Still not mine :)
Chapter 4 - Did Anyone Order A Padfoot?
Harry woke the next morning and padded into the living room of Alex's flat to find the man already there, drinking a cup of tea while he flipped through the morning Prophet.
"Good morning Harry, I was going to come and wake you soon. Would you like some breakfast?" Alex put the paper onto the table as Harry sat in the armchair facing him.
Before Harry could answer the question, Dobby appeared with a tray carrying toast, eggs, bacon and a large glass of orange juice.
Alex chuckled. "I guess that answers that. How are you feeling today?"
"I feel fine, I think. I'll feel better when we know more about what's been going on and hopefully have the emancipation accepted. There's just so much that can go wrong with our plan, and I hate that."
"You're right of course. There is a lot that could go wrong, but if we follow the plan properly, the emancipation should at least be accepted. Fudge is a very easily led man, a weak choice for Minister in my opinion, but exactly what we need right now. If we dangle the carrot close enough, he should bite."
"What time are we meeting with him?"
"Not until this afternoon. I've filled in the emancipation forms, and we have a meeting before that with your account manager at Gringotts. His name is Bludaxe, and he is raging mad at Dumbledore. When I explained that he had been stopping your letters, I thought he was going to find Dumbledore and slice his neck!"
"When did you speak to him?"
"This morning. I wanted to arrange a meeting as quickly as possible, and it's always easier to go directly to Gringotts than sending a letter. I hope you don't mind."
"No, not at all. You're much more organised than I could ever be," Harry smiled. "I'm much more of a wing-it kinda guy."
"Whilst that is sometimes a good thing, when it comes to the goblins of Gringotts, it's better to be organised. They can be ruthless when they want to be.
"I managed to convince them to let me Apparate us directly into the office. I think we should keep your whereabouts a secret from Dumbledore for as long as possible. I've been looking into getting you some tutors as well, for the rest of the summer, and if we can find a way, for your school year as well."
"That's a great idea. What lessons will I be taking?"
"Occlumency for a start. I know you hate it, but it really will be necessary if you don't want Dumbledore to be able to read every thought you are having whenever you are in his presence.
"Then you'll need a tutor for politics. As the Head of an Ancient and Noble house, you'll need to be able to hold your own with the higher ranking members of society, as well as during the Wizengamot sessions.
"I'm also looking into tutors for various subjects; offensive and defensive magic, battle tactics, those kinds of things. Not only are you a public figure, but you're the chosen one, as it were, and you need to be able to fight. Scraping through by the skin of your teeth and with a whole lot of luck can only get you so far, and I'd quite like to see you survive the coming war."
Harry nodded slowly, concentrating on his breakfast while he listened to the plans Alex was explaining. It was a lot to process, all of it really, but hopefully by the end of the day, they'd have some of the pieces fitting into place.
Honestly, summer had never felt shorter.
…
Alex apparated Harry straight into an office in Gringotts, where they found Bludaxe waiting for them.
"It's very nice to meet you Mr Potter. Alex it's good to see you again. Please take a seat." Bludaxe gestured to the two chairs in front of a large desk.
On top of the desk were three files, each rather large, and Harry suddenly had a feeling they were going to be here for a while.
"Mr Potter, before we begin, I've come across a rather large discovery that I feel must be addressed first."
Harry nodded his consent and Bludaxe seemed to take a large breath, almost steeling himself as though waiting for an earthquake to begin.
"Just after Alex left this morning, we received a visit from a rather unexpected person. He told us his story, and it has been verified with Veritaserum. Now he is resting in a room just down the hallway, waiting for you. Sirius Black is alive."
Time stood still for Harry as he stared at the Goblin that had decided to poke fun at him. There was no way, absolutely no way on this earth, that Sirius could be alive. Harry had seen Bellatrix's stunning spell hit him, and had seen him fall backwards through the Death Veil. How dare this goblin tell Harry that Sirius was alive when there was no chance it could be true?
Alex watched in awe as magic began to swirl around Harry, as the young man stared at Bludaxe with hate etched onto his face. He looked seconds away from murdering the unfortunate Goblin.
"Harry, Harry, calm down. Please, hear what he has to say."
Harry glanced at Alex and his magic died down slightly, although it still sizzled in the air around him.
"Explain. Now."
Bludaxe swallowed nervously before he began to speak.
"Mr Black was in bad shape when he arrived. We showed him through to the Healer's room and made him drink a restorative, a Goblin made potion that restores the health of the person who drinks it. Then we gave him Veritaserum, so we could be sure what he told us was the truth.
"He told us that after fighting in the Department of Mysteries, the next thing he remembered was waking up in a cold room with no windows and a locked door. A while after he awoke, Albus Dumbledore came into the room and told him what happened."
