A/N: Here is my newest fic. I have been chopping away at it for over a year. It's a gender-bent Harry Potter fic. I chose to go this route because I don't think I could do a slash fic justice.
This fic is broken up into three parts. Each part will be relatively long.
This part is entirely in Mira's(Harry) POV.
It's not my playground, just my slide.
I have no beta.
I smiled at my reflection in the ornate mirror that I sat in front of. My gorgeous, long, flowing hair was as black as midnight. Its wavy length hit just below my hips and swished about as I turned my head from side to side to take in my appearance. My killing curse green eyes were bright and framed with long sooty lashes.
I grinned slyly and recalled my time spent in the past few weeks or in this case years while in the goblin's pocket dimension. The moment the goblins performed the cleansing ritual on my birthday, all the blocks that had been placed on me by Fumblesmuch broke. Oh, it hurt. Man, did it ever hurt. The block that was placed on my magical core had been the most painful to break.
Dumbledore, in his overblown sense of importance, felt the need to block my magic by three-quarters. The very idea of blocking someone's magic was detestable. It's made even worse when it is a child's magic that has been blocked. Even worse still is the knowledge that Dumbledore blocked my magic when I was just fifteen months old, the very day my parents were killed.
I was fortunate enough that the blocks placed on me didn't kill me when I was much younger. It's really a testament to exactly how powerful I was that even having that much of my power blocked did not halt me from being able to cast the Patronus charm which many adult witches and wizards are unable to cast. It bears witness to my power that I won the Triwizard Tournament.
I had learned that my power levels were so high that I was classed at Merlin level, named for the famous wizard that had lived over a thousand years ago. I had also learned that the only other person to be classed at that level since Merlin's time was Tom Riddle Jr. aka Lord Voldemort.
I growled remembering the condition I was in when Griphook had come in search of the seemingly elusive Potter heiress. The goblins had contacted me out of concern, their brand of concern. That interest was based on the fact that I had yet to respond to any of the multitudes of owls that have been sent to me over the years.
Finally, at wit's end, the goblins decided to take matters into their own hands and find out the real cause for the Potter heiress ignoring her responsibilities. What the goblins discovered was far from what they had expected. The situation was beyond horrifying.
Griphook had taken the task of confronting me with my apparent lackadaisical attitude toward my vaults as well as all of my financial and political obligations. He told me of how he admittedly looked forward to inflicting the goblin penalty for inactive vaults. The penalty would have been costly for me. In matters of finance, goblins took things very seriously.
Griphook teleported himself to Little Whining, Surrey, to find the elusive Heiress Potter. He was determined to get to the bottom of this mess, even if that meant going into the muggle world. Goblins hated muggles.
He spoke of how he looked around him in disgust and marched right up the sidewalk at number 4. Apparently, he stood there and knocked very loudly, waiting for one of the muggles inside to answer the door. When no one answered after a minute, he stretched out his magic to get a 'sense' of where I was. What he sensed would be something he would never be able to forget.
My magic had been fluctuating and becoming more erratic by the moment. He had been barely able to sense me as it was. However, it was the pleas he heard and the sound of a whip that truly startled him.
Griphook had decided to forgo propriety and blasted open the door and rushed inside. The cries could be heard coming from upstairs. He teleported again and appeared directly in the doorway of the only open room. Before him stood a whale-sized muggle, who was brandishing a whip and hitting me repeatedly with it. My back was fully exposed, and Griphook was able to see the multiple whip lashes decorating my pale skin. Blood poured out of the open wounds while I lay on the hard floor begging for my morbidly obese uncle to stop.
Griphook sneered angrily. After gathering his magic into his fist, he shot it out and hit the muggle in the chest with intense force. The fat slob flew against the wall, hitting his head hard before landing harshly on his arse as he slumped to the ground.
"Who the hell are you? You're one of those freaks," he cried out while in a daze.
"The only freak I see is you, you filthy muggle," Griphook growled out angrily. This was a good reason why goblins find muggles to be lower than filth. They are always afraid of what they don't understand which causes them to lash out irrationally and oftentimes violently.
"I am not a healer, but I know enough to stop the blood flow," he warned as I felt his magic wash over me. I felt my bleeding slow down and then nearly stop completely. "Try to hold on until I can get you back to Gringotts. We will have a healer sent to you."
