Harry Potter and the Rising War
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Chapter 12: Expelled part 2 – The Return
In the busy bustling shopping district of Diagon alley two small 'pops' echoed barley noticeable in the air warranting the arrival of Albus Dumbledore former headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry and Harry Potter, the-boy-who-lived.
"You know, in some ways I'm relieved to be away from there" Harry commented as they both got their bearings.
"Indeed?" Dumbledore replied as he made a mental check list of what they had to do in the alley today.
"Yeah, Fudge would have been on my case with everything I did, it was bad enough with just Snape, but I don't think I could have handled both of them" Harry said with a smile. Dumbledore chuckled and then said "Yes I believe there would have been a few cases of accidental magic to deal with at the school if that were the case"
"Where are we going first sir?" Harry asked his mentor.
"We shall need to purchase supplies for your new home, stone and wood, I need to purchase a few supplies also and I dare say that you have something you want to sort out?" Dumbledore told him, implying his broken wand. Harry nodded his head and then said "To Grinngotts first then?"
"Yes indeed, lead the way Harry" Dumbledore replied and Harry did as requested and headed to the bank that was not too far away from the apparation arrival area. As they were walking along the street they were drawing quite a crowd, after all it isn't every day that you see two celebrities and powerful prominent people in he wizarding world walking down the street together.
"I hate this" Harry murmured under his breath which earned another chuckle from the ex headmaster. "Yes I quite agree, however due to our little demonstration yesterday we have upped our celebrity status and given the people hope, if this is the price I have to pay for people to believe that they can win this war and come out of it alive then pay I shall" Dumbledore said in his al knowing voice.
"Why do you continually point out the good point in things, I was enjoying being able to complain about something with a free conscious!" Harry said to Dumbledore with a scowl on his face.
"I am afraid Harry that some one has to do it, and it might as well be me" Dumbledore replied with a twinkle in his eyes. If Harry was about to reply he didn't get far, as they had arrived at the bank and were climbing the stairs to the grand doors. Once they were inside the building they approached one of the free goblins who appeared not to care at all that he had two of the most famous wizards in the world, and not to mention powerful standing before him.
"What do you want?" the goblin asked not even bothering to sound nice.
"Withdrawal from Harry Potter's vault" Harry told him and then Dumbledore said "And a withdrawal from Albus Dumbledore's vault if you please Mr Dorhood" Harry looked around the goblins desk looking for the name plaque he had obviously missed but could find no such thing. When he noticed the goblin was not asking for the keys he looked to him and saw that he was looking at Dumbledore suspiciously, but Dumbledore didn't seem to mind or notice as he stood still twiddling his thumbs with a pleasant look on his jovial face. After a few long moments the goblin cleared his throat and then said "Keys please" Harry and Dumbledore handed the keys over and then followed the goblin to a cart. The ride was exactly as Harry had remembered it, wild and what he would expect a rollercoaster ride to feel like. Dumbledore looked to be enjoying the ride more than Harry he noticed when he looked to see how the old man was doing, expecting him to be in a similar condition as Hagrid had been on their first trip down the catacombs of the ancient bank to Harry's vault.
"Out" the goblin said as the cart stopped outside of Harry's vault. Harry and Dumbledore exited it and approached the vault as the goblin opened it. The amount looked to have tripled from what it used to be and Harry stood where he was in shock, his legs having turned to jelly. It took him a few moments to realise that most of this money had once belonged to the black family. Coming back to his senses Harry turned to the headmaster who was observing Harry's reaction.
"Sir how much do you think I will need for supplies?" Harry asked
"I don't know Harry, but we can always ask the supplier to charge to your account, I would suggest taking out a fairly large amount however as we shall need to buy other things, among which a place to sleep and food to eat." Dumbledore answered him. Harry nodded and then got Dumbledore to unshrink his trunk (not wanting to do it outside of school and wandlessly in front of any one else, even if it was just a goblin) and then started to fill a rucksack he had with gold. Once done Dumbledore put a feather light charm on it and a few security spells and then shrunk Harry's trunk again. Once they were finished in Harry's vault they proceeded to Dumbledore's and again the senile old man seemed to be enjoying the trip their.
