A/N: I'm working with a $600 minimum wage in this chapter. I did some research and don't think it's that disparaging, in 1991 the wages were about $3,60 an hour and the average worker works a maximum of 48h per week. Then again, I'm not from the UK so I had to pick a number. Just bear with me and think on those numbers.

4 - Where money comes from

Wow... London is so big! So different from home. I thought school was big but this is just... wow. Look at that building! So tall!

"Harry put your head back inside the car. It's dangerous."

"Yes, Aunt Petunia."

Wow, this must be a really good day; Aunt Petunia is even smiling and chuckling! A whole day without Dudley hunting me, and he's being pretty nice today too, even thanked me for breakfast! Ah! Strange looking people! "Hey, Dudley, look at those strange people! They look like that movie you like!"

"Let me see!" Dudley went over him to see through Harry's window and frowned. "They are NOT like in the movie, you IDIOT!"

"Don't call your cousin that! Apologise!"

"Yes, mum. Sorry, Harry..." He grumbled the last part and became confused at Harry's beaming smile at him. Not knowing what to do, he gave a faint smile back and went to look over his own window.

Definitely the best day EVER! He continued to watch over his window and ask his cousin about everything different he saw -which was pretty much everything Aunt Petunia sometimes chuckled at some of Harry's questions and Dudley's answers. He had just made another one —that even he knew was plain stupid— when the car entered a building and stopped abruptly and Aunt Petunia looked back at him. I should've known better than to ask so many questions... Shouldn't've asked anything at all, really.

"Now, I will need you two to be on your best behaviour, boys. First, we're going into a shop to sell off some of my jewels, then we're going to the clothes shop. Come, boys. Out of the car." They got off the car; Aunt Petunia did something and then tried opening it. When she couldn't, she gave a satisfied nod and steered them out of that place and onto the shop.

The shop looked like any other pawnshop but it was still a bit overwhelming for the two eleven-year-old. One look at the shop and they were clustered together keeping as close as possible to the woman who came in with them. The man behind the counter put his newspaper down and opened a big smile for his customers. "My, my, this one I haven't seen in over a decade. Back in the business, dearest?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." The woman said scrunching her face and pulling her kids closer. 'A most amusing reaction.' The man thought, enjoying himself maybe too much.

"Ah, but you do." The man stated in a mock condescending tone. "I have this vivid memory playing in my head right now. One where you are really young accompanied by an equally young whale of a man. He always comes with things for me to sell. A most interesting memory, don't you think?" He then gave her such a predatory smile that it sent shivers up her spine that weren't quite the fear the children were beginning to feel. "But then again, maybe I'm just fantasying about you... Couldn't help myself, you see." He moved his hand slowly over his torso seeming straightening his clothes, but clearly bringing attention to his body and going lower.

"I-I think I remember coming once with my h- boyfriend, at the time." She tried to gulp down the obstruction in her throat, licked her suddenly parched lips moistening them. The man paid avid attention to her every move. "I came to sell some of my jewels." She said bringing a little case over the counter and opening it.

"My, my. Don't we like it fast?" He shot her another predatory smile and went to take one of the seemly jewels in hand purposeful brushing her hand slowly. He let it linger a little licking his lips and gave her an amused smile when she snatched the hand back after another shiver. "Please take a seat, beautiful. This might take some time." He motioned to chairs that definitely weren't there before.

The woman and the children sat there waiting for his appraisal. he, of course, took his time and made sure to lock eyes with any of them he could as many times as he could. Most amusing reactions indeed.

"It seems you're finished already." The woman got up when he put down the last piece of jewellery.

"Ah, yes, that I am. Pity." He handed a piece of strange paper with numbers noted to her. "This is what I could pay for each." He tried to linger and touch her hands again but they were snatched away quickly. The woman can learn it seems.

"This is too little! They are worth way more than this!"

