A Hero's Tale
It had been two weeks since Courtney had sent her letter to Harry asking his advice. She had been very busy with schoolwork as the term only had four weeks left. She was frantically compiling all the information she had about Harry into a paper, though she was still missing the information concerning his fifth year and his time spent in prison. A week ago she had received a note from both her parents saying they had agreed to allow her to keep her share of WWW. She was relieved at their response and ecstatic that her father had agreed. He had written her a note separately, in which he simply told her how things were going with him. She had responded in kind, telling him about her schoolwork. She had even gone so far as to explain Quidditch. She didn't know how he would receive that but she didn't really know what else to say.
She wondered what this sudden change in her father was anyway. The letter from him was written as though they had had an uninterrupted communication between them the entire time. She had been so confused that she had actually gone to Professor Black (who had been the only teacher to meet her father) and talk to him about it. He had simply encouraged her to follow her father's lead, as it seemed her father was trying very hard to become the kind of father Courtney needed.
So, though she was still confused, she decided to give her dad a chance to show he really meant this change and forgave him. That morning she had sent off a letter to him saying that she forgave him and she thanked him for trying.
As she quickly walked to Potions, she reflected on the strange behavior of the professor. Ever since the night of her detention, he always seemed to be watching her. To be honest it creeped her out. In class, he would rarely single her out vocally, but by now everyone had caught on that he watched her almost singularly. Consequently, the entire class kept sneaking glances at her. It didn't help that she wasn't good at potions anyway. In short, she was growing to hate potions class.
After suffering through that period she gladly left the dungeons and entered the lunch room before many of her peers. She ate quickly and managed to avoid the rush. She knew Angela wanted to talk to her, probably about Snape's class again. She, however, was not in the mood for Angela's pep talk. In the common room, she relaxed by the fireplace and opened her book to review her Charms homework.
A hoot interrupted her and she looked up to see Rex. Delighted, she jumped up and retrieved the package attached to his leg. She was surprised that it was a package. She was about to open it when she heard voices outside. Looking at her watch she realized that she had about ten minutes to get to Charms class.
Quickly running upstairs to her dormitory, she jumped on her bed and opened the package. At the very top were a number of folded parchment sheets. She took them out and set the box aside.
Opening them she started reading.
Dear Courtney,
I am honored you have decided to confide in me your confusion about your father. The way you are feeling is perfectly understandable. However, I fear that I am not the best person to ask about forgiving others. I hope everything works out though. Just remember that your father loves you.
I also apologize that this letter has taken me so long to get to you. This has been the hardest letter I have ever had to write. Please, once I have told you all that happened, do not bring it up again. I do not wish to recall it more than I have to.
The summer following my fourth year was probably the worst one. My relatives, still blaming me for the prank Fred and George played on Dudley, were determined to make my summer horrible. I was fed one meal a day and the rest of the day I was expected to perform all manner of chores and services for the Dursleys. Sometimes they would just have me do something just to take up my time. I think I had to reorganize all the books in Uncle Vernon's library at least four times: alphabetical order by author, alphabetical order by title, chronological order by publication date, and in order by call number according to the Dewey Decimal system. A lot of what they had me do was just plain tedious. I actually didn't mind the tedious, it was claming to my nerves. The worst was the out door work that they forced me to do as it was very exhausting, especially since I was half-starved. As I said, it was not a pleasant summer.
What made it worse was the fact that Voldemort was active again. He did not attain the notice of the Ministry, as he kept his attacks mostly out of the public view. He attacked those involved with Dumbledore and so the Ministry discounted it all as Dumbledore being an Alarmist. However, thanks to my scar, I witnessed a lot of what he did that summer. It was horrible Courtney and I will not describe what I saw. It didn't help that the connection between Voldemort and myself seemed to be getting progressively stronger as he increased his power. I guess it makes since because he put a portion of his own power into me when I was one and that he used my blood to resurrect himself. The only good thing that I could see was that he was unaware of the connection and he could not observe me as I did him. I suspect that the reason the connection only allowed me to sense him and not vice versa was because in both circumstances that we were bonded, I was the unwilling participant and that partially blocked him. As he was the one to purposely attack me at age one (and thus, in a way purposely transmitted his power) and the one to forcibly take my blood, he willingly (if not knowingly) entered into the bond so he was not blocked.
Physically and emotionally, I was worn down by the end of the summer. My dreams were not constant at that point so I didn't know everything that was going on. I knew he was planning something big but I didn't know details.
