Sorry that this next chapter took too long to post. I've had it almost completed even before I posted the last chapter. And trust me; the delay is not due to the amount of reviews. I've just been too busy in the past few weeks. I had to study for MCAT and sit through the exam from hell which took several hours and which I think I didn't do too well, which means I'll have to take it again next year and delay applying to med school for one year. I had to complete my online application for medical school and write an essay on why I want to become a doctor, do my research in lab and read articles related to my research, and pack for a trip to Canada to attend my cousin's wedding. The good part is that I had some time here in Canada to continue writing. Again, sorry for the delay. I meant to post it a week after the last chapter. Without further delay… I present the next chapter…
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Disclaimer: This story is based on the characters and events created by JK Rowling. Publishing rights and copyright owned by JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros., and others I may not have mentioned. No money is being made by this story.
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Harry Potter and the Final Struggle
How is one to live a moral and compassionate existence when one is fully aware of the blood, the horror inherent in life, when one finds darkness not only in one's culture but within oneself? If there is a stage at which an individual life becomes truly adult, it must be when one grasps the irony in its unfolding and accepts responsibility for a life lived in the midst of such paradox. One must live in the middle of contradiction, because if all contradiction were eliminated at once life would collapse. There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light.
---Arctic Dreams---
---Barry Lopez---
Chapter 3
Last Golden Day
The walk from Ottery St. Catchpole to the Burrow wasn't as far as he remembered, but he took his time any ways. Walking down this remote path and through the grassy meadow, he took in all the comforts this early morning can give him. The sun on the east was just starting to peak above the forest on his right, driving away the darkness and painting the sky with purple and pink. The grass beneath his feet was moist with dew as he walked through the meadow, the sound of chirping can be heard in the distance at the edge of the forest as birds awoke for the coming day, and the breeze blowing gently, ruffling his hair. As far as the eye can see, there was no sign of civilization.
It took him well over an hour to reach the Burrow. Walking around the bend, he caught sight of the Weasley's home. It was the same as the first time he saw it. The house looked as if it was about to topple over, but Harry knew better. It was held together by magic.
Walking up the door, he knocked. No one answered. They're probably still asleep. He knocked again. No one. He was about to knock a third time when a voice called from behind the door.
"Who is it?" a female voice filled with suspicion asked him. Must be Mrs. Weasley.
"It's Harry."
The door burst open revealing a wide eyed and apprehensive Mrs. Weasley pointing a wand at him. Still looking suspicious she asked him. "Harry?... What are you..." She took a step forward and lowered her wand, then caught herself. She lifted up her wand again and continued to point it at him. "Wait a minute! How did you and I first meet?"
"We met on King's Cross, just before the barrier. Didn't know how to get through so I asked the first people I heard mention the word muggle." Harry stood there grinning at her.
"Oh Harry! What on earth are you doing here? And alone at that! Shame on you! You should know better!" Mrs. Weasley had rushed to Harry and crushed him in a hug. She then immediately pulled him in and then shut the door. "Ohh... I'm so glad you're here. And look at you. Guess the muggles are finally feeding you. And Happy Birthday Harry!" After giving him a kiss on the forehead and another hug, she busied herself at preparing him breakfast.
"Err... It's nice to be here again, Mrs. Weasley. So how's everyone?" asked Harry, a little embarrassed.
She gave a heavy sigh and said, "Kids these days! Growing up so fast. Before you know it, they're of age, then getting a job and leaving the house, and goodness... Getting married and having children!" By the end, Mrs. Weasley was wiping tears in her eyes and making sniffling sounds.
Wait a minute, is she saying Fleur is pregnant? "She's pregnant?" asked Harry, confused.
"Who's pregnant dear? Oh... oh my... No, I... Uhh... I was just saying." She turned around and just smiled at him.
If he was uncomfortable when he first arrived, he was more so now. Since he didn't know how to respond to that, he just set his trunk and Hedwig's cage aside and sat down at the table.
"Are they still asleep?" asked Harry.
"Yes dear, they're still asleep. Though, they should wake up any time now. Hermione is not here yet, but she will be tomorrow. Fred and George will be here tomorrow also. Bill, Charlie, Ron, and Ginny are asleep upstairs." At the mention of Ginny's name, a small smile appeared on her face while Harry became more nervous. How is he going to act around Ginny now?
Then she rounded on him, both her hands on the table, and glared at him. Harry was surprised this happened and now knows exactly how the twins felt when being lectured by their mother. "Harry James Potter! Why on earth did you travel here all on your own? And without telling anyone! You could have been hurt or kidnapped or God know what else!" She was raising her voice now and leaning forward as he pushed himself as far away from her and into his seat. Up stairs, he heard movements and was sure that Mrs. Weasley's voice must have woken up the others.
"Err... Mrs. Weasley, I'm fine, really. I took the Knight Bus here and everything went alright, really," he reassured her. Then, with a calmer voice said, "Don't worry. No Death Eaters and Dementors attacked us tonight." Harry grinned back at her.
"Harry Potter! Don't you play games with me! I'm already sick of worry with too many things! What with the wedding and the war going on at that!" she said, shaking her finger at him.
Behind him, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and saw Ron appear before seeing Bill and Charlie.
"Oy! Hey mate! Didn't know you're coming today! I suspected you would, but it's a bit early isn't it?" Ron yawned and gave him a thump in the back. "Happy Birthday!"
"Sorry. I could have been here hours ago, but I thought that you guys must still be asleep at midnight."
"So... Heard mum lecturing you," Bill yawned.
"Yeah. Now you know what it's really like to be a Wesley," smirked Charlie. "Happy Birthday!" and shook his hand. After getting a good look at him, he said, "Lookin' good Harry! I see you've been working out."
"Thanks."
