Harry Potter meets Death
By An Orc.
Ch 6. Summer of love.
Harry tried not to see Ron and Hermione snogging.
He went to Andromeda's as much as possible, and carried Delphini and Teddy around.
Delphini's financial future was assured, so Harry only needed a will to make it safer.
The first lawyer he found in Diagon Alley was a middle aged man going to seed, sitting in a small office over a potion ingredients seller, wearing a hat in the shape of chicken.
"What's with the hat?" asked Harry.
"It's a conversation starter, and makes me less threatening, I'm Kilo Davis" said the dark haired, brown eyed man, who looked a lot like someone's dad. Compared to vampires, werewolves and death eaters, the lawyer looked like … a pushover.
"I need a will" said Harry.
"Very prudent of you. Deposit five hundred galleons in my trust account, and I'll work on it." said Mr Davis.
"Five hundred!" explained Harry "That's a lot!"
"In advance, and I'll refund any not spent on your will" said Mr Davis, handing over a card "My vault details" he added "Go do it now, get a receipt."
"I could promise to pay you later" said Harry.
"I could promise to do the work later too" said Mr Davis, nodding, the chicken hat wobbling.
Harry went home, got a sack of galleons and went to Gringotts, The goblins were rude, as usual, but did stamp the receipt.
Mr Davis took the receipt, and shook Harry's hand "Pleasure to work for you" he said. "Now, what assets have you got?"
Harry explained about the vault, the house, the other house. "And I'm not sure about anything else"
"Well, I'll have to check ministry records of the Black family and your parents. Like being your executor, only before you die. And who are you leaving it to?"
"My adopted daughter, Delphini Druella Potter, and my godson, Teddy, um Edwards Remus Lupin." said Harry. "And a bit for my Aunt, Andromeda Tonks nee Black"
"That really sounds like a Black family name" said Mr Davis "I'd recommend changing her middle name to something less… obvious"
"Um… like what?"
"Your mother had a flower name, right?" asked Mr Davis.
"Um yes, so did my aunt"
"Fabulous" said Mr Davis "So, a flower, Delphinia, then Druella's a bit… how about Dorea, after your great-aunt. Still Black family, but a bit less of a glowing sign pointing at where she came from?"
"You worked that out from her name?"
"I asked my contact in the DMLE while you were off paying" said Mr Davis idly.
Harry wondered just how sharp his lawyer really was. He was a goof who wore a chicken hat, after all.
"It's only a sickle to change her name" said Mr Davis, sliding a pre-filled form over to Harry. Harry signed it feeling a bit annoyed.
"Now, back to your will? I'll find out if you've got more assets, probably just land at this point, and have a draft for you by next Wednesday."
Harry retired to Grimmauld place to revise sixth year, and read 'Ancient runes for dummies' again, this time doing the exercises.
Harry went back to get the finished will, and discovered he just had to sign it. And then had to explain about not having a vault.
"And that's confidential?" asked Mr Davis, chicken hat wobbling "You could have done with me during the negotiation."
"Probably" said Harry, more worried about the coming Hogwarts year. He looked around the room and stared at photograph on the desk of Mr Davis, a witch that must be his wife, and a brown haired daughter about Harry's age. Who looked vaguely familiar. Harry felt his hands suddenly sweating. Mr Davis. With a Daughter Harry's age. With brown hair. That may well be the fateful Tracey Davis, the witch Harry would spend the rest of his life with.
"What's troubling you"? Asked Mr Davis.
"Oh, I'm going back to Hogwarts for my seventh year." said Harry.
"Are you really" said Mr Davis "My, my, you will be famous."
"I just want to get some NEWTs" said Harry.
"I would have thought you'd be an Auror by now?" asked Mr Davis.
"Harry smiled awkwardly "I decided that I um, need NEWTs, and I won't have time to be an Auror."
"Speaking of" said Mr Davis, sliding a folder full of parchment over to Harry "Your real-estate portfolio. You own Grimmauld place, your parents cottage and the site of your grandparents manor in Stinchcombe."
Harry nodded "And there wasn't anything else from the Blacks?"
"Well there was, but you lost it" said Mr Davis "Let me explain…." And he explained that property left abandoned for more than twenty years can be claimed by living on it. And that every Black family tenant had done exactly that. "You probably lost a few million galleons worth of property and missed out on an equivalent amount of rentals."