The memory of Uncle Vernon slamming so hard into the wall was one that I enjoyed, and I concentrated on that while Griphook took care of the matter at hand. It will never cease to bring a smile to my face. Griphook quickly became sort of a hero to me that day, a fact that I had no trouble informing him of. The goblin in turn looked on to me with a great deal more respect. For any magical child to suffer the amount of abuse I suffered for years and still retain an air of respect spoke a great deal about my character.
Griphook grabbed a tight hold of me and transported us both back to Gringotts. He brought me with him to the goblin king, Ragnuk. They spoke in gobbledygook so quickly that it left me slightly dazed. After a few minutes, they both turned to me.
"Griphook has informed me of what those disgusting muggles have been doing to you. I will call in one of our healers. Having official documents that list your injuries and all of the abuse will only help you get free of them as well as free from Dumbledore's control," he spat out the headmaster's name with apparent hatred.
"Anything to get me away from those pigs and out of Dumb-as-a-door's control will be greatly appreciated," I hastily agreed, wincing in pain as the quick nod of my head caused a sharp jolt of pain to run up my spine.
"It would seem that Heiress Potter is not under the headmaster's thumb as he has been leading people to believe," Ragnuk said with a malicious grin.
"Excuse me, heiress?" I questioned, unsure of what he was referring to.
"This is what I was talking about. Dumbledore has intentionally left her in the dark regarding her inheritance, money, Wizengamot seats, everything really," Griphook said in annoyance.
"And since he hasn't fulfilled his self-proclaimed job as magical guardian, this must mean he is up to something. I suggest we do an inheritance test and a complete audit of all of her accounts and holdings, including all Potter investments," Ragnuk suggested. "I don't trust Dumbledore as far as I can blast him. If you can hold out just a moment longer, we can get this out of the way and have the healer take care of you. Come here, Heiress Potter, we will do the blood inheritance test first. This will give us a complete picture of any inheritances and ladyships you may have as well as the condition of your magical core."
Ragnok sat at his desk and pulled out a piece of parchment and a small ritual knife. The knife's handle was encrusted in emeralds and rubies and was very beautifully crafted.
"You need to make a small shallow cut into your palm and allow seven drops of blood to fall onto the parchment," he advised me as he handed the knife to me.
I grabbed a hold of it and brought the tip across my palm, making a clean cut. I held my hand over the parchment and let the blood drop onto it. Once seven drops fell, my cut immediately healed.
We all sat back and watched as the sheet of parchment began to fill up. The more that showed, the more shocked Ragnok looked.
Gringotts Inheritance Test
Name: Mira Jade Potter
Birthday: 31 July 1980
Mother: Lillian Jasmine Potter nee Evans- deceased
Father: James Charlus Potter- deceased
Father By Blood Adoption: Sirius Orion Black- deceased
Heiress To:
Merlin- Potter Line
Pendragon- Potter Line
Gryffindor- Potter Line
Black-Blood Adoption (godfather)
Potter- By Blood
Wizengamot Seats:
Merlin: 5 seat
Pendragon: 5 seat
Gryffindor: 4 seat
Black: 3 seats
Potter: 3 seats
Magic:
Core: Dark
Magical Core- blocked by 75%
Creature Inheritance- 100% blocked
Wandless Magic- 100% blocked
Photographic Memory- 100% blocked
Natural Legilimency- 100% blocked
Natural Occlumency- 100% blocked
Magical blocks cast by Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
** Peter Pettigrew- life debt
** Ginevra Weasley- life debt
** Hermione Granger- life debt
***Scar Horcrux- Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr aka Lord Voldemort***
When I finished reading what it said, I felt myself getting very dizzy and lightheaded. I must have passed out. When I awoke, I was lying on a cold stone floor in a dark room. There were lit candles circling me and quiet chanting could be heard in the background.
"Please try to refrain from moving, Heiress Potter. I am Shax, the healer that has been assigned to you. I have completed the scan regarding your health and physical condition and have found many unsettling things we need to discuss," the Goblin healer informed her.
"What sort of unsettling things?" I asked nervously, afraid to find out what was discovered.
