Chapter 4- I'm a what?
"There must be some kind of mistake! I mean, I… can't be a… a princess. I mean, I'm…. just Hermione. Just a normal witch." Hermione stated, not believing the parchment one bit. She kept mentally telling herself that the paper must be faulty, or that she had somehow done something to mess up the result. The idea that she was a princess of some kind was just simply preposterous.
Harry inwardly chuckled at her reaction, realising how similar her reaction was to his own when he first found out that he was a wizard in their old timeline. He made sure to keep his chuckle to himself though, knowing that an unsettle Hermione was a volatile Hermione. He didn't fancy being skewered by birds today, thank you very much.
Gringott cleared his throat, and tried to calmly placate the witch in front of him before she performed any accidental magic. "My lady, the parchment has never once been wrong. Assuming that the ring of Ravenclaw accepts you, it is possible that the Crown of Hogwarts will spawn a twin. If this does occur, you will indeed be crown princess. The magics of the titles wouldn't allow it otherwise. Now, rather than over thinking it, may I suggest that you attempt to claim the titles? I am sure that Ragnuk would be open to answering any questions you have about your lineage later on, provided of course that you consider him when choosing your estate manager. And I would highly recommend Ragnuk for the job. Never in all my years have a met a goblin more dedicated to his job, and so clear of corruption."
Once again Gringott summoned a case of rings. Much as before, the two rings within were embellished with the crest of the Houses of Ravenclaw and Dagworth-Granger. Hermione first reached forward for the Dagworth-Granger ring, choosing to wear it on the middle finger of her right hand. As she then made her vow to the ring of Ravenclaw, using much the same words that Harry did, the ring enveloped her in its glow. The feeling of the magic flowing over her was incredible! Hermione had never felt such a warm magic before. She felt it at the very core of her magic, and the best description that she could muster was that it felt as though her core was being hugged by her parents. Placing the Ravenclaw ring above the first ring, she watched with avid fascination as the two rings melded together. The ring that was formed had an infinity symbol etched onto it, with the crest of each house being encased by each of the loops.
Hermione watched in shock as a warm glow enveloped the crown on Harry's head, and gasped as she felt a second crown materialise on her own head. As with before, all of the occupants of the room bowed deeply, except for Harry, whom simply placed a kiss on her hand and gave a shallow bow. They were equals after all.
The lordship ring shifted to reflect the change, displaying a jewel in the centre of a deep sapphire, with the most unusual swirling flecks of yellow, green and red. Remembering how Harry was able to make his ring and crown disappear and reappear, Hermione figured it was best to test out these features. Once she was satisfied that she could summon both artefacts at will, she, like Harry, decided it was best to keep them hidden for now.
Gringott again bowed deeply at the royal children in front of him, stating that he must depart for now to attend to other bank matter. "Although I can safely say that none of my other priorities will be as thrilling as this. It is a day for the history books indeed. The return of magical British royalty. I am certain that you will help to bring much wealth and prosperity back to the realm, and bring in a new age for magical relations with races such as my own." Gringott bowed once more before leaving with a handful of the guard's present.
Ragnuk cleared his throat, indicating towards the remaining guards. "Due to your new and very important status, guards will be present at any meeting you may have with the bank. Fear not, for they are all under Unbreakable vows to never discuss what they might hear in these rooms. The confidentiality of our customers is our number one priority, followed closely by our security. After all, a safe bank is a secure bank, and a secure bank means more customers. Which equals more profits for us. Now, I will try to keep our meeting today as brief as possible, since I notice that Princess Hermione has already done her school shopping, but Prince Harry still needs to complete his. I have reports here from all seven accounts that the two of you hold, as well as a note from Lord Sirius Orion Black that states that Prince Harry may access one of his vaults. I believe the vault in question is mainly filled with paraphernalia from his time at Hogwarts, a collection of photographs, and an amount of gold. This was the vault that Lord Black used before he became Lord and inherited the ancient vaults of his House."