Harry blinked. That was a lot of money. Huge, gigantic piles of it. All gone.
"There's no way of getting any of that back, is there?" asked Harry.
"Technically you could sue for unpaid rents. You'd need a sympathetic hearing, and it'd be tied up in hearings for ages" said Mr Davis "As your lawyer, I have to say you'd make more money doing anything else. Give an interview with Witch Weekly. Hell, give an interview with Teen Witch Weekley and take your shirt off." Harry felt his face flushing.
"I'd rather not" said Harry.
"Well, you could endorse say, Firebolt brooms?" suggested Mr Davis "They'd probably pay you."
"I'm not a pro player, that sounds a lot like cashing in on my fame" said Harry.
"It would be exactly like that, yes" said Mr Davis "If that's not to your taste, try studying hard getting some NEWTs, and working as an Auror. With danger pay I believe it's over a four hundred galleons a year."
"Well, at least I'm not dead" said Harry philosophically.
"People who where at the last battle say you looked dead" said Mr Davis "and you-know-who clearly thought you were dead."
"He got overconfident, and I got lucky" said Harry. Mr Davis nodded "That's more convincing about winning at quidditch. An unkillable dark lord dies, something was going on."
"It's a secret" said Harry "I don't want people copying his technique for being immortal."
"Slightly faulty technique" corrected Harry's lawyer.
"I broke it first, then killed him" said Harry.
"So not just getting lucky. I look forward to hearing about your NEWT practicals" said Mr Davis. "Are you playing quidditch this year?"
"I'll try out, but my place on the team isn't guaranteed" said Harry. Mr Davis nodded "And yet, I'm the one wearing a chicken hat. It's a shame really, It'd be nice if someone other than Gryffindor won the quidditch cup this year."
"I have to disagree" said Harry, with a crooked smile.
"You would" said Mr Davis "I'll lodge the will with the ministry, and send you a copy."
"Thank you." said Harry "That's done at least."
Mr Davis laughed "No, done for now. You'll need to revise it when you marry."
"I'm not dating right now" said Harry.
"Eventually, you won't be tired out forever" said Mr Davis "You might meet a nice girl in your last year at Hogwarts. A lot of people do."
Harry nodded and tried not to blush at someone he was fairly sure was going to be his father-in-law.
"Can you um, try to encourage people not to vilify the Slytherins that are returning?" asked Mr Davis.
"Vilify?" asked Harry.
"Pick on, bully, call names" said Mr Davis. "They're not bad kids. I am biassed, of course. Tracey, my Tracey, she's um… she's well… she's not death eater."
"I didn't think she was, Mr Davis" said Harry.
"If you could put the word out?" asked Mr Davis "It's just Tracy and her friends are all very worried they'll get cursed out of school."
"That won't be happening" said Harry calmly.
"One last thing?" asked Mr Davis.
"Yeah what?" asked Harry.
"I looked up the ministry records and there are no outstanding, unfilled marriage contracts for Potter or Black. You hear things, as a father" said Mr Davis.
Harry had to stop and think about that. Finally the dots joined. Harry snorted, and looked over at Mr Davis, who looked serious, apart from the chicken hat.
"I was just saying that the only way I'd ever marry someone like Daphne Greengrass is if I was in a cursed marriage contract" said Harry, with a grin. Mr Davis nodded, not smiling.
"Daphne's nice girl. Shy, worries about her sister, and not a death eater" said Mr Davis "So obviously not good enough for people like you." Harry felt… oddly embarrassed. Like he'd just been a dick, but he hadn't, had he?
"You know her?" asked Harry.
"She lives in my daughters bedroom most of summer. We're neighbours, they're best friends" said Mr Davis. "Just because a girl has some ambition, so she gets sorted into Slytherin, doesn't make her a bad person."
"Just more ambitious than brave" said Harry.
"Not everyone's fighting giants as a child, Mr Potter. Not a single one of the children I know that are my daughters friends have fought a monster." said Mr Davis.
Harry shrugged. "It wasn't a choice" he said. "Send me the copy."
Harry left, thinking that Mr Davis, in addition to being quite a sharp lawyer was … some ordinary wizard and a dad. Harry shook his head, he couldn't think of anyone he knew who was ordinary. Even Percy had hidden depths of usefulness.