"For starters, your inheritance test showed that there is a block on your magical core that has left you with access to only twenty-five percent of your magic. That alone is terrifying. How you have lived this long while being horribly abused is nothing more than staggering. Your levels must be extremely high for you to last this long," she replied gravely. "There were other blocks placed upon you such as your creature inheritance, photographic memory, occlumency, legilimency, and wandless magic. Once the blocks are destroyed, you should have no problems with accessing them."
"What else did you find?"
"Another concerning thing we discovered is that there is a Horcrux attached to your cursed scar," she informed me sternly while gesturing to my forehead.
"I'm sorry. There's a what in my scar?" I asked, not understanding what she was referring to.
"Your scar contains a Horcrux which is usually an object used to store a portion of an individual's soul. In this case, your scar has a piece of the Dark Lord's soul in it," she replied gravely.
I felt my eyes bug out of my head. I had a piece of someone's soul in my scar, and that someone is Voldemort. "What can you do about it?"
"We can remove the soul piece and either destroy it or place it in another object. The choice is yours," she said.
I thought about it for a moment. Something was telling me to not destroy it. I've always gone with my gut instinct, and in this case, I was going to continue to do so. "Don't destroy it."
"As you wish. Now for the other things we found. There have been several compulsions cast on you, and you have also ingested several potions including love, liquid imperious, and one potion we are unsure of since we have never encountered it before," the healer said. "Our best potion master is currently analyzing that particular potion."
"That's not all of it, is it?" I asked not sure whether I wanted the answer or not.
"Your list of physical injuries is quite large. You have multiple bones that were broken and never set so they healed incorrectly. Your bones in general are already very brittle. In a few years, you would be barely able to walk because the pain would be too great. Your eyesight is so poor because your glasses are an incorrect prescription that has damaged your eyes. You are dangerously malnourished and lacking the necessary vaccines in both the muggle and wizarding worlds. Many of your organs are showing early organ failure due to your malnutrition. If we hadn't caught everything now, you would probably not live past your eighteenth birthday. Now, all of it can be fixed, but it is going to hurt you a great deal?" she advised me gently.
"Okay, then do whatever it is that needs to be done. I have suffered for years. I can handle it for a bit longer. I just want to be free of that manipulative bastard and those muggle scum," I spit out through tightly clenched teeth.
"Understood. This is going to take a few days. Before we can unblock your core, you are going to need your bodily issues healed first We are going to cast a spell that will help your magical core to stabilize while we take care of vanishing your bones so that the new ones can grow," she told me as she walked over to me with several potion vials floating beside her. "Here, you must take these. They are a blood replenisher, Skele-Go, and a level ten pain potion. The pain potion will put you into a magical coma. It will also stop you from being able to move, and you will not wake until you are fully healed."
The healer helped me to hold my head up as I drank down each potion. I grimaced at the taste of each, closing my mouth tightly as I fought a bit of nausea. Within moments, I could feel the pain potion begin to work as my eyes began to feel heavy, and I drifted off into a magical coma.
When I finally awoke, my pain was gone. I laid there for a few minutes just basking in the knowledge that for the first time in over a decade I didn't feel any pain. I also vowed to myself that I was going to make Dumbledore feel every ounce of pain and suffering I have dealt with for my entire life.
"You have awoken," the Goblin healer stated. "This is good. You healed faster than anticipated. You most definitely have a very powerful core. Do you feel like taking a break and eating a little something, or would you prefer to finish?"
"Let's get this done with. I don't think it would be a good idea to eat before you unblock my core," I decided. "Besides, I might back out if I wait."
"Very well, as you recall, this part is going to cause you the most pain. I have six other healers with me that are going to work alongside me to break your blocks. Removing the Horcrux will more than likely give us the most difficulty, but we are prepared. We have erected a powerful shield to contain any magical backlash once the blocks break. Know that you are safe here regardless of what happens," she informed me.
"I understand," I told her eager to get it over with.
"We shall begin," she responded as all the healers began to chant in Gobbledygook.
Almost immediately, searing pain shot throughout my body. I gasped at its intensity and was barely able to catch my breath when I was hit with another wave of agony. I gritted my teeth, refusing to make a sound. It felt like someone was repeatedly stabbing me all over my body with a white-hot poker.