Ragnuk handed the pair a folder each, before giving both an ornate looking vault key. "Now we hope we weren't being presumptuous, but due to the nature of the Soul Bond that we sense between the two of you, you have both been keyed into each other's accounts. I hope that will suffice?"
Harry and Hermione shared a shocked look, before Hermione asked Ragnuk how it is that the goblins knew of the Bond. "Ah, a very good question my Princess. You see, magical creatures have a different kind of magic than our human counterparts. One of the gifts that we goblins have is the ability to see magical auras. It makes us natural bankers, as we can tell when we are dealing with corrupt people. It is also how we know that there are members of our own staff that are not exactly clean. While they do their best to disguise their aura, it still peeks through on occasion. As for your Bond, why, it's positively radiant. It is a swirling mass that flows right around you, flowing back and forth between the two of you. It is a blessing indeed to be able to witness such a rare and pure bond. Now that you wear the Lordship rings however, the Bond is disguised, and very well. I would say that it is a safety mechanism that was built into the rings of the Founders. While the Bond is a thing of beauty, it is a clear indicator to any that can see it that you are not only each other's greatest strength, but also greatest weakness. It is information that we goblins will carry to the grave, I assure you. Knowledge of your Bond will never be exposed by the Bank." Ragnuk explained while gathering up some papers.
"Now, something I think our young Prince will enjoy. I have here before me the Will of the Potter's. Since you are here and have claimed the Lordship ring, there is nothing that Dumbledore can do to prevent me reading it out to you. We will, however, do everything in our power to prevent Dumbledore from knowing about the events of today. A memory has been planted expertly on Griphook, showing you going down to vault 687 and withdrawing a small amount of gold before going on your merry way. While we know that Griphook is an agent to Dumbledore, we have decided that it is best to leave it be for now and instead use the connection to feed false information to the old fool. Is this agreeable to you, my Prince and Princess?" Ragnuk asked, again surprising the pair with how much the Bank had done for them, completely going on instinct. At the eager nods of the two, Ragnuk cleared his voice and began reading the Will of the Potter's.
"This is the Last Will and Testament of James Charlus Potter and Lily Jonquil Potter.
To Remus John Lupin, we leave the cottage on the land next to the Potter estates, in the hope that it might help him tame his pet wolf. We also leave him with ten thousand galleons in the hope that he will use it to help fund the refuge that he always wanted to make.
To Sirius Orion Black, we leave that damn motorcycle that he got James for Christmas, in hopes that he nearly crashes and tries to give his wife a heart attack with the beastly contraption. We also leave him with a sum of ten thousand galleons, even though he doesn't need it, so that he doesn't whine like a kicked puppy that Remus got money and he didn't.
To Peter Paul Pettigrew, we leave you nothing. Sorry mate, but Lily is still cranky that you dropped Harry down the stairs and laughed about it. Good thing magical babies really do bounce though eh? You will probably never see this since Lily will let me add you in next time we update the Will.
To Minerva Isobel McGonagall, we leave a wonderful collection of all thing cat related, in the hopes of pulling one final prank on her. As a proper gift, we also leave you with all of our notes from when the Marauders became Animagus. Shit, we forgot to tell you, didn't we? If you are finding out from this, we are so sorry Minnie. It was Sirius that pissed on your leg during your morning stroll all those years ago, just in case you were wondering. That being said, we took your notes from becoming an Animagus and basically cut the time needed in half. Our only wish is that you share these notes one day with Harry, as we are certain that he would be able to complete such a feat before the age of fifteen. Which is how old all us Marauders were, just to stir your cauldron a little bit more Minnie.
To Albus How-Many-Middle-Names-Do-You-Need? Dumbledore, we leave nothing. Something hasn't been right recently, and Lily suspects that something has been amiss for a while now. Albus Who-Cares Dumbledore is required to return any Potter artefacts that he may have in his possession. Use House elves if you must to ensure that all Potter property is returned to our estate.
