AN (Rowena): Welcome, Everyone, to a new story. This is a special one, cause it's actually a co-authored story with Aeonmaster Aeroza. We wrote this story in Discord RP, then polished it up in Google Docs before presenting it to you all here. Due to being co-authored, this fic will not have a steady update schedule, but rather will be as we get the chapters finished, so expect at least a month or so between updates.
This fic is also inspired by The New Wizarding World by GreatAxel on AO3, which has the same set up, but beyond the first two chapters, there shouldn't be too many similarities between the stories. Even so, I recommend you check it out for another HP/TF story.
Hope you all enjoy!
"Harriett Lilian Potter, the Wizengamot have found you guilty of the murder of Cedric Diggory by use of the Killing Curse. Normally, this verdict would be worthy of the Dementor's Kiss, but due to your age, we will be lenient. Therefore, you are hereby sentenced to life in Azkaban Prison."
The crack of a gavel was the final nail in the coffin of Harri's life in the Wizarding World.
The fourteen-year-old witch, dressed in the finest robes she had and with her long black hair pinned up, did now bow her head at her sentencing. Not did she let the tears of fury welling in her emerald eyes fall. Instead, she leveled a glare at the wizard who had the power to save her from this fate, but who had sat back and refused.
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and, as of only a couple of days ago, former Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, avoided her gaze, but it was not out of guilt or sadness. No, it was to try and hide the victorious twinkle, that he finally had his chance to get Harri back under his thumb. She was no Legilimens, but she was certain she knew what he was thinking. A few months among the dementors, with no Patronus to protect her, and all her happy memories devoured, she'd do anything to be free of it, and then Dumbledore would swoop in, offering her protection and parole, if only she would be his sacrificial lamb in the fight against Voldemort.
Well, she certainly wasn't going to let that happen, so as the Aurors came to free her from the defendant's chair, the chains slithering away like a pair of snakes, she stood tall and turned to Minister Cornelius Fudge.
"I request Execution by Veil."
This stunned almost everyone in the room, and gossip stirred among the members of the gallery. None more so than the old coot, whose twinkle was replaced with clear shock. To request Execution by Veil, such a thing hadn't been heard of in living memory. The news reporters were certain they'd have to run extra printings, to ensure the whole Wizarding World heard the news.
Fudge sputtered for a moment, allowing Undersecretary Delores Umbridge the opportunity to answer Harri instead.
"You can not just change the sentence the Wizengamot has placed on you, Miss Potter."
"On the contrary, Undersecretary. Section 21, subsection 6, line 4 of the Wizengamot Charter: 'Any accused who plead "not guilty" and are sentenced to Life in Azkaban or to the Dementor's Kiss may petition for Execution by Veil, and shall be granted it unless the crime exceeds the value of one life.' As well, subsection 6, line 15 states that 'all parties found guilty may be granted forty-eight hours to settle their affairs under the escort of a guard, if they have not done so before their trial'. As I was brought before this esteemed body with no warning, I have not settled my affairs as Heir to the House of Potter."
Various Wizengamot members looked to Fudge, reminding him of the fact that to deny the rights of an Heir to a House, even a diminished one as House Potter, would set a precedent that could very well result in someone requesting his removal from office.
"Very well. Auror Shacklebolt, Auror Dawlish, and Auror Tonks will trade off on escorting Miss Potter as she settles her affairs. We will meet in two days' time in the Death Chamber of the Department of Mysteries to witness the Execution. Court adjourned."
The gavel cracked again, and Harri couldn't resist a small triumphant smirk as she looked to Dumbledore again, which she was sure the reporters would catch. His eyes now held a hidden fury, which increased as Harri turned away from him to focus on Kingsley Shacklebolt, who approached her to place a set of magic suppressing cuffs on her wrists.
"I'm sorry, Harri," he whispered as the cuffs clicked together, the seams disappearing into a solid circle of rune-carved metal. They were snug around the fingerless gloves she wore, but that meant they wouldn't chafe her skin like they otherwise would have.
"I know," she whispered back, flexing her fingers. With the cuffs on, she would be unable to use wanded magics and most wandless magic, as well as anti-Apparition and anti-portkey and thus they were perfect for letting her roam about the Wizarding World. Of course, the Ministry didn't know she had two magics the cuffs couldn't suppress.
Once the cuffs were secure, Shacklebolt and Dawlish escorted Harri out of the courtroom, where they were met by the Weasley family, minus their eldest three sons, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Remus Lupin with the dog known as Padfoot at his heel. All had been in the gallery watching, and the moment Harri announced her request, they had moved to be the first out the doors, forming a ring to shield Harri from the reporters who were trying to swoop down on them.
"Oh, Harri!" Molly Weasley cried, squishing the girl in a tight hug. "They can't do this! They can't!"
"They can, Molly, and there's nothing we can do to change it," Arthur Weasley said, drawing his wife away so Harri could get a breath of air before being squashed again by Hermione, Ginny, and Luna. "All we can do is make the most of the time we have left with each other."
"And I fully intend to-" Harri started to say, only for Dumbledore to approach them.
"Harriett, my dear," the man said, sliding on his kindly grandfather mask. "Isn't that judgement on your part rather extreme? Why don't you come with me, and maybe we can discuss an alternative with the Minister."
The whole group around Harri glared, though Dawlish's case was at the utter lack of regard for the justice system Dumbledore was showing. Harri didn't miss a beat in her response.
"Thank you, Headmaster, but I am content with my choice. Or at least, I will be once I have settled my affairs to ensure my loved ones are taken care of after I move on to the next great adventure. Good day to you, I'm certain I'll see you in the Chamber."
And with that, she turned on her heel and strutted down the hall with her head high, looking for all the world like she was a Lady leaving a productive legislative session and not an escorted convict living on borrowed time. The Aurors had to pick up their pace to match hers, with Weasleys, Hermione, Neville, and Luna following behind. Remus and Padfoot remained a moment, to growl at the headmaster, before catching up.
"Where do you need to go first, Miss Potter?" Shacklebolt asked as they entered the elevator to the Atrium (the majority of the Weasleys having to take a second car while Remus, Padfoot, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Ron, and Ginny joined hers).
"Gringotts bank," Harri said.