I'm not sure how long the pain lasted. For me, it felt unending. I hadn't expected this level of pain. Each new wave that hit caused me to clench my teeth more tightly. I feared I was going to break my teeth from clenching them so hard. I laid there, writhing in unimaginable pain, praying to Lady Magic to have it end.
In the same way that a symphony reaches its crescendo, the pain itself began to intensify. No longer able to hold back anymore, I screamed as my back arched off the floor followed by what sounded like a large explosion. A moment later, I passed out.
When I woke again, I noticed that I was no longer in the ritual room. I was laying on a bed in a very nondescript room that resembled one in a hospital. Beside me, there was a small bedside table that had another potion on it. The second thing I noticed was that I was starving.
There was a quiet knock at the door. "Come in," I called out.
The door opened and the goblin healer entered with Griphook and Ragnok. They each wore a dark scowl on their faces which made them look even more fierce than normal.
"Heiress Potter, we are happy that you have been healed. According to my scans, every block has been removed and the Horcrux was successfully removed and placed into another container. All the potions you ingested over the years have been purged immediately following your healing. Your eyesight has also been healed, so you will no longer need glasses. Please take the pain potion which should help with any residual pain you suffered from the ritual," the healer said gently. "When you are ready, we have brought you a change of clothing," she gestured to the chair in the far corner where the Goblin had put them.
I bowed my head in respect. "Thank you for your assistance." I quickly downed the potion, grimacing at its bitterness.
All three of them looked at me in surprise. It wasn't often that someone from the wizarding community ever showed the Goblins respect. The healer nodded, "I am happy to have helped." She then quickly turned and walked out, leaving me with Griphook and Ragnok.
"Well, how bad is it?" I asked, looking back and forth between the two.
"There is much we need to discuss with you. We are having a light meal brought in for you to eat. The healer recommended some broth. She didn't think your stomach would be able to handle anything heavier than that since you haven't had an actual meal in weeks," Ragnok replied.
There was a knock at the door which Griphook quickly answered. He came back over and placed a small tray on the table beside my bed. The broth smelled delicious, and I was a tad shocked at how eager I was feeling to finally eat.
"When you have finished, the guard outside your door will bring you to my office. The three of us have much to speak about," Ragnok informed me as he led Griphook out.
I took my time with the broth knowing that if I ate it too quickly, I would get sick. That was something I had learned from experience a long time ago. Thankfully, once I was done, I felt pleasantly full and not at all sick to my stomach.
I changed into the new clothing the Goblins left for me. There was a simple green jumper and a pair of black trousers to wear. I then fastened a black robe around my shoulders. It wasn't anything fancy, but it would do. I pulled on the white trainers they also left for me and opened the door to request that the guard lead me to Ragnok's office.
Once at the office, I sat down in the seat directly opposite the Goblin king. I was slightly nervous about the upcoming conversation. Whatever they found, it couldn't be good.
"We have uncovered a great deal. Some of which we are about to tell you may very well shock you. If at any time you feel that you need to take a break, just let us know," Ragnok advised me, and I nodded my head in understanding.
"First thing you need to know is that your magical core has been fully unblocked, and there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage. As far as your power levels are concerned, you are indeed at Merlin level," Ragnok said with a bit of awe in his voice.
"Merlin level?" I asked. "Is that named after Merlin himself?"
Both goblins nodded. "It is indeed. Merlin was the most powerful wizard to ever live. That is until Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr was born. Then he became the most powerful wizard," Griphook clarified for me.
"But it doesn't end there. You are also a Merlin-level magical. In fact, you are a sorceress since you are female whereas Riddle is a mage," Ragnok added.
"I thought I was a Merlin level," I said in confusion. I was already getting tired, and we had only just begun. I massaged my temples for a moment trying to ease the tension I was already feeling.
"Merlin level is the highest level a magical can be. Under the term 'Merlin' there are two different classifications. You are the highest level a female magical can be just as Riddle is the highest level a male magical can be," he explained.
"Okay, I think I get it now."
"Now, here is where it all gets interesting. It appears that you are the long-lost descendant of Myrddin Emrys Pendragon. You are the Pendragon heiress. The former heir, Augustus Ambrosius Pendragon was killed in battle several decades ago. It was believed that the Pendragon line had died out," Ragnok told me.
