Chapter 3. Harry has a busy August

There were eight muggleborn first years, plus Harry. When they got to Gringotts and they were first told that magical society had its own currency, and that Harry had his own vault, Harry had realised that he needed muggle currency as well, so he had agreed with Mrs Thomas to buy her Pounds with his Galleons and split the exchange fee. It was impractical for all of them to go to the same shops at the same time, so Professor McGonagall was kept quite busy, answering questions and ferrying people between shops. This suited Harry just fine. He didn't want to draw too much attention to the fact that he got extra books on healing, mind magic, enchanting and rituals. Nor that he got a trunk with a bedroom, bathroom, living room, a spare room and a kitchen with a pantry that had a stasis charm. It could also be shrunk to matchbox size without needing a spell (the shopkeeper told him about the restriction on underage magic, but also explained that magic done inside the trunk wouldn't be detectable), and had a muggle notice-me-not charm. It cost a fortune, but Harry was growing too big for his cupboard, and he wasn't going to let his relatives starve him anymore. He also got a second-hand trunk that he filled with cheap stuff he wouldn't be needing, because his relatives were totally petty enough to take his things away.

When Professor McGonagall offered to buy him a pet as a birthday present, he declined, saying his relatives didn't like pets. Therefore, she bought him a wand holster and a beginners set for rune carving.

When everybody had finished shopping and had been told how to get to the Hogwarts Express, they had all agreed to find each other on the train. Then everybody had left until it was just Professor McGonagall and Harry in the Leaky Cauldron.

"Did you find out why in ten years Professor Dumbledore didn't come to check on me even once?"

"He told me that he asked Mrs Figg to check on you. He discouraged me from checking up on you. I apologise for accepting his assurances, but I do suspect he had no satisfactory solutions, and therefore was forced to balance your happiness against your survival."

"Mrs Figg did a poor job of checking I was being treated well. Is she a witch?" His hidden, real persona was feeling slightly guilty for speaking ill of Mrs Figg, but thought the opportunity to see how Professor McGonagall justified their abandoning him made it worthwhile. After all, Mrs Figg had always encouraged Harry to make his relatives believe he didn't like Mrs Figg.

"No, she's a squib."

"What's a squib?" Harry thought he knew, but Mrs Figg had never used the word; and, in any case, the person he was impersonating would have asked.

"That's a person who has magical parents but can't do magic themselves."

"It's not surprising then, that she wasn't able to help me when I was being starved. My uncle knows a lot of important people, so if anyone complained about how I looked, the excuses he made were always believed. Are you going to find me better guardians?"

"I'm sorry, I can't. The wards - the protections that I mentioned last week- that Professor Dumbledore put around your house that rely on you living with a blood relative. It would be no good if you had guardians who treated you better if the followers of You-Know-Who could come there and kidnap you and do who knows what to you."

"And that's it? My relatives can continue starving me, and Mrs Figg will give me a stale biscuit every few months."

"Hopefully, now that you'll be going to live at Hogwarts ten months of the year, things will be easier."

"If the protections rely on me living there, won't they be gone by next summer?"

"No, you'll still be officially living there, so the wards will remain until you become an adult at 17."

"How long do I have to stay there every year?"

"I don't know exactly; you'd have to ask Professor Dumbledore."

Harry huffed. "Great," he remarked sarcastically.

His uncle told him to move into Dudley's second bedroom, and they locked his decoy trunk into the cupboard under the stairs, so he was very glad he had bought it. He spent all the time he was not made to do chores reading, both trying to figure out how magical society differed from muggle society and preparing for the seven compulsory classes and continuing to study runes.

"Mrs Figg, can I trust this Professor Dumbledore?"

"You can trust that he means well. However, he is a very busy person. He has three important positions: headmaster of Hogwarts, Chief Warlock, which is something like the Speaker of the House of Commons and Judge combined, and also Supreme Mugwump, which is something like the Speaker of the United Nations. I've tried to get him to do something about how your aunt and uncle were treating you several times over the years, but nothing ever came of that. I'm afraid I couldn't tell you how much of that is because there are people who wish you harm at the Ministry of Magic, and who could therefore not be allowed to get involved, and how much it was because he was too busy to find a better situation for you."

"Professor McGonagall mentioned the vigilante group that Professor Dumbledore led and that my parents were a part of. What do you know about that?"

"I knew it existed, but since I'm not a witch myself I never learned any details."

"Do you know anything about the wards that supposedly protect the Dursleys' house?"

"I know that they protect you even when you are not at the house, as long as you live there. And I know that Professor Dumbledore could put them there because your mother died to protect you and that they are based on the fact that you, your mother and your aunt were blood related. I think that's the only things I was told."

"Is there anyone in the Ministry or maybe in Gringotts I can trust, who may be able to help me?"

"The Gringotts goblins can be unfriendly, but they won't lie to you, though they might try to get you to agree to something that will earn them money at your cost, but you don't have to worry about them betraying you to the followers of You-Know-Who. I will ask some people I know whether there's anyone in the Ministry that you can trust."