They took the floo to the Leaky Cauldron, then walked through Diagon Alley to the wizarding bank. Inside, Harri approached a teller, offering him a head nod without lowering her eyes from his face. "May your vaults be impenetrable, Sir Griphook."
Griphook nodded back, his gaze meeting hers. "And may the works of your hands bring you acclaim. What can Gringotts do for you today, Miss Potter."
"I wish to discuss the affairs of my estate with my account manager," Harri said, presenting both her vault key and, for a split second, the ring that was usually hidden on her finger.
Griphook took the key, placed a sign on his desk stating it was closed and hopped down. "Allow me to escort you, Miss Potter. You may invite any who you need to involve in these affairs, but your Auror guard must remain here."
"What? You can't be serious!" Dawlish exclaimed, causing Shacklebolt to place his hand on his arm.
"Calm down, Dawlish. The goblins are well within their rights to request this, as these are Miss Potter's private affairs, and they won't try to help her escape, lest they want the Ministry coming down on them."
"Indeed. You should listen to your colleague," Griphook commented. "This way, Miss Potter."
It had already been discussed who would join Harri, so while Molly, Arthur, Fred, and George left for Grimmauld Place, and the Aurors waited in the lobby, the rest of the group were led to the bank offices.
However, instead of going to the office of Barchoke, the Potter Account Manager, they were led deeper into the office of Ragnok, Gringotts Director and the Goblin King.
Inside the lavish office, Padfoot transformed back to Sirius, and he and Harri sat in chairs before the desk, while the others sat on some couches in a sitting area, with a tea set already set up.
Shortly after they sat down, a door at the back of the room had its nameplate change from "Do Not Disturb" to "Opening", and out came Ragnok.
He wore a suit, much like the goblins out front, but his black and gold suit was the goblin equivalent of Armani, and in addition he had decorative armor pieces, a set of golden pauldrons, bracers, and grieves, set with diamonds, as well as rings on his fingers and a diamond tie pin on his black tie. His face showed the armor was not simply for show, with several scars running across his face, including one that blinded his right eye, and while the smile he offered Harri and Sirius as they stood to greet him was friendly, there was an unavoidable sharp edge to it.
"Heir Potter, Lord Black, welcome back to Gringotts."
"Thank you for having us, King Ragnok," Sirius said. "May your vaults be ever impenetrable."
"And may the works of your hands bring you great acclaim." Ragnok chuckled, moving to sit in his chair. "Though perhaps it will be the work of many hands that bring you your biggest acclaims. I am already aware of the results of your trial, and so I know what you seek to fulfill here today. Firstly though-" He pulled a key out of the desk and motioned for Harri to hold her arms out as she and Sirius sat. He touched it to Harri's cuffs, causing them to loosen and Harri's magic flooded back to her. "Only a temporary release, but it will be enough for our purposes."
"Thank you," Harri said, smiling slightly as she rubbed at her wrists.
Sirius smiled as well, before becoming serious (pun un intended) as he looked back to Ragnok."We wish to activate Operation: Get Out, Plan C."
Ragnok nodded and tapped a stone ball on a metal place, which summoned Griphook back into the room. "Griphook, fetch the Potter and Black Ringboxes, so we may get the final formalities out of the way."
"Yes, your majesty." Griphook left, and Ragnok offered tea to Sirius and Harri, pouring it himself, which was a great honor. When they had finished their cups, Griphook returned with two lacquered boxes.
One was black ebony with the Black crest and silver fastenings, the other mahogany with the Potter crest and bronze. The former was placed before Sirius, the latter before Harri, and they opened them together.
Inside each box was an upper portion that could hold three things, and a semi-hidden compartment that held up to two dozen other rings, but they were not as important as the three in the top.
Harri waved her hand and the ring she had flashed Griphook became fully visible, a bronze ring with the Potter Crest embossed on it. She pulled at it and it separated into two rings, the new one showing the Black crest. She placed the Potter Heir ring in its place and pulled the Potter Lordship - or in her case, Ladyship - ring from its place, gold with ruby and topaz.
With little ceremony, she slipped it onto her finger, and held in a shudder as it felt like lightning started shooting up her arm and through her body, but not in a painful way, as she gained full access to the Potter Family Magicks, that of the Storm.
She smiled as the magic settled in her. It was a bit harder to reach it with the cuffs, but she would be able to draw on it at will, should she wish. The only issue would be learning to control it properly, but she'd work on that. The Ladyship ring merged with the Black Heir ring, so she could show either depending on what capacity she needed to act in.
In the Black Ringbox, there was only one ring left, the silver Consort ring. Sirius waved his hand to reveal his Lordship ring, then he picked up the Consort ring. He got up and walked over to Remus, dropping to one knee in front of the other man. "I'd hoped to do this much more romantically, but I don't know if I'll have another chance to make a proper marriage bond."
Remus was breathless for a long moment, looking from the ring to Sirius's face. "A-Are you serious?"
"Of course I'm Sirius, think anyone else would be giving you this ring?" Sirius grinned before clutching Remus's hand in his free one. "Moony, I have no interest in marrying some pretty witch for the sake of carrying on the Black family name. I love you, Remus John Lupin, and I don't care two knuts about what anyone outside this room thinks. Harri can inherit the Black Magicks, or who knows, maybe we'll adopt a child in our new world and they'll get them. Please, marry me, Moony, please."
Remus stared a few moments longer, then with tears in his eyes, he grabbed Sirius's shirt and pulled him up for a passionate kiss. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you, Sirius."
Sirius started crying as well, and the girls of the group were not far behind, while Nevile and Ron were both shifting awkwardly but smiling, happy for the two men.
"If you would wish to do it properly, I am licensed to marry couples," Ragnok said with a toothy grin. "Of course, I mainly do goblin weddings, but a wizard one is not too complicated if we skip the speeches."
"We would be honored!" Sirius stood, pulled Remus to his feet, and picked a doily off the sitting area table to drape over Remus's head like a veil. Remus laughed and conjured a bowtie for Sirius, Ron, and Neville, and bouquets for the girls.
"Come on, everyone. Let's not waste any time," he said, and they all got up from their seats, Sirius and Remus standing in front of Ragnok with Harri, Hermione, and Neville on Sirius's side, Ron, Ginny, and Luna on Remus's.