"Correct me if I am wrong, but you don't think it was pure coincidence that Dumbarse blocked my powers? You think he knew?" I surmised getting angry at the thought.
"Yes, but there's a lot more. Blocking your magical core was definitely planned, but we'll get into that momentarily," Griphook added.
"Alright just lay it all out for me," I advised them. "I feel like I've taken a beating."
"You will feel like that until your core settles," Griphook explained.
"I'm sorry, Ragnok, you were saying," I said apologetically.
"No apologies are necessary, Heiress Potter," he replied. "As you may or may not know, the Pendragon line was dark, not evil, just dark. They were so powerful, they could transform into actual dragons," Ragnok informed me with a Goblin's version of a grin. "The Pendragon line became integrated with their dragons making it an actual creature inheritance."
"So it isn't just a magical ability. It's part of me now," I said. "So am I part dragon now?" I asked.
"You could look at it that way," Griphook replied.
"The headmaster didn't just block access to most of your magic. He blocked your creature inheritance and your natural abilities such as Legilimency, Occlumency, photographic memory, wandless magic, and parseltongue. You speak parseltongue because you possess the ability to transform into a dragon or more succinctly your dragon form."
Griphook jumped in, "Many dragons are very closely related to snakes. The type you can transform into is similar in many ways to snakes."
I was shocked but pleased to hear this. This may very well explain why I have always had a fascination with both snakes and dragons. I chuckled as I remembered the bullshit reason Dumblewhore told me for me being a parselmouth. Man is he ever full of it.
I looked up to see the two goblins staring at me. I waved my hand to signal for them to continue. I wanted to know it all. We could bad mouth the headarsehole later.
"Your magical inheritance is due any time now. You will know when you start to feel as if you were getting sick. Your body will also have a lot of aches and pains. Once it is complete, it will be purely instinctual to transform into a dragon," Ragnuk told me.
"What if my inheritance begins when I'm not in a large enough room? From what I gather, I will transform into a dragon. Unless it's a miniature dragon, there won't be enough room," I asked, concerned about what I would do.
"We would like to invite you to stay here for the time being. Besides your inheritance, we have a lot of things we need to go over with you. I hate to say it, but you have a lot to catch up on, and we have a way to help you do just that," Ragnuk said.
I looked at him in surprise. It was almost unheard of when the goblins would do anything without them being paid. Goblins were not known for charity. "How can you help me?"
"You are essentially fifteen years behind on your wizarding education. Unfortunately, you do not have the time to catch up before Hogwarts starts up again. We goblins have managed to create what we call a pocket universe. Inside this universe, time is a great deal faster than it is here. One day here is the equivalent to six months there. This should buy you the time to catch up before you start school. You have thirty days, and this is the best option for you," Ragnok explained to me.
I was intrigued. "Based on the math alone, by the time I exit this pocket universe, I will have aged five years. I will essentially be twenty."
Ragnuk nodded, "That is correct."
"I would like to take you up on your offer then."
"Very good, we will begin the preparations. In the meantime, we have a great deal more to divulge. The next matter we need to address is that you are also the Gryffindor heiress," Ragnok said. "As the Gryffindor heiress, you own a quarter of Hogwarts and all the surrounding land which also includes the forbidden forest and Hogsmeade Village."
I just shook my head in amazement. I owned part of Hogwarts which I always viewed as my very first home. Since I was the heiress to three very prominent and very powerful magical lines, there was no way in hell that Dumbledore didn't know. There was too much of a coincidence for him not to. "This is getting to be a great deal more than I even thought it would be. Am I the heiress to any other bloodlines? Let's just put them all out there, please?" I asked them warily. I was already suffering from information overload.
"Well, you are obviously the Potter and the Black heiress as well," Griphook told me.
"That's all of them then?" I questioned them. They both nodded to me. "Wait! How am I the Black heiress?"
"Your godfather, Sirius Black, blood adopted you when you were two days old. This essentially added you to the Black bloodline. That was why he was able to make you his heiress. Only those of Black blood can be the family head," Ragnok explained to me.