Bludaxe took a deep breath.
"Mr Dumbledore informed Mr Black that when he'd been hit with Mrs Lestrange's stunning spell, Mr Dumbledore took the opportunity to activate Mr Black's Order Portkey, while casting an illusion to make it appear that Mr Black had fallen through the veil."
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Alex pressed a hand to his arm, shaking his head. Bludaxe continued.
"Mr Dumbledore went on to tell Mr Black that he'd done it for the Greater Good, that Mr Black was a bad influence on you, and that you would do better in the coming war without him around to distract you.
"Since then, various members of the Order of the Phoenix have been taking meals to him every few days; just enough to keep him alive. Dedalus Diggle took a meal into him this morning, and Mr Black managed to overpower him and escape. He came straight here. Would you like to see him?"
Harry had tears streaming down his face. He was both devastated and furious, and his magic still hadn't settled, which really wasn't helping. He attempted a breathing exercise to calm himself with minimal success, but he nodded regardless.
Bludaxe led him and Alex from the office and down a long corridor to a door right at the opposite end. Bludaxe opened the door and then stood back for Harry to rush through.
"Hey, Prongslet, what took you so long?"
Sirius looked almost as bad as he had when he'd first escaped from Azkaban. His clothes hung from his thin frame, and his hair had lost its shine again, leaving it limp around his shoulders.
Harry threw himself into his godfather's reaching arms, and he sobbed against his chest. He'd thought this man—his last link to his parents, and the only person who'd ever seemed to really see him for himself—was gone, and to see him was more overwhelming than Harry could put into words.
Sirius rubbed a comforting hand up and down his back, and made soothing noises until Harry's tears had dried up. Harry pulled back to look at him.
"Are you okay?"
"I should be asking you that," Sirius replied, cupping his cheek gently. "I'm okay, Harry. I'm alive, aren't I? And I'm here with you, which is the only place I belong right now."
Harry nodded. As his devastation eased as he took in his godfather's face, his fury only heightened. "I'll kill him," he murmured. "He's going to rue the day I was born when I'm done with him, Sirius."
"Hey now," Sirius said, dropping his hand but only to wrap his arm back around Harry's shoulders, tugging him close. "Don't rush into this with no thought. There are lots of things to do, Harry, and I'm sure Mr Jackson here has a lot of plans as well. If he's anything like his father, he'd planned for countless scenarios, and his back up plans have back up plans."
Harry saw him grin at Alex, who was standing in the doorway with a small smile on his face.
"Come on," Sirius prompted, standing up on slightly shaky legs. He pulled Harry with him. "Let's go and have your meeting with Bludaxe, hmm? I'm sure there's a lot to get through, and not a lot of time to do it."
Harry nodded, glancing up at Alex again to see him nodding his own head.
"I'm glad you're already working with Harry on this," Sirius said to Alex as they walked back towards Bludaxe's office. "It's good to meet you, by the way. I wish it could have been under better circumstances, but like I said, I knew your dad through James. He was a good man."
"It's good to meet you too, Lord Black."
"Just Mr, actually," Sirius said with a small smile. "But call me Sirius. Thanks for looking out for my Prongslet when I couldn't."
Alex offered Sirius the use of his first name as they took their seats in the office once more.
Before they could begin, Harry caught the Goblin's attention. "I apologise for my behaviour, Bludaxe. I should have listened to you before… blowing up. I'm sorry."
"Consider it forgotten, Mr Potter. I understand it was quite a delicate situation, and you are extremely young, for all the pressure on your shoulders." He smiled and Harry returned the smile with a murmured thank you. "Now, if I may, we really do have much to attend to, and Alex has informed me of a meeting you have with the Minister of Magic later on today, so we don't have much time."
He hefted the first large folder from the pile and laid it in front of himself. "I'd like to quickly run through your holdings, if I may?"
Harry nodded. He reached over to grip Sirius' hand in his own, almost as though only physical contact would prove to him that he was real, and not just an illusion. Sirius gripped his hand right back.
"I have here the Potter Lordship ring, as well as a list of the assets of the House of Potter. In the Family Vault, there is just short of thirty million Galleons, though due to the investments made by your ancestors, that number is rising by the day."
Harry blinked. He'd had no idea that he was even close to being wealthy, despite his own personal vault. He'd thought that was the only money he had, and had already been considering his options for when he left school and had to stretch it to afford somewhere to live.
To hear that he was a multi-millionaire was rather shocking.
"In the trust vault, which I believe is the only vault you've had access to since returning to our world, there is a little over five thousand Galleons left over. The Family Vault houses family heirlooms and books, and various other things placed there for safekeeping over the years."