"We are here for the wedding of Lord Sirius Orion Black of House Black, and Remus John Lupin," Ragnok said. "Does anyone here object to this marriage? No? Good." They all chuckled at that. "Remus, do you take this man as your husband?"
"Yes."
"Sirius, do you take this man as your husband and consort?"
"Absolutely yes!" They all chuckled again at Sirius's enthusiasm.
"Then place the consort ring on Remus's finger." Sirius did, and Ragnok continued. "By the powers vest in me by the Goblin Nation and the British Ministry of Magic, I now pronounce you husband and consort. You may kiss the-" Ragnok didn't get to finish as the two leaned in to kiss. For a moment, the two had a golden aura around their frames, which faded quickly, and Harry, Sirius, and Remus could feel the Black Family Magicks accept Remus, a sensation of cold water in the veins, as light sparkles of blue-black seemed to fill the air around them for a moment.
Ragnok let them celebrate a moment longer, then cleared his throat to get their attention. "Now then, there was one other detail regarding inheritances that needs dealt with." He went back to his desk and pulled out a small chest, drawing from within an old parchment scroll and a silver athame. "Lady Potter, you will recall your inheritance test revealed you are in fact a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, through the line of his eldest son's daughter. As well, you have since defeated Tom Riddle, the only other known descendant, three times. This opens up an interesting option for us."
"What do you mean?" Harri asked, approaching and looking at the parchment. It described two rituals, but Ragnok spoke before she could take a closer look.
"This is a fact forgotten by most these days, but if the Lord, Lady or Heir of a family is defeated in combat three times by another member of the family, then the victorious family member can petition for headship. This is almost never used anymore, as most families are stringent about their lineages, and the Family Magicks are intuitive enough to discern a friendly spar from a challenge or fight to the death. But as there are only the two of you, and Mr. Riddle has never officially claimed his lordship…"
"You can become Lady Slytherin, and claim any vaults and properties relating to it!" Hermione exclaimed.
"What's more, as the Head of the Family, Harri could cast someone out of the Family if she so wished," Sirius said. "Meaning Voldemort loses a large portion of his power."
"Really?" Harri asked, turning to look at her godfather. As much as she would be glad to escape Voldemort's crosshairs with their plan, she had been pushing back the guilt that he would still be around to terrorize Wizarding Britain. If she could take away some of his power… "How do I claim the headship?"
"The exact ritual is on the parchment, as is the disownment. The only tool required is this." He gestured to the athame.
Harri read over the parchment, then picked up the blade. "I, Harriett Lillian Potter, claim Ladyship of House Slytherin, by Right of Blood from my ancestor Moira Slytherin, and Right of Conquest from my victories over Tom Marvolo Riddle, the self-claimed Heir of Slytherin." She cut her hand and the blood dripped onto the parchment.
The blood seemed to be absorbed by the Slytherin crest, which glowed with a greenish-silver magic that felt like the smooth cool scales of a serpent. A glow that extended over Harri's hand, where it mingled with a grey-purple that felt like electricity and a thin ribbon of water cool blue-black, the Potter and Black Magicks feeling out and accepting the new Slytherin Magicks. After a long minute, the glow died, and from out of the parchment came a ring with the Slytherin crest on it. She slid it onto her finger, and it pressed against the Potter ring for a moment before disappearing. The two rings were now one, the Potter crest the default, but it would switch to the Slytherin or Black crests if she needed to act in the capacity of her rank in those Families. When the time came for her to pass the rings on, they would unmerge and she would give them to her Heirs.
Ragnok took the athame and scroll and placed them in a box, then pulled out a new scroll from his desk. "Now, shall we go over the final details of Operation: Get Out, Plan C?"
"Of course," Sirius said, returning to his seat at the desk.
Once he was seated, Ragnok started reading the scroll. "Operation: Get Out, Plan C, is a plan of action to be implemented in the event of Harriett Lilian Potter and Sirius Orion Black finding themselves in need of fleeing through the Veil of Death to a new world and new life. This plan is to be implemented by Gringotts Bank, under the direction of King Ragnok, Account Managers Barchoke and Nylas, and Bank Teller Griphook. The plan will involve the emptying of the Black and Potter Vaults, as well as all Black and Potter properties, excepting No 12 Grimmauld Place, to be accomplished via time-turner. All objects holding dark curses are to be separated for cleansing or destruction. As well, Gringotts is asked to print equal amounts of legal tender, in the form of currencies such as British pound sterling, American dollars, Chinese renminbi, and European euros, for a total equivalent of four million galleons. The remaining monies and properties are to be divided out in accordance to Lady Potter's and Lord Black's wills. Gringotts's payment for this service rendered is the return of all goblin made items from the properties and vaults, as well as all cleansed dark and cursed objects. Some exceptions can be made, with negotiation of price handled as they come up." Ragnok looked to Sirius and Harri. "Is what I have read off correct?"
"Yes." "Yes." The pair answered.
Ragnok placed the scroll on the desk in front of them and slid over a quill and a wax seal apparatus. "Sign and seal your crests on the designated lines." They did so, and Ragnok did the same on the remaining line, and the contract glowed golden. "The contract is sealed, may a curse fall on those who fail to hold their end."
"May a curse fall on those who fail to hold up their end," Harri and Sirius intoned. There was no actual curse on the document, but it was tradition and it marked the seriousness of the contract.
Ragnok tapped his ball and plate again, and Griphook, Barchoke and Nylas, the Black account manager, entered the office.
"'Operation: Get Out, Plan C' is in effect. Mobilize your teams."
"Yes, your majesty," the goblins said, bowing and leaving the room quickly. A moment after the door shut behind them, the door at the back of Ragnok's office opened and Griphook stepped out, only instead of his suit, he was in a plain white shirt, brown trousers and black boots, with some leather armor pieces over it.
"We are ready for them, your majesty," he said.
Ragnok stood and motioned for the witches and wizards to follow him and Griphook through the door. When they got close, they could see the nameplate on the door changed from "Unoccupied" to "Time Room", and inside, they found several goblins adding the last of a multitude of chests and trunks, each labeled with either the Potter or Black crests, and with a piece of colored parchment attached to them.
