10 September 1986—Gringotts Bank Albion
"May your enemies cower under your blade, Griphook. We have a 10 o'clock meeting with Skullpiercer," Pandora said to the surly Gringotts teller. Behind her, she heard Rita call out, "Luna, stay put," as she chased after her daughter who was busy trying to introduce herself to every goblin in the building.
Giving her the briefest of surly looks, Griphook, said, "May your coffers ever flow. Wait one minute," and departed into the bowels of Gringotts.
It had taken an extra few days for Pandora to arrange this meeting, but the additional time allowed Rita to thoroughly document every facet of Harry Potter's life outside his home. Though they were still unable to get concrete proof of Vernon Dursley's abuse behind closed doors, they were able to uncover some deeply troubling information, particularly in regards to Harry's school life and his mental health. Pandora also knew that the whole experience had taken its toll on Rita. Days ago, she was bursting with excitement about the story. Now, she looked lost, like she hadn't slept or had a decent meal in days. Really, this meeting couldn't come at a better time.
A short time later, the teller returned and said, "This way." Pandora, a still excited Luna, and a pensive Rita followed him down a corridor and into a nondescript conference room.
After opening the door and seating the two women, the goblin turned to a still-standing Luna with an almost friendly glance before addressing Pandora. "Some of our healers, including my wife, have expressed an interest in meeting your young seer. Would you allow me to escort her to them while you meet with Skullpiercer?"
Pandora looked at Luna, who was bouncing up and down gleefully. "Of course," she told the goblin. Then she turned to Luna and said, "Follow Griphook and do not get into trouble, young lady."
"I promise," Luna replied in a sing-song voice before skipping away behind the goblin.
Soon a taller-than-normal goblin dressed in a muggle suit straight out of 1920s Chicago entered the room, took his seat, and smiled menacingly, first at Pandora and then at Rita. "Welcome to Gringotts, Mrs Lovegood, Ms Skeeter. May your gold ever flow."
"Thank you for meeting with us, Head Goblin Skullpiercer," Pandora replied. "And may your enemies cower before your blade."
The goblin nodded in appreciation for the traditional greeting. "Now, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Before we start," Pandora said, "let me say that I know how important secrets are to the goblin race, that you value them above even galleons. Ms Skeeter and I have uncovered some rather damning secrets related to influential members of the wizarding community, and we must insist that these secrets remain just that. I know you understand what I mean."
Skullpiercer nodded. "I, Skullpiercer, Head Goblin of Gringotts Albion, do herby swear that I will not share any new information that I learn during this meeting unless and until I am told otherwise by both Rita Skeeter and Pandora Lovegood. So mote it be."
A bright light spread over the goblin, sealing the vow.
Pandora looked to Rita, who seemed out of sorts, her eyes darting all around the room.
"Rita," Pandora said, trying to nudge her friend back to the present.
Rita looked at Pandora as if she had forgotten where they were. Then she shook herself awake. "Sorry," Rita said before turning to the goblin, pulling a handful of photographs and documents out of her bag, and dropping them on the table. "This is the preliminary evidence I have gathered over the past four days that implicates Albus Dumbledore in the premeditated abuse, imprisonment, and endangerment of a minor—one Harry James Potter."
For a brief moment, the goblin's eyes grew wide before he composed himself and calmly said, "Interesting. Please tell me more."
‡
Flashback: 5 September 1986—Little Whinging, Surrey
Rita's first full day outside the Dursley's home started before the sun came up. She heard a woman scream at the top of her lungs, "Get up, you useless brat! Breakfast won't cook itself." Her first glimpse of one of the Dursleys came an hour or so later when Harry Potter opened the door, collected the mail and paper, and shut the door. The glimpse was brief, but Rita did notice that Harry picked up the mail and paper with his right hand only, and he held his left hand tight across its chest, as though to prevent it from being injured (or being injured any further).
