Unexpected events
By Zakairen
Disclaimer: You people know the works: I don't own them, I don't make money with it, only the plot's mine.
Warning: English is not my mother language. There may be some spelling and grammar errors. Please point it out if something is seriously wrong.
AN: My longest chapter up until now. I'm proud. I hope though that I'm not moving to slow with the story. Too many details can be a bad thing.
"blah" - talking, 'blah' - thinking, italics - spells, quotations and writing, "blah" - parseltongue
Chapter 4
All around him Harry could see colors blurring by, the feeling of being pulled backwards was much stronger than the one in third year. It lasted longer too. When it stopped, he was still standing in the garden under his cloak. His double however, was nowhere to be seen. Slipping the time-turner of, he put it in one of the pockets of his satchel. Then he began to slowly walk around the house to the front and down to the street. About two blocks away he could see Moody and his past self. They were almost at the point were they had to turn down another street. When he couldn't see them any more, he walked away in the opposite direction.
Harry could feel something tingle all over his body the very moment he walked through the outer wards. Continuing on towards the center of the city he looked around a bit. He didn't come here often. There was the sign for the public library, a place he had never been to. The Dursleys hadn't allowed it. If he borrowed a book back then it was from the school library. He made a mental note to check the library out sometime this summer. Walking on he saw a shopping district and some cafes that hadn't opened yet, it was still too early.
When he finally arrived at the main bus station Harry checked the timetables. He was lucky, he only had to wait a couple of minutes before a bus of the line he needed came around the corner. Still under his cloak, Harry entered the bus after a few people had left it. Only two elderly woman got on and it was relatively empty. It would take a while to get to London, but Harry had opted for the muggle method because he thought that the knight bus would have been much too conspicuous. Besides – Stan and Ernie knew him and he was sure that after the last few years any magic near his location would be monitored by Dumbledore. His disguise wouldn't help him one bit if Dumbledore was involved.
Watching the scenery fly by, Harry's thoughts drifted a bit. Only a few people were getting on and of the bus and he remained safe under his cloak in an area of empty seats in the back. His thoughts were surprisingly not on Sirius. Nor were they on Dumbledore, the Order or Voldemort. Harry was puzzling over the past and the magic he had done when he was in elementary school and before. Accidental magic it was called. He had never gotten a letter on underage magic before the incident with Dobby. Why was that? The magic must have shown up on the ministry detection globes. And he had never gotten a letter for blowing up Aunt Marge. Nor had he gotten one for the lumos he had used last year. They should have put it in with the Patronus.
Maybe, wandless magic showed up in an other way than magic done with a wand? McGonagall had told him once that accidental magic was uncontrolled. Your magic reacted to your emotions, sometimes in odd ways. Like when he had found himself on the school roof. Had that been apparition? Underage magic was done purposefully with a wand and incantations. On the other hand he had received a warning for Dobby's levitation charm. But Dobby had wanted him to get into trouble. Enough trouble to be expelled from Hogwarts.
'I could have a chat with Ollivander about that topic. It doesn't concern me any more, but I'd like to be sure. I need to buy a wand holster anyway. And I need to find a way around the priori incantatem effect of brother wands. Otherwise I'll be dead when I meet my favorite Dark Lord the next time. The ministry allows only one wand per wizard, only exception are MLE employees. I could get an illegal wand in Knockturn Alley, I'm sure. But somehow I get the feeling that wouldn't go over too well. My normal wand is too well known, I would be caught in no time. And I doubt that I'll find a wand that is as powerful and compatible with me as my present holly wand.'
Paying attention to the countryside for a moment, Harry realized that they had reached the outskirts of London already. It wouldn't take long now to reach the city and get to Charing Cross Road, were the Leaky Cauldron was situated. Soon he would be entering Diagon Alley, the main shopping district of wizarding Britain.
'Wonder what and were the others are. I could ask Tom, he should know. Hopefully it won't be too crowded at this time of the day. And shopping for school is a long ways off, it is after all only the second day of the summer holidays.'
Blinking, when sunlight suddenly reflected directly into his eyes, Harry wondered just how long his visit at Gringotts would be. There was some paper work to be dealt with, he needed to visit the family vault and he needed to get some money out. Hopefully there was another method of paying, because wizarding money tended to be bulky and heavy.
'Ah, the wonders of muggle credit cards. As greedy and financially adept as the goblins are, maybe they adapted the concept? If not, I'll simply recommend it to them. The only ones who can't at least appreciate them are those prissy, uptight purebloods. To be able to pay without a problem in both the magical and the muggle world, without having to carry huge amounts of money around or having to change it before a shopping trip, would be simply fantastic.'