In October of my fifth year, Voldemort attacked the Ministry offices underground in London. The Ministry could no longer deny his return and so they went to the other extreme. Anyone even suspected of being involved in Dark activities in any way was arrested and interrogated. Yet in their incompetence they could not catch the real Death Eaters-though it was finally publicized that many people influential in the Ministry were Death Eaters, such as Malfoy and Macnair.
My school work was suffering greatly because of my inability to get a restful sleep (I discovered that Dreamless Sleep did nothing to block visions and only ended up prolonging my stay in whatever setting Voldemort was in) and my subsequent inability to concentrate. If Quidditch had been allowed that year, I most likely would have been taken off the team because of my grades.
Somehow, I managed to get through the term in one piece. My visions of Voldemort were becoming disturbingly frequent. However, I had trouble remembering everything. Details, words, names, important facts were lost on me. Perhaps if I had been able to remember better I would have known what Voldemort was planning. Unfortunately, I had an almost perfect memory of the sights.
Ron and Hermione were there for me that term, like they had never been before. They seemed to be able to read my mind half the time and know exactly when I needed to talk and when I should be left alone. I also started dating Ginny that term. Sirius and I kept up a frequent communication and Professor Dumbledore opened his office to me many times when I needed a wiser ear. In short, even though it was the threat was greater to me at that time than probably at any time in my first four years, I was happier because I had a support network.
Support was something I never had growing up. As I have told you before, my guardians hated and feared me. So, they belittled and disparaged me at every chance. Growing up in that environment is not conducive to trusting anyone easily or reaching out to ask for help. So after four years I was finally coming to ask for help from the adults in my life and trust my friends with my insecurities. I even confided in Sirius exactly how badly I was treated at the Dursleys. He encouraged me to go to Dumbledore and report to him the neglect and borderline abuse that I had experienced all my life. I finally did at the beginning of December. After I had told him everything, he promised me that I would not have to return to their home for the summer. I remember thinking after leaving that, had I known that would be the result, I would have gone to him years earlier.
As tensions rose outside the castle though in early December I experienced some of the worst visions I had ever had. They were so awful that I could not bring myself to talk about them at the time. Trusting others outside myself, was still a new thing and I guess I was a little bit scared at how they would react to my visions. They were so horrible and each dream reinforced my belief that I was at fault for Voldemort's rebirth (I am sure they all knew I blamed myself, though I would never talk about it). I was afraid that they would realize the same thing as they understood how bad it was getting and so I pulled away. I guess they were worried I would sink into depression because as I stopped being so open about my visions they made sure I was never alone. I didn't mind actually, because if someone was there with me I could keep myself from thinking about my visions.
I dreaded sleep at that point. I would often go three nights in a row without sleeping, until Hermione, Ron or Ginny, or all three, would drag me to Madam Pomfrey where she would force me to go to sleep using a combination of potions, spells and magical artifacts.
Despite all that, Christmas was wonderful. Most of the students stayed at school because their parents knew it was most likely safer than their homes. Some families went so far as to travel to the school in order to spend Christmas together. Such was the case with the Weasleys. All the older children along with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came to Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore even arranged for Hermione's parents to be there on Christmas day. And Sirius (remember he was still a convict then) was there that night to exchange gifts with me in private.
On New Year's Day, I had the worst vision ever. My scar actually opened up and bled and I literally went into shock because what I had seen was so horrible. Of course, when the reports came in of the end result of the attack Dumbledore knew I had witnessed it, but even the end result did not communicate the process. I spent the next few days in the hospital wing unable to eat and unwilling to even speak.
On the third day, I made a decision. I knew I would continue having visions and there would be more like what I had seen. So, I made the decision that I would not give up. I had so much to live for, I had friends, I had family, if not in blood, in spirit, I had people who loved me and who would stand by me. I determined that I would fight my hardest against Voldemort and in the meantime take advantage of the time I had with my friends. I would not let Voldemort determine my reactions.
A week after I was walking from the library back to Gryffindor Tower when I met Ron in the hallway. He seemed excited and so I followed him as he babbled about the card he had just gotten with his Chocolate Frog. I stopped and laughed because I remembered the first time I ever ate a Chocolate Frog on the train ride to Hogwarts. Humoring his excitement, I reached out to look at the card.