I rubbed my temples again in exasperation. "You wouldn't happen to have anything I could read regarding blood adoptions, do you?" I inquired.
"This will all be covered once you're in the other universe. We will be giving you books to read on all the subjects we will be discussing with you today. Knowledge is power," Griphook answered.
I nodded in agreement. "Alright, what else is there?"
"According to the inheritance test, you have a soulmate," the king told me, eyeing me closely for any reaction.
I felt my eyes bug out of my head. Soulmates were real? I really hate how much knowledge I am lacking. "This is the first time I have been given any confirmation that soulmates are real," I admitted to them.
"We assumed as much," Griphook said with a frown.
"Yes, and it is no fault of your own either. The headmaster has carefully planned all of this. Keeping you ignorant helped him with his plans," Ragnok sneered. "If you had the necessary knowledge, you probably would have noticed what Dumbledore was up to and he clearly is doing whatever he can to prevent that from happening."
I nodded again in agreement. It made complete sense. "So who is my soulmate?" I asked warily and was more than a little nervous to find out who my other half was.
"Whatever you do, keep an open mind. Not everything is as it seems," Griphook said hastily which only put me more on edge.
"Your soulmate is Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr also known as Lord Voldemort," Ragnok admitted quickly.
I sat there for a while just letting it sink in. Voldemort was my other half. We were both Merlin-level magicals and the most powerful magicals in existence. Dumbarse blocked my magic and has kept me in the dark about everything. He knew. He knew Voldemort was my mate, and he knew I was a Merlin-level magical.
"That bastard knew," was my response. "He knew everything from my inheritances to my soulmate and everything in between." Both Griphook and Ragnok nodded their heads in agreement. "What could he have possibly gained from blocking my core and my natural abilities as well as keeping me from my soulmate?" I fumed.
"What he has done is a crime against Lady Magic and her gift of soulmates," Ragnok spoke gravely. "He clearly has plans that require you to remain ignorant of your inheritance, ladyships, and the responsibilities that come with each, and your soulmate. He declared himself your magical guardian but never did the work required to play the role. He has been stealing from your vaults since 1981 and tried to gain access to the Black vaults. Both you and your soulmate are more powerful apart than he is. Together, yours and Lord Voldemort's power level would be near incalculable. All of these facts point to one thing, control. He wants control," Ragnok reasoned, which made a great deal of sense.
"If it was just me that was being affected, I would just assume he wants my money and Wizengamot seats and was planning on doing away with me. Since the dark lord is also involved, I think he wants control of the magical world," I surmised. "He's always going around preaching about his 'greater good.' He has managed to put himself in key positions that give him both power and influence," I said thoughtfully.
Ragnok sneered his razor-sharp teeth on full display. "It is the most logical conclusion," he agreed.
"So everyone, especially me and the dark lord, is nothing more than pawns in his game of chess," I frowned, wishing I could AK him out of my life.
"This is the point where we talk about your vaults," Griphook piped in.
"I'm not really going to like this either, am I?" I asked them. They both shook their heads no. "Okay, just tell me." I braced myself for what I was about to hear.
"I am the Potter's new account manager," Griphook said. "I did a complete audit of all Potter vaults and investments. Albus Dumbledore has been stealing from vault 687, your trust vault, since 1 November 1981. The total in your trust the day before was 1,137,645,000 galleons, 3,875 sickles, and 250 knuts.
On the first of November 1981, Dumbledore showed up here with a letter claiming that he was your magical guardian and that he needed to make a withdrawal for your care. Since the letter appeared to have the Wizengamot's seal on it, the teller didn't think twice about giving him access. That day, he withdrew 5,000 galleons. Over the years, he has withdrawn a total of 120,000 galleons, 210 sickles, and 5 knuts," he finished as he handed over the current bank statement for me to get a look at.
"Was the teller punished for his incompetence?" I asked angrily. I knew the penalty for stealing from Gringotts.
"He was beheaded this morning," Ragnok replied with a vicious smirk.
"Do you have any proof that the seal Dumbledore provided was a fraud?" I inquired knowing full well how that type of evidence will help me.
"Yes, we do. Luckily for us, the teller placed the parchment with the fake seal into the Potter files. We took it and ran our customary scans on it to try to detect the magical signature that is contained in every Wizengamot seal. This seal lacked that, proving it was fraudulent," Griphook told me with a feral grin.