About an hour later, nearly the whole family spilled out of the house. Vernon quickly wobbled to his car and drove away, ostensibly heading to work. Harry and the other young boy, Dudley, then left the house and the wards and headed to the nearby school, passing Rita's position along the way. This was Rita's first real, up-close glimpse of Harry. She noticed large bags under his eyes and all manner of scrapes, burn marks, and abrasions on his face, neck, and arms. The bruises on his neck and stick-like arms varied in color from red to yellow to blue, suggesting that they were a mix of both older injuries and fresh ones.
But what really stood out for Rita was the boy's clothes. Both Harry and his cousin were sporting uniforms typical for school-age boys on warm days like that one—button-down shirts with ties, trousers, and trainers. But while Dudley's clothes seemed cleaned and pressed and immaculate, Harry's seemed to have been run over by a few dozen lorries. The shirt's collar was stained yellow and stretched out from extensive use. There were at least two buttons missing from the shirt, having been replaced by paper clips. The trousers had holes in each knee and tears in the seams, and instead of a belt, Harry wore what looked like a burlap rope. But perhaps the worst part was Harry's shoes, which were not only far too big for him but seemed held together by gaffer tape.
Rita took photos of all of this from her hidden spot just a few feet away from where they were walking. After they passed, she switched to her bug form and followed behind them, listening to their conversation as they neared the school.
She heard Dudley tell Harry, "You better not do something freaky like jump onto the top of the school or turn the teacher's hair green again."
"Yes, Dudley," Harry replied with a resigned breath.
"Or me and my mates are gonna pummel you again. You hear?"
"Yes, Dudley."
"And I'll tell Da and he'll bring his mates around again and you'll cry out your butt for days like before."
He said this with an innocent laugh, as though he knew the punishment hurt Harry but didn't know exactly what it was. But Rita knew, and she sputtered, almost losing control of her animagus form and exposing herself to these boys and the other school children around them.
When the boys went inside the school, Rita hurried back to Handbag End, returned to her normal form, and raced to the toilet. It took several hours before her stomach was well enough to do anything else.
That was not the only time she lost control of her stomach over the next few days as she documented every single injury she could observe or scan as well as the verbal and physical abuse Harry suffered from his cousin, his cousin's friends, other children at the school, and even most of the teachers.
She witnessed Harry being pushed down and kicked by a group of children, boys and girls, while two teachers stood twenty feet away watching and doing nothing. She witnessed Dudley and his gang throw Harry into the girl's bathroom on no less than three different occasions. In each instance, the girls in the bathroom all ganged up on Harry and slapped and kicked him until he managed to rush out.
On one occasion, a teacher walked by and witnessed the whole incident, but rather than punishing Dudley or the girls, she turned on Harry striking him on the face, shouting at him, calling him a "pervert" and a "freak," and then taking him to the headmaster's office where he had to endure further verbal abuse before returning to his class where more abuse awaited him.
Obviously, this was not normal behavior. Someone has clearly messed with these muggle's minds. Was this, too, Dumbledore's doing, or was it something else?
Bearing witness to all of this was heartbreaking for Rita, but what truly hurt her the most was Harry's response to it all. Other than trying to run away from children during recess, he never lifted a finger of protest, not to his cousin or to the other students or to the teachers. It was as though he had resigned himself to this fate—as if this tiny, six-year-old boy had simply given up on life.
Painful though it was to witness, Rita diligently did her job, documenting every incident, every kick, every verbal taunt—everything.
‡
10 September 1986—Gringotts Bank Albion
"All of this—every punch in the face, every kick, every verbal jab, every burn mark, every bruise, every scrape, and every broken bone—is documented here. You will also find all the details about the wards placed around the Dursley's house, including the blood ward that is the crux of our visit."
Rita took a deep breath and tried to get her trembling hands under control. Retelling the events of the past few days had taken its toll, but she pressed on.
"What you won't find, however, is anything about Harry's life inside his house. The wards prevent us from getting in. That means our only evidence of the physical, verbal, and sexual abuse Harry is suffering from every single day are the scars on his body and the words of his cousin. I do plan to observe Vernon Dursley at his place of employment and among the friends Dudley mentioned that appear to be abusing Harry sexually, but the real evidence we need is inside that house."