Looking up again as the bus slowed down and came to a stop, Harry left his seat hurriedly and got of the bus. He walked slowly towards a big shopping center, avoiding people left and right. Entering the building he searched for the toilets. Taking the escalator up to the third level he quickly entered a stall and locked it. Now, he was finally able to take his invisibility cloak of. The last few minutes under it had been rather dangerous, as people could have walked into his invisible self. That wouldn't have been good. Stashing it away in his pack, he flushed the toilet and left. After a bit of window shopping he continued on to the Leaky Cauldron and some difficulties later, Harry finally entered the pub. It was remarkably empty compared to any other time he had been here. Giving a nod in greeting to Tom, he went out the back-door and tapped the brick. Then he remembered to take his robe out of his satchel and slipped it on, over his clothes. It wouldn't do to attract unwanted attention, simply because he wandered Diagon Alley in muggle clothes.
For the first time in two years Harry Potter would set a foot in Diagon Alley. The magic he felt all around him was exhilarating. Taking a deep breath he strolled through the arc and on to the bank. Like the first time he had seen it, the magnificent white building left him in awe. Shaking his head clear, he entered the bank. The hall was almost devoid of people and Harry could see a few bored goblins. An information terminal was located a bit to the side and that is where he went.
"Excuse me?" The goblin regarded him with disinterest.
"I need to speak with the goblin responsible for the Potter estate." The corners of the goblins mouth went downward and he bared his teeth.
"The only one with any rights towards the estate of the Potter family would be Harry Potter. Leave right this instance or I will call the security on you."
A bit surprised, but also pleased Harry removed the bandana around his head and removed his vault key from his pant pocket.
"I am Harry Potter. I had to disguise myself because I don't like the riot I cause wherever people recognize me. I'm also trying to steer clear of any of Dumbledores lackeys."
The goblins eyes went wide as he took a closer look at Harry and his key. At the mention of the Hogwarts headmaster his face donned a dark look.
"That is entirely understandable, Mr. Potter. Please, follow me. I'm going to bring you to Safetooth, he is the one overlooking the estate of the Potters. It is right down this corridor."
A wall opened to allow them through and Harry's guide knocked quietly on a door. After being called inside, the goblin gave a nod to Harry and went back to his terminal. Swallowing, Harry opened the door and walked into the office, where a goblin with several gold teeth awaited him.
"Mr. Potter! This is a surprise. I hadn't thought that you would come by this soon. What may I do for you this morning? Please, have a seat."
Beginning to feel a bit spooked at the polite behavior of the goblins this morning, Harry sat down heavily in comfortable armchair.
"Mr. Stanton informed you of my emancipation?"
Getting a nod from the goblin, he continued.
"I need an evaluation of the estate, I only have copies of some of the deeds. Mr. Stanton wrote me that it would be sent to me. But with Dumbledores interference in my life I doubt that it would ever reach me. Add to that the fact that he doesn't know about my adult status. I'd like to keep it that way. I also need to make a visit to the family vault. Why exactly was I not informed of its existence?"
At the mention of Dumbledores name the look on Safetoothes face went dark. Harry gradually got the impression that the old coot was a persona non grata for the goblins. Maybe he tried to meddle in their affairs one time too often? But the reaction to hearing that he had no former knowledge of the family vault was very strange. First there was astonishment, then disbelief and then… the utter fury on the goblins face had Harry sliding back into the chair. He had the strong wish to just bolt out of the office. Realizing that he was not the target of the creatures anger, had him relaxing slightly.
"You… did not know?"
Harry shook his head.
"After being informed by your parents lawyer about your placement with your mothers sister, I collected the evaluations. They were not to be informed of your wealth. But I made some arrangements concerning your first visit with us. As you would have most likely been accompanied with someone of Dumbledores trust, I ordered a letter to be sent to you right after that. Mr. Dumbledore has been one of the persons to try and gain at least a temporary control of the Potter estate as its executor numerous times. Luckily your parents had left some statements with us that he could not circumvent. This letter contained no monetary information, but that about your ancestral vault. I got an answering letter signed Harry Potter, stating you had no interest in this vault. It made me a bit suspicious, but every other letter came back unopened, as if the owls couldn't find you."
"Somehow that doesn't surprise me as much as it should. So, Dumbledore intercepts my mail, reads it and assumes the right to answer it and even sign it in my name? Can I sue him?"