Finally, to Harry James Potter. Son, we leave you everything else. All of the remaining properties, artefacts and gold belong to you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Make sure that Ragnuk gives you a full report on everything, and thank the goblin for his good work. I wouldn't have half a clue how to properly manage the vast Potter fortune, and it surely would have crumbled without Ragnuk's management. Harry, you are the most precious thing in the world to us, and we sincerely hope that we see you start to become old and wrinkly before you need to read this. We will always be with you son. Always.
In the event that we pass away before Harry has reached his majority, he is to be placed with Sirius and Remus. If, Merlin forbid, they are unavailable to look after our cub, Harry is to be placed with Alice and Frank Longbottom, where he can be raised as a sibling to dear Neville. Under no circumstances is Harry ever to be placed with Petunia and Vernon Dursley. I don't care how improper it is to say it in the Will Lily, but those people are just plain fucked up. Don't do it. I will do everything I can to raise from the grave and beat the shit out of anyone that even thinks of leaving Harry with those intolerant bastards.
Remember how we were, and not what we could have become. Never dwell on what if's, because you only get one life. So, live it well.
Signed,
James and Lily Potter"
Harry teared up at the words of his parents, laughing a little at the one life comment. If only they knew that Harry was on his ninth life. He realised with a start that Dumbledore possibly possessed a lot more of his family's artefacts than he ever knew. He knew that right now, Dumbledore possessed at least the Cloak of Invisibility, and that he would naturally pass it back to Harry on Christmas, assuming that Harry and Hermione didn't do anything to arouse the old man's suspicion. "Ragnuk, is it possible to hold off on reclaiming the Potter artefacts that Dumbledore possesses? We don't want him to clue on that we know more than we should, and he would certainly be suspicious if he noticed that things were missing."
Ragnuk nodded, agreeing with the deceit. "Yes, we can delay the claiming for as long as you wish my Prince. If you ever change your mind, please feel free to send an owl with the order, or simply ask during a meeting. Nothing would please me more though than seeing the look of the old codgers face when he realises how many of his precious toys he has lost though." Ragnuk said with a hard glint in his eyes.
Hermione was curious as to why the goblins seemed to have such a deeply seated anger towards Dumbledore. But then Hermione remembered an obscure article that she had one read in the original timeline. In the article, it was briefly implied that Dumbledore was a driving force in a spate of Anti-goblin reforms. The reforms restricted where goblins could work, how much they were paid and even went as far as making the murder of a goblin by a wizard a simple misdemeanour crime, instead of the full crime of murder. While Dumbledore seems to have done the best to cover his tracks, it appeared that the goblins knew full well who to blame for their disgusting lack of rights. It made Hermione's blood boil, and she mentally vowed to do whatever she could to have the laws abolished one day.
Harry decided that he wanted to ask one last thing for now before they descended into the vaults. "Ragnuk, I was wondering if you could tell us how we access Potter Manor, or any of the other properties that we own?"
"Well that is rather simple my Prince. All you need to do is tap your lordship ring with your wand and state the properties name. For example, the main Potter estate is simply called Potter Manor, whereas one of the smaller manors that you own is called Summer Retreat. All of the properties are listed in the report that you have, split up by the House that you inherited it from. In the case of the Founders, there is also a wing of Hogwarts that you have access to, which is unlocked using the rings. It is said that each of the Founders has left behind a journal in that wing, and I would bet that more of the Founders ring abilities, as well as the abilities and secrets of your crowns could be found within those ancient pages. " Ragnuk stated while gathering up any loose papers. The goblin stood and gestured towards the doors of the meeting room, guiding the group down to the tunnels.
Harry realised something that might go terribly wrong while they were inspecting the vaults. There was no doubt in his mind that most of the vaults that they were about to examine were located deep in the tunnels, in the high security section. While the dragons and sphinxes guarding the vaults didn't both him, one of the other security measures did. The Thief's Downfall. "Ragnuk, I have a concern. See, I had a friend place a few magical glamours on me before we arrived in the Alley so that Dumbledore wouldn't catch wind of what I was up to today. And I've just realised that we will probably need to pass through the Thief's Downfall in order to reach some of the vaults. Is there anything that we can do to stop us from being flung from the cart? See, I've grown rather attached to life, and want to hold onto it for just a little bit longer."