"The white parchment is currency, divided into their denominations," Griphook explained. "Brown is furniture, blue is housewares, red is books, pink is jewelry, grey are potions ingredients and magic tools, and green are trunks of living things."
"Living things?" Ron asked.
"Yes, one of the Potter properties held a series of greenhouses holding a multitude of magical plants, while a Black property was a magical reserve. As our teams were instructed, we collected them for Lord Black and Lady Potter to decide what to do with them."
Harri and Sirius shared looks, and headed for the green marked trunks with Neville, while Remus directed the others to start looking over the other trunks. Hermione and Remus went to the furniture, Ginny and Ron to the housewares, and then Luna to the jewelry. Luckily, the lists would project an image of the item when tapped with a wand, so they were able to look through without having to pull everything out.
After a bit of discussing, Harri and Sirius decided that they would take three breeding pairs of each species of animal with them, while the rest would be returned to the Black reserve, which would be gifted to the Tonks and with most of the rest of the Black estate, as Sirius's sole remaining , they kept several specimens of the plants, while the rest would be returned to the greenhouses, which Harri was intending to gift directly to Professor Sprout.
They were rather surprised that some of the creatures from the reserve included dragons, but these were much more docile, tame and intelligent than most Harri had seen or heard of. The exception in intelligence (though not docility) was the Hungarian Horntail from the Triwizard Tournament, which had managed to evade capture after the First Task.
Just after that was sorted out and the goblins transferred the plants and animals into "going" and "staying" categories (the "staying" ones being quickly sent back to the greenhouses and reserves), Luna called out, "Harri! I think you should see this."
Harri and Sirius headed to Luna, who tapped her wand to the parchment and the image of a necklace appeared. It was a pendant, silver antlers with red and green enamel lilies and vines draped on them. The antlers were mounted on a heart-shaped diamond the size of a marble, and Sirius nearly choked.
"What is it, Sirius?" Harri asked.
"You- Your father had that commissioned for his and your mother's first wedding anniversary," Sirius explained, tears welling in his eyes. "It was not that long before they found out they were having you. Lily almost never took it off; I thought she'd been buried in it."
"Lady Lily's will had stipulated it be placed in the vault for when Lady Potter turned fifteen," Barchoke said. "We were able to grant that request before Dumbledore sealed the Will."
Harri's own eyes started to water. In front of her was a symbol of her parents' love for each other, one she'd probably seen every day until that Halloween. "Can I…?"
"Of course." Barchoke tapped the list twice with a claw, and the trunk opened and a jewelry box flew out. He caught it and passed it to Harri. "It is not Goblin Silver, so no need to negotiate for it."
Harri smiled and took the necklace out of the box. In person, she could see little runes etched into the back, mainly of protection. They were dark, blown out most likely when the Killing Curse was used, but she could swear there was still a bit of warmth in it.
Sirius gave a watery smile and reached for it. "Here. I don't think they'd mind if you put it on a few weeks early."
Harri handed it to him and he put it around her neck, the pendant hanging just on her sternum. Harri touched it, then took a hanky from Sirius so the two could wipe their eyes and continue with their sorting.
After four hours, they managed to sort out what they were going to take, as well as what would be going to others. They picked enough furniture and housewares to fill two houses the size of Grimmauld Place, and everyone (even Ron, begrudgingly) picked out a few pieces of jewelry they liked, while the rest was left to the estates. The books were requested to be duplicated when possible, and the ones that could not be were quickly looked through, with them deciding to take ninety percent of them.
There was only one object that required negotiation. Harri had found a bracelet in one of the Potter trunks and decided to pull it out for a closer look. It wrapped around the wrist twice, a dragon skull at one end and a spade tail at the other. However, when she touched the head, it suddenly turned into a sword in her hand. It was a hand-and-a-half sword, with the dragon skull for a pommel and emeralds in the hilt, which was wrapped in black leather. The blade was slimmer than one would expect, and while she had only held Gryffindor's Sword the once, when she was twelve, she could still tell that this blade was much more suited for her hand.
"What is this?" she asked, looking to the goblins.
"Ah, that is something not supposed to be in there," Ragnok said. "That is a Goblin blade, Dracablod. It was crafted for the Peverell family nearly a thousand years ago. Since Gringotts founding, we have attempted to recover it, but every time we succeed, it somehow ends up back in the Potter vaults."
"How could a sword do that?" Ginny asked.
"Maybe a spell, like how Gryffindor's Sword can be pulled out of the Sorting Hat by a true Gryffindor," Hermione suggested.
Harri looked down at the blade. It was a sword, something she had no idea on how to use, and there was a chance it would just be useless decoration in their new world, and yet… "I would like to negotiate for Dracablod," she said, meeting Ragnok's eyes.
"And what would Lady Potter offer the Goblin Nation for the work of one of our ancient masters?" Ragnok asked, folding his hands together.
"What would you consider the worth of the blade?"
"Well, considering the age of the weapon, and the obviously powerful enchantments on it, we would say twenty-five percent of your estate would cover it."
"Twenty-five!" A full quarter of the Potter wealth, for one blade? Even for a Goblin Blade, that was too much, especially since that would all come from the vaults. "I'll offer ten percent. I do have beneficiaries to take care of."
"Ten! If we did not know you as well as we do, we would say you were trying to cheat us." Ragnok paused a moment. "Fifteen percent. That is the lowest we shall go."
Harri considered it a moment, and countered, "Fifteen, and that percent must include one of the highest-valued properties in the estate."
Ragnok smiled. "We are agreed. Let's formalize the contract in my office, Lady Potter."
Harri followed him into the office, after gripping the pommel of the sword and turning it back into a bracelet, though she couldn't help but think she had played into Ragnok's hands in that negotiation.
When they were done with the sorting, the trunks the travelers they were taking were shrunk and placed in two bags with Undetectable Extension Charms on them. They left the "Time Room" for the office, and the door's nameplate changed again, to the "Ritual Chamber". It now opened to a bare stone chamber, aside from an intricate ritual circle carved in the floor, and a plinth with a crystal in it in the center.
