Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter, nor was I the one to screw up the sixth book. Don't blame me.
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Harry took the opportunity to examine his surroundings. It was obvious that he was in a muggle apartment, it had two bedrooms, a bathroom, a small but well furnished kitchen, and a living room with a couch and tv. With the exception of the bathroom, the place was a mess. Empty food cartons and pizza boxes were scattered about the kitchen, and the whole apartment looked like a truck full of clothing had exploded inside it. Clearing a spot on the couch, Harry sat down and flicked on the TV while he waited for Tonks. After a few minutes of watching the the BBC she appeared in front of him dressed in a dark robe with an oversized hood, she held a small bag in her hand.
"I need to go to Knockturn Ally and pick up a few items. I will also make you a couple portkeys, but I cant be here when I do that. Its four a.m. right now, I should be back by seven at the latest. Don't leave this apartment. Period. When I get back, we'll make a trip to Gringotts so I can get my money out, then we will find a place to stay while you recover. I don't know after that.
Harry, slightly surprised at this new, serious, Tonks, asked "What do you mean, recover?"
"I'm going to get you in shape, you're skin and bones and I doubt its because of your connection to Voldemort. Right now, your body is simply not strong enough to channel your magic fully, it definately wont be strong enough after your birthday, and its certainly not strong enough to put up with the training I am going to put you through. We have one month to get you in shape for your magical growth, and that's not enough time, so your going to need several not-so-legal potions, and one very-illegal potion. Thats what the trip to Knockturn is for."
Harry looked flabbergasted. "Illegal potions? Aren't you an Auror? Why would I need potions like that anyways?"
"Because the legal options simply aren't strong enough. You will be taking several very potent nutrient potions and a potion that will help you put on some muscle, all of which contain some illegal ingredients. Your also going to be taking a potion to age your body by several years. It was outright banned after it was used in several high profile assassinations, and is highly deadly unless given in precise amounts. Hopefully when were done, you wont look like an anorexic 12 year old anymore." Tonks finished with a smirk.
"Hey! I resent that remark!"
"Well, its true. I want you to eat this," she said, handing him a small brown package from her bag. "Its an MRE, muggle soldiers eat them when they are out in the field. It'll taste like crap, but we need to get some quick weight on you, and these meals have about 3500 calories apiece, Merlin knows how much fat. I expect you to eat five of them today, and I want you to every single thing in the package. Got it?" Harry nodded rather dumbly. "Good, after you eat, try and get some rest, we're in for a long day." With that said, Nymphadora winked at him and disapparated with a pop, leaving a stunned Harry Potter staring at the spot where she standing a second ago. This was a side of Tonks he had never seen before, and he kind of liked it. She was cool and calm under pressure, someone he could count on to keep her, and his, head in a fight.
Harry settled once more onto the couch an cut open the bag containing the MRE. To his surprise, the beef stew wasn't half bad. However, the rest of the meal left much to be desired, particularly the bread loaf. Completely stuffed, Harry stretched out on the couch, using a pile of clothes as a pillow, and fell into an exhausted slumber. He had been up for a long time.
At 7:30, after concluding her business in Knockturn alley, Tonks apparated back into her bedroom. Making her way out into the living room to wake Harry and leave, she was surprised to find that he was nowhere in sight. A slight chill ran down her spine and her heart raced, "I told him not to leave" she hissed to herself. Unbeknownst to her, Harry was silently rising out for where he had been hiding under a pile of clothing behind her. He walked up behind her silently, and reached around and grasped her throat with one hand and pressed his wand into her back with the other. Tonks stiffened.
"Who occupies your least favorite portrait?" he asked her.
"Mrs. Black" squeaked Tonks. Turning around, she glared at Harry. "Paranoid much, Potter. Or should I say Moody?" she said while rubbing her throat.
Harry grinned and shook his head in the affirmative. "You can never be too safe Dora."
"Where were you hiding?"
Harry gestured to the pile of clothes, "Observe your environment and become part of it, the only rule of camouflage. I saw clothes, I became clothes. Any questions?" Asked Harry with a smirk.
"Smart ass" muttered Nymphadora. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him to the door, "Come on, we need to get to Gringotts and make another stop, then we're getting the hell out of Dodge."
"Dodge?"
"Its an old movie, come on."
When they stepped out of the building, Harry was surprised to see that they were only a few blocks away from the Leaky Cauldron. They set off at a brisk pace, both of them fingering their wand idly and casting glances around, watching for any sign of attack. As they neared the Leaky Cauldron, Tonks pulled out a Weird Sisters baseball cap and a dark robe out of her bag and handed them to Harry, who wordlessly put them on, pulling the cap low over his eyes. They managed to reach Gringotts without incident. Stepping up to one of the available tellers, Harry handed the Goblin his key and asked to make a withdrawal.
"Ah, Mr. Potter. Lord Snottrag, Gringotts London Branch Manager, has requested to see you upon your next visit. However, we did not expect to see you so soon. Please, follow me." finished the Goblin with a nasty grin. Harry glanced the Nymphadora, who shrugged, but brought her wand out anyway. Harry did the same. They walked side by side through the endless maze of corridors that made up the goblin offices. Gradually, the doors grew farther and farther apart, and the titles and names grew more ornate. They stopped in front of a large door, which had written on it "Lord Snottrag, Branch manager." Their escort ushered them into the office. Harry and Nymphadora were stunned by the sheer opulence of the room, but they were soon brought back to attention by the sound of a goblin clearing its throat. Sitting at the desk in front of them was an ancient looking goblin. He had a few strands of white hair on his head, which seemed to be sticking out at totally random angles. Poufs of white hair stuck out of each ear, and he sported a long white goatee. Squinting at them through his glasses, the wizened goblin spoke.