"You would think the Chief Warlock would have remembered a little thing such as a magical signature," I commented at the irony.
Ragnok nodded, "Indeed you would, if Chief Warlock didn't suffer from an overinflated sense of self, then he would have remembered. Dumbledore, however, thinks too highly of himself and is under the notion that he is the final authority in Wizarding Britain."
"I see from this statement that money has been transferred from my trust to Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. I can imagine why. What I want to know is what is Gringotts going to do about getting all of my money back with the addition of the highest amount of interest that can be legally charged?"
Griphook replied with a blood-thirsty grin, "We can charge interest in the amount of fifty perfect. We can also send out official notifications from Gringotts notifying them that they have thirty days to make full reparations or they will be seeing legal actions."
"I don't want Dumb-as-a-door to know that I have learned of what he's been up to. Can the bank twist it to make it look like the bank was doing an audit of all accounts and you noticed some discrepancies? The longer I have him thinking I'm in his pocket the longer I will have to make plans to ruin him," I asked them with a calculating gleam in my eye.
They both nodded. "That can be done. We will send out the owls first thing in the morning. You should also be made aware that the headmaster has also illegally sealed your parent's will and has been trying for several years to gain access to the Black vaults," Ragnok added. "There is also the matter of a prophecy that the headmaster claims was about you and the dark lord. He has insisted for years that the prophecy claims that you are the only one who can defeat him. You'll find it interesting that whenever he has been asked to prove his claims, he conveniently has excuses."
"Forgive my ignorance, Ragnok, but this is the first time I am hearing about a prophecy," I choked out in shock.
"That's what we figured was the case. You will be happy to learn that it is false. Dumbledore's claims that the prophecy states that only you can defeat the dark lord. However, since you and Lord Voldemort are soulmates, it would be impossible for you to harm one another," Ragnok explained.
"What do you mean by not being able to harm one another? He attacked me when I was fifteen months old," I said in confusion.
"Yes, he did attack but magic punished him and he lost his body as a punishment," Griphook said.
"You know, Dumbledore claimed that my mother's loving sacrifice is why Voldemort lost his body. He claimed her death enacted an ancient protection so that he could cast blood wards on the Dursley's property which would keep me protected from the dark lord and his death eaters," I said with a sneer. The old man's manipulations seem to run very deep.
"While there is no doubt that your mother sacrificed her life to save yours, there is no way it had anything to do with the dark lord losing his body. Since he is your soulmate, there are no wards that can keep him away from you. He would be able to follow your shared connection to wherever you are," Ragnok said.
"So by knowing that Voldemort is my soulmate, he concocted this prophecy as just another way to try to control me and force me into following his orders," I said in disgust. I was furious over what that sorry excuse for a headmaster has been trying to pull.
"Essentially, that's it. It's all about control for him. He kept you ignorant and under his thumb so that he can play his games," Griphook sneered.
I fumed. At this point, I wanted him to die a most painful death. "What else is there?"
He handed me a copy of the statement for the Black vaults. The number of vaults alone was staggering. I didn't even want to check the figures yet.
"The Black family has always been extremely paranoid and had very specific qualifications put in place for anyone to gain access to their vaults. In fact, we cannot bring you down to them yet. You will have to try on the ladyship ring to see if you are accepted," Griphook informed me.
"Ladyship ring?" I asked in a bit of confusion. "I thought I was just the heiress."
"This is what we meant when we said we had a lot to go over with you. Since you were forced to participate in the Triwizard Tournament at the age of fourteen, magic declared you a legal adult. Therefore, once you claim all of your titles, you will be a lady and not just an heiress," Ragnok elucidated for me.
I blew out a breath of air and leaned back in my chair. I felt like we had been in the office for hours, and I was already feeling knackered. "How many ladyships in all will I be claiming?"
"You will have a total of five," Griphook responded.
"They are Merlin, Pendragon, Gryffindor, Potter, and Black. Am I correct?"
"That is correct," Ragnok said. "We have been at this for two hours now. Might I suggest that we take a dinner break? I will have the guard lead you back to your room and have a small meal brought in."