Harry nodded to show his understanding.
Bludaxe continued. "I'm not sure if Alex has told you, or if you're otherwise aware, but you cannot put on the Lordship ring until either your seventeenth birthday, or until an Emancipation has been signed off and filed."
Harry glanced at Alex, who nodded confirmation. Looking back at Bludaxe, he said, "I'm aware now."
Beside him, Sirius chuckled.
Bludaxe grinned. "You are also the Heir to the Gryffindor name and fortune, or what is left of it. The title of Lord Gryffindor is a very sought after title in the Wizarding World, and it is yours by blood right, and far more valuable than the million Galleons in the vault. There was a veritable mountain of books in the vault, but they have since been removed by your current Magical Guardian, Albus Dumbledore."
Harry stiffened. "All roads seem to lead back to him, don't they?"
"Quite right, Mr Potter," Bludaxe agreed with a sneer. "Mr Dumbledore has also appropriated close to two hundred thousand Galleons over the years from the Potter Family vault, for various reasons. As you clearly have no knowledge of these withdrawals, nor have you authorised him to remove them on your behalf as we were led to believe, you can have him charged with theft."
"Alex, can we get the books back without having him charged just yet?" Harry asked, twisting his lips thoughtfully. "While I'd love to see him in court for theft, we have a deeper score to settle with him."
"Of course. We can discuss it later."
Harry nodded, turning back to Bludaxe who was sifting through sheets of parchment until he found the one he wanted.
"The problem we ran into this morning is the Black Family Vaults. As a death certificate has been filed for Mr Black, his will automatically came into play, and he left almost everything, including the title of Lord Black, to you, Mr Potter. With you being alive, Mr Black, I am unsure as to how you would both like me to proceed."
"I want Harry to take it—"
Harry tried to interrupt, but Sirius held up a hand to stop him.
"Listen to me first, Harry. I want you to take on the Title and the vaults, whilst setting me up a vault of my own, so that I can remain in the background for as long as possible. I'm not ready for battle yet, I need to train myself back up, I need to help you.
"When you announce to the world that you are the rightful Lord Black, Dumbledore will think I am dead for real, and he won't even spare me a second thought. When we are ready, we can reveal that I'm alive in the most public setting possible, and destroy his image all in one blow. It'll be like the world's best prank."
Harry chuckled, he couldn't help himself. Sirius really could be a child at times.
"It's a good idea," Alex said softly. "Also, having a third Lordship will, I think, tip the scales to you being the most powerful wizard on the Wizengamot if I'm counting the Lords correctly. That could be a really big help in the future, Harry."
Sighing, Harry nodded his head. "Okay, fine. But I want Sirius to have access to anything under the Black name, as well as his own personal vault with as much money in it as he wants."
Bludaxe smiled. "The Black holdings have the most amount of money, at around sixty-nine million Galleons. They also hold a few investments, in various places. I've arranged a file for you to take with you, of all of the places you now hold stock in between the Potter and Black families, and also a list of Properties you own. I'd like to request another meeting with you as soon as the emancipation is finalised so you may take on your titles."
"Do you have any time tomorrow?" Alex asked.
"Of course. How does eleven o clock suit?"
"Eleven is fine. Is it possible that we go over anything else tomorrow as well? The afternoon is ticking ever nearer, and I need to prepare Harry to meet with the Minister."
"Of course," Bludaxe replied.
He shook first Harry's hand, then Alex' and Sirius' hands respectively.
"Thank you Bludaxe, really, for everything," Harry said, as he stood.
"No thanks are necessary, Mr Potter. If I may, after our meeting tomorrow, I'd like to arrange for one of our healers to check you over? I think it is possible that Mr Dumbledore has perhaps cast a few long holding charms on you over the years, and it would be helpful to know if he's tracking your whereabouts or if he has any monitoring charms on you."
"That would be great Bludaxe, thank you."
"Harry, call Dobby and have him take Sirius back to my apartment. We'll meet you there after the meeting with Fudge," he said to Sirius, who nodded his head. Alex added, "Help yourself to anything you want to eat, or to the shower or anything. My home is your home."
Sirius smiled at him. "Thank you." He pressed a kiss to Harry's temple. "I'll see you soon, okay? And don't be nervous. Just do what Alex tells you to do, and hold that temper of yours, okay?"
Harry grinned at him but nodded. He knew how important it was.
Dobby arrived to take Sirius back to Alex's, and they watched them disappear before Alex took Harry's arm with his hand.
"Are you ready?"
Harry took a deep breath and nodded. "As I'll ever be."
With the quickly becoming familiar feeling of being squeezed through a tube, Alex led their apparition to the Ministry.
It was time to face the Minister.