Ragnuk chuckled at the dark humour. He had sensed the powerful glamours the first time that he was close to Harry. The signature of the spell was so subtle however, that only a magically skilled goblin would be able to detect it, due to the ability of magical creatures to detect changes in the aura of a wizard. Whoever had cast the glamour was obviously a magical creature and very powerful. "No need to worry my Prince. You are not the first, and certainly not the last customer of this bank that requires anonymity. A little-known fact about the Thief's Downfall is that it first determines your intents. If the magic reads that you have no intention of stealing, the Downfall recedes as we pass through it. If not… well. Having all glamours washed off of people makes for easier identification of bodies."
Feeling satisfied that death was not approaching, the group gathered in the cart and began travelling towards their first stop. Since it was closer to the top, they would be inspecting Vault 687 before travelling down to the larger and more well protected family vaults.
After looking inside the familiar vault, Harry decided that it was best to leave it as is for now. He would remove the funds required for his education closer to his arrival at Hogwarts, just in case Dumbledore was monitoring the vault. Ragnuk explained that this was the only personal vault that Harry owned, and that the rest were family vaults. When a family member died, the contents of their personal vault were transferred to their family vault if one existed, before being distributed as per their will. Ragnuk told Harry that he would have been keyed into the personal vault of Sirius if it wasn't for Dumbledore, who had the vault locked down when Sirius was falsely imprisoned. So despite having permission from the Lord Black, Sirius himself would need to be present in order to unfreeze the account. 7
The way that the Gringotts vaults worked was fascinating. Vaults were split into seven categories; The Bank vaults, which consisted of Vaults 1-3. These vaults contained Knuts, Sickles and Galleons respectively, with precious gems divided equally between the three. Only the goblins had access to these vaults, located on the lowest floor of the bank.
The next category began on the second lowest level; The vaults of the Ancient and Most Ancient families. These vaults took up 4 floors, and were the most protected vaults in the entire bank. The entrance to this section of the bank and lower was protected by the Thief's Downfall, with each level protected by a magical creature. As much as Hermione despised the treatment of the creatures, she could not fault how effective they were at deterring would be thieves. She still had nightmares of her encounter with the Ukrainian Ironbelly in the original timeline.
The third category of vault was those belonging to Noble Houses that were not considered ancient. These vaults were still well protected, but not as extensively as Ancient vaults. The Most Noble Houses had better protection than the Noble houses, simply due to the wealth of the family. This was a large section the levels of the bank, encompassing ten levels.
The fourth category was unusual, as these vaults did not belong to families, but rather to businesses. These were the most expensive vaults in the bank to maintain, as there were greater stipulations on these vaults. From a business vault, wages could be distributed quickly and efficiently directly into the recipient's personal or family vault. Employees could also be keyed in to withdraw funds for day to day business use, such as purchasing stock or paying a contractor. Due to this, many charms were in play to prevent employees skimming extra money for themselves.
The fifth category of vault was those belonging to Minor houses that could afford a level of protection. This was by far the most common type of vault that Gringotts currently managed. The vaults in this section ranged from large to small, depending on the wealth of the family.
Personal vaults were the sixth category, and were generally used by the children of a House, allowing the child to have a limited amount of spending money during their time at Hogwarts. It was also later used by people that were estranged from their family and did not want any money that they earned being claimed by their Head of House.
The last category of vault was seen as being somewhat shameful. The Ministry Vaults were cheap subsidized vaults available to Ministry employees and their families if they could not afford to maintain a higher level of vault. There was minimal protection on these vaults, with the main defence being the key that was required to unlock the vault. Despite being an Ancient House, the Weasley's could not afford the maintenance of the high security vaults. Harry had always wondered how it was that the Weasleys could be so poor, despite the family being around in the wizarding world for as long as they had. Harry decided that there was no harm in asking Ragnuk.
