Albus Dumbledore was in a jolly good mood. He just did the Greater Good a great service by placing Harry Potter with his non-magical family. He would grow up without the corruption his fame would cause him. Those relatives of his would teach him normalcy and humility. He would learn how to be humble, and how to abide by the rules that he was sure he would ignore, if he grew up with the familiarity of his magic.
In all honesty, the old wizard had no solid knowledge about the Dursley family. All he knew, all he thought was important, was that Petunia Dursley was Lily Potter's sister, thus the blood protection she preformed on her son, would protect him if he was under the roof of a house he called his home, living with someone, who was related to him on his mother's side.
Naturally, he strengthened the wards of Number Four, Privet Dive, adding in a few unnoticeable tracking and detection charms, that he keyed in to monitor Harry's movement. Furthermore, he also performed some magic over Harry as well.
Albus made sure to examine his curious scar, as it oozed dark energy. He had his suspicions confirmed, when he cast a complex Horcrux detection spell over the infant. It was a grim Headmaster that had to make some incredibly hard decisions, but he knew that it was imperative the Prophecy was honoured.
Fate had doomed Harry Potter to a short life, but he would make sure that he wouldn't die in vain. Albus Dumbledore would take on the mantle of ridding Magical Britain of Voldemort, once the last scion of House Potter laid all the ground work, of course.
He would be his mentor, only sharing small breadcrumbs of information and let him figure out the rest, as he knew he would. He would keep him on a path of tentative timidness, yet he would nurture the bravery of Gryffindor in him. He would let him have some fun as well, after all The-Boy-Who-Lived couldn't die without experiencing his first crush, his first kiss, maybe even his first shag.
Yes. Definitely his first sexual experience, after all he would have to ensure the Potter line wouldn't die with young Harry. He could probably officiate a Betrothal Contract between him and a witch, who was deserving of the title of Lady Potter. It seemed like an excellent idea, that made his mood even jollier.
The Weasley family was firmly on the Light side of the war, they were his most trusted subjects. They had six children, with Molly currently being pregnant with her daughter. That daughter would be perfect for his plans. The Potter line would live on, and the Weasley family would enjoy the Potter wealth, after all they deserved it.
He would have to refine those intentions later, as he had a task of great importance to undertake. He needed to get control of the Potter will, otherwise his careful planning would go to waste and the Greater Good would suffer. That would be so tragic and preposterous, that it was simply unthinkable.
The aged wizard apparated in front of the Ministry of Magic, and pushed his way towards the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where James Potter used to work as an Auror. He figured that if he drafted a will, it would be filed with his boss.
It would be very easy to ask them to hand over the documents. He held so many titles, that it would be child's play to manipulate the puppets to bend to his will, like taking candy from a toddler.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. On top of that, he also held the honour of an Order of Merlin, First Class. The wizarding public was putty in his hands. He was also eligible for being the Minister of Magic a few times, but he much preferred controlling the person who had that position, rather than losing his precious influence in other bodies of significance.
However, the Head of the Aurors, Madame Bones, was a very clever witch, to out-wit her, he would need to be careful and subtle. He could manage that, after all she was no Dumbledore.
"My dear, Amelia! How lovely it is to see you." He smiled gently in the fetching witch's direction. "You look marvellous tonight." He complimented her.
Amelia Susan Bones looked up from her desk, which was covered in towering stacks of paperwork. She adjusted the circle shaped glasses over her nose and sighed. She was incredibly tired and worn out and she lacked the patience and tenacity that was needed to deal with the manipulative Headmaster.
"Dumbledore." She nodded curtly. She was no fool, thus she was aware that he only complimented her, because he wanted something from her. He wanted something that only she could grant, and she decided that there was no way in hell that she would abide by his wishes. She had a deep distaste for wizards and witches, who used their influence to get what they want, and even though the wizarding public looked up to Dumbledore, – like he was Merlin –, she knew better. "What's the purpose of your visit in my department? I assumed that you would be out there, celebrating."
"Amelia, you look tired." The old wizard said, his eyes twinkling in the light of her office. "Maybe I can help you share the heavy load of your paperwork?" He offered innocently.
Madame Bones was becoming very alert now. "My paperwork is confidential, Albus, and you are aware of that." She stated with ire. "Only I handle it, no one else, not even the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW has permission to look into it." She narrowed her eyes. "I know for a fact that Minerva handles the administration at Hogwarts, so I am surprised at your blatant attempt at looking into where your nose clearly does not belong."
The Headmaster was floored. No one was supposed to look through him like that, and that she did, irritated him immensely. He smiled a tight smile, but the twinkle in his eyes faded. He would have to be firmer with the witch now.
