designated for the staff (not counting the low bunk house built onto the kitchen that would house the kitchen staff of eight men and woman and two goblins) the latter hired at the timid request of Harry when he learned they'd be moving out of the bank. Harry dearly loved goblin cooking and Trevor gladly accommodated the child knowing that the other goblins on staff would appreciate the gesture as well.
Harry was then lifted onto Glorthock's shoulders and given another tour of the house, as the floor plans had greatly changed after the magical constructors had finished their renovations and warding. The child was entranced with the changes as he twisted his head from side to side while Glorthock stoically carried him from room to room. At the end of the procession, made up of seven goblins and four humans, Harry was asked which room he'd like to call his own. The first place he chose was a cupboard under the stairs but Trevor asked him if it was really where he'd like to live or if it was where he thought he had to live. Harry thought that one out before shyly point straight up at the ceiling and saying he'd really rather live at he very top.
So the group trouped back up the stairs to the top floor where Harry still pointed up, indicating the access panel that led into the attic. Trevor merely raised an eyebrow and lowered the access panel while letting Glorthock take Harry up first. The attic was a single huge room with several dormer windows that faced both the front and the back of the house. It was also the only room that had not been magically altered to appear larger inside than outside. It was originally going to be set aside for storage space but Trevor figured there'd be plenty of other rooms that could be used for storage around the house or in the basement.
"May I please stay up here?" Harry asked with shining eyes.
"It will need some work, to make it livable but I don't see why not," Trevor acceded after a moment's consideration. "We'll also close off one side to make you a walk in closet for your clothes and a private bathroom. The rest of the room you can decorate as you wish."
Harry's smile was big and bright as he waved his little arms around and whooped in pure excitement. "Can we put in some more windows so it won't be so dark?"
"Yes, we can do that as well as add a few ceiling fans with lights and wall fixtures."
On the way back down to the lower levels, Trevor asked Leticia to help Harry pick out some furniture for his new room (using catalogs from various companies that they'd picked up prior to moving up from London) and decide on a color scheme. He also had a few of the hired hands move Harry's belongings up to one of the third floor rooms where Harry would stay until his room was finished being modified. Trevor then left Harry in the company of the goblins so he could set up his room and home office, which were both situated on the ground floor.
The guest rooms would be set up on the second floor, with the servant quarters occupying the third floor so there was a buffer level between Harry's room and any people staying at the house. The first floor would hold the rooms, offices, and classrooms for the tutors in addition to an informal dining room and an extensive library. On the ground floor, aside from Trevor's office and bedroom suite, there was the living room, a formal dining room, a large ballroom (for when Harry eventually began entertaining guests), the kitchen, a security office, and one empty room that would eventually be turned into a study or office for Harry when he was older. Down in the basement were the goblin quarters (as the goblins preferred the security of a layer of earth above their heads), armory, and several rooms that would be converted into storage now that the attic wasn't available.
While the rest of the household unpacked and settled into their rooms, Leticia and Harry sat on the couch down in the room they'd first used when they arrived and spread several catalogs on a small coffee table that had been set in the room while they were touring the house. One sported a collection of miniature carpet, rug, tile, and wood flooring samples, another wall paper and paneling, there were at least four different catalogs filled with thousands of pictures of bedroom and office furniture, while another contained swatches of lace, velvet, and linen curtains and the last few contained an assortment of lighting fixtures, sinks, faucets, and other hardware items. Some of these were obviously magical catalogs while others were ones from local Muggle shops.
They started with the basics; a magical deep green carpet that looked, felt, and moved like a grass lawn, ivory vertical blinds for all of the windows with matching lace curtains and pale green drapes that contrasted nicely with the carpet. The walls would be painted a soft ivory and the north wall, the side facing the front of the house, would be covered with magical wall paper covered with trees that had various creatures wandering through the magical forest. The south wall would have additional windows inserted, and so would be left with just a couple coats of paint.
On the east end, taking up approximately one fifth of the total space in the attic, a bathroom, closet, and magical lift would be built. The bathroom would be done in shades of browns and cream, while the closet would continue the forest theme from the bedroom area. The lift would be tucked beside the closet closest to the south, or back wall, and would only transport Harry from his room down to the basement where a similar lift would be installed. This would basically be his emergency exit in the event of an attack. The space over top of the closet and bathroom would eventually be converted into another storage room.