"Well my Prince," Ragnuk said, "Normally I wouldn't be able to answer a question like that. But since the reason was printed in the Daily Prophet, allbee it years ago, I can reveal that information to you. It appears that there were two contributing factors that led to Septimus Weasley, Father of the current Head of House, Arthur Weasley, losing the family fortune. Note that I say Head of House rather than Lord. House Weasley is the only Ancient House that does not have a Lord due to their financial status. While it does not cost them their Ancient Seat on the Wizengamot, it does cost the social status and use of certain amenities during such meetings. Septimus Weasley married Cedrella Black, resulting in Cedrella being disowned by her family. Cedrella was used to a lavish lifestyle, and Septimus made a fool of himself trying to keep her happy. I dare say that half of the modest Weasley fortune was spent on ball gowns and frivolous parties."
"What remained of the Weasley fortune was donated to Albus Dumbledore to help, and I quote, 'Fuel the war effort' during the first war with Voldemort. Load of Hippogriff shit if you ask me. With the amount of families that donated to the 'Greater Good', Dumbledore would have had enough resources to build a replica of Hogwarts, wards and all. I've always had the suspicion that Dumbledore did indeed use a majority of those funds for his own costly projects, and not the war effort. Besides, self-proclaimed 'Leader of the Light' or not, all Dumbledore did was lead a mismatched group of vigilantes. You would not believe the number of crime scenes a member of the Order of the Phoenix fucked ten ways to Sunday. Imagine a muggle police officer walked into a murder scene, but found that a dog had come in and chewed on all the evidence, while simultaneously pissing over the entire crime scene."
Daniel Granger's curiosity was peaked. Before going into dentistry, he had considered a career in law. He also remembered hearing Hermione mention the unorganised chaos of the group in the original timeline. "Ragnuk, I'm curious. How was this Order of the Phoenix allowed to continue on as it was? Surely they were breaking laws, at least by obstructing justice, at worse by attempted murder? I don't' imagine the Aurors would have taken too kindly to untrained wizards playing at their jobs."
"To put it simply Sir Granger, Dumbledore. That man has too much power with his roles as Supreme Mugwump and Chief Warlock. Combined with his influence of Headmaster, he simply had the matter brushed to the side, stating that the members of the Order of the Phoenix were just concerned members of society trying to help the authorities out in those troubled times. He gave them no additional training which resulted in messy fights. Did you know, shortly before Fabian and Gideon Prewett died, they accidentally killed an Auror with a wayward spell? But, I think it is time to get back to the matter at hand. If we keep talking at this rate, you might need to come back another day to complete the Prince's shopping. And, I might image after seeing the contents of the vaults that your daughter now possesses, some robes that are quite literally fit for a Queen." Ragnuk said, while placing the required vault number in the carts navigation system.
Hermione looked a little pale. She hated these carts.
A/N Another week, another chapter.
So an issue that I want to address. In case it's not obvious from the pairs listed in the stories bio, this story is going to have at least one couple that is not hetrosexual. If you have an issue with that, turn away now. If you come here spewing any sort of homophobic hate speech, you will get no sympathy from me. Wolfstar is one of my favourite ships, and I intend to give them the love, attention and details that they deserve. On the question of Gabriel, I highly recommend watching any episode of Supernatural that he appears in, since that is what I have based his behaviour on. He has no filter, isn't the best at the whole human thing, and is not to be taken seriously all the time.
And honestly. Hating on a fictional character written by some random on the internet? Please. I implore you to just... try. Try and see things from a different perspective. Because there are a lot worse things in the world than me writing a story that, in the grand scheme of things, so little people will actually read.
A lesson for today. Never combat hate with more hate, because all that will do is breed more hate. Love as hard as you can for as long as you can, because unlike Harry and Hermione, we don't all get another chance.
Coming up in the next chapter- What mysterious artefacts will our duo find down in the vaults? Find out on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z.