Harry Potter and the Ethereal Flame
Author's Note: I am going to respond to all those who reviewed my first chapter at the end of this chapter! I will do this for all chapters from now on as well. Without further delay, here is chapter two!
Chapter 2: Growing Up
Lazily, the scent of crisp bacon and steaming sausages drifted through the household of 4 Privet Drive, waking the 15 year old teenager who was sprawled across his small bed. Harry sat up after a brief struggle with his bedding and wiped the sleep out of his eyes nonchalantly. Staring unseeingly toward his window, it was a few seconds before the previous days events flooded his bleary mind. It also dawned on him that his Aunt Petunia would be cooking breakfast since he had not left his room much since his return to Privet Drive. He could actually imagine just how Petunia would be cursing that 'freak' for making her cook breakfast for her family.
Deciding that a shower is the best way to start the day, Harry hauled his body up and made his way towards the bathroom before the resident whale, also known as his cousin Dudley claimed the bathroom to 'impress the ladies'. Ha! The only thing that Dudley could attract is flies! Pinching a warm towel from the linen closet, Harry quickly turned on the shower and stepped under the therapeutic spray.
"Boy! Get out of the bathroom now! Dudley needs it and mark my words freak, you have five minutes or I'll come and drag you out!" was accompanied by his Uncle's meaty fists assaulting the door, after only five minutes of Harry being in the shower.
Harry decided to finish up quickly and stepped out from under the faucet. Wrapping his towel around his waist, his body still dripping water, Harry made his way for the door. Just as he was about to turn the doorknob, he was distracted by the sound of someone or something colliding with the metal garbage can (AN: I've gone all American) outside. Listening with interest, the sound of a few colourful curse words drifted up and through the open bathroom window. Tonks. Well, at least he now knew who was on guard duty today.
Making his way to his room with only a hard glare from his Uncle to hinder him, Harry quickly dried off and changed into his most presentable jeans and t-shirt. Throwing on a jacket, he began to plan out how he was going to make his way to Gringotts without the suffocating company of the Order of the Phoenix or Dumbledore! Slipping on a battered pair of old trainers, Harry had a rough idea of what he needed to do and how he was going to do it. He would need some items first though so he began to root through his room for what he needed.
Picking up a small backpack from the abandoned pile of toys that had previously belonged to Dudley, he opened it and found that it had sufficient space for what he needed to carry. He made his way to his trunk of which he had not unpacked yet and firstly picked out his prized invisibility cloak and carefully placed that into the backpack. Slipping his small Gringotts vault key into a small, secure pocket on the side of the backpack he then reached into his trunk for a small velvet pouch of gold. Checking off the items on his metal check list, he now only needed a black, cloaked hood of which he already had, though it was a little short and tattered and then his wand. His wand of which was always with him was now in his right jean pocket. The handle was just protruding and allowed for easy access should the need for it arise. Feeling fully prepared and in control, Harry made his way downstairs with a slight spring in his step and a small smile playing about his lips.
When Harry walked into the kitchen all activity ceased as the Dursley's immediately noticed his change in attitude. Vernon, not liking this change and hoping to change it to his favour quickly spoke up.
"So boy, finally out of that room eh! Well, if you're well enough to come and eat our food then you can damn well earn it! The garden needs weeding and the fence needs pa…" Vernon didn't get a chance to finish as Harry cut him off.
"I won't be doing any such thing, Uncle." Harry responded, finally deciding that if he can stand up to a powerful Dark Lord, then he could stand up to an insignificant muggle. "As a matter of fact, I won't be doing anything around this place and as for your food, keep It." he finished his declaration in only a firm whisper.
"W…wh!..." Vernon was completely lost for words as his scrawny little nephew spoke to him with such disrespect!
"I'm going out. If or when I come back, I think some changes might be in order. After all, we are family." With one last glare, filled with contempt, disgust and hatred, Harry walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway. Quickly retrieving his invisibility cloak and money pouch from his backpack, he attached the pouch to his belt and threw the cloak over him; disappearing under its silky folds.
After waiting for only about a half a minute, Dudley charged from the kitchen and made his way to the front door, no doubt eager to terrorise the neighbourhood. Waiting for just the right moment whilst his cousin opened the front door and threw a coat on, Harry managed to slip out of the house; unnoticed by both his cousin and Tonks who was invisible and sat, still nursing a sore toe, on the garden wall.