Harry was quite looking forward to seeing what sort of things the estranged ex headmaster would put in his vault and was not disappointed when he got a clear look at it, there appeared to be more gold in it than there was in Harry's but Harry had more silver sickles and bronze knuts but that was where the normalcy ended as far as vaults go, aside from the huge mountains of money their appeared to be a vast supply of candy, muggle and wizard, there was also books and some other curious magic items but what made Harry most curious was a massive stack of old newspapers. They appeared to be hundreds of years old. Dumbledore seeing where Harry was staring laughed quietly to himself and then explained to Harry that his family liked to keep memories and each newspaper had mention of at least one Dumbledore, dating back to about a hundred years after the founding of Hogwarts.
"Your family is that old?" Harry asked him in amazement, sure he had figured Dumbledore's family would have to be pureblood, and probably pretty old, but to be nearly as old as the founders!
"Yes it is Harry, though its believed its older still but as the family name was changed then and nothing of great significance happened to a member of my line we are not sure, your family however is known to be older still, perhaps the oldest line of wizards in the world." Dumbledore explained as he extracted a few books and briefly paged through them.
"What! Are you sure?" Harry asked not daring to believe his ears. Dumbledore looked up from the book he was currently paging through smiled at Harry's shock and nodded.
"Positive, have you ever wandered about the name of the settlement that your family owns?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eyes.
"But other people live there too" Harry protested as it seemed that the headmaster was suggesting that he was Gryffindors heir.
"Yes they do, but they do not own the land as you do" Dumbledore said.
"But… bu… I cant I mean, no… I'm not the heir of Gryffindor!" Harry finally got out through his shock and disappointment at having yet another thing to set him apart from normal kids his age, and most adults. Dumbledore mean while was enjoying making har4ry jump to conclusions and making him worry. Finally deciding to put Harry out of his misery he smiled and said. "Don't worry Harry, you are not the heir of Gryffindor." Which seemed to make Harry visibly relax and the relief on his face was funny for Dumbledore to see but he daren't laugh just yet there was more to come. "At least your not his descendant. You are his heir." Dumbledore said. Seeing Harry's confusion and bubbling question he said "the potters are an old line Harry, traced as far back as can go, before records were made even. Being such a prominent wizarding family they had ties with many families, but one in particular, the Gryffindors. It is hard for historians to trace your line and Gryffindors back because they were so closely connected but they were not so connected as to merge them. Unfortunately the Gryffindors died out a few hundred years after the founding of Hogwarts and in the will of the last Gryffindor he named the heir of the potters his heir and successor, so you see you are his heir, but only by law." Dumbledore explained as simply as he could knowing that it was a very confusing thing to try and sort through.
It took a few minutes for what Dumbledore had told him to sink in and a further few more for him to sort through the new information but when he could finally comprehend what Dumbledore had told him he was pleased. Thinking about it he had the best of both worlds, he was the heir of Gryffindor without the entire hubbub that's associated with it and he still carried the name Potter.
"Are you okay Harry?" Dumbledore's voice penetrated his thoughts bringing him back to the present. Seeing that Dumbledore had finished gathering everything that he needed Harry realised he most have zoned out for at least 10 or 15 minutes.
"Yeah I'm fine. I was just thinking about what you said. I'm glad I'm not a direct or any sort of descendant of Gryffindor, the last thing I need is one more thing to make me more famous and well known." Harry said to Dumbledore who's only reply was the nod of his head before he headed out of the vault, followed by Harry.
Once they reached the surface Dumbledore thanked the goblin that had taken them down to their vaults and began heading out of the bank but stopped when Harry called to him.