The look Harry got from the goblin at that particular statement was rather comical. First came blinking as if an expected reaction failed to occur, then came disbelief and at last Safetooth simply sat there, unable to form any words. Shaking himself out of his stupor the goblin answered.
"Yes you can. Everything he did is against the law. It could even get him an Azkaban sentence, well if it wasn't Dumbledore."
"Could you look into the matter, Safetooth? Right at the moment it wouldn't do any good, but later… There is also my parents will that he disrespected. Yes? Thank you."
"No, Mr. Potter, thank you. Up until now there was never anybody who wanted to do something against his infringements. He has been putting a good deal of pressure on us goblins, to get us to do his biddings. We did not want another war with wizarding kind on us because of one mans obsession with power and control, but couldn't do more than deny his requests. He has been very angry that he could not get control over your estate. Your parents were great people. Your mother in particular had very good relationships with what the ministry calls magical creatures. She treated everybody like an equal. You, Mr. Potter, are very much like her in that department. Now, you wanted an evaluation of your assets. Am I right in thinking that you want to receive evaluation statements only personally?"
Harry had been stumped by what the goblins said. Dumbledore had made some enemies it seemed. And in the wrong places obviously. At the goblins question he nodded.
"Absolutely. I do not want them in the wrong hands. I still wonder how the old man got his hands on my vault key."
Safetooth, who had fetched a file, sputtered. "He had your key?"
"Yes. Gave it to Hagrid when he came to get me and then my school supplies. Could he have taken anything out of my vault?" Shaking his head the goblin sat down in his chair again and put the file in front of Harry.
"No, he couldn't. He would have needed a written statement of you signed in blood or with the family ring to allow him to withdraw anything. But it is troubling. I will have to make some inquiries. In this file are all evaluation statements of your estate. Take your time. The Potters were an old and quiet wealthy family."
Safetooth was right. He needed a good amount of time to go through everything. There had been a huge amount of money to begin with, but the investments made by his parents and grandparents had multiplied the amount. He wasn't only wealthy, he was loaded. If Dumbledore had gained control of this – he didn't even want to think about it. And that was only money. The shares and properties were not included. The copies of the deeds he had found in his folder when he had leafed through it, had told him of several apartments and cottages all around the world, each and every one of them unplottable. He would never be in need of money or a home, that much was sure. Closing the file, Harry put it back on the desk and looked Safetooth in the eye.
"Is there anything else I have to look at, or may I visit the family vault now?"
"Don't you want to change anything?"
"No. I do not know enough about finances to do that. It will take time. The arrangements as they are right now are OK. They have already worked quiet well for the past fifteen years. Why change that? But I have a question on another topic. I want to make several large purchases today, in the muggle world as well as in the magical. Is there any better method than carrying large amounts of money with me?"
"Very well. Thank you for your trust. Not many humans trust a goblin with their money this way, nowadays. And to answer your question: we offer enchanted moneybags for wizarding money and enchanted wallets for muggle currency. For both you only have to think of the amount you need and only their owner can use them. They are keyed to ones magical signature and can't be fooled by polyjuice potion. Both have a fee of 40 galleons per year for the feature." Harry grimaced.
"Oh well. Shan't look a gift horse in the mouth, huh? Let's go down to the vault first. We can set that up afterwards."
He stood up and put the bandana on again. It wouldn't do for anyone to recognize him, least of all Bill Weasley who worked at Gringotts. When he didn't get an answer, he turned around to look at Safetooth. By the looks of it, he had managed to shock the goblin a second time this day. Thoroughly. Sighing, he went ahead and asked the goblin what the problem was.
"What is it, Safetooth?"
"Mr. Potter, you are not satisfied with these possibilities? We have never had a complaint about it."
"No, I'm not entirely satisfied. I had hoped for something better. I would guess, that these options are normally offered to the members of the old pureblood families, right?"
Upon receiving a nod he continued.
"In the magical world it is normal to pay large amount this way. In the muggle world it is a bit suspicious if a large bill is paid in cash. Muggles have credit cards nowadays. It is a plastic card, about this size" he showed his ID card "with a computer chip. They are used to transfer an amount of money from the owners account directly into that of the shop. Muggleborns and Halfbloods normally have accounts in a muggle bank with a credit card connected. It makes business a lot easier. There are also cashpoint machines were you can get money out of your account if you need some cash. Nobody would walk around with a couple thousand pounds. Those purebloods almost never set foot into the muggle world and don't bother to acquaint themselves with muggle customs. If they do, they don't make large purchases or do it by check."