Walking as swiftly as he could without scaring any unsuspecting muggles with a foot appearing out of nowhere, Harry soon arrived at Magnolia Crescent. It was here that he had originally called the Knight Bus in the summer before his third year after that whole debacle with his 'Aunt' Marge. Quickly taking his hooded black cloak from his backpack, he ensured that his face was masked with the shadows created by the overly large hood before stepping out of his invisibility cloak. Shoving the invisibility cloak rather unceremoniously into the backpack, Harry looked around to ensure no muggles were about, before raising his right hand with wand held securely and sure enough, a load bang issued as the Knight Bus came to a screeching halt.
Then the conductor Harry recognised as Stan Shunpike leapt from the bus and began his routine speech.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizar…" but he never got to finish as Harry had heard this once before and decided to just get right to the point before Tonks realised that something was wrong.
"Yes, yes. I know, now can we just get going?" interrupted Harry as he handed over the required eleven Sickles. He knew that he sounded very patient and probably a real jerk, but he needed to get going quickly and so he dismissed the slight feeling of guilt afterward.
"Yes sir. Where to?" inquired Stan as he tried, not so discreetly, to see the face of his passenger.
"The Leaky Cauldron" replied Harry whilst keeping his head firmly down before he brushed past Stan and took a seat in one of the many chairs lining the bus. He realised that since it was day-time, beds would be a tad inappropriate.
"Off we go then Ern!" shouted Stan in what was supposed to be an authoritative voice.
Harry just sat back, guarding his face and with his hand resting on his wand. His last thought before the bus jolted into action was; Time to show people and all the over-grown bats out there that Harry Potter is not just a famous name! Time to show them what Harry Potter can do!
Stepping off the bus after one hell of a hectic ride, Harry decided that he needed a more reliable source of transportation. Quickly making his way into the Leaky Cauldron, Harry noticed that the inn was relatively full and was glad that some things hadn't changed with the announcement of Voldemort's return. This train of thought however, quickly led to how they didn't believe him when he warned them a whole year before the Ministry did and he had to quash the rapidly growing feelings of bitterness.
Making a bee-line for Tom, the bartender and owner of this fine establishment, he was greeted with a rather suspicious and calculating eye. Not wanting to reveal his identity to the whole inn, he motioned discreetly for Tom to take him aside. Turning a corner for a tad of privacy, Harry lifted his hood back slightly so that Tom could see his face and after he saw the recognition on Tom's face, he re-covered his face.
"I have come here today on business and would appreciate my privacy and would like you to keep my visit and identity a secret. Please" Harry finished with a slight pleading tone in his voice.
Tom, after seeing that it was Harry, welcomed him with his trademark toothy grin and asked Harry is he could do anything for him.
"Just a bit of breakfast if you will Tom" Harry replied with a smile.
After being led to a small, one-man circular table to the back of the inn, it was only a few minutes before Tom arrived with a hot plate of toast, sausage, bacon, eggs and beans accompanied with a steaming mug of sweet tea. With a contented sigh and a sincere thank you to Tom, Harry dug in with vigour as only a teenager can.
Once finished with his magnificent breakfast, Harry walked confidently up to the bar and paid Tom with a little extra at which he received a large smile.
"Good day sir and I hope to see you again soon!" whispered Tom and brought a smile to Harry's face with the genuineness of his statement.
Walking through Diagon Alley, Harry had to smile at the shops and the feeling of home that it provided. This was what Harry liked about the magical world; the magic! Everything is so strange and magical and unreal, he did feel a degree of shame about not taking advantage of learning all the magic he could at Hogwarts. After all, he had taken it for granted and even complained about learning it when actually it was a privilege and an honour to be able to learn magic. Some things would have to change at any rate.
His train of thought though was sharply cut off when he arrived at the grand white building looming over the Alley. He found it quite amusing that it reminded him of a family member (Dursleys excluded) protecting the Alley and providing a sense of comfort when it was run by beings known for their unfriendliness.
Entering the building and even smiling at the [afterward] shocked Goblins who opened the doors, Harry made for an empty counter with a rather powerful looking Goblin, scratching away on parchment with a regal quill, at its head.
"Excuse me" Harry coughed.
"Yes?" drawled the Goblin, not looking up from his parchment. Harry found the Goblin's voice very snake-like as he drew out the's' nice and long.
"I am here at the request of Griphook."
"Name?" the Goblin asked with a sharp voice, now looking directly at Harry.
"Harry Potter," he whispered, "in the letter he sent me, it stated that I needed no appointment. Harry was acting decidedly more confident than he felt.
"Yes…Rushkov!" the Goblin yelled, reverting back to his snake-like voice.
A small and young looking Goblin darted from somewhere Harry didn't see and stood to attention before the obviously higher ranked Goblin.
"Take Mister Potter here to Head Griphook."