"Professor, hold on a second I want to get one more thing and exchange some money." Harry shouted to Dumbledore as he was half way to the door. Satisfied that the headmaster had heard and was on his back over to where Harry stood Harry turned to the goblin and said "I am told that Sirius black held a few items in a storage at this bank and one of which is an enchanted motorcycle, as his heir stated in his will which you have received a copy of I would like to retrieve the motor cycle. Also I would like some money transferred into £10,000 please" the goblin nodded his head and then turned his attention to a large filing cabinet and sorted through a few files until he stopped at one and took it out and looked over it for a few moment before nodding to himself and turning back to Harry and saying "Everything seems to be in order Mr Potter, while I go and retrieve your motorcycle Gryphook here shall take care of the transfer" and motioned towards the goblin that was next to him. By this time professor Dumbledore had arrived back at the desk and was waiting patiently for Harry to finish his business.
Once all of the transfer was dealt with (Dumbledore had to interrupt as it seemed the goblin was trying to cheat Harry at the exchange rate and commission charge) Harry pocketed his muggle money and then he headed back over to the desk belonging to Dorhood who still had not returned from retrieving his motorcycle.
"May I inquire what the muggle money is for Harry, after all we will be staying in a wizarding village" Dumbledore asked with interest.
"Before the coma I told Ron, Hermione and Ginny about everything and I showed them all that I had on my laptop, I told them that they aught to be prepared too so I would get them all a laptop computer and put on all of the spells that they could do or gain information from to block like the dark arts. Of course I will be leaving out most of my research and a lot of the more dangerous and powerful spells." Harry said to Dumbledore hoping that he had done the right thing in helping them learn potentially dangerous and near illegal curses, but it seemed he had nothing to worry about because Dumbledore just smiled fondly at him and was just about to voice his agreement when Dorhood came back accompanied with a few other goblins with Harry's enchanted motorcycle. Seeing this Dumbledore raised a questioning eyebrow at Harry, not being close enough at the time to hear Harry ask for it.
"Well I got to make my fun somehow now that I don't have Quidditch" Harry said innocently.
"Indeed" Dumbledore said and smiled. He took out his wand and said an incantation and in the blink of an eye the motorcycle looked nothing mort than a Childs toy.
"If that is all Harry?" Dumbledore asked as he handed Harry the miniature motorcycle.
"Yes sir" Harry said and they both set off for Diagon alley for some serious spending.
"We shall first get our resources, stone and wood from a merchant, I know just the one, follow me" Dumbledore said as they entered the hustle and bustle of the street again and once again were drawing attention to themselves. Dumbledore took Harry down a side alley not far from Flourish and Blots book store and they both entered a small shop, though it looked more like an office. Along the walls were samples of stone and wood with short descriptions and behind the desk sat a man who looked to be about 40 bit black hair that was neatly trimmed and a face that showed he had known many joys, as did his brown eyes.
"Albus! Its been a long time, what can I do for you today?" the man asked, seemingly not noticing Harry standing a way behind, observing his store.
"Actually Andrew it is not me that is in need of your assistance and advice, but rather young Mr Potter here." Dumbledore said motioning towards where Harry stood.
"Blimey, I didn't see you there Mr Potter. How do you do?" the man asked as he got up and approached Harry. He offered his hand as soon as he was close enough which Harry took and shook firmly.
"Good thank you Mr erm…" Harry replied but trailed off at the end, not knowing the name of the man who appeared to be one of Dumbledore's many friends.
"Terribly sorry Mr Potter, terribly sorry. The names Andrew Robinson. You can call me Andrew if you like" he said.
"Well Andrew you can call me Harry. I'm in need of your help, I shall be building myself a new home shortly and I was wondering if I can get your expert advice?" Harry asked the man.
"Certainly Harry, I'll need to know a few things first however. Firstly, how many floors?" Andrew asked.
"Well I hadn't really thought about it, why does it matter?" Harry asked him wondering what relavence the question had to the supply of stone and wood he was after.