"Ah, but your husband said they didn't need to be real. Only that they need to be able to fool others..." At the woman's widened eyes, he smirked and added. "An information I suppose he didn't give you. He's a good customer, you see, so I made sure they were at least not glass. But we can always work something up for a higher price..." He took the hand clutching the strange paper in his and plucked the paper away with the other. It seems anything I do could get her shivering. He shivered a little slightly with the image that came into his head. He caressed the back of her hand with his thumb a few times before letting go.

"I accept this price. At least this explains a few things." He handed her about seven hundred pounds trying to touch her hands again. She took the money, thanked the man and left with the children in a blur of motion not even commenting on the sudden rise in the price.

A most amusing woman. Maybe I will see her again...

"Boys, remember: A shirt, one pair of pants and two T-shirts. Nothing more. Go find what you want and meet back here in forty minutes."

"Yes, Aunt Petunia." Harry answered before scurrying off like his cousin.

Hmm... There's so many clothes everywhere, not even Dudley has this many clothes. Oh, this one looks nice! But it's so big... Aunt Petunia made such a fuss about Dudley's clothing not fitting me before...

"Can I help you? Are you lost?"

Harry turned to see a woman dressed with what he assumed was the store's uniform. "Er... My Aunt Petunia told me to pick clothes but..." It's normal to ask for help in a store, right?

"Well, you find anything that fits you in this section, young man. It's the adult section. And where's this aunt of yours?" Her tone seemed a bit accusing.

"She's somewhere in the store. Told us to meet her back over there in an hour." Harry fidgeted a little. "Am I in trouble?"

"Come with me so we can try to find your aunt." She grabbed Harry by his arm and steered him forcefully to a room in the back of the store.

"Another one? They don't learn! These kids shouldn't be allowed anywhere near decent people like us!" The big man then turned to Harry. "What have you gotten there, you punk? What did you put in that bag of yours, huh?" He took Harry's bag away with a wrench and started his search.

"You're going to destroy it! Stop it! That's my cousin's backpack! Please!" Harry was trembling and holding tears back, the man was just like Uncle Vernon. Aunt Petunia and Dudley will be furious with me.

"Seems like he didn't have time to get anything yet." The man tossed the backpack and Harry taking it hurriedly scurried to crouch by the wall. "Look at the punk. All scared now. Shouldn't have tried to take anything on our watch, you punk."

The woman was about to add something when the door opened and another store staff entered with a woman and a plump boy. "Jenkins we need you to announce a lost kid on the-"

"Harry!" Hearing his name he looked up to see his aunt and run over to her. She caught him in a hug and glared at the others in the room "What happened, dear? Did they do something to you?"

"My backpack is ruined!" Dudley said taking it from Harry.

"I tried to stop them I swear, Aunt Petunia. But they said I had taken something. Please, it was not my fault." Please don't hate me again.

"What is the meaning of this commotion?" Another man entered the small room, this one was dressed better them the others, though.

"Your staff took my nephew and treated him like a petty thief. He never stole before, and he certainly doesn't need to now!" She pulled Harry closer trying to assure him.

"Manager Meyer, we thought he was one the kids we caught earlier this week. Some of them had escaped and we-"

"Enough! I don't want to hear another word from you two. This will be the last time something like this happens. Go wait for me in my office." He put on a business smile and turned to his customers. "I'm sorry they put your nephew through such an ordeal, madam. I'm sure we can do something about this. That is aside from fired them."

"We just came to shop for clothing, how do you expect me to do anything with a distressed kid? And my son's backpack's ruined! I should call the police and report this store!" At the mention of the police both Harry and Dudley flinched and turned pleading eyes to Petunia.

"Surely we don't need to go to such lengths, madam. Maybe we can compensate you and your children in some way? I have an attendant that is very good with children; she could help you with buying the children's clothing. Of course everything free of charge." The man seemed almost desperate and was happy to see Petunia perking up at the mention of free clothes.

"I don't know. What do you say, dear? Do you still want to go pick clothes?" She brushed a kiss on top of Harry's head while he seemed to think.

"Can I?" She still wants to give me clothes! And I got another kiss!

She nodded at him and they all went to pick new clothes. And no one could blame Petunia for getting a whole new wardrobe for both her children and a few new dresses for herself; it was a big ordeal Harry went through after all.