"Amelia, I am sure I did nothing to warrant such behaviour."
"On the contrary, Dumbledore. You barged into my office, in the middle of the night, and attempted to worm your way into looking at my confidential documents. I am tired and still have a long night of work ahead of me, so cut the dragon crap and tell me why you are here." She said, raising her voice and looking at him with steel in her eyes.
She had a good idea why he was here and she had no intention in helping him in any way, shape or form.
"Very well, Madame Bones." He switched to official language, as his informality failed. "I would like to ask, if James Potter filed a will with the Ministry?" He got straight to the point of the matter.
"I was informed that the Potters did draft a will, however what is it to you?" She asked, nudging him to bare his cards, for her to see.
"It is imperative that the will is in the right hands. As I am sure you are aware, there are still Death Eaters out there, who would do anything to get their hands on the Potter wealth." He explained, like he was talking to a small child.
"Of course." She nodded. "Who would these perfectly noble hands belong to, Headmaster? Please enlighten me." She asked in a mock-innocent tone, fiddling with her fingers, miming nervous energy.
"Madame Bones, there is no need for your sarcastic by-play. Please behave in a manner that is fit for your rank and position." The wizard said irritably and was about to 'enlighten' her, when she lifted her hands to make him stop.
Amelia stood up and walked around her desk, facing down the tall Headmaster, like no one did before. "Listen to me Albus Dumbledore! You have no right to come into my office and tell me how to conduct myself, when your sole purpose is to manipulate me and my position into giving you the Potters' will. It will not happen. Even if they filed with the Ministry, – which thank Merlin they did not –, I would not help you to get a hold of it, as it would be read to the appropriate bodies in a private reading." She enlightened him instead.
Albus Dumbledore's jolly good mood was broken and battered by the time the attractive witch was finished with him, and practically threw him out of her office. He was gobsmacked at the treatment that he received. He was not used to such defiance. Amelia behaved like a small child, when they throw a fit. He would have to do something to tame her behaviour at some point, but right now he needed to head over to Gringotts.
There was only one other official establishment that the Potters could have filed their will with, and that was the Wizarding Bank of Magical Britain.
He strolled through the bronze gates of the marble building, not giving a second glance to any pair of goblins guiding the entrances. He made his way towards one of the counters and requested a meeting with the Head of the Potter Accounts.
The short, balding goblin, with the pointy ears and slanted amber eyes appeared instantly, giving the wizard an unfriendly look.
"Welcome to Gringotts! I am Griphook, Head of the Potter Accounts. What can we do for you today?" He muttered the official words they were all instructed to greet their clients with.
Dumbledore sighed and put on his friendliest expression. Dealing with the goblins was always tricky business, and he would need to have more tact that he had with Madame Bones, or he would be thrown out of here with a notice of broken contracts and that would be unimaginable.
"I would like to put in an inquiry about a certain will." He said cautiously.
"Very well. What family does this will belong to?" The goblin asked as a formality, as he only had authority to deal with the Potter Accounts.
"I would like to ask information about the will of James and Lily Potter. It is imperative that I am permitted to read it." He said with a stare so intense, the goblin would probably be intimidated, if he was not a goblin.
"Very well." Griphook drawled and decided to have some fun, as he absolutely loathed wizards, especially manipulative bastards like this one seemed to be. "What's your name?" He asked.
Dumbledore raised a brow at the question, as the whole wizarding world knew who he was, no matter the species or the rank they held.
"My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." He uttered.
"Percival after Albus and Wulfric before Brian and after Percival, but quite before Dumbledore?" He asked with a straight face and received an incredulous nod from the wizard.
The goblin nodded as well and grinned inside. "What's your occupation?" He asked.
"I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He replied, proudly. "I also hold several official titles of importance."
"What titles are they?" He asked, fully aware of the positions he held, and how they had absolutely no legal ground over the information he sought.
"How is this relevant, Mr. Griphook?" Dumbledore asked curiously, hoping that his titles would give him an edge.
"It's our regular procedure to write down such information about our clients." Griphook explained, while grinning like a demented light bulb inside his head. It would be such fun to share this memory with his superiors and colleagues.
"I see. Well I am the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and hold the honour of an Order of Merlin, First Class." He recited, with the famous twinkle gleaming in his eyes.
"Very well Mr. Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." He said, leaving out his official first name on purpose, but paying no mind to the Headmaster's apparent disappointment. "Does the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW have jurisdiction over the final testaments of Wizarding Citizens?" He asked seriously.
"It's Albus." He corrected the goblin with frustration and then answered his question with a sigh. "No, but –" He was about to give his reasons, before he was interrupted.