As soon as I touched it I realized it was a portkey. I was transported, with Ron, to the Forbidden Forest. Shocked and angry, I demanded to know what was going on. He responded by putting the full body-bind on me and confiscating my wand. I realized as he was standing there that 'Ron' was not holding his own wand. I concluded that this was somebody under Polyjuice potion. Whomever it was seemed nervous and kept looking around as though waiting for someone to come. Finally there was a POP and Wormtail was there.
They discussed something too far for me to be able to hear and then Wormtail came over to me and took some of my hair. I saw him drink the Polyjuice potion and turn into me and hurry up to the castle.
Half an hour later, the Polyjuice potion wore off 'Ron' and I saw that it was Draco Malfoy. He sneered and said "This will be the end of you." Then he released the full body-bind and grabbed another portkey before I could react. I was left to my own devices to return to the castle. I was confused and worried about what the big picture here was. I had been kidnapped but unharmed. Yes, the forbidden forest was dangerous, but not enough to warrant the 'end of me.' I wondered what had happened to the real Ron and so I hurried back to Hogwarts.
I could see the lights and turrets between the trees when I heard "Stupefy!" from my left and fell to the ground stunned.
When I was revived I was sitting in a chair-chained to it-looking at a fully convened Wizengamot. I could see Dumbledore with them and among the spectators I saw my teachers, friends, the Weasleys and many others. I even saw Remus with Snuffles.
I was disoriented and I could hardly concentrate on what was being said. I felt cold and knew there must be a Dementor or two around. I forced myself to focus and when I did I heard Ron testifying that I had killed Hagrid. I heard Arabella Figg and Remus Lupin both testify as well.
Then Dumbledore, Hermione and half my teachers testified about my recently 'changed behavior' as evidence of my switch over to the 'Dark side.' My sudden change from depression to normalcy was seen as 'suspicious.'
I was not given a chance to speak in my own defense, I was given no option for an appeal, no chance to testify under Veritaserum. Minister Fudge turned to the convened Wizengamot and said, "Harry James Potter stands accused of two counts of using unforgivable curses, one count of murder, one count of evading arrest, and one count of consorting with known criminals. You have heard the testimony of the witnesses."
Then he called for a verdict. It was unanimous, I was proclaimed guilty. Then Fudge gave the sentence. "As a minor, Harry James Potter can not be sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss, therefore he is hereby sentenced to Life in Azkaban."
I was hysterical, crying, pleading, insisting I was innocent. They ignored me. I started shouting and Fudge used a silencing spell. I looked frantically around trying to find support. I looked at Hermione and Ron, but had hatred in their eyes. Dumbledore's face was a mass of rage and I knew it was directed at me. My teachers had mixed looks of disgust and anger. Then I saw Sirius. Although he was a dog, I could perfectly read his expression. I saw no anger; instead, Sirius looked dead. He looked so disappointed and hurt that I started crying again. He actually thought I had done it! Two Aurors unchained me from the chair and escorted me to a cell where I would wait for transport to Azkaban.
I had no energy, no will. I could not move sitting there in the holding cell. My world had literally come crashing down. Everyone I knew and everyone I trusted had turned their back on me. They had betrayed me. I had promised myself that as long as I had people who cared for me, people who I trusted I would not give up. And now it was all gone.
Dumbledore (his face no longer filled with anger) came to the cell and said, in a voice that sounded old, weary and pained, "You made some very serious, very wrong choices, and now you must live with the consequences. I don't think I will ever understand why you made this choice, but I cannot bring myself to believe you have an evil heart. I think you have made a terrible, terrible mistake, but I hope for your sake that you can find forgiveness in yourself for your choices." The self-righteous bastard. I would have laughed at him in the face had the silencing charm been removed. Then, just to add the icing on the cake, he said, "You have ruined your life Harry, but you have done more than that. You have ripped out the hope of hundreds of people and you have ruined Snuffles' life as well. You were his reason for living and you have utterly destroyed him." Then he left.
A few minutes later two Dementors and an Auror came and escorted me via portkey to the shore and from there on a boat to Azkaban itself. I had long since lost consciousness because of the Dementors. I woke up in the Azkaban interrogation room. There two Aurors tried to get me to tell of Voldemort's plans, or what my other plans had been, or who my accomplices were, anything. I had next to nothing to tell and what I did tell (what I knew from my visions) they took as even more evidence that I had in fact, been working for Voldemort. They didn't bother with using truth serums-I was simply a prisoner- so they used the old fashioned way when they thought I was lying or being recalcitrant, that is to say they used torture.
