For once this problematic year Aura woke up in a good mood. The beast terrorizing the school had been defeated. The moron passing for a defense teacher had been remove and she was almost free from fighting with Ginny Weasley or wrangling any stubborn Gryffindors and potentially suicidal Slytherins for an entire summer. Getting out of bed she decided it was just the right weather that she could wear her really cozy red and black sweater with the matching red knee length skirt and black leggings. It was nice to pick out an outfit that was more for comfort than calculated to give the max impact when trying to persuade her year not to fall into chaos any farther than it already was.
Humming, she put her raven black hair up in a high ponytail before going to her truck to grab all her summer homework. While Dumbledore had declared no end of year exams and no more classes for the last week of the year the teachers on the other hand seemed to take that badly and piled on the summer homework. She figured that she had a full week to camp out in the library and knock out all that homework giving herself a school free summer. With a bounce in her step and her bag filled with everything she would need for a day in the library she emerges into the common room and stops dead. On the other side of the room is Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom sitting at one of the few tables and not a single Weasley in site. Sighing Aura approached.
"Potter, Longbottom can I sit?" Her voice startled them both.
"OH umm, yeah sure." Potter manages to get out. "Sorry but who are you?"
"Hunter. Aura Hunter." She says as she sits down.
"Right well I'm Harry and this is Neville." Somehow Aura contains her wince. That was impolite. Taking a deep breath, she starts.
"Potter I need to have a conversation with you, and it is going to suck. You should probably keep Longbottom hear as he is generally sensible and would be a good second opinion." They both blink blankly at her. Potter looks to Longbottom and shrugs which is apparently enough permission for him to stay "To start with I am going to explain something that you don't really care about but will tell why I am having this talk with you. When I was seven my dad sat me down and explained that Harry Potter was a real boy, and the story book Harry Potter was only based on him." Potter started turning red and squirming" He then gave me some good advice as to what to do if I ever met the real Harry Potter. I am going to ignore part of that advise because you need a good honest conversation with someone who doesn't want to use you."
"You don't have to. We can just skip this entire thing." Potter pips up sounding hopeful. Longbottom nodding in agreement next to him looking just as uncomfortable.
"Oh, I know that I don't have to, but I think it is important so you're just going to have to suck it up. "Both boys wilt." Anyways one of the things my dad told me is that the real Harry Potter might have had a hand in saving us all from a mad man, but he had a tragedy happen to him and that I should always remember that and be kind. He said I don't have to be your friend, but everyone owes you at least one solid piece of kindness. I watched you this year when I had the chance and decided that instead of kindness, I am going to give you some honesty and my opinion. What you do with that is up to you."
"What you have to say isn't kind?" Longbottom asks.
"Nope. First truth I have is that the Weasleys and maybe someone else are aiming to have Ginny be the new Lady Potter and making sure everyone knows it. It is one of the reasons I have been fighting with her this year." Potters' ears turn red, and he somehow manages to look more uncomfortable then earlier. Aura quickly reassure him. "I'm not looking to date you or anything I just don't like being told what to do." He lets out a sigh of relief.
"Thats good. I'm not look for a girlfriend right now." Something seems to occur to him, "Wait what do you mean by Lady Potter? I'm not nobility. I'm just Harry!" While Longbottom gives Potter a surprised look Aura could feel her stomach sink.
"I was afraid you were going to say something like that. It was one of the things that I wanted to make sure you knew about especially since you are so obviously Muggle raised."
"Wait you don't know! But..but that is illegal!"
"Longbottom, I doubt that that is the only illegal thing about his situation. It is also one of the reasons I advised him to keep you hear for this conversation. If I remember right the Potter's and Longbottom's had an alliance or maybe it was a pact. I forget, traditional alliances were never something I found all that interesting." She shrugs before continuing," You might what to take notes on anything of interest especially illegal thing because I doubt Potter knows what is illegal and what is just frowned on." He blinks in surprise before nodding and gathering everything to do that.
"Right so I should do this right and note down everything suspicious and we can figure out legal and not later. First the Weasley's trying to marry in, then not knowing about being a noble." Longbottom mumbles to himself.
"Don't forget Muggle raise and at a guess not wizarding world educated."
"What do you me by wizarding world educated?" Potter asks.
"At the very basic no one seems to have pointed out that the muggle and wizarding world separated a long time ago and developed different cultural things. Like earlier when you introduced yourself and Longbottom. You did it with both of your first names only which is bad. You should always start with your last name or family name. It is a protection as it is a lot harder to use a family name against a person as there are many people and generations of magic attached to it as opposed to your first name which just has your magic really attached. Also, it is impolite to use someone's first name before you have been given permission. It is why I keep calling you by your last names." Both seemed shocked at the answer.
"I knew it was rude but didn't know why."
"Yeah, I don't like following none sense rules, so Dad took to explaining why things are the way they are. A lot of manners have sensible reasons like that for why we started doing in the first place."
"Okay so what I thought was polite by muggle standards aren't always by Wizarding standards. Are there any books about this?" Potter asks.
"Yes and no. There are etiquette books but they are aimed at children who grew up in the wizarding world so they can be hard to find. Also, you won't find any in the Hogwarts library or anything that really points out that the muggle and wizarding world are different except some really bad and really dry law books. It is just better to go to a bookstore and buy your own. Maybe not diagonally as that is very public and you're going to end up being talked about. There are a few other shopping districts, I'll give you a list with directions."
