Lessons About A Price Too High
Chapter 04 Shifter (Part I)
(A/N: Not all spells will be explained in detail in this story like in the chapter before. I was mainly trying to tie in some magical theory that will become relevant in later chapters)
Harry sat at his desk fiddling with his pen as he watched the clock and waited for Mr. Limberg to stop droning. This guy could put Binns to sleep! Harry thought, glancing again at the clock. The sudden burning sensation near his chest told Harry that he was all charged up and ready to go. Finally the bell rang and grabbing his backpack, Harry followed the rest of his classmates out as Limberg reminded his students to come to him for help if they had any trouble. How could anyone have trouble with MULTIPLYING FRACTIONS? Was there really anyone that thick? I know Dudley, and even he could breeze through this chapter. Well… I guess I'm giving Dudley too much credit on that.
Walking off school property, Harry tried to find a desolate area so he could slip on an invisibility cloak that he conjured and charmed the day before and apparate to the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron. This wasn't hard. Since Dudley and Piers weren't at school today, things had cooled off considerably. It wasn't hard for Harry to take advantage of Dudley's birthday celebrations to sneak a visit to the wizarding world. Dudley's last 11th birthday consisted of visiting a zoo and staying overnight in London… well, it WOULD have if Mrs. Figg hadn't broken her leg forcing Harry to go along with the Dursleys. This time around, though, Harry purposely began his outdoor chores at around the time he predicted Mrs. Figg had broken her leg. He had helped Mrs. Figg into her home and promised her that he would tell the Dursleys that she couldn't sit for him the next day. It was easy to conveniently forget to tell the Dursleys this and let them assume that everything was still fine.
Albus Dumbledore sat with five sheafs of parchment in is hand, If the amount of red on the parchment showed anything, Ronald Weasley had tested abysmally on every subject. Not that it mattered of course. The whole reason he had had the youngest Weasley son take the tests was pretend he scored high enough to warrant a scholarship. Now, seeing these scores, he was glad that he hadn't given them to the resident teachers to grade. All he had to do now was adjust the scores and change the answers incase Molly Weasley wanted to see the tests. More likely she would forget all about them in her excitement. For now, he would tuck the tests away and wait for Arabella to arrive to talk about Harry. Dumbledore sighed… it was going to be a long week.
When Harry stepped out from under the invisibility cloak, he was no longer a messy black haired green eyed Caucasian. His hair was straight and short now and he looked more Asian than anything else. His eye color was now a cool gray. Harry had waited almost a half an hour for someone to come by and open the barrier to Diagon Alley so that he could sneak in behind them. He didn't have a wand and performing wandless magic in the open wasn't a smart thing to do. Now that he had finally gotten through, the first place Harry was going to stop at was Gringotts, the wizarding bank.
Harry stepped into the crowded bank and looked around carefully. He was looking for Griphook, the goblin that his parents had assigned to look after their finances when they found out Voldemort was targeting them. It hadn't been a coincidence that Griphook was the goblin that rode with himself and Hagrid that first time he was in Gringotts. Finally spotting him standing over a pile of parchment, quill in hand behind one of the counters, Harry strode forward. "Griphook?"
Griphook looked up in surprise. Only the clients of his own accounts knew his name and few bothered to remember it. The boy in front of him didn't look like any of his own clients' children and Griphook wondered if he, perhaps, had just gotten lost. But that still didn't explain how the boy knew his name.
Harry almost squirmed under the gaze of Griphook. It seemed that no matter how old he was mentally, Griphook would always be able to make him feel terribly childish. "Do you think we can talk in your office?" Harry asked looking around. Griphook looked even more shocked than before. He should though, Harry thought to himself, not many people know he has an office. After being put through intense scrutiny, it seemed that Griphook had finally decided that there would be no danger in speaking in private and beckoned Harry to the back and into his office. Once there, Harry morphed back into his original form.
"A Shifter!" Griphook gasped before he could stop himself. Harry smiled absently, remembering the first time Griphook had deemed him that. It was in his seventh year and he had just turned seventeen and inherited the Potter vault and Black vault. He remembered telling Griphook, the last time around, that he was a "metamorphmagus" only to be admonished. It was Griphook who helped Harry discover and develop the full extent of his shifting power. This time, Harry just smiled and put his hand out. "I'm Harry Potter, Griphook. I understand that you manage the Potter account and I wanted to talk to you about a few things."