In the muggle world, it is called 'police brutality' and it is a criminal charge, in the wizarding world no such law exists. Or, if it does, those doing it never get caught because prisoners have no rights, no way to seek redress. It was horrible, it was humiliating, it was worse than anything Voldemort had veer done to me (though not worse than what I had seen him do). After I passed out, I was moved to a cell that would be my home for the next ten years.
After a day I was almost insane. I kept hearing my parents die, seeing Cedric die, seeing Voldemort's rebirth, feeling the heartache of the betrayal over and over again. Then I started reliving in vivid detail every vision I had had. I saw those people tortured, raped, and murdered over and over again. On the second day, I tried to kill myself. I was completely broken and simply wanted peace now. Of course, the Aurors couldn't have me getting out the easy way and so they saved my life. I was put in the infirmary wing of the prison while I was being healed (and they let things heal naturally there to simply prolong the pain). The infirmary is worse than the actual cells. For a week I lay on a cold metal slab, unable to move because of the straps and chains that bound me there and unable to think because two dementors roamed around there freely. I was force-fed soup and water everyday.
Then I was thrown back into my cell and there was a dementor stationed at the door twenty-four hours a day for a week. After that week was over I was about ready to die simply of natural causes. I held on to my last bit of sanity with all that I had. My sanity was my betrayal. If I could recall that I was innocent then I would stay sane. Sometimes I would forget. Sometimes, for weeks, I would simply give in to the black hole inside of me, the hole that sucked me down that beckoned to me with sweet release. For periods of time, I was, literally, insane. I was not the type to babble insanely, I would simply do nothing. Then eventually, somehow, I would come back to myself and I would remember where I was, why I was there, everything. My world would crash down over and over again. Then Voldemort made his move. Every night I would see him, hear him, feel what he did. The connection became stronger than ever as he started exercising his powers more; it seemed to open the connection wider. Pretty soon my visions were invading my waking hours. All I could do sometimes was hold my scar and whimper as I felt myself slowly dying from all the pain and agony.
I was weak, I was half-starved and the torture continued. Somehow, my body survived, though not with my mind completely intact. I didn't know how long I had been there until it was time for the yearly physical-basically a doctor gave his professional opinion that we were still alive and if we were close to dying gave horrible concoctions that would give our bodies nourishment (and the sudden influx of needed nutrients would almost kill us because our bodies could not handle it) in order to make us live longer.
Ten years passed in the worst agony ever imaginable. I take that back, you can't even imagine it. What made it even worse was that, just a few months after my incarceration, the connection between Voldemort reached its peak and never went back down. Whenever Voldemort called on his connection with even one Death Eater it created a sort of…echo along the connection with me. For ten years, I witnessed every plan from its first planning stages to its full fruition. I literally watched thousands of people die and I, who could have done something about it, could do nothing. I know I could not have saved them all, or even most of them, but my information could have saved lives. Yet, I could do nothing.
In truth that was the whole crux of the matter. Perhaps, (and this is a very big perhaps) I could have eventually forgiven them if it had simply been a matter of my own health and happiness. Black managed to do it. They broke the trust, the friendship, the love that had been between us, but even then I might have been able to help rebuild their society after taking some time to reevaluate my place in the world. I would never have been able to trust them as I had before, I would never have been able to be a part of it all like I had been before, those things were gone forever, but I might have been able to stand being in association with them. But it wasn't just about me. It was about a three year old I saw tortured to death by her own father who could not fight the Imperius Curse, it was about a woman who lost her dignity and self-respect at the hands of Death Eaters, it was about an entire town that was utterly destroyed while Voldemort simply looked on in sick pleasure.
I am not so foolish to play the game of 'what if.' I am not saying I could have even saved on life, but if I had been able to even attempt to help, to give a warning, to do anything, then maybe the screams would no longer haunt my dreams. Maybe I would no longer wake up in a cold sweat at nights, shaking at the memory of the pain. I was helpless and they were responsible for it. They prevented me from doing what I had dedicated all my ambitions toward and everything I stood for and, consequently, what they claimed they stood for. They betrayed me and betrayed their own ideals in doing so. That is what I cannot forgive.