"Some stone is better for two or three story buildings than others, and as a result is more expensive. If you were to buy the cheaper stone and use it to build yourself a three story house then in a matter of months depending on weather conditions the house will fall in on itself." Andrew said
"Ah, well thinking about it I really don't see the need for two stories at the moment but I don't know about in the future, so it had better be one of the more expensive types of stone." Harry said thoughtfully.
"Excellent, not if you look on this wall there are different style of stone and wood that you can choose from, it doesn't matter which, they all have an equally high tolerance for all conditions, it is now just a matter of taste. Take as long as you need." Andrew said to Harry as he directed him to the wall in question. Once satisfied that Harry was really thinking about his choice he went back over to Dumbledore and started chatting with him. Eventually the conversation turned to Hogwarts and he enquired why the headmaster and a student were there in the middle of the school year buying supplies to build a new house in which Dumbledore simply replied "If you read the paper tomorrow you will get somewhat of the truth, though I imagine the story will be greatly exaggerated."
It was another few minutes before Harry finally settled on a stone that was similar in colour to muggle bricks, but a lot more durable. He ordered enough stone for a standard two storey house with a cellar just to be sure that he would have enough and not need to come back. The wood that came with it was a polished dark oak but this time he ordered as much as he thought he would need, not wanting to waste any if he could as it would not keep as well as the extra stone he ordered would.
"Will that be all Harry?" Andrew asked him once he had written down his order and down all of the necessary calculations and price. Seeing the nod from Harry he duplicated the parchment he had been writing on and handed one to Harry. The price for all of the supplies was not as bad as Harry was expected, in fact he had a sneaking suspicion that Andrew had gone easy with the price on him because who he was and that they were both friends of Dumbledore. After Harry had given Andrew his bank details and where the stone was to be delivered to Andrew thanked him and told him the supplies were to be delivered tomorrow and so Harry and Dumbledore thanked him and bid him goodbye then headed once again into Diagon alley.
"Where to next?" Harry asked.
"Olivanders to see about your wand, I'm not sure if he can or will fix it for you due to the laws about expelled students." Dumbledore told him as they both adjusted their directions appropriately.
"Well if it isn't Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, I've been expecting you." Ollivander greeted them as they entered his store.
"An owl from the minister, sorry headmaster?" Dumbledore asked him as they approached the counter.
"Arrived a few hours ago. I am afraid there is no way that I can fix the wand, even if I were consented to do so." Mr Ollivander said sadly. Hearing him say this was like a blow to his gut and Harry hung his head in defeat. He had not expected something like this to happen when he gave Dumbledore consent to expel him.
"Oliver, is there nothing you can do?" Dumbledore asked but Harry didn't want to hear the answer so he decided to look around the shop. One the side of the counter where he was there were a few displays of wands that Mr Ollivander had made and even a staff. They all looked to be powerful, as is with all of Mr Ollivanders work. Once Harry had observed all of the displays on his side of the counter he looked on the other side beyond where Mr Ollivander and Dumbledore were talking and saw a… well he wasn't sure what it was, it was highly reflective, like a perfect mirror, but it had a fluid look about it. It didn't appear to be in any sort of shape, just a raw material. Curiosity getting the better of him Harry interrupted the conversation.
"Excuse me, Mr Ollivander, sir? What is that substance behind you?" Harry asked him. Mr Ollivander turned around to see where Harry was pointing and once he realised what he was pointing at he approached it and slid his hands under the velvet cushion that it was resting on and walked over to the counter with it.
"This Mr Potter is the single most magical element known to wizard kind. You see when a wand is used to draw the magical power from a wizards core it looses some of the power on the transfer from core to arm, arm to hand and then from hand to wand, resulting in maybe only half of a wizards true power being utilized. This substance however has a draw on it so powerful that it looses none of its magic withdrawal and in some cases expands it. However it is also the single most hardest thing known in both the muggle and wizard world which is why it is not used a lot or at all, also it is expensive, extremely expensive, this happens to be half of the amount I currently have in my position." Mr Ollivander explained to a nodding Harry, who while listening was formulating a plan of his own.