"Here, you can perform the disownment ritual," Ragnok said, holding the silver athame to Harri again. "Most often, these are done in the Family Ritual Chamber, but Slytherin has not had one in several centuries, so you will have to use ours."
Harri nodded and took the blade. She had read on the scroll the Slytherin Family Disownment Ritual, and it was fairly simple, but had the warning that if the reason for the casting out was petty, it would backfire on the Head's magic.
She held the athame in her left hand and cut her right, placing it on the crystal. "I, Harriett Lilian Potter-Slytherin, hereby cast out Tom Marvolo Riddle from the Slytherin Family. His crimes include false claiming of Heirship, false claiming and self-stylizing of Lordship, the thrice attempted murder of another Family member, and the stealing of a Family members blood for a dark ritual. May the Family Magicks judge his crimes and punish him accordingly. So mote it be."
The silver and green Slytherin Magicks started to shine inside the crystal, faint but visible. After a long moment, the Magicks flared, and more light filled the crystal, until it was shining almost as brightly as a small star. Then the Magicks left the crystal and entered Harri, the serpent scale feeling rushing through her body with such a rush, she was certain the only reason she wasn't rocked off her feet was because her hand was stuck fast to the crystal.
When the last light left the crystal, she felt one last brush of scale on the palm of her hand before she was released, and looking, the cut she'd made was a very thin silver scar.
"It is done," Ragnok said, with a grin that was evil even for a goblin. "I am looking forward to see how Riddle and his Death Eaters react to this in the next few days."
"Will he come after you?" Neville asked?
"HA!" Ragnok barked a sharp laugh. "By the time he does, we will be more than ready for him, trust me, Lord Longbottom."
With that, their Gringotts business was completed, and after Sirius turned back to Padfoot and Harri's cuffs were reactivated, Ragnok himself walked Harri and her companions to the lobby. In full view of Kingsly, Dawlish and all other patrons of the bank, he clasped Harri's arm in farewell, with a sharp smile. "Farewell, Harriett Potter. Gringotts will miss your patronage and your friendship."
Harriett smiled back just as sharply. "As I will miss your service and friendship, King Ragnok. May your vaults be impenetrable, the works of your hands bring you a great acclaim, and may all who would oppose you feel your power, and not survive to make a second attempt."
"The same to yourself, Lady Potter." They released, and then Ragnok left to return to his office, while Harri headed for the front door, Kingsley and Dawlish taking a moment to catch up, so caught off guard they were by the scene.
With the Auror guard escorting, Harri and her companions went shopping for things they would take with them. Most of it, they purchased from muggle London, using Hermione's money. Harri had tried to insist otherwise, but Hermione reminded her that she wouldn't need it any more, as she would be following her through the Veil, and her parents wouldn't miss it as the Doctors Granger had unfortunately passed in a motor accident shortly after the new year. What they didn't spend that day, Hermione would withdraw from the bank the next day and close out her accounts. Her childhood home was already cleared out, the contents tucked into one of the trunks, and the dentistry was already sold, so she had no other ties to sever with this world, magical or muggle.
As they shopped, grabbing groceries and supplies in case they needed to camp out for a while, or just things that they wanted to bring along, Harri's thoughts turned to her other friends. Ron and Ginny, she would privately admit, were the two who surprised her most in their wish to go with her. When they first learned from one of Percy Weasley (who used his position and publicly estranged family relationship to pass info from the Minister's office to them) that the trial would be rigged, and they made the arrangements for Get Out: Plan C, the pair had insisted on being able to come.
Molly, of course tried to forbid it, but the two had managed to argue her down in an epic fight that lasted almost a whole night.
Harri herself had tried to argue for them to stay with their family, but Ron just reminded her they were best friends, and he wouldn't leave her side, while Ginny added to that with a reminder of the life debt she owed Harri for the Chamber, which had not been fulfilled yet.
Neville asking to go with her had been a surprise as well, but his reasons quickly swayed her on the matter. Said reasons being that there was nothing for him to gain in this world. His grandmother, for all he knew she loved him, was so domineering and still trying to turn him into a smaller version of his father, and having held the reigns of the Longbottom family for so long, he knew it'd be a struggle to wrestle them away from her when he came of age. With his parents forever trapped in their minds, and no real friends aside from their group, he decided he would rather see what the new world had in store for him.
Luna was the first to say she was going, and the one Harri most expected. The fey (in more ways than one) girl was almost a reflection of Harri before she had discovered magic, alone and bullied, which had connected the two when they first met. Then her father disappeared when he went on an expedition, and was never found, so the family business of the Quibbler went out of business, and she had nothing left tying her to the magical world except her wardship to the Weasleys. She'd already packed up her home over the Easter holiday, and would be bringing those things with her.
Before they left to go back to Grimmauld Place, where Tonks would take over guard duty of Harri, they arranged to rent the backroom of the Leaky from Tom for the next day, as well as sent out several owls from the post office.
After a rather sleepless night, Harri and friends arrived at the Leaky Cauldron at nine in the morning, shortly followed by most of Harri's yearmates (none of the Slytherins, but all the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, as well as Susan, Hannah and Justin of Hufflepuff) and the Gryffindor Quidditch team, even Oliver taking a day off from his Quidditch training to see her. They had a somber breakfast party as they said their goodbyes, and at the end of it, Harri gifted each person who came a small bag of galleons and, to the muggleborns, a stack of pound notes. Each came with a note saying "for the times ahead." Harri hoped the smart ones would use it to protect themselves or their families.
After that, the group split up, the Weasleys to spend a last day together (including Bill, recently returned to England, and Charlie, who got an emergency portkey the night before), Hermione went to handle closing her accounts, and Luna asked Remus to appearate her to Hogwarts, cause there was something she needed to collect from there. This left Harri and Padfoot alone aside from her guard (Dawlish, right now), but they did not wish to return to Grimmauld Place, so instead they wandered Diagon Alley, one last time of window shopping, where the shopkeeps either regarded her with disdain or pity. The only one who truly didn't was Florean Fortescue, who offered Harri free sundaes for herself and Padfoot (and nothing for Dawlish), and in a low tone said he hoped she would find happiness beyond the Veil.
Harri sat on a bench outside the parlor to eat the sundae, and shortly after she sat down, a man sat on the other end.