Merlin, Courtney, I am sorry, I don't mean to bog you down. I should not have gone into detail. I am not even sure that I am communicating what I felt correctly. Again, I apologize Courtney, it is wrong of me to lay this burden on you.
I will simply continue my story. For ten years, I was an onlooker to the worst atrocities ever committed, eventually I managed to keep sane by remembering I was innocent and that I would have my revenge on Voldemort. And so, as I watched, I learned. I learned magic, spells, theories, dueling techniques, shielding, you name it, I probably learned about it. I learned from both sides, watching the so-called- Light Side, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, what worked what didn't and I did the same for Voldemort's army. In time I could tell who each Death Eater was simply by the way in which he moved his wand, or which tactics he leaned on most. I could do the same for the light. I could match up exactly which person should duel with which in order to ensure the desired outcome of the battle. But I couldn't.
I was startled awake one day by Ron Weasley, who informed me I was to be transferred elsewhere. I had expected something like that (though to be honest, I almost thought they would kill me to achieve the same ends) because I knew Voldemort was planning on attacking the prison and that they would realize the potential of him accessing my power through the shared connection. I was taken to Hogwarts and locked in the dungeons. Away from the Dementors my mind was clearer than it had been in a decade. In that cell, I almost wept with relief to be away from my mother's screams, away from Cedric haunting me. Unfortunately, the visions did not stop, nor did the detail diminish.
Oddly enough, Voldemort seemed to quiet down for a few weeks. From what I could gather, he was mustering his forces for a big attack. I found out what his plan was and I finally got to do something with what I knew. I told Dumbledore about it. At that point, I didn't care if he believed me or not, I had done my duty and, perhaps, I could be at peace with myself for one day.
Dumbledore did believe me. I wondered why at the time. Perhaps you should ask him if you want to know the answer. I don't remember how my information influenced the battle, but I knew I had succeeded in my responsibility and that was all that mattered. I didn't really supply any more information because Voldemort, who had been trying to weed out the spy in his forces had not been able to figure out who had tipped off the Order and the Ministry about the attack on Diagon Alley had simply given up on that objective and instead was preparing for the final decisive battle. Snape had informed Dumbledore of what he knew and that was as much as I knew. Voldemort was keeping his own counsel and not telling a single person his plans.
Voldemort attacked Hogwarts at full strength. He had his entire army there, he had his supporters from around the world, and Dumbledore had his supporters gathered from everywhere. You have to understand, Courtney, this was a war of tremendous scale, it was global, there was not a single country in which a magical being lived that was not directly affected by Voldemort. It was not limited to humans either, it was armies of goblins, centaurs, giants, trolls, the undead and every species that had the mental capacity to choose a side (and even some that didn't). This final battle was going to be the decisive one, everyone knew it.
I could see the scene with perfect clarity. Voldemort being so close and simply expending magic in any amount brought the connection 'on-line' so to speak. The battle reminded me of the scene from the movie 'The Fellowship of the Ring' made about twenty years ago. There is an epic battle scene at the beginning that is the closest thing I can compare this battle to.
I watched as Voldemort's army got closer and closer (mind you, this 'final battle' took place over the span of two months). He, himself, did not cross into Hogwarts, but his minions did. Then I saw him instruct Snape to bring me out of the castle, that he had an offer to make me. He did a complex monitoring spell on Snape to insure he accomplished that which he was told to do. When Snape came to me I did not even pay attention to what he said, I simply followed, while my attention was on the battle. I saw Dumbledore lose his wand and Voldemort erect the security dome. I had seen a security dome used before, I knew how it worked, the principles behind it. I managed to slip Snape's wand from his pocket without his notice. I believe he was just too caught up in wondering what he should do.
We entered into the security dome and then Snape left as well as the two Death Eaters that were holding Dumbledore. Then Voldemort told Dumbledore that I was innocent, that Wormtail had framed me, that they had all betrayed me. Then Voldemort turned to me and asked if I would do the honors of killing Dumbledore. I stated that I needed a wand (I had put Snape's in my pocket) and that I wanted everyone to hear what was happening. Voldemort modified the security dome so people outside could hear and then handed me his own wand. I was probably the person most compatible with that wand besides Voldemort himself.