Griphook stared at the hand stretched in front of him. Wizarding children were taught to despise and detest goblins and other magical creatures. He had never shaken a wizard's hand in his life though he had seen wizards shake each other's often enough. But this is the Potter boy. He thought. The Potters had always helped the goblins, the head goblin had told him that when the Potters charged him to be account manager. But even James Potter, as amazingly friendly and unbiased as he was against goblins hadn't offered his hand to Griphook.
Harry sighed when Griphook reluctantly shook his hand. He had forgotten how unusual it was for a wizard to offer his hand to a goblin.
"Please Mr. Potter, sit down so that we may speak of your account. You have been withdrawing regularly have you not?"
"What?" Harry looked up with surprise. "I've never been in this bank before."
"Be that as it may, Mr. Potter, records show that we send the 250 galleons equivalent of pounds to your place of residence every month, addressed to a Vernon Dursley?" Harry must have looked shocked because Griphook quickly added, "Of course, that doesn't make a dent in your trust fund since we transfer 500 galleons a month from the main Potter Vault."
"So how much money do I have in the trust fund right now?" Harry asked. He was going to deal with the money being sent to the Dursleys later.I should have suspected this. Harry berated himself. All of the money for Dudley's birthday presents and the new car had to have come from somewhere. He snapped out of reveire in time to hear the sum in his vault. Just a bit over 50,000 galleons… 50 THOUSAND GALLEONS. "Do you think it would be possible to stop the monthly transfers from the main vault and seal it off until I am of age, Griphook?" Harry asked.
For the third time that day, Griphook was shocked. He had expected Potter to want to increase the amount transferred, not close it off completely. He had been prepared to explain all about how his parent's will indicated that his allowance should be 500 galleons a month. He had been ready to show Potter the documents that plainly stated that the account manager should not increase the amount of transfer. But it never said anything about decreasing it. Griphook thought. The boy seemed so surprised that he was getting money. Does that mean that his relatives never told him? It was the only reasonable explanation. "Of course Mr. Potter. I will freeze the main Potter vault immediately… but, if I may ask, why stop the transfers?" Potter stared up at him as if weighing his trustworthiness, then, finally replied, " I don't want Dumbledore or my guardians to get their hands on the entire Potter fortune."
Harry had briefly considered lying when Griphook had asked why he wanted the vault sealed, but this was Griphook. Six years difference did not make the goblin any less trustworthy. Griphook had looked distressed at having to take action against Dumbledore but Harry didn't blame him. Dumbledore, after all, was a formidable opponent. He, himself, had not planned to allow Dumbledore to know about his independence. He would continue to be "the Golden boy", "Poster Boy of the Light", until Voldemort was dead. He could afford to be this time around. " Actually Griphook, I would like to keep my visit a secret from Dumbledore… if that's possible."
Griphook felt relieved. If young Potter wanted to keep things from Albus Dumbledore, he certainly wasn't going to stop him. If Dumbledore EVER found out about it, he could wreck havoc in Griphook's department and most likely get me ostracized from the bank. Griphook thought. But if they planned carefully, no one would ever have to know. " I should let you know, Mr. Potter, that all withdrawals are recorded and sent to Dumbledore on a statement sheet as soon as they are made."
Harry cursed. Trust that old meddlesome fool to make things difficult. After discovering that the Dursleys were getting rich off of him, Harry wasn't ready to deal with more bad news. "Is there anyway I could withdraw some money now, without getting him suspicious?" he asked resignedly. Looking up, Harry saw a gleam in Griphook's eyes.
"Well you see Mr. Potter, I always send your relatives their money at the end of the month, but if they were to… request it early… this certainly wouldn't be the first time..." Harry grinned at Griphook's genius. Of course! He thought. I'll just take the money now and get the bare necessities now and find a way to get the money back later. It was the tenth, so Harry would have roughly two weeks to come up with 250 galleons. He was sure he could do it.
"I think the Dursleys are just itching for that advance this month, Griphook. If you would be so kind to get it for them." Griphook walked to a wall to the right of Harry and ran a crooked finger down the stone. Instantly, a safe appeared and he produced the 250 galleons. He scooped the 250 galleons into a bag and it magically shrunk.
"This," Griphook handed the bag to Harry. "is a magical money pouch. It is weightless, built to hold over 5,000 galleons, and shrinks and expands as needed. Normally, I take the galleons from this safe, send it over to the conversion department, and then magically transfer the amount back into the safe. However, since you are here…"
Harry beamed at Griphook, shifted back into his disguise, took the money pouch, and said, "Thanks! Oh, and by the way, call me Harry." With that, Harry shook Griphook's hand again, and left the bank.Now for the shopping…