He was wearing a typical pure-blood outfit, an open robe in black with gold and silver embroidery in what looked to Harri like runes running along the satin trim, over a silver high necked shirt with more gold embroidery, black trousers and black shoes. In hand, he had a black cane with a gold knob on the top, and very old fashioned golden glasses with blue tinted glass. His hair as almost entirely silver, save for a few strands of red.
He seemed content to just sit there, and Padfoot only gave him a cursory sniff before settling, so Harri was content to ignore him and finish her sundae. As such, she almost jumped and choked when the man spoke. "It's a rather peaceful day, isn't it?"
Harri coughed as the ice cream just avoided going down the wrong tube, and took a drink of water to settle her throat before the responded. "Ye-Yes, I guess. May I… help you with something?"
The man turned to her, and she almost gasped at the intensity of his blue eyes as they peeked over his glasses. "Oh, I'm just stopping by and checking on some personal business here in Britain, though if you would indulge an old man in some conversation, I would enjoy it."
"What sort of conversation?" Harri asked cautiously, with a glance at Dawlish, who was close and listening in.
"Whatever you feel comfortable with my dear. In fact…" He lifted his cane, and the sound around them muffled slightly, as if under an invisible bell jar. He must carry his wand in his cane like Lucius Malfoy did. Dawlish didn't seem to notice. "Now all he'll hear is an old man nattering away about his children and grandchildren. It will last as long as needed, I have many of those."
"How many?" Harri asked.
"Well, let's just say that I have thirteen children who all started their own families at a fairly young age and leave it at that," the man said, a twinkle in his eye that reminded her of Dumbledore. That in and of itself should have caused Harri to close off, but there was something about him… a comforting presence that held no edge to it, the way Dumbledore's grandfather routine had.
Almost before Harri knew it, she was spilling the whole story to the man, starting from the beginning of Voldemort targeting her family, through her childhood with the Dursleys, her first, second, third, and fourth years of Hogwarts, to the trial and it's verdict.
By the time she was done, the remains of her sundae had turned to soup, tears rolled down her cheeks, and Padfoot had hopped onto the bench so she could wrap her arms around him.
"My my," the old man said, offering her a handkerchief to wipe her eye and blow her nose. "I can understand why you would choose the Veil in these circumstances. You have had a hard life."
Harri couldn't help a derisive laugh after blowing her nose. "That's the understatement of the year. But once I go, I'll leave all of this behind me. I'll be able to start fresh and new and… and free." She closed her eyes a moment as she tried to imagine what that would be like.
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings," the old man said, and a rustle of cloth pulled Harri's attention back to him. He was standing, but when Harri tried to hand back the hanky, he shook his head. "Keep it, my dear, you have more need than I. And If I may, I'd like to give you something to carry when you leave. A... good luck charm, if you will."
Harri nodded and held out her hand as the old man pulled something out of his pocket.
Once she had it, he waved his cane to lift the anti-eavesdropping spell. "I'll be off now. May it be that when your battle is won, you will rise while your enemies will fall." He gave her a short bow, and walked away, with surprising speed for his age and the cane he carried.
Harri watched him a moment, then looked at what he gave her.
It was a silver charm, with a strange rune on one side, similar to the ones on his robes, and the imprint of some kind of mask on the other. She didn't know what it meant, but holding it gave her a sense of calm, and she decided she would carry it as the old man asked.
Padfoot then licked her face, and she laughed, petting his head and tucking the charm away, before the sound of a clearing throat brought her attention to the last person she expected to see - Draco Malfoy.
"Potter," he said tersely.
"Malfoy," she said back, just as curt, and Padfoot growled at him.
Malfoy recoiled slightly, but steeled himself and motioned to the seat the old man had just vacated. "May I?"
That was not what she was expecting, and she would later blame her emotional state after the confession for why she nodded agreement.
To say the silence that followed was awkward is like saying the Black Lake was cold. It stretched for several minutes, as Harri tried to finish her sundae soup (very glad that Ginny wasn't there to tease her over "picking up Ron's eating habits"), and Malfoy seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say.
"Potter…." he finally said. "Before you head out to your death, I would… No, I need to tell you something."
Harri set down her dish and looked at him. "And what is that?"
"I am sorry."
She blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. "What!?"
"I am sorry," he repeated. "What, you can't believe that purebloods like me would know how to apologize?"
"I can't believe that you want to apologize to me. You've hated me for the past four years."
"I don't hate you," Malfoy said, and were his cheeks pinking? "If I did, do you think I'd sneak away just to see you?"
"Sneak away?"
"Father ordered me to stay away from you. Said there was no point in trying to speak with a dead girl walking."
Harri couldn't help a small smirk at that, and Padfoot gave a soft chuff as she pet him. "Shows what he knows."
"What does that mean?" Malfoy asked.
"Lets just say he should look into the abilities of magical artifacts much more closely next time. That's how he screwed up in our second year." She looked at Malfoy again. "Has Voldemort finished punishing him for that yet?"
Malfoy's face went red and opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and breathed deeply through his nose. Once he calmed himself, he pulled a letter out of his pocket and held it out to her. "Take it."
Harri blinked, and Padfoot sniffed the letter. "What is it?" she asked.
"It's not cursed, if that's what you're thinking, Potter. Just- Take it already, and don't open it until you are alone."
She raised a brow, but took the letter, and looked down at it as Malfoy stood to leave. Her name, Harriet L. Potter, was written in his elegant script across the outside. It was the first time he'd ever used her first name.
"Malfoy," she said, stopping him only a step away from the bench. "I don't forgive you, but… thank you, for apologizing."
He looked back at her, and she was surprised to see his eyes were a touch wet, but he nodded curtly and slipped back into his Pureblood persona, strutting away just as Remus and Luna showed up with Hermione. They did one last round of the Alley, namely Flourish and Blotts for books Hermione was insistent would be needed, then they headed back to Grimmauld Place.
When they arrived, Molly informed them that dinner would be ready in a half-hour, so while taking the time to wash up, Harri pulled out Malfoy's letter and read it, though only after Sirius ran a half-dozen detection spells over it.