"Ah, Mr. Potter..." he paused, taking a long look at Tonks, "and Miss Tonks. I was not expecting you so soon. I am Snottrag, manager of this particular branch of Gringotts." he finished with a slight bow.
Harry, glad that Hermione took such good notes in history of magic, bowed deeply and addressed the goblin in the proper manner. "Master Snottrag, it is my pleasure to meet such an esteemed individual as yourself. I trust that I find you in good finance?"
Snottrag grinned, he was not often greeted in the formal manner by a human. Standing up again, he bowed back to Harry. "You find me in most comfortable finance, Mr. Potter. I must say, it has been many years since I have been addressed in such a respectful manner by a human."
"You will find that I am not like most wizards Master Snottrag, but please, I must insist that you called me Harry. May I ask why you have called me here?"
"Very well, Harry. I have asked you here for a number of reasons. We here at Gringotts have been watching you very closely for a number of years, and needless to say, we have been surprised by your actions numerous times. Your sense of right and wrong and views on equality are well known amongst the magical creatures of the world. It is also fairly obvious that you will lead this war against Voldemort. We goblins are not fools, despite what Wizard-kind thinks. If Voldemort were to win this war, sooner of later, we, along with every other magical creature would be enslaved, or hunted down and exterminated. Obviously, we do not want that to happen. We have been watching you closely, and have decided to, ahhh... help you along the road to victory." he finished with a smirk.
"How do you mean?" asked Harry with an arched eyebrow.
"Gringotts is going to invest in the future, Harry, by giving you access to several vast resources that you currently don't have. Namely money." he replied while pulling out a folder for under his desk. Placing a small golden key in front a Harry, he said "This key is to your new high security vault. The vault contains 50 million galleons, please use it wisely." He then handed Harry a folder, "This is everything you will need to survive in the muggle world, including a new identity and several bank accounts. In those accounts you will find 500 million U.S. dollars. I suggest you use that wisely as well. In that folder you will also find a list of properties that Gringotts owns throughout the world. We are prepared to loan you the use of any of those locations." To say that Harry and Nymphadora were shocked would be the understatement of the year. Both of their mouths were hanging wide open as they stared at the ancient goblin in wonder. Harry pulled himself together first and closed hist jaw with an audible snap.
"Tha- Thank you very much Master Snottrag." stammered Harry as he stood and bowed deeply. 'I cant believe this, this is exactly what we needed' he thought, before bringing his attention back to the matter at hand. "Your contributions are much appreciated. You have my deepest gratitude."
"We do have one request Harry"
"Name it"
You can tell no-one where you received any of these 'contributions'. While Gringotts supports you, we have no wish for the rest of the world to know of our involvement. We Goblins must appear neutral. Do you understand?"
"Absolutely" replied Harry.
"Now, we have one last matter to clear up. It has come to our attention that one Sirius Orion Black has recently died, and with his passing he has appointed you as head of the Black family" remarked the goblin while placing a small box in front of Harry. "When a minor is appointed as head of a family, they are automatically emancipated. Now that you are emancipated, you can take control of the Potter estate as well." Snottrag opened the box in front of Harry, it contained both the Potter and Black family rings. "If you will just put these on, we can move on." Harry reached into the box and tentatively pulled out both rings. As he slid the rings onto his fingers, both glowed a muted white for a few seconds before fading. Harry looked mildly surprised.
"Is that it?" he asked.
"Indeed it is."
"Well that was rather disappointing, don't you think Dora?" asked Harry, turning to smirk at her. To his surprise she was looking very solum and sad. Realizing that she must be upset about Sirius, he grasped her hand a gave it a small squeeze, whispering to her, "Just a few more minutes, then we can take a break, ok?" Tonks nodded her head in the affirmative, and Harry, still holding her hand, turned back to Snottrag, attempting to conclude their business. "Is there anything else, Master Snottrag?"
"One last thing, Harry. We have taken the liberty of collecting several objects and tomes from both the Potter and Black vaults that we believe will come in handy on your journey. I suggest you take a close look at the contents and put them to good use." he said, while gesturing to large but plain trunk that was set next to the door.
Harry stood, pulling Nymphadora up with him. He once again bowed deeply, "Thank you very much Master Snottrag. May gold fill your coffers."
Snottrag also stood and bowed just as deeply to Harry, "It is my pleasure Mr. Potter. May gold fill your coffers."
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Ok, this chapter definitely isn't as good as I would like it to be, but it was a tough chapter to write. I'm glad I was able to get a somewhat original idea up, believe me, that's not the last of them. I wanted to get this out before I leave for vacation, which is tomorrow morning by the way. Next week I leave for collage, which is always a pain in the ass, so I don't know how long it will be before I can update again. I would like to thank all my reviewers, and a few people in particular for giving me some great ideas and helpful comments. Everyone really came through when I asked for input, so thank you!
Marka- Thank you for the ideas, I really like Harry and Tonks in Africa. Harry will be undergoing several dark rituals in this story. Tonks has her own ideas on magical dueling and will be training Harry in them. I really wish I could comment more, but that would give away the story. I think you will like what I do ☺
cj-cold- Harry is only going to get darker as the story goes on. Harry new exactly what he was doing when he kept calling her Nymphadora, he was doing it to get under her skin.
jollander- Harry say Nymphadora a lot to get under her skin. It annoys her, and he knows it. It is also a term of endearment. But maybe I do take it too far.
AzureSky123- I think Harry is gonna get smart, not stupidly brave. He is also likely to lose his hero complex.
Treck- I completely agree with your assessment of Dumbledore. As for Harry's connection, I am not sure yet if distance will affect it.
Once again, sorry about the crappy chapter, but I gotta go pack now.