Another silence. Wonderful. Now, if he could only manage that with Dumbledore this world would be a better place to live in.
"That… is ingenious. I wonder why nobody mentioned this before? I will have to have that investigated. If we could imitate that with magic… the possibilities… it would make so many things easier. Would you mind terribly if another goblin brought you down to your ancestral vault? Take your time. You'll be brought right back up here."
Ringing a bell, he told the appearing goblin: "Griphook, bring Mr. Potter to his family vault. Bring him back to me when he is finished." After that he shooed them out the door and closed it.
"Now that was prompt. I hadn't counted on such a reaction. You'd think I had given him a philosophers stone. Oh well. Let us get moving, Griphook. I don't have an endless amount of time at my deposal."
"Of course, Mr. Potter. If you don't mind, what did you tell him to get that reaction? I haven't ever seen one of the senior employees act like this."
They had reached the carts by now.
"I simply told him of a concept used widely in the muggle world, when conducting business. He seemingly hadn't heard about it."
Climbing in, the goblin got the cart to move. Speeding down deeper and deeper into the bowels of Gringotts it took quiet some time to reach the levels of the family vaults.
"The ancestral vaults are those that are on the lowest levels. When Gringotts was founded, there were already some dwarven tunnels here, along with some natural caverns. The caverns are were we are going. The upper parts were mined out in newer times when space down there began to decrease. To gain access to a family vault, you need to be of blood. But distant relatives and those married into other families are not recognized by the magic on the door."
The cart had begun to slow down, pulling to a stop in front of a ornate set of doors adorned with the word Potter and a crest. The crest was a bit surprising for Harry. He would have thought there would be a lion or gryffin and lots of red and gold. Neither was the case. The background was a dark grey, a blue colored Chinese dragon wound around a katana with an opal on the bottom of its hilt.
He slowly stood up and left the car, walking up to the doors. Looking over his shoulder he asked Griphook what to do. "Just lay your hands on the doors. They will open if they acknowledge you as a Potter." Doing as he was told, Harry shuddered as he felt something ancient looking him over, judging, and then welcoming. The doors clicked and the opened with a groan.
"Griphook? Why aren't you coming?"
"Only family members can enter a family vault. I can only barely stand on the landing. Go on in, I'll wait for you. Take your time."
"Oh. Right."
Stepping through the doors and entering the vault was like walking into another world. Piles upon piles of gold coins were laying everywhere in the vault, chests full of gemstones located on shelves on the walls, joined by weapon racks with swords of all origins like long-swords, rapiers, katanas and scimitars and bookcases with some very old tomes. There were a few knick-knacks here and there, some rolled up tapestries and a shelf with wands. That was were Harry went first. Each wand was in a case labeled with the name and the birth- and death-dates of the owner. At the very end of the board he found his parents wands an empty case. Next to them was a notice addressed to him.
My dearest son,
If you are reading this, than we are dead and have not lived to see the day
when you received your first wand. If you have lived with Sirius, Xanria or the
Longbottoms they should have brought you're here on that very day. If you
were however placed with your mothers sister – against our wishes I might
add – than nobody is to say when you will finally find this. Every Potter is
brought to the family vault to receive a very special enchantment for their wand.
It sees to it, that a wand that has not been in contact with its owner for too long
a time is automatically relocated into its case in the vault. It takes care of your
wand, so that it can not remain in the wrong hands for long. For every new
Potter there will be a new empty wand case. You need to place your wand in
the case to label it. An extra enchantment establishes you as only possible user
of the wand, nobody else will be able to cast with it. Anyone who tries will receive
a nasty shock. If someone tries to snap it, the relocation will be immediate and a
fake will be left to be snapped. You might want to take a look at the weapons and
books. There are similar notices located there to explain the use and functions.
My son, know that your mother and I love you more than life itself. The day you
were born was the happiest day in our life.
Love, your father, James Potter
By the time Harry had read the whole letter he had tears streaming down his face. Sure, he had known that his parents loved him, but to see written proof of it…. Trembling he placed his wand in the case, watching closely as it glowed white for a few moments. After the glow ended he reclaimed his wand, looking at the label. Heron A. J. C. Evans Potter it read. He blinked, read it again and decided to take a good long look at his birth certificate – if he could locate it, that is. Taking the piece of parchment with the notice from his parents he wandered over to the bookcases, looking for a similar one. This one was in a different handwriting.