"Yes, please, that would be wonderful. I think I need to take a break to get my head to stop spinning," I heartily agreed.
We took an hour break for dinner where I was treated to a lovely salad with grilled chicken and a glass of butter beer. I took my time eating, making sure to only take small bites while ruminating over all the new information I had been given. I had inherited several houses, Dumb-as-shit stole from me, Voldemort is my soulmate, and there's still more to go over. I swore fate had it in for me.
After an hour was up, the guard led me back to Ragnok's office where I retook my seat and got as comfortable as possible. I sat with my legs crossed leaning on the arm of the chair.
"Let's get back down to the business at hand. Griphook has brought the ladyship rings with him so that we can get that all sorted," Ragnok said as Griphook placed five ornately carved boxes in front of me. "Let's start with the oldest line which is Merlin's," he said gesturing to a sterling silver box with sapphires interspersed all over it.
I opened it and saw a matching ring nestled inside. I took hold of it and placed it on the fourth finger of my left hand just as Griphook indicated. It glowed brightly for a moment then resized itself to fit my finger.
"Very good, you have been accepted," Griphook declared. "Next, you need to take the Pendragon ring and place it on your third finger on your left hand."
I opened that box and gasped. It was a stunning silver ring with a band made up of a dragon's body. The eyes of the dragon were made of emeralds. I picked it up and placed it on the appropriate finger. I gasped as I felt it bite me. It then glowed for a second and resized to fit my finger. "The ring bit me," I said in shock as I glared at it in offense.
"Ah, yes, forgive me for not warning you. When the ring bit you, it connected you to all the past and present Pendragon family magics that you can now call upon at will. Congratulations! You have been found worthy enough to be Lady Pendragon," Ragnok said.
I smiled happily and continued on with the remainder of the rings. The Gryffindor ring was gold and had two griffins on either side of the ruby setting. It too glowed and resized itself to fit.
The Potter ring was gold and the setting was in the shape of a potter's wheel. The center of the wheel contained one large chocolate diamond. After it resized itself on my thumb, I moved on to the Black ring. The band was a bit large and made of platinum. The setting had a faceted onyx stone in the center. The words 'Toujours pur' were inscribed around the band. I placed that one on my pinky and watched as it too resized to fit my finger.
"The Black ladyship has accepted you as well. Congratulations Lady Merlin, Pendragon, Gryffindor, Black, Potter," Griphook said. "If you will sign these documents with the appropriate title, we can file these away immediately."
I leaned forward and grabbed the quill Griphook handed over to me. I quickly signed each document and handed them back to him. I sat back in awe as I realized that a few days ago, I had nothing and now I have five ladyships. My life just became more complicated, and I didn't know what to think of that.
"Now, I have a suggestion that you may dislike, but I can assure you that we believe it is necessary," Ragnok admitted while eyeing me cautiously.
"What is it?" I asked him with a tired tone.
"We believe it would be prudent for you to meet with Lord Voldemort and discuss what Dumbledore has done and to see how the two of you would like to respond to it," Ragnok suggested. "We would also like to see if we can get him to come with you into the pocket universe. He is highly intelligent and equals you in power. He would be the perfect choice as a teacher for you."
I thought about it for a moment. We were soulmates, and other than killing my parents, I didn't really have many issues with him. Besides, with things the way they are, I would bet that Alby boy had something to do with my parent's death. "I'm okay with both ideas, but how are you going to convince him to come? He hates my guts."
"Well, I had a feeling you would agree, and we already sent him an invitation with a brief explanation as to what our meeting would be about. He replied in the affirmative and is now waiting in a separate room," Ragnok admitted to me.
"How much has he been told?" I asked nervously.
"We told him that you were rescued from your filthy muggle relatives' house and that the headmaster placed blocks on your core. We had to tell him something that would give him a pretty fair idea that you are against Dumbledore," he clarified for me. "You should know that he was livid when he learned about the blocks on your magic. The Dark Lord has great respect for magic and was disgusted with Albus Dumbledore's actions."
"We might as well get this over with. I'm a bit nervous about what he's going to say, but I don't want to put it off," I told him.
"Griphook, go get the Dark Lord and bring him here," Ragnok ordered. Griphook stood up quickly and made his way out the door.