The young Goblin who looked rather new to the whole procedure looked fearfully at the other, obviously having a problem with the command.
"Griphook, sir?" he asked in a tentative manner.
"Inheritance and Distribution!" he breathed in a rather heated voice to avoid attracting the attention of passing witches and wizards.
Harry followed the Goblin as he scurried off and led him through many hallways that were surprisingly decorative and he took the time to admire the walls which were lined with paintings and tapestries depicting what Harry assumed were the infamous Goblin Rebellions.
Finally arriving at an intricately carved wooden door, with a dark mahogany shine, Harry looked at the golden name plate attached to the door reading: Griphook – Inheritance and Distribution. Looking down, Harry noticed with slight surprise that his Goblin guide had scurried off somewhere and so he knocked politely on the door.
"Enter!" sounded a polite if not slightly crisp voice.
Harry tentatively opened the door and stepped inside the office. Sat at a rather ornate desk was a Goblin who looked to be one of the 'friendlier' Goblins of which Harry put down to his obvious regular dealings with witches and wizards.
"Take a seat Mister Potter" the Goblin motioned to a comfortable red-lined chair in front of the desk.
Harry sat down and it was as he looked toward Griphook that he had a sudden flash of recognition. It was Griphook from his first year! He deduced that he must be doing very well for himself to be promoted to such a high ranked position, as the last time he saw him, he was running the carts.
Griphook seemed to know what Harry was thinking and confirmed his thoughts. "Yes Mister Potter, it is I. Indeed it has been a long time since I saw you and you have grown considerably. I must say though, I am surprised as to your quick response to my letter and the absence of one Albus Dumbledore?" It was obvious that Griphook was fishing for an explanation.
"Well, I have other business in Diagon Alley that required my attention as soon as possible and so I thought that I may as well visit here to see what was so important during my visit. As to Dumbledore," Griphook seemed taken aback by the venom in Harry's voice, "I would prefer he stayed out of my business as he has proved untrustworthy."
Griphook seemed to be digesting this information and then he gave a slight nod as though confirming his own thoughts.
"Right, well, I have called you here today to discuss the will of one Sirius Black." Here Harry's head dropped slightly and he was on the verge of giving into his depressing thoughts. However, he quickly gathered his thoughts and decided he would deal with his feelings at another time; now he needed to be strong and together!
"Unfortunately, there are some, how you say…complications."
"Complications?" Harry queried, his curiosity shining through.
"Yes. You see, once word got out of Mr. Black's will, a great many people took interest in its contents and this has resulted in many legal problems. It is no secret Mister Potter…"
"Harry, please."
"Yes…Harry. It is no secret that the Black family fortune is of great value. There are many people who desire this fortune and those who desire, less valuable, but no less rewarding things." It seemed to Harry like Griphook was talking in riddles and he really just wanted him to get down to it. Seeing this, Griphook decided to just get right into the thick of it.
"You see a number of people have contested the will. These include the Ministry, or more accurately, Minister Fudge. One Narsissa Malfoy has also placed her claim and surprisingly one Albus Dumbledore. He however, has not contested the distribution of the will; instead, he contested a certain right that is bequeathed to you as a result of your Godfather's passing." This perked Harry's interest.
"Harry, your Godfather in his will, left you many things of which are being contested by the likes of the Minister and Mrs. Malfoy. This has caused the will to be frozen until a time when it can be brought before the Wizengamot. With Mr. Black's current situation as a convict, the Ministry has a valid claim, as does Mrs. Malfoy with her blood relation. Now, there are things that can be carried out concerning your part in the will without going against Ministry law concerning the frozen will."
Yes…" Harry prompted.
"Firstly, a letter was left in our possession to be passed onto you; that I will give you shortly. The second thing is a right that your Godfather validated that upon his death, be you under seventeen, then you could invoke a right called; Claiming Independence. This is in its basic form, emancipation. You will receive all adult rights and be considered an adult; this will also include your right to use magic outside of school. You will not be able to apply for apparating however as age is a main factor for the Ministry there. You will gain full control of your financial status and will legally be considered an adult in the wizarding world."
This was extremely pleasing to Harry as he would no longer be under other people's rule.
"Is this what Dumbledore was contesting then?"
Yes, he was…worried…that you would abuse this privilege and he did not want to allow you the choice."
At this declaration from Griphook, words could not describe the anger that flowed through Harry's body. White hot anger that stirred in his stomach and it was so great that he could not control it despite his best effort to, and a nearby vase exploded with incredible force.
After apologising profusely to Griphook who merely shook it off as a 'wizard' thing, Griphook produced a formal piece of parchment that was very straight forward in its meaning. It granted him Independence should he just sign it.