"Without Professor Dumbledore finding out?"

"I'll do my best, but that man has an uncanny ability to find out secrets." After a pause for reflection she added wryly, "and an almost pathological inability to share information with others." Mrs Figg had started out as an admirer of Professor Dumbledore, but after years of trying to get him to do something about Harry's aunt and uncle, she had started to have doubts.

A few days later, Mrs Figg told Harry that the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Madam Bones, had a reputation of being a champion of equal justice and an accountable government. She helped Harry write to her.

Dear Madam Bones,

Professor Dumbledore left me with my muggle aunt in November 1981 and in ten years I haven't seen him nor any other magic user, until I received a letter inviting me to attend Hogwarts, followed up with visits by Professor McGonagall, first to explain that this was not a hoax, and then to buy my school supplies.

On the one hand, Professor McGonagall warned me that the poor treatment I have received from my relatives might have been the lesser of two evils, given the number of You-Know-Who's followers who are still free, so I am not necessarily looking for a change in my living arrangements, but on the other hand I was rather disturbed that the headmaster of a school is at the same time also a government executive and was the leader of a vigilante group during the struggle 10 years ago who were operating outside legal oversight. I am therefore looking for an alternative opinion on my situation.

Having only just learned that my parents did not in fact die in a car crash, as my relatives have told me, I am still learning about my situation, and I'm not even sure what questions to ask, but as just one example, I noticed that my vault in Gringotts only contained money. Does that mean that all personal effects of my parents were destroyed when they were killed?

With kind regards,

Harry Potter

Dear Mr Potter,

Thank you for your letter. To start with your closing question, no, the house that you and your parents were living in in 1981, though damaged, still stands. It was declared a national monument, warded against unauthorised entry and against weather damage through the partially destroyed roof, and has been left in that state since then. It's located in the village Godric's Hollow. If you wish to visit, the Ministry can change the wards to authorise you to enter, though not to live there. I would advise you against visiting alone, and if your relatives were disinclined to take you, I would be happy to accompany you, though I couldn't manage that before 1 September, so the earliest opportunity would be the Christmas holidays. The Ministry has not bought the property from the Potter estate, so its ownership is not clearly defined. Your parents' will was sealed by the Wizengamot at the behest of Chief Warlock Albus Dumbledore. As you mentioned, opinions differ about whether all those who were exonerated when they said they had been held under the Imperius curse by You-Know-Who were speaking the truth or not. Because of that, I am unsure whether I personally would encourage you to petition the Wizengamot for the will to be executed without knowing its contents. It is possible that Gringotts have a copy that you could read in private before you decide whether any of the contents would pose a problem.

Though I did not know your parents personally, your father went through auror training while I was a senior auror, and he became a junior auror (thanks to the condensed training program at the time) shortly before his death. He was an upstanding citizen, a believer in equal treatment of all magical humans (most notably because he, at the time the heir to an Ancient wizarding family, married a muggleborn witch), and a fierce fighter.

I cannot promise regular correspondence, but if you have further questions I would be happy to try and answer them.

Respectfully,

Amelia Bones

To: the goblin responsible for the Potter estate,

Madam Bones informed me that my parents' will was sealed by the Wizengamot after their death. I was advised against petitioning this sealing to be reversed without knowing the contents of the will. Does Gringotts have a copy of the will? If yes, could you send me a transcript?

With kind regards,

Harry Potter

Mr Potter,

On 31 July, I sent you a letter asking for an interview at Gringotts, which you ignored. Because many humans would have written to you, it is possible that a mail ward has been set with poorly set conditions. If that is the case, we expect to be informed.

Your situation is unusual in that not only was your parents' will sealed, but, because the will would have normally appointed a guardian for you, at the same time as sealing the will, the Wizengamot also appointed Albus Dumbledore as your magical guardian. However, Gringotts is independent of the Wizengamot, and has not allowed Mr Dumbledore to make decisions about the Potter accounts at Gringotts. Therefore, Gringotts is willing to let you take control of the Potter accounts. While normally we would advise against an 11-year-old taking responsibility for the accounts of an Ancient House, in this case you may wish to consider it, and simply do nothing if in doubt. If that is your wish, please sign the attached form and add a sample of your blood in the square. If Gringotts holds a copy of the will, it would be in the main Potter vault. You could either come and check yourself, or for a fee of 3 sickels a Gringotts employee could do this.

Feslup,

Potter account manager

Dear Feslup,

Before your reply I have received no mail from Gringotts, nor indeed from any other magical humans, so I suspect you are correct about the mail ward. Since I have yet to meet Mr Dumbledore despite the fact that apparently he has been my magical guardian for 10 years, I would prefer to find a solution that does not rely on him. Maybe we could maintain a correspondence through my own owl at whatever frequency you would recommend?