The pull down ladder and access panel in the floor situated roughly in the middle of the room would be replaced with a spiral staircase that would reach from the attic down to the basement and be accessed from each of the floors in between. The staircase would be hidden behind a wall and magically secured so that only Harry and a few select members of the household could use the staircase to enter. This would include Harry's personal bodyguards (Glorthock and the six younglings), the chief of security (who'd not yet been hired), his personal maids (two young ladies who'd just been recently hired), his valet (an older wizard that had been hired a few weeks back but wouldn't be starting until the following summer), Trevor, Klouse, Healer Weber, and Leticia. Other individuals would not be allowed admission into Harry's private rooms for the time being. Once he was older, and able to protect himself better, he'd be allowed to invite friends and guests up into his rooms but until then the access list would remain limited.
On the west end of the attic, a modified loft was to be built starting a good six feet off the floor, running the entire width of the room and taking up nearly a quarter of the floor space with the enclosed area beneath the loft set aside as a large hidden playroom. On the south third of the loft an additional three foot high platform bed was built to hold the queen sized mattress that Trevor had ordered for Harry. The three walls immediately surrounding the bed and the ceiling above it were charmed to mimic the sky outside and give the impression that the sleeper was laying outside under the sky with a curtain of thick velvet in pale green separated the sleeping area from the rest of the loft allowing for privacy. Harry had come up with the basic idea, he'd shyly expressed a desire to sleep out under the sky and up as high as he could get, and one of the security wizards with some artistic talent had drawn a rough sketch for the boy after rumors of Harry's wish had circulated the Compound.
In the other two thirds of the loft, a desk, four leather arm chairs, two book cases, and a couple of small coffee tables would be arranged as a small study area slash sitting room with an unrestricted view of the rest of the attic. The edge of the loft, not counting the enclosed portion where the bed would sit, would be edged with a sturdy, magically reinforced banister four feet high. A shallow set of stairs that started around the middle of the loft and stretched to the north end allowed for easy access to the loft. Under the stairs would be a small linen cupboard to hold extra sheets and blankets as well as the hidden door to the storage area beyond.
It took two weeks to modify the attic space, install the carpet, and put up the wall paper and curtains. Another couple of days were spent installing four large ceiling fans, their blades shaped like long leaves, down the center of the ceiling. The furniture arrived a week later and took a few good hours to maneuver into place up in the loft and that afternoon Harry moved into the loft with Trevor's help. His clothes were hung up in his closet, his books organized by age level on the bookshelves, and his treasure box tucked safely into a secret cubby he found above the pillows on his bed. Glorthock and the other goblins didn't care to spend much time up in the loft (they preferred the underground tunnels after all) but they didn't feel as uncomfortable in the large room after the transformation as it felt like they were in the middle of a clearing in a mystical forest. Harry had been deeply impressed that the witches and wizards on the staff had made his vision come alive so completely.
When asked if he'd like to have anything else brought into the attic, Harry would decline and say he preferred the open space, which consisted of just over half the original attic. Only those who'd been present on the day Harry had been removed from the Dursley's, and those who had visited the memories of that day, could fully understand why Harry enjoyed the wide open spaces and brightly lit room so much. The only link to Harry's past that was allowed into his new room was the hidden door nestled inside the small linen closet under the stairs that led to the newly created playroom and storage area beneath the loft. When Trevor asked why he wanted the door to his playroom inside the cupboard, Harry hesitantly replied that he'd always wished he'd had a secret room he could sneak away to back when he'd been locked in his cupboard for days on end.
AN: Lots of busy stuff going on… but they've finally moved out of the bank. Next chapter will have more action in it and more madness. Tomorrow's chapter will be posted on Wizard's World and chapter 15 for this story will be posted on Monday. Before I sneak off for the day I'd like to once again thank everyone whose has left a review (not counting flames) and thank everyone who has stuck with me through the rough first few chapters. I know lots of people have left questions and comments about Snape, Lucius, and Dumbledore not being taken to task about their manipulations but all I will say is that there is a method to my madness. =) Jenn