"Why wouldn't the library have those books?" Potter asks as both he and Longbottom look confused. Aura winces.
"I am going to state upfront that this is more opinion than fact. I think the headmaster only says he is pro muggle born. In reality he doesn't really do anything to reduce tensions remaining from the last war or help the majority of the muggle born. He helps a few and then kind of parades them around showing off that he helped them." Potter looks offended.
"Dumbledore is a great wizard!" He almost shouts
"Doesn't make him a great man." Aura sighs, "Look, I could be wrong but if he was really pro muggle born, he would arrange better introduction into the magical world for them. He would make sure that all the available information that a Muggle born needs is provided in the library. He would make sure more than one faith magical, or muggle is celebrated. He would hire a better history teacher and I have heard rumors about the joke that is muggle studies. He would provide workshops or classes on how to live in the magical world. As headmaster that is the least of what he should be doing if he was pro muggle born." Both boys are silent.
"Right, let's table that for now. What else do you think Harry should have known?"
"Too dress properly?" She says flippantly while Potter flinches.
"What does how I dress matter?"
"Oh, that is a serious question." She mutters shocked," Right serious answer your uniform isn't really a problem though you could take some better care with your appearance after all if you don't care about yourself why should anyone else but that might just be a boy thing. It is really your casual clothes that are the problem. They look like rags. The unobservant or those who don't know anything about muggle fashion think you are throwing your support in with muggles not just muggle born, slight political difference but an important one. The more knowledgeable or observant have two different general opinions, your family is poor and can't afford better or your being mistreated. I honestly fall into the second opinion. Which is scary because this is the end of your second year and as far as I can tell none of the teachers care. They should spot it and do something about it, but they either haven't or won't." Both boys look at Potters clothes in a new light.
"You can tell that just from clothes?" Potter exclaims.
"Clothes are just a tool to express yourself. What you wear usually shows what you think or like. Most wouldn't wear what you do without reason. I just asked what reason you could have to wear it." Aura says softly
"Harry honest answer, are you being mistreated?" Longbottom ask genitally. Potter bites his lip for a long moment before nodding sharply once.
"How can I dress better; I mean it is not like I have a lot of money. Just my trust vault and that has to last until I start working." Potter asks decisively moving on.
"Who told you that!" Longbottom proclaims heatedly.
"Well no one has told me differently. I just assumed that when Hagrid gave the goblin teller my key and they didn't mention any other vault being an option that meant it was they only one."
"There are several things wrong with that statement. First Hagrid had your key?" He nods, "Hagrid was with you when you went to Diagonally?"
"Yeah, he is the one who delivered my letter and told me I had magic. He took me shopping for school supplies."
"Just Hagrid? No other teacher?" He nods again as Longbottom seemed to get over his shock and starts taking notes aggressively.
"You didn't talk to any account manager or did any test to confirm your identity?" He shacks his head no. Aura starts rubbing her head hoping to prevent the coming headache.
"I don't know the state of you finances but can confidently say that you need to write a letter and you need to be a little sneaky about it."
"What? Why?"
"You might need to write two. One that the general mail goblin will open and read. It should say something like my name is… I don't know who my account manager is or even if I have one. Can you forward the enclosed letter to the person who is in charge of scheduling appointments with account managers or whomever is supposed to talk to people about the state of their accounts? Respectfully Potter. The second one should be addressed to the actual account manager and ask for a meeting to talk about some of the question you have like how many accounts do you have and are there any limitation on your trust account. That will get several goblins asking questions while being respectful. Always try to keep a good relationship with the Goblins and Gringotts as they control the money."
"I'll help you write it and to come up with some of the questions you should ask." Longbottom volunteers at Potters overwhelmed look.
"In this case naive works. Naive and trying to educate yourself works better. Make sure to ask for an Accounting of Keys. After that night you were the only heir of the Potter family which means that all keys should have been returned or recalled until you were old enough to give them out unless special arrangements were made with the last head of the Potter family. The Goblins are obligated to inform you of any special arrangement, but it is best to ask just to be sure. If they find any keys floating around without an arrangement, then it would be considered theft which they take seriously. From my understanding the only time you gave anyone any kind of permission to use your key or enter your vault is with Hagrid and whatever shopping you did this year. Make sure to clarify that. False accusations are also taken very seriously."
"I don't know how I am going to do any of this?" Potter whines dropping his face into his hands. Aura eyes him for a moment before taking mercy on him.
"Look start with figuring out your accounts. Longbottom will help you write your letters and if you ask him nicely, he will probably be your emergency contact with the Goblins in case of wards or you can't get your mail. You give me your phone number and address and I will give Longbottom my contact information. I'm a half blood and live in the muggle world which means that I can help you get together to deal with any problems. You can also call me and my family with help you get to your appointment when it is made. That should get you started on untangling some of the mysteries around you. Meanwhile Longbottom is going to take his list of problems to his Grandmother who has a reputation as respectable and terrifying. He is going to tell her that they might have to be sneaky about what ever help they give because there is suspicions of someone interfering that means you ill. Then he is going to do what every smart Gryffindor boy should do when faced with Madam Longbottom on a warpath, hide. Also don't tell the Weasleys anything until you know what their angle is. Just plain don't tell Ginny Weasley anything ever because I am fairly certain she is crazy. Sounds like a plan." Both boys nod with relief.