"And that is why we have come to you today," Pandora chimed in, the first time she has spoken since Rita began her story. "We need your help to circumvent the blood ward so Ms Skeeter can embed herself in the house and document all that happens behind closed doors. If what we think is happening is actually happening, then it's no wonder Harry puts up with the abuse at school, for it's far better than the abuse he suffers at home."
"There is one last thing I should mention," Rita said, beginning the end of her report. "Over the course of the last few days, as I shadowed Harry Potter, I did not detect a single other witch or wizard anywhere near the Dursley's neighborhood or the school. So, as far as we can determine, the only protection Harry has are the wards, and those only protect him from outside threats, not the threats that are slowly killing him every day. And yes, I said killing him. Frankly, I'm amazed he's survived this long. I'd attribute it to his magical core."
Skullpiercer was silent for some time. As Rita was speaking, he had been giving a cursory glance at the documents provided by the two women. He knew Rita by reputation only, but that reputation was a positive one, at least from his perspective. She is known as an exceptional reporter who did not cut corners in her work and who would dig up the bones of her grandmother if it meant getting the story right. These documents certainly reinforce that reputation—they were organized, detailed, and carefully annotated. It was all here, everything that she told him.
But then, he knew most of this already—not in such detail, of course, but he knew of the Potter boy's location and rumors of his treatment at the hands of those muggles. He, like all of his goblin colleagues, had been disgusted when reports Dumbledore's inattention to the Potter heir had first surfaced. But to see it all here, spelled out in such meticulous detail, was simply abhorrent. If he could help young Potter, and by extension these two women, then he would.
But not, perhaps how they were hoping.
Skullpiercer closed the folder and looked at Rita. "Thank you, Ms Skeeter, for bringing this to our attention. One thing the Goblin Nation shares with the wizarding world is the belief that magical children, no matter the race, are sacred. To harm or abuse any child is an automatic death sentence in the goblin world. I only wish it were the same in your world as well."
The two women nodded but said nothing.
"However I do have a few questions for the two of you before I can offer you an answer to your request."
"Of course," Rita said. "What do you need to know?"
"First, Mrs Lovegood, what exactly is your involvement in all this?" the goblin asked.
"My involvement?" Pandora asked, surprised at the question. "Well, Rita, Ms Skeeter, has been a close friend of the family's since our schooldays. My husband is a fellow journalist who often collaborates with Rita, and, of course, she is godmother to my Luna. Rita asked for my help to identify the blood ward because she knew I had some experience with not-quite-legal forms of magic due to my years at the Department of Mysteries.
"But beyond that, I am a mother, and I was close with Lily Potter, and when I heard about the abuse Harry was suffering, it took all of my willpower not to race in there and kill everyone who ever laid a finger on that boy. I was more than happy to assist Rita as she collected the evidence she needs for her story."
"So you have no financial or professional stake in this endeavor?" Skullpiercer asked.
"No!" Pandora quickly replied.
"And your husband?"
"No! He knows nothing about this other than the fact that I'm helping Rita on an assignment."
Skullpiercer held his hands up. "I mean no offense. I merely wanted to ensure that your interest in this is not motivated by anything other than your friendship with Ms Skeeter and your concern for Mr Potter."
Pandora nodded. "I understand."
"Excellent. Now, Ms Skeeter, I am struck by your description of the behavior of these muggles, both the cousin and the other children and the adults in the school. Their response to Mr Potter is not normal, as you rightly point out. Do you have an explanation?"
Figured he would ask that, but I wish I had a better answer. "At first, I thought it was some sort of massive mind control charm, but that doesn't really make sense and wouldn't last for such a long period of time. After all, the people who abuse Harry change from day to day. The only thing that stays the same is Harry himself. So we thought that he might be cursed—and we think he has. I mention this in the notes, but when I look at him using my mage sight glasses, I see what looks like a very black mark on Harry's forehead—specifically, embedded within the lightning bolt scar."
"A scar put there by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"Yes," Pandora chimed in to say. "We think there might be a connection between the curse put there by a muggle-hating dark wizard and the animosity that seems to follow Harry whenever he is surrounded by muggles."
"Interesting," Skullpiercer said. "But you do not know the nature of this curse?"