After a moment's hesitation, Harry signed his name with a confident hand and Griphook rolled up the parchment and shook Harry's hand.
"Congratulations Harry, you are now a legal adult! There is only the matter of your vaults now and then our business is concluded for the moment. After today, I will contact you via owl to arrange another meeting to update you on the situation of Mr. Black's will."
"Excuse me, vaults? As in plural?"
"Yes, originally you had your trust fund, but now that you are a legal adult; you have access to your family vault."
"Why was I not informed of the existence of such a vault?" inquired Harry.
"You were not informed? I must say. This is quite unexpected! After all, your magical guardian was in charge of your Gringotts vaults and distributing information to you of them. You mean he did not tell you?" asked a very shocked Griphook.
"Let me guess, Dumbledore?"
"Correct. It does not matter anymore; he is no longer in charge of it as you are a legal adult. Would you like to visit your family vault?"
"Please, and also my letter?"
"Of course. Let us enjoy some tea and biscuits for lunch and then I will arrange for you to visit your family vault."
So, after lunch with Griphook who engaged Harry in polite conversation, the young Goblin Rushkov once again escorted Harry to the Gringotts lobby and then onto the carts. After a rather fast and slightly nauseating ride, they came to stop before a large circular vault door. This was his family vault; number 187.
Stepping out of the cart, Harry approached the door. It was situated deeper within the rock than surrounding vaults and the door seemed to be made of some black metal of which Harry had never seen before. Running along the edge of the circular door was a line of runes that were etched into the vault door and filled delicately with silver. The vault number was also stated on the front of the vault door in the same fashion in silver as was the name 'POTTER' printed just underneath. Harry stopped his analysis of the door when he noticed there was no indication of a keyhole. Turning a questioning gaze towards Rushkov who seemed to have forgotten himself for a moment, he quickly sprung into action.
Walking towards the vault door, he came to a stop before the centre of the door and drew a small circle with one of his sharp finger nails. Materialising where he drew the circle was a small silver keyhole. Taking the golden key offered by Rushkov, Harry placed it in the slot and turned it. The vault door opened with a click and began to slowly creak open. When the door was fully open, Harry was in awe of what was before him.
Stepping inside, leaving Rushkov to sit in the cart patiently, Harry was able to fully see the contents of the vault. Mountains of gold, silver and bronze were piled all over the vault, some even piled to the high ceiling of the vault. Gems and jewels were amongst the piles of wealth and many different weapons lined the walls of the rectangular vault. Various paintings and tapestries also lined the walls and were scattered throughout the vault. Lots of furniture was also strewn about the vault; no doubt left from countless generations of Potters. There were also lots of counters and cabinets which contained different documents and items such as jewellery and magical objects. There were also innumerable photo albums and family items such as toys and also a huge family tapestry directly opposite the vault door. Harry also noticed that most items carried small white card tags that carried a brief explanation of the item it was attached to; this was a great relief to Harry since he would have had no idea which Potter left what and what item is what.
Firstly deciding to open the letter that Sirius had left him, Harry took a seat in a plush leather chair somewhere near the centre of his massive vault and broke the seal to the letter. With shaking hands Harry unrolled the parchment and began to read the letter.
Harry,
If you are reading this then I guess I really did mess up eh? Anyway, I never really was one for long letters or sentimental speeches, but I do love you! Now that I am gone, I want you to enjoy your life. I know you haven't had the best life at the Dursley's, but you have a lifetime to enjoy yourself.
You only live once Harry. Remember that. Until we meet again,
Your loving Godfather,
Sirius.
Harry just stared at the letter in front of him. To him it spoke volumes, even though it was in not so many words. To him though, this just strengthened his resolve. Sirius wanted him to have fun and he couldn't have fun being under Dumbledore's rule. No, he had to take control and he had started by becoming legally independent.
Tucking the letter into his backpack, Harry began to search through his vault. He looked over everything. Spending hours looking through photo albums and studying his family tapestry with great enthusiasm, Harry began to form a realistic and satisfying portrait in his mind of his family.
Emerging from the vault many hours later to a surprised Rushkov, Harry pushed the vault door closed and locked before checking that both his family vault and trust fund vault keys were safely hanging on a simple, thin silver chain that he had found within his vault. Harry had had a very good look at everything in the vault and decided that since the hour was late, he would return tomorrow to do all his shopping and collect all the things that he wanted to from his family vault.