"Very well, Albus." He started, while inside his mind, that demented light bulb of a grin grew even more. He wanted to burst into manic laughter, but that would be so un-goblin-like. "Does the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot have authority in these matters?"
"It's Headmaster Albus Dumbledore to you, Mr. Griphook, please give me the respect of calling me by my proper names." He lectured the goblin, which was a mistake, that he couldn't right, once the words were out of his mouth.
"Headmaster Albus Dumbledore" Griphook started, straightening up significantly. "Let me make something very clear to you. Neither of your titles have the authority to see a deceased wizarding citizens' will, and neither does you being Headmaster of Hogwarts grant you permission to do so, yet for some reason you seem to think you are above the law. Why is that, Headmaster Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Order of Merlin, First Class Honoree, that you seem to have this ridiculous idea, that you are someone, who does not have to abide by the same rules the rest of the world do?" The goblin asked, baring his teeth and showing his temper. Play time was over the minute Dumbledore insulted him.
The wizard knew he would be in deep trouble of epic proportions, if he did not fix this somehow. No matter how angry he was becoming, he needed to keep his cool to make amends with the Head of the Potter Accounts, because he needed that will sealed. He needed control of Harry Potter and the Potter will's existence was problematic to that.
"My apologies, Mr. Griphook. I did not mean to insinuate such to your person, nor do I wish to break any of the laws, I did draft a number of them myself, after all." He said, his voice subdued somewhat. "However, it is imperative that I read the Potter will. There are Death Eaters out there, who would do anything in their power to get control of the Potter estate and fortune and that would be tragic, as Voldemort's following would increase their financial support. You see the horror in that scenario, don't you Mr. Griphook?" He asked with a weary expression.
"We at Gringotts, are aware that there are Death Eaters out there, but as far as we know Mr. Harry Potter had defeated the evil madman, who craved power, did he not?" He asked, his eyes boring into the old wizard's orbs. Too bad that he didn't possess the goblin version of Legilimency, otherwise he could see into the no doubt lunatic plans of the Headmaster.
The Goblin Nation knew that Albus Dumbledore was a formidable wizard, and someone, the Light side of the public looked up to, however in goblin circles he was famous for operating in the grey areas. Dumbledore did not care of the means, as long as the outcome served his picture of the Greater Good. A lot of witches and wizards and other creatures, who looked to his wisdom, would be surprised and terrified of some of the choices that he made in the past.
Albus took a deep breath, and had no other choice than to agree, as his plans needed to remain secret, for the Greater Good. "Of course." He said.
"Very well, then unless you are the long-lost great grandfather of Mr. Potter, otherwise related, or named in the will, you have no control over the matter." Griphook said with an air of finality. They both knew that the chances that Dumbledore was named in that will were nil, and he definitely was not a long lost grandfather, no matter how desperately he wished to play that role.
"Unfortunately that is not the case." The old wizard admitted, and controlled the searing anger he was feeling inside.
How dare this lowly life form defy his claim to the Potter will?
"In that case, we cannot do business with you, Headmaster. I bid you a good night!" The goblin nodded and dismissed the spluttering wizard. Once he retreated to his own office, he burst into boisterous laughter and kept hitting his desk in glee.
The Head of the Potter Accounts would be drinking the finest grog he could afford tonight.
That is the moment he was summoned to Director Ragnok's office.
A/N: I wanted to write a bit about Dumbledore's plans and manipulations and how the Head of the Auror Department and the Head of the Potter Accounts both turned him down, because I felt like we could have a lot of fun with that. These scenes happened before, and at the same time, as the happenings in Chapter 2.
Also, I would like to thank you for all the reviews, favourites and follows and I would like to respond to a few Guest reviews in my Author's Note, as I cannot do it privately:
Guest Review #1: I am glad you like the idea of raising Harry in this manner, it will be definitely interesting to write about it and I am very eager to find out the changes he will have in his personality. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Guest Review #2: Thank you for such a long, up-lifting review. I was really touched to read that from someone else, even though I completely agree with you. I will not let any negative comments impact my story, especially the pairing. Everyone's entitled to dislike a character, and I respect that, but at the same time Hermione is one of my favourite characters and there is a lot to explore with her, which I definitely intend to do. So don't worry, this is very much a Harry and Hermione story, in fact they might meet sooner than you think. :)
Guest Review #3: You are welcome! Minerva is a very clever witch and often overlooked as one of Dumbledore's most loyal subjects, but a Minerva that defies the Headmaster can be a powerful force of good. I plan to have a great influence of McGonagall in this story. And don't worry, it is very much a Harry/Hermione centered fiction. I love those two. Sparks will fly!
Thank you once more for all the wonderful support for my story guys! You are all amazing and you humble me.