"We don't even know if it is a curse, but whatever it is, it's dark and it's more than likely responsible for much, if not all, of the horrors that Harry has suffered these past few years."
"Well, we might be able to help solve that mystery, but that depends upon the answer to my final question, Ms Skeeter—a very important question I must ask before Gringotts can agree to work with you."
Rita nodded, suddenly nervous. "Go ahead."
"Why are you interested in Mr. Potter? Is it simply a good story that will no doubt further your career and win you accolades, or is it something more?"
"I…" Rita began but stuttered and paused.
Why am I doing this? It's just a story, right? I get the info, send it to Cuffe, and then the chaos starts and someone comes in and rescues Harry because if he isn't rescued then none of this matters and if the story gets out then Harry's life might get better but then the whole world will know about his abuse and he'll have to live with everyone knowing the most intimate details about his life every time he meets a new person and they look at him and see the pain he suffered and feel pity isn't it bad enough people will be staring at the boy who lived all his life but now because of something I will do he'll have even more reasons to avoid people avoid relationships and how can I live with myself if I ruin his life just for a story and oh my god it's not just a story it's personal and I never make things personal I care about the boy I care about Harry and I have to save him from those bastards but what can I do I'm just the messenger in all this what has happened to me…
While all this flashed through Rita's mind, the others remained quiet. But Pandora watched her friend and saw the panic in her eyes. People saw her as this ruthless reporter who would tear anyone down to get what she wanted. But Pandora knew better. She knew the kindhearted woman who came by at least once a week no matter how busy she got to read to Luna and tuck her into bed, the woman who went out of her way to follow-up with women whose attacks and assaults she reported on and who worked tirelessly to ensure that the men behind those attacks got what they deserved. She hides it, but she has a heart—a warm heart. And this week has ripped that heart wide open. One look in her friend's eyes when she described the bruises on Harry's arms told her all she needed to know about her true feelings—but those were feelings that she had to come to terms with on her own. And, based on what she saw in Rita's eyes at that moment, it looked like she had.
Finally, after a long pause and a deep breath, Rita came clean. "Forgive me, Skullpiercer, but to really answer your question, I need to tell you about myself, something I rarely do, so it's not…comfortable to me. As you probably already know, Rita Skeeter is not my real name. Well, Rita is, but 'Skeeter' is a pen name. When I entered Hogwarts, I was Rita Costaros. My mother's family is well-known in Greece, and being well-known in magical Hellas is often dangerous. When I was three, some enemies of my family targeted my parents. They killed my father and nearly killed my mother. After this, she fled to Britain and I grew up in a muggle neighborhood just like Harry, surrounded by children just like Dudley who hated me for who I was: a strange, foreign kid who occasionally did impossible things with accidental magic. So I know, at least to some extent, what it's like to be in Harry's shoes.
"It wasn't until I got to Hogwarts that I found friends who accepted me for who I was. Pan and Xeno and I had a enjoyable seven years in Ravenclaw, but the world beyond the school was getting uglier and more dangerous, just like Athens before my father died. When the three of us graduated, we were determined to stay out of the war. Luckily, Pan got a job in the Department of Mysteries and remained relatively safe there, but Xeno and I were stuck. Journalists were being used as pawns by both sides, and we wanted no part in that. So we used glamour spells to change our appearances, created fake names with fake backgrounds, and spent years working in the muggle world. I split my time between here and America and became quite successful writing advice and gossip columns, and I was also a top-notch investigative journalist. I even managed to force a Prime Minister to resign when I exposed her interesting, um, hobbies…
"Anyways, Xeno was also very successful working at many muggle newspapers both in London and on the continent, but I know the hours and the time away from Pandora were taking their toll, and I was feeling the same. Then a miracle happened—Harry Potter ended the war. That meant we could return to the wizarding world, that Xeno and Pan could have the daughter they always wanted (because, seriously, who has a kid in the middle of a war?), and I could finally make a name for myself in our world, where it really matters.
"And this—finding Harry Potter—was the story that was going to put me over the top. It would be front-page news in every magical newspaper in the world. It would make my career. When I first had an inkling that Harry's life was difficult, I'm ashamed to say I grew excited. Now I could be the one to save Harry Potter from abusive muggles!