I attach the form for taking responsibility of the Potter accounts. I would also request that a Gringotts employee check if there is a copy of my parents' will in the main Potter vault. I hope you can take the fee from the vault?

As you say, at 11 years old I am ill equipped to manage a large account, and I wonder if Gringotts would be able to manage the account on my behalf?

Harry Potter

Dear Harry Potter,

Please find attached a copy of your parents' will. Because the will was updated in September 1981 it is most likely a copy of the actual will, but it is possible that your parents replaced it with a different will at a later date, and, because of the chaotic situation at the time, were unable to deposit a copy in their Gringotts vault.

At the moment, I am paid 20 Galleons a year for being your account manager. For a further 20 Galleons, I could spend an additional 10 days a year reviewing investment decisions and any other incidental tasks that are not part of the job of an account manager. The gains from making such an appointment are likely to exceed the costs of doing nothing by more than 20 Galleons, and I'd like to think that there is no a priori reason to suppose that a magical human would do a better job. However, financial decisions always carry risks, and we can offer no guarantee or recompense should my decisions lead you to lose money. Also, while I can honestly say that I see no conflict of interest in honouring your request, I should point out that there is a long-standing animosity between goblins and magical humans. Therefore, if you should agree to go ahead and then tell any humans about the arrangement they will likely try to convince you against it.

If you wish to hire me for this additional role (see attached contract) then I think it best if I were to buy a pair of journals, one of which I would send to you, so that we could remain in regular contact without you having to initiate every communication. If you decide against the arrangement, a pair of journals is still on option, or you could send your owl to me, say, every 3 months.

Respectfully,

Feslup

Dear Feslup,

Thank you for your honesty. Please find attached the signed contract. If this could contribute even a tiny bit towards more civil interactions between goblins and humans, I would be well pleased.

Harry Potter

Dear Madam Bones,

Please find attached the most recent version of my parents' will that could be found in the Potter vault. I don't see how any of its contents could work in favour of the followers of You-Know-Who. Unless you disagree, I would like to petition the Wizengamot to unseal my parents' will.

With kind regards,

Harry Potter

The next morning the doorbell rang. Harry was up in his room, studying. He had told his relatives that he was expected to have prepared for school in advance and couldn't do chores anymore, and his relatives had said that in that case they couldn't afford to feed him anymore. Harry thought that was quite the improvement, because even an underpaid char-woman, doing the amount of work he had done, could have afforded to eat better than what he had received. Shortly after the doorbell rang his aunt called for him to come downstairs. His visitor was a middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Amelia Bones. After introductions, and her expressing worry about his safety with people who were that unpleasant, which led Harry to explain with as little detail as he thought she would accept about the past and the recent improvements, she got to the reason for her visit, "Mr Potter, the will you sent me is political dynamite. It states that Mr Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper for where you lived with your parents, while the generally accepted narrative is that Mr Black was the Secret Keeper and that it was the latter who betrayed your parents to You-Know-Who. Because it is a poorly kept secret that all four were part of the group that he led against You-Know-Who, and that he was the one to propose sealing your parents' will and as Chief Warlock he is also partially implicated in the fact that I've found out after I got your letter that Mr Black was never given a trial. Now, I also suspect that Mr Dumbledore uses legillimency to learn about ongoing political intrigue. This is illegal, but almost impossible to prove. Are you with me so far?"

"Yes. Are you going to arrest Mr Pettigrew?"

"Well, supposedly, Mr Black killed him. But all they ever found of him was a finger, so I'm wondering whether only the reason that Mr Pettigrew was killed was misinterpreted, or whether the problem goes deeper." Madam Bones left a small pause to see if Harry would say more, and when he didn't, she continued, "because Mr Dumbledore has a lot of political influence it's going to take some time to get to the bottom of this without Mr Dumbledore getting wind of it at a time he could corrupt the evidence or otherwise get off. And you might be in close contact with Mr Dumbledore, because he is your magical guardian. Therefore, I would like to hide the knowledge of your parents' will, so that he can't read it. Unfortunately, that also means that you will forget about it yourself. I must stress that you are under no obligation to agree to this."

"You want to arrest Mr Dumbledore for hiding important information and getting the wrong person sent to prison and for not giving him a trial?"

"Yes."

"What about Mr Black?"

"I will get him out of prison today. Azkaban, the wizarding prison is quite a horrible place, so after almost 10 years, Mr Black will need medical attention, so I intend to take him to St Mungo's, the magical hospital. He will still be a prisoner there, but he will be much better treated."

"And once you are ready for the trial, will you come to tell me what you are going to make me forget?"

"It should be reversible. Much of the correspondence you've had with me and Gringotts you can still remember, so I won't need to make any major changes to your memory. I will need you to give me the correspondence, though. I will make you believe that I took it to see about the ownership of your house in Godric's Hollow."

Now that was a disturbing thought. It all sounded fantastical, having a police chief changing what he remembered, just to get a chance a justice. But he could believe it of Dumbledore that he would try to read his mind, so he said, "OK."