Potter,
I know that you possibly hate me still, as we rivaled for the last four years within Hogwarts, but I have an important message to give you at knowing of your demise very soon to the Veil of Death. I understand if the urge to destroy this very letter will satisfy you, but I ask you read this through at least once.
Despite my actions, over the years I have grown to respect you, and then from that respect, feelings. I fell for you, Harriett Potter.
I will not list the reasons why, for they make no difference now, and I have some pride left in me. These feelings first appeared in our third year, and for that year, I hid them well. Then when I confessed these feelings to my mother when I came home for the summer, my father overheard, and he forbid me to even consider acting on them. So instead, I exaggerated my disdain for you, in hope it would drown out those feelings. It did not work, and now it is too late to try and win you over.
I am sorry for all the times I've insulted and belittled you all, and I truly intend try to make some kind of amends to your old companions, in the hope your spirit may one day forgive me.
Sincerely,
Draco L. Malfoy
Harri had to sit down, the letter falling from her hands to the floor. Sirius picked it up, read it over, and tossed it in the air before casting a spell to turn it into confetti. Then he sat down next to Harri with an arm around her shoulder.
"Now you don't pay a single mind to that ferret. He's a prat, and a right coward, if this is what he calls a confession. And come tomorrow, you'll never have to see his ferrety face again."
Sirius's words got Harri's brain working again, and she smiled and leaned into his side. "Thanks, Sirius," she said.
"Any time, Stormcloud. Now, let's go down and have Molly's wonderful cooking." For the last time, was left unsaid, but still clearly heard.
That night, Molly had cooked up all of Harri's favorites, with the help of Dobby and Winky. When Harri walked into the kitchen, the house-elves wrapped themselves around Harri's legs and sobbed, until she knelt, then they latched around her neck. Harri let them cling, knowing the next day would hurt the pair very much. But she knew that the Weasleys would make sure the pair were taken care of.
Despite the elves' display, everyone did their best to keep the mood light and happy, so they would have a good memory to look back on, but underneath, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. After a dessert of the richest treacle tart Harri had ever had, everyone wished each other goodnight and headed to bed, Sirius curling up at the foot of Harri's bed as Padfoot.
She slept peacefully for a while, but then she started to toss and turn, so forcefully she actually knocked Padfoot off the bed, causing him to yelp and shift back into Sirius. He sprang up and grabbed her shoulders to wake her.
"Pup! Pup, wake up!" He shook her, his head snapping back as she suddenly sat up and clocked him in the jaw. But he ignored the pain and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she slowly started to climb to consciousness.
"S-Sirius?" she asked, blinking her emerald eyes at him.
"There you are, Stormcloud," Sirius said, a soft smile on his face. "You were tossing and turning like a whirling dervish. A nightmare?"
Harri shook her head. "N-No. At least I don't think so." She tried to grasp at the images of her dream, but they faded far too quickly. All she had were a few fleeting stills; a large cube in a bright cavern, a snarling metal monster, blonde and black hair fanned across a picnic blanket. But in a blink, they faded from her mind too. She looked up at Sirius again, and noticed the red mark on his jaw. She instinctively hunched down, ducking her head. "I'm sorry!"
"It's alright, stormcloud," Sirius reassured her. "Trust me, I've gotten much worse when waking your parents or Remus from a nightmare." A quick Tempus charm showed the time. 2:00 AM "It's still early, would you like to try and get some more sleep?"
Harri was still a little shaken and shook her head no, not even glancing up at him. Sirius sighed, and then had a thought. "Kreacher."
The old house-elf appeared with a crack, and gave a narrowed glare at Sirius. "What can Kreacher do for milord?" he drawled.
"Fetch a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey and two glasses, quickly," Sirius ordered.
Kreacher just barely dipped into a bow before disappearing. He reappeared a few minutes later, just as Harri was starting to uncurl herself, the bottle and glasses on a tray. When Sirius took the tray, he disappeared before a thank you could be uttered.
"Little cretin," Sirius muttered, before pouring out three fingers of whiskey into the glasses and handed one to Harri. "Here."
Harri looked from the glass to him. "Sirius, I'm fourteen."
"Your dad and I broke into your grandfather's liquor cabinet when we were thirteen," he said with a smirk that faded to a soft smile. "And everyone needs to toast three fingers of "Fuck you" to the world sometimes. Your parents and I would do it, at tough times in the war."
Harri smiled at that small information about her parents and took it. Then a bit of mischief crossed her mind, and she smiled a bit more. "Should we yell loud enough to wake the house?"
Sirius barked a laugh. "Just like your old man. Alright then."
He held up his fingers for a silent count down from three, then the pair shouted "FUCK YOU, WIZARDING WORLD!" at the top of their lungs and downed the shots. There was a clatter around them, and Sirius barely had time to hide the bottle and glasses in the extended pocket of his robes before Remus, Molly and Hermione burst through the door, the other Weasleys and Tonks poking their heads in behind them. The scene was so comically, the godfather and goddaughter clutched their bellies in laughter. It was very much worth the scolding they got from Molly and Hermione, but when everyone left and Harri fell back asleep fifteen minutes later, she was able to slip into a peaceful, dreamless one.
In a stark contrast to the night before, the morning was a grim and quiet one in Grimmauld Place. Everyone only ate half-portions of the oatmeal and fruit Molly had prepared, and afterwards the time was spent making sure all the trunks were stowed in the proper bags, and some last minute items added, like a copy of Molly's family cookbook she gifted to her children.
Percy left right after breakfast, and shortly after Ted and Andromeda Tonks arrived. Sirius had a long conversation with his cousin's family, informing them that they were his heirs, and he'd restored Andromeda to the Family Tree. When the clock struck eleven, everyone gathered in the living room for a round of tearful hugs and kisses and goodbyes, for there wouldn't be time for it once they entered the Death Chamber. Harri lost count of how many kisses Molly had pressed to her head or tears had been shed in her hair, before they all ended up in a giant group hug, Harri and her friends in the center. There was so much love in that hug, Harri almost wished she could stay like that forever.
But that was not an option, so at eleven twenty, they all stepped back and cleaned themselves up, before taking a pair of cars to the Ministry.