"But then I saw him up close, saw the scars and his bone-thin frame and the way he struggled to walk and the resigned look in his eyes…" A tear rolled down her cheek, and she took a deep breath before continuing. "And I knew deep in my heart this wasn't just a story. I've spent the last week living Harry's hellish life. I stood by and witnessed the abuse and torture of an innocent magical child by a mob of deranged muggles and it…just broke me. I've been sick so many times this week. Every day, when Harry returned home and my observation could end, I went home and immediately went straight to the toilet to empty my body of vomit and tears. But still, the next day, I got up and kept watching and kept documenting every horrible event because I knew it mattered, that it would be worth it in the end.
"And it will be worth it, but not for my own selfish purposes. It's not my story any more. It's Harry's. Besides, even if I did write it up, we could never publish it because…"
"Because," Skullpiercer interjected, "if you tell the world everything you've learned and explain that Albus Dumbledore caused it all to happen, then what happens to Harry?"
"Harry would…" she sputtered, uncertainly.
"—would still be at the Dursleys," Pandora said, deciding to take the burden off her friend, "and Dumbledore's still the most powerful wizard in the world. His influence here and abroad is unmatched. If word gets out about Harry while he's still in that hell hole, Dumbledore will do everything he can to hide the evidence before the ministry can get to it. That means obliviating everyone, including Harry and possibly Rita as well and then spiriting the boy away to somewhere far from prying eyes. Given his track record at looking after Harry, it's safe to say that if we lose touch with the child, things won't get any better for him.
"If that's not enough, then there's Dumbledore himself. He holds grudges, Rita. You know this as well as I. He won't forgive you for messing with his plans. You'll be his enemy, and more often than not, an enemy of Dumbledore's finds herself in Azkaban."
"Ah gamó," Rita said, her head buried in her hands. "I thought originally I was going to find a happy story about the boy who saved Britain and his life away from the spotlight where he is happy and well-adjusted. I was going to have a photo of a smiling Harry with his adopted family surrounding him. That's the picture Dumbledore painted of Harry's life. But the reality is, he's barely alive. And if I reveal this, then it could make his life even worse and will definitely make mine worse."
"And that means, Ms Skeeter," Skullpiercer said, "that even if we can get you through those wards so you can get the rest of the evidence, you cannot publish the story—at least, not until we know Harry is safe from the Dursley's and free from Dumbledore's influence."
Rita nodded, reluctantly.
"So you both agree that Harry Potter's safety and security take priority from here on out?"
"Yes," they said.
"Good. Now that we are all in agreement on these facts, I can tell you that Gringotts will assist you in your efforts."
"Excellent," Rita said.
But Pandora was more cautious. "And what do you want in exchange for your assistance?"
Skullpiercer grinned, baring his pointy teeth. "Personally, I think making sure Harry Potter lives to adulthood and make his mark on the magical world is reason enough to work with you. However, goblins do not work for free. In this case, though, we do not want your galleons." Turning to Rita, he said, "Instead, we want your quill, Ms Skeeter. We want to use your influence as a journalist to pen articles favoring goblins and Gringotts and to push for the elimination of the laws designed to restrict rights on non-humans. We will not ask you to lie for us, but when you write a factual story, we ask that you include facts relevant to goblins—facts regularly ignored or suppressed from most wizarding publications. Dumbledore has been very busy these past few years outlawing employment for werewolves and other so-called 'dark' creatures, limiting the ability of goblins to interact with other magicals or own property, and even outlawing benign rituals like Samhain. We want your voice to help change all this. Can you do that?"
Pandora started to suggest that Rita take her time and think this over, but Rita didn't listen and didn't hesitate. "If working with you to improve the lot of goblins and other fey is what I need to do to make sure Harry is safe, then I will do it gladly. Do you need a vow?"
"Not at this time. Right now, we have to decide how to get Harry Potter out of the Dursley's house and into a safe environment without alerting Albus Dumbledore that anything is amiss until it is too late. I have a few ideas, but I am open to suggestions."