"Professor, what is the law for expelled students in relation to wands and such?" Harry asked Dumbledore who now also looked to be formulating a plan.
"I believe Harry, that the law states that expelled students are not permitted to buy a new wand or magical focus, including staves and swords. It in no way covers crystilite" Dumbledore clarified.
Turning back to Mr Ollivander who obviously could see where this conversation was going Harry said "Well sir you heard it from the chief Warlocks mouth it does not include crystilite. I would like to purchase half of your supply please." Harry said with a smile on his face, but it faltered a little as it seemed Mr Ollivander was hesitant to depart with his beloved crystilite.
"I'm not sure that I want to sell this to a child Mr Potter, it is very rare and I don't see what good it will do you, it takes a great power and skill to form it." Mr Ollivander said.
"Well sir it just happens that I have both required properties" Harry said
"I know you are powerful Mr Potter, the wand that choose you would not have done so if you were not, however I am talking about a power comparable to Dumbledore's, I would have no problem with handing it over if it were Dumbledore that were to shape it but it only works for the wizard who shapes it, thus deeming it useless to you. Do you understand me?" Mr Ollivander asked Harry, sounding to him a little patronising. Having enough of this Harry sighed and then said "Would you like a demonstration of my power sir?" and before Ollivander could argue Harry raised his hand and recited the summoning spell, summoning the glasses off Ollivanders face. The next thing he did was to hold his palm up and summon a small fireball and then shape it into a small prongs and animated it around his palm.
"What… how? You have no wand?" Mr Ollivander stammered, he seemed to have been convinced to Harry so he dismissed his fire prongs and handed back Ollivanders glasses.
"It is a form of wandless and elemental magic that I am trying to perfect, now do you agree that I have the necessary power and skill to handle the crystilite?" Harry asked him knowing the answer already.
"Yes yes, I shall look forward to seeing the results very soon." Mr Ollivander said as he bagged the crystilite and handed it over.
"That will be 2080 Galleons please" he said.
Once Harry had handed over the correct amount of money after summoning 2080 galleons at once and levitating them before they had a chance to hit him to the counter he and the ex headmaster bid Ollivander a goodbye.
Once they were out of the store they made sure they had everything and then they both aperated (Harry was careful not to get spotted) to Godrics hollow.
"So this is it…" Harry sighed as he looked around the small village. This was the last place he and his parents had been together. The last place he had felt loved for 12 years.
"Yes it is, Harry if you want to change your mind about this no one will think any less of you." Dumbledore said noticing Harry's swift mood change.
"No that's okay professor, there is no other place in the world that I would think of living but here, except maybe Hogwarts. No this place has been in my family, be it direct or extended for centuries and I will not turn away from my heritage." Harry said in a determined voice as he looked upon the village. He noticed he couldn't see the site where his house once stood.
"Professor where it the site?" Harry asked him.
"Ah yes, it is a little bit further out of town, the grounds were a little bigger than the other houses. For now however I think we should find ourselves an inn and get a room and some dinner." Dumbledore said as he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and led him to a large house that, on closer inspection turned out to be an inn.
The inside appeared very cosy to Harry and he felt his spirits rise at the feeling of being in his ancestral village gave him. When they approached the lady at the counter she looked upon them then did a double check at Harry and her eyes widened.
'Oh no' Harry thought 'not another boy-who-lived fanatic' but he smiled anyway.
"Harry Potter! She gasped. "You have returned!"
A/N: Hey all, thanks for all of the reviews, I'm so glade my support hasn't wavered in my… absence. Thank you all soooo much. In case you haven't noticed I have new motivation to finish this story so hopefully updates will be every few days. Thanks again and I hope your all enjoying the story!
Until next time.
GG