My dearest son,
If you are reading this, than our home has been destroyed and your
father and I are dead. If that has come to pass I am very sorry. Sorry
to leave you alone in a hostile world and sorry that I can't tell you how
much I love you anymore. But this note is here to explain the bookcases.
These bookcases are very special. They have enchantments and wards
placed upon them to save them from destruction. If they are in danger
of being destroyed they relocate to this vault automatically. Only a Potter
or the spouse of a Potter can get a book out of these cases or new books
added to the wards. Every single book keyed to the wards will be recalled
to its place in one of the cases in the face of danger. Every book keyed to
the wards can also be sent back to its place with a tap of your wand to the
spine. Also, there are auto-repair charms placed on the books as well as
charms to protect them from age when keyed into the wards. There is a
manual found with the catalogue describing how to add books to the wards,
how to create new bookcases, how to find books and how to create a new
system. Some of the books are incredibly old and rare. Take good care of
them and yourself. I hope they will help you in your life and may they
bring as much happiness to you as I found with them. You should also
take a good look at the wands and weapons in this vault.
Love, your mother, Lily Potter.
PS: There are some things I left with your Aunt, you should collect them
as soon as possible and look through them.
Tears were streaming anew. These notes were seriously shaking him. Harry had to close his eyes. Taking a few shaky breathes he managed to stop crying, wiping his eyes with his robe sleeve. He looked at the cases. There was no way in hell he would leave the books in the vault. It was his mothers legacy to him. There were at least 40 cases, probably the whole library of the Potters. To protect it this way was ingenious, the knowledge in these books was priceless. The loss, should they have been destroyed, would have been immense. Brandishing his wand he began shrinking the cases down. When they were the size of matchboxes he used the packing charm to stack them into his pack. His mothers note was placed together with his father in the same pocket as the time-turner. When he was ready, he wandered over to the weapon racks. A third note was hanging from one of the racks. Harry could now recognize his fathers handwriting.
My dearest son,
If you are reading this note, than your mother and I are dead. I
had hoped to be able to accompany you here on your seventh
birthday to select a weapon for you. Every Potter male is brought
here, for a weapon to choose him. He will then learn the art of using
that weapon as well as hand-to-hand combat. A Potter female is
usually only trained in hand-to-hand combat as she won't retain the
family name. Walk close to the racks. From some of the weapons you
will feel a pull. Hold your hands out in front of you and concentrate on
finding the weapon suited best for you. It will fly directly into your
hands. It has happened rarely, but sometimes there will be two
weapons which are suited for someone. In case something happened
to the family before the training could be given there are some interactive
training books for the weapons and the martial arts in the library. Search
for them in the catalogue. The enchantments on the weapons are the
same as those on the wands, but there are some additional ones, like
an ever-sharp charm and a self cleaning and indestructible charm, as
well as notice-me-not and invisibility charms. Those are also found on
the sheaths. Believe in yourself, my son. I hope you will lead a long and
happy live. May these abilities help you in the ever present face of
danger. One last thing: the Potters are an old family. It has been a
long time past that we came to England from foreign shores. Our roots
have remained alive through all that time. You will find the information
in the library along with some books on the family magic. The only other
things in this vault you need to take are the family tapestry and the
family ring. (They also have the enchantments. Wouldn't do to have
them stolen or destroyed.) Study the tapestry well, my son, and let our
ancestors be of help to you. You will know the tapestry because it has
Potter crest on its back. Farewell my dearest son, may you remember
me fondly and find joy in your live.
Love, your father, James Potter
Harry tried to swallow the lump in his throat, repeatedly. It didn't help. Sobbing heavily he broke down and sank to the floor. It hurt. It hurt so much. An anguished scream tore out of his throat. For maybe the first time in his life he could really feel the loss of his parents. Up until now they had only been an abstract concept, something he couldn't even remember to have known. It sank in right now just what he had missed out on, apart from the love of a family because of their untimely deaths. It took him quiet some time to regain a bit of his composure. Still sobbing, he uttered something that would change his life forever.
"I swear that I will not die or rest until you are completely and utterly annihilated, do you hear me, Tom Riddle, fake Lord Voldemort? For all that you have taken from me and others I will end your existence once and for all!"
And the ancient magic around him acknowledge his oath, making him bath in an unearthly glow of power.
Far away in a run down manor a snakelike figure felt an icy cold creep up its spine. Voldemort, self christened Dark Lord shuddered as fear crept up on him, like he had never known before. Something had changed. And it wasn't good.
upload date: 4-22-05