"Mrs Dursley?" At the call of her name, Petunia took her boys to the office of the bank manager calling her. They shook hands, traded a few pleasantries and sat. "What can I do for you, ma'am? How is your husband?"

"My husband is in jail, but we can talk about that on another occasion." She pursed her lips and took the boys hands in hers to try and reassure them.

"I'm sorry. And I suppose you are to take care of the finances now." The man stated more than asked.

"Yes, I am. I believe we have some money left in the account, that aside from our savings. The boys will be going to a boarding school come September and I'll only be able to look for work after that. So we need to know how much we have to plan the best way to spend it."

"I see. First, will I be dealing with Mr Dursley anytime soon, or at all?"

"Not if I can help." She said haughtily.

"Then I do have a suggestion for how to proceed. I shall give it after you know what you have. Is that acceptable?"

"It is. I anything wrong with our finances?"

"You be the judge of that, Mrs Dursley. First, answering your requests, you have 2.759 pounds in your account and 10.000 pounds in your savings account. The amounts have already been updated with the last monthly allowance payment from the trust fund."

"That much?! How come we have that much in savings? And what did you mean by allowance? I don't remember my parents or Vernon's leaving a trust fund, it would have already been used if there was one."

The man sighed and massaged his temples a bit before speaking again. "Clarify something before we continue: You are not associated with your husband anymore nor will you be in the future Is that correct?"

"Yes. He won't come near my children or me if I can help it."

He sighed again. "Then I'll assume he never told you of any dealings related to your finances. Let's start from the beginning then. On November of 1981, an account in this very bank was set up to Mr Dursley by request of the Potter's account's manager. This was, and still is, a most trustworthy institution, therefore it was chosen for the future dealings. A trust fund was left to your nephew, a very large one. To help with the costs of raising a child a monthly allowance of 2.000 pounds was also set up. Those payments started at the time the account was set up. And for security purposes, the remaining part of the loan Mr Dursley used to buy your house was paid at once by the trust fund as well."

"Are you sure about all this? What about his income from his job? He's a director at his company, so there should be more than the amount you said in the account. He receives his wages in this bank, right?"

"He did receive his wages here. The last deposit was last month. Seeing that you told me he's in jail, it makes sense that it didn't come in this month. I don't know what his position was but I highly doubt it was anything high. He received the average minimum wage of 600 pounds, clearly not enough for any management position or higher."

"You're to tell me that most of our money is actually my nephew's? And that for the last ten years we were fed, clothed and housed with his money? That we live off of him?"

"That is what it seems, yes."

Petunia was, to say the least, shocked. Everything she believed, all the justifications they used for the appalling treatment of her nephew during the last ten years was a lie. Her nephew was never a burden like Vernon used to preach. If anything it was the exact opposite, they were the ones who took the food and clothing from him to give it to their son. What else could he have concealed? She was shocked about the fake jewellery already but this was on a whole new level. "I- I- We- What..."

The man lifted one hand to stop her from talking. "I believe this is a lot to process right now, so I'll go on with my suggestion and we can talk in more detail at a later date of your choosing. I strongly suggest that open a new account under only your name, so Mr Dursley's won't be able to touch it in the case he is freed. You would transfer all the money in your current account and savings to the new one. And afterwards, I'll contact the trust fund manager to change the receiving account; it will be easy as it was set up to have you as a recipient. After all is in order you should start the process of removing yourself from this account. I would tell you to divorce him as well but that's entirely up to you."

"I- Thank you. I'll take your suggestions about the accounts for now. Is it possible to know what Vernon did with the money since we started receiving it?"

"It is. I'll contact you when it's ready for you, it will take some time to prepare it, though. Ten years' worth of transactions... Well, here are the papers for the new account. Everything will be ready in a few days, so it would be better if you withdrew some money for another week or two."

"Yes, I will do that." She seemed resigned and a bit stiff. The papers were handled, money withdrawn and the three people left for a late lunch with a lot, one more than the others.