I shot the killing curse at the dome itself. If you do not know how a security dome works I will explain briefly. A Security dome is tied directly into the castor's power center. It becomes an extension of your own body. Unlike other shields, which will disappear or break under a powerful enough curse or hex, the security dome, acting like an extension of the body, conducts the spell directly back at the castor. However, that is only from the inside. The outside of the security dome might as well be a wall of pure magic. It is so incredibly strong because it is connected directly to the source of your power. Most wizards are incapable of putting that much power into it and are therefore unable to ever use the Security Dome. However, because it feeds off so much of your power continuously you cannot spare enough energy to perform very much complex magic. I doubt Voldemort could have actually cast the killing curse even if he had wanted to. So, within the security dome you should only ever invite someone you trust because they can take full advantage of you while your magic is otherwise occupied and they have a full 360º radius to aim at. Just for your information, Security Domes are most often used in battle where one healer casts it over a number of injured people while other healers tend to wounds.
Voldemort handed me his wand, and it really was the stupidest thing he ever did. The killing curse rebounded off the dome and hit Voldemort. I threw Dumbledore Snape's wand and we both used the killing curse again. Voldemort died. The Dome fell. You would be amazed at how quickly everything ended after that. There were thousands of Voldemort's supporters there and within hours they were all rounded up.
I didn't really care about the clean-up job though. My part was done and all I wanted was to leave, to never come back, to have peace and stability in my life that I knew I would never find in the Wizarding World. That night I went to Sirius' apartment at his behest. It was an encounter I do not wish to discuss. Sirius, acting almost as though he was the injured party. The next day in a meeting with Minister of Magic Amos Diggory, Dumbledore and Sirius, I declared my intentions.
They tried apologizing but I really wasn't interested. Instead, I extracted from the Wizard's Oaths that they would all leave me alone (as well as their respective organizations). Then I left the wizarding world.
I have never had any regrets about that decision, I have never had any desire to return. I have lived happily these past sixteen years with my wife and children. I do regret, though, that I have not been able to bring myself to tell my family of my past. No, I don't, it is past, it is done with, they do not need to know.
This has been a very difficult thing for me to write Courtney, and I hope I have not traumatized you in any way. I almost regret doing this, but…you have a right to know the truth, as does everyone else.
Contained in the package along with this letter are a few items. One is the Sneakoscope Ron gave me there is also my Omnioculars and the dragon figurine from the TriWizard Tournament. There are also a number of documents you may keep, as long as they remain intact for though I have not touched them in years, I hesitate to destroy legal documents.
Please forgive me, Courtney, for the harshness in this letter.
Sincerely,
Harry Potter
Courtney set the letter down in shock. Tears streamed down her face and she tried futilely to wipe them away. It was as though the parchment had absorbed Harry's pain and anguish and as she read it seeped into her skin. She folded the letter reverently, understanding just how much it had cost Harry to write it.
She then rummaged through the rest of the package, finding the three items mentioned and the documents. Spreading them out she looked at them.
On this date of June, the thirteenth of the year Two-Thousand five, Harry James Potter is hereby declared not guilty of all crimes that he has been previously convicted of. He is granted full pardon by the Ministry of Magic and is certified as a Citizen of the Wizarding World with all the rights and privileges associated…
The document continued giving the official apology and the terms of the reparations. Courtney gasped as she saw the amount of money he was given-it was equivalent to more than 50 million pounds.
The next few documents were the legal releases on all his possessions. The next one was The original letter Harry had written announcing his intention to leave the wizarding world. Then followed Harry's birth certificate as well as his school letters from each year.
Courtney wondered why there were no certificates announcing his award of Order of Merlin, First Class or his appointment to the Wizengamot as Chief Sorcerer, until she realized that the Wizard's Oath that bound the Minister at the time from contacting Harry, similarly prevented the Ministry itself from contacting Harry in any way.
There was one last piece of paper left in the box and Courtney pulled it out, opening the ornate scroll with an elaborate seal on it.
The International Confederation of Wizards, composed of fine societies of witches and wizards throughout the world, in accordance with its founding laws and even more ancient traditions, which have been nobly passed from one generation to another for millennia, do hereby declare unanimously, by nomination and affirmation of every Magical Government dotting the earth, and without reservation that Harry James Potter receive, and be respected as such evermore, the rights, powers, titles, protections, and artifacts associated with and pertinent to the ancient honor of Merlin's Staff.
David/Harry has discussed his wealth before but has not told the entire truth about it. The fortune he mentions to Kathryn and her parents is actually all inherited from his parents. The Ministry reparation money has sat in a number of bank accounts world wide, virtually untouched, for sixteen years and so has grown considerably.