As the cart sped towards his trust fund vault where he wanted to quickly collect some money to last him a few days, he thought back on the two other things that he had taken from his vault for the time being. He had firstly discovered the ring that rested snugly on his third finger of his left hand, about two hours into his vault search. It was a simple gold band with a second protruding band running across the centre of the base band. The second band was engraved with runes and was of white gold that contrasted nicely with the rich gold of the base band. This had been one of the most rewarding finds in the vault since it would undoubtedly be a key element in his 'training' as he had come to call what he planned to do. The card that was attached to the ring with a thin piece of string read:
Ethereal Ring (projection ring)
Made by: Calamity Potter
Creation Date: 1901
I am a scholar in Ethereal Magics and have studied this powerful magic extensively all my life. It was a while ago that I discovered the technique and magics required to make this ring. As to my knowledge, this is the last ring of this type.
There were two other rings of this type when I created this one in secret. One of those has now been devoured by a Dragon in an unfortunate accident and the Dragon flame was hot enough to melt it and destroy its magic.
The second ring has also now been destroyed during an explosive potions accident. So, this one to my knowledge is the only one in existence.
The magic and even the knowledge of such rings is basically none existent as they are a closely guarded secret and the magic which they are based in is a forgotten magic.
The ring is actually quite ingenious in its purpose as it projects a physical embodied copy of the user's mind. This can be sustained for a period of 12 hours a day, taking equal time to replenish its energy. This can be draining on the user's mind also.
The embodiment is not physical without taking more energy from the user's mind. This will prove hard for using the embodiment to lift objects. However, it can be used to e.g. read books without much draining. Any information or harm to the embodiment will be transferred to the user when they re-connect.
This can prove both a hinder and a benefit, especially in the case of obtaining knowledge. This is a dangerous and powerful object, use with care and caution Potter!
To activate the ring's power, you must turn the second/centre band a half turn clockwise. If done correctly, small clicking sounds should sound and then on completion of a half turn clockwise; the ring should glow before your mind is then embodied.
When the user has finished their time, they must turn the second/centre band a half turn anti-clockwise and the embodiment will re-connect with the user's mind.
Extended use past the suggested usage time could result in mental exhaustion or periods of weakness.
Use it well!
The second item was a small stack of papers that he had taken from one of the cabinets that contained some valuable information. He did not have time to dwell on this however as the cart came to a stop by his trust fund vault. Quickly filling his money pouch with some Galleons, Harry was soon in the lobby of Gringotts. Thanking Rushkov, Harry was soon making his way through Diagon Alley once more. It was as he passed that he saw a few stores with leaflet stands outside and on a whim, grabbed a few before swiftly moving on; ensuring that his hooded cloak was securely fitted onto him.
Harry was soon passing through the Leaky Cauldron and was calling the Knight Bus to him. The Sun had long set as Harry did not expect to spend that much time in Gringotts. H e resisted the urge to use magic as he knew that the Ministry could still detect him and although he was now legally able to use magic, it would not go with his newly changed plan, to be located. Tomorrow however, that would be the day that he began living his own life.
Stan quickly noticed who it was when the Bus skidded to a halt in front of the same hooded figure that rode the same morning. Harry flipped Stan a Galleon and brushed past him where he abruptly lay down on one of the comfy beds. A day of purely making discoveries had tired him out.
"Where to Mister, back to Surrey?" inquired Stan.
"No…Etherfield Village. Keep the change" he said, smiling as he did.
Author's Note: Okay. Second chapter. When I set out to write this I originally wanted to go on into my story for a good while. Then I realised that it would be a bit long and tedious so the third chapter will be out soon! Anyway, I now have a yahoo group. I did this mostly so that I could provide files and pictures to accompany my fic; I will definitely be posting two things to accompany my next chapter! I know this might be a little tedious but there were just some things to get out of the way and it sets up the summer really. I would appreciate if everyone could tell me what you think of this chapter! Tell me what's good (something hopefully?) and what's bad. Anyway, I am going to respond to all those people who reviewed my first chapter! Thank you!
Yugioh/Potter/Pokemon fan – Thanks for reviewing. As for animagi, well, that will come into play. Can't say much more on that though : )
Lady Phoenix Slytherin – Thanks for reviewing!
Gohan00 – Thanks : )
dude 04 – Thanks for reviewing!
Serpent of Light – Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad that you did. As for manipulative Dumbledore, well, the relationship will go through some bumps but he won't be evilly trying to manipulate Harry. Can't say much more though. I did the letter from protocol because it was a more wide-range distribution of information rather than Auror thing but I know what you mean, lol. I do have plans for the DA though they might be a little different from the standard thoughts on that. Very secret though that : ) Thanks for reviewing anyway!
Serpentine Phoenix