When they arrived, the entire atrium was packed with witches and wizards, several of whom didn't even work for the Ministry. Kingsley, Dawlish and Tonks quickly established a corridor to the elevators, and Harri held her head high as she walked down. As it had been when they last were there, Harri and her guards shared a car with Padfoot, Remus, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Ron, and Ginny, while the rest of the Weasleys and the Tonks took the next one. They went down to Level Nine, then past the courtrooms to the stairs to Level Ten and the Department of Mysteries.
When they reached the Death Chamber, the stands were as full as Courtroom Ten had been just two days prior. Looking around, Harri could spot the Malfoys, Lucius with a triumphant smirk, Draco and Narcissa with neutral expressions. Rita Skeeter, having been freed by Hermione after the trial's verdict, was already back at work, her acid green quill ready to sensationalize the events even more than they already were. Cho Chang was in a row with what looked like her parents and a friend, staring down with so many emotions Harri couldn't read them all. Colin Creevy had somehow found his way in there, and for once, he had no camera with him.
The Weasleys, minus Ron and Ginny, shuffled to find seats, while Harri and her aurors led the travelers down to the chamber floor. Minister Fudge, Percy, and Umbridge were there on one side, with Amelia Bones and some more of her aurors on the other.
"What is this?" Umbridge asked, looking over the group. "Only Potter is to come down to the floor."
"They're all coming with me," Harri said. "They all agree the chance of death is better than remaining here under your corrupt rule and with Voldemort running free."
The toad-like witch looked about to argue the point, and Sirius chose that moment to transform, taking the attention off Harri as several witches and wizards in the stands screamed at his appearance.
"SHUT UP!" he shouted, his voice carrying over the cries of the crowd even without a Soronus. It had a particular effect on Fudge, who'd been stammering for Bones to arrest the wanted man. "I'm going through the Veil too. I'm not letting my goddaughter go alone, and you all think I'm guilty anyway, so I don't see what you're fussing about!" He placed a hand on Harri's shoulder and they walked up to the dias, the others right behind them.
After a moment of gaping, Fudge collected himself and used a Soronus on his voice, to be heard in all corners of the chamber. "Miss Potter, as a bequest of your own words and judgement, you have requested Death via The Veil. "We have given you the required forty-eight hours for you to settle your affairs, but tradition dictates we ask if you have one last request before your sentence is carried out."
Harri looked out over the crowd of people. "My last request is for Albus Dumbledore to come here, so I may give him a message."
Albus was surprised but quickly made his way over to the dias. "What is it you wish to say, Harri?"
Harri didn't respond verbally at first. Instead, she hauled back and punched Dumbledore right in his crooked nose, breaking it for the second time, and swiftly followed it with a kick at his crotch. Dumbledore fell back, hitting the ground hard, and clutched at his injuries.
"My message is that you and Voldemort can fuck off and kill each other, because I am done being a doll for you to manipulate. A real man doesn't ask a child to fight his battles."
She then turned away, and extended her hands to Sirius on one side, Remus on the other. The rest of the traveling party joined hands as well, lacing fingers for a tight lock. And with no looking back, Harri Potter leapt through the Veil, leaving the Wizarding World behind, to gape at the fact their disavowed Savior had truly been innocent.
In quick succession the rest followed, Sirius and Remus, Hermione and Ron, Neville and Luna, and finally Ginny, who couldn't resist giving the stunned crowd a two-finger salute before she disappeared.
Hidden in the uproar of the crowd at the officials in the center of the room, the old man Harri had met the day before smirked. He stood and walked out of the room completely unnoticed, and once in the Entrance Chamber, he disappeared in a flash of golden light.
Within the Veil, Harri was in awe. The space around her was a glowing swirl of particles and mists, that somehow was as cold as winter snow and yet warm as a summer sun at the same time. Aside from that, she could feel nothing else, and for a moment, she couldn't hear anything else either. Then she turned her head, and could see the others were still with her, glowing with their magic and leaving energetic light trails behind them. The coronas blended with each other as they touched, Ron and Ginny's bright orange-yellow blending with Luna's silver-white and Remus's brown-blue, Hermione's red-brown with Neville's dark green-brown and Sirius's blue-black, and Harri's own purple-blue-green in the middle of it all. Upon seeing them all, Harri couldn't help a joyful laugh, which was quickly echoed up and down the line.
There was a tugging on one of her pockets, and she gave a soundless gasp as he charm the old man had given her flew out and floated several feet in front of her. It passed through a cloud of silver mist, and suddenly released bolts of golden lightning, which struck their chests before they even had the chance to register it happening.
It didn't hurt. In fact, the bolts seemed to settle in their chests as a warm feeling, one Harri recognized as similar to the one she got when Molly hugged her. The charm hit another cloud, and this time the lightning streaked the other way, until it hit several clouds, which started to swirl together in a vortex of golden light and mist. Some swirls of other colors seemed to form words of some unknown language, but before they could be read, the traveler were already entering the vortex.
In reverse of how they had entered, Ginny was the first to exit, then Luna and Neville, Ron and Hermione, Remus and Sirius, and lastly Harri. Upon entering, her vision whited out, then faded to black… meaning she had no way of seeing the figure of silver and black entering behind her, an imprint of a being carrying a scythe seen for an instant in the vortex before it collapsed on itself.
Rowena: So that's chapter 1. Anyone who correctly guesses who the old man is gets kudos and an internet cookie.
Aeroza: Hello everyone, this is Aeonmaster Aeroza (or Aeroza, for short), and this is one of the most interesting things I've done as I have been wanting to do a crossover with your Main Person: Rowana, for sometime.
I just hope you all like the beginning part of an exciting story, and we won't spoil you all that much unless you ask her. I won't be telling though, :P .
I also just wanted to let you all know that we appreciate those that do read our stories we have, as we will be working together for this Fic, and let's say that it will be a 'Transforming' good time for everyone and it wouldn't be a 'Prime' example to not let you all enjoy our works. Our wonderful hobby, that is.
This story, although, will be great as I personally suggest also reading her story "The Allspark Changed My Life" for Transformers, and for me, I have an interesting and very popular story for Harry Potter, it is known as "Beauty and the Witch Sister".
Besides all that, I hope you have a good time and enjoy what we will be brainstorming together for this story, and hope you all also have a wonderful time with our other works as well.