"Now you boys quiet down. Ginny must still be asleep." She then returned to making breakfast.
Bill, Charlie, and Mrs. Weasley still didn't know what happened between Harry and Ginny at the end of the school year, so they didn't notice the looks he and Ron exchanged.
Once the four were seated, Mrs. Weasley began to serve breakfast which consisted of bacon, eggs, sausages, and pumpkin juice. Ron leaned over to Harry and whispered, "I know you had to do what you had to do with Ginny and I think it's better this way, for now... But you really have to talk to her Harry. She barely says anything anymore."
He knew that he had to talk to her sometimes soon and he can't avoid it any longer. But still he wasn't sure what he was going to say.
"Yeah. I know," he said half-heartedly.
Breakfast continued when Harry broke the silence. "Where's Mr. Weasley? Is he still at work?"
"Yes dear. He left late lat night and should be back anytime soon." She looked at the clock and saw that the hand was still pointed at "Mortal Peril" like it did last year.
"Another case?"
"Uh... Let's not talk about that now. The wedding is only two weeks away. We have so much to do." Mrs. Weasley wanted to avoid any subject that had to do with the war. "Bill, what time will the Delacours be arriving?"
"Just before breakfast tomorrow, mum. I think it's only Fleur, Gabrielle, and their parents. We should expand the house before they get here."
"Is the wedding taking place here?" asked Harry.
"Yup. Just outside, beside the lake," Ron said before stuffing bacon in his mouth.
Mrs. Weasley continued to talk about the wedding as she started cleaning up the dishes, waving her wand this way and that as the dishes, pots, soap, and water came to life.
On the other hand, the other four had stopped listening to her. Ron, Bill, and Charlie were leaning over their breakfast at Harry and started asking questions.
"So spill," urged Ron.
"Wha..." Harry was confused at what they wanted him to say.
"Come on! What did you do to the muggles?" urged Charlie.
Mrs. Weasley had moved her cleaning to the living room so Harry felt it was now safe to tell them. He told them about how they've been acting since he got there, and then went into great detail of the remodeling he did on the house and improvements he made on the Dursleys.
By the end of his story, the other three were laughing out loud that Mrs. Weasley came rushing back to the dining room. "What is going on here? I thought I told you boys to keep it quiet! Ginny is still asleep!" Ron knew she wasn't because he heard her moving around her room when he passed it half an hour ago.
"Oh my... Your father's coming home." Harry looked at the clock and saw the hand with Mr. Weasley's name pointing at "Traveling," then jumped to "Home," and returned to "Mortal Peril."
Mrs. Weasley rushed to the door when she heard a knock. "Arthur. Is that you?"
"Yes dear. Go ahead and ask the question." Mr. Weasley's voice sounded tired from behind the door as he spoke. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley asked their question, which were the same as the previous year. By the end of it, the four who were eating breakfast were snickering at Mrs. Weasley's answer.
"Oh... that smells good." He let out a small sigh and said, "The anonymous tip was a sham. Had us running around in circles, wasting our time and resources. No truth at all behind it." Mr. Weasley sat at the table with a plop. He really did look tired. Then he heard Mrs. Weasley cough and nodded at Harry's direction.
Mr. Weasley looked at Harry for a second, before jumping in his seat. "Harry! What... How... Well, good to see you! Happy Birthday! How does it feel to be of age?" Mr. Weasley leaned over the table and shook Harry's hand.
Mrs. Weasley was scowling at her husband. "Harry just arrived here an hour ago. Came here with out telling anyone. Took the Knight Bus all by himself in the middle of the night!" She crossed her arms and expecting her husband to do something about it.
Mr. Weasley looked at him seriously and said in a grave voice, "Harry that was completely irresponsible of you. You know better than that. You should at least have told someone so you wouldn't have to come here alone."
"Yes sir, sorry sir," said Harry, though he knew that given the chance to do it again, he wouldn't change a thing.
"Good! That settles it!" Mr. Weasley rubbed his hands together and looked around. "Ahhh... Breakfast! I'm starving!"
"Arthur!"
"What is it dear?" Mr. Weasley looked at his wife confused.
"Oh never mind!" It was no use arguing with her husband. He just wasn't good at lecturing anyone.
By now, the sun had already risen and the Daily Prophet arrived, brought by a large brown barn owl. Mr. Weasley looked through the Prophet and when he realized everyone staring at him, he was confused for a moment. "Huh? Oh... Um... Nothing. No attacks. Not yesterday at least."
"Oh thank goodness," said Mrs. Weasley.
After the barn owl left, a white snowy owl, Pig, and a third owl landed next to Harry's plate, knocking over his pumpkin juice. He reached over and untied their packages.
"Those must be your presents. Sent it last night. I guess we didn't need to send it after all," smirked Ron.
Harry opened the package from Hedwig first and knew it was from Hermione. Her present turned out to be a book on wordless magic. Hmm... That was thoughtful of her.
From the Weasley family were an assortment of pastries and Fred and George's latest products: a strange round ball the size of a snitch and bottle of yellow viscous liquid in a vial.
"Hey, Ron, what are these?" asked Harry holding out the ball and vial.
Ron's eyes widened as he saw the objects. "Blimey! I didn't know they finished those already! I suspect you're the first to get your hand on one of these."
"Okay... But what are they?"
"The potion... If anyone drinks it, they'll be force to dance for an hour and nothing can stop the person from dancing; no spell and no antidote. That ball... If you hold it in your hands and then roll it away from you, it'll give out a projection of you. All you have to do is concentrate on what you want your projection to do and it'll do it. Too bad it only last five minutes and works only once. Wish I had one."
Harry reached for the third letter. Looking at the envelope, he noticed it was an official letter and first thought it was from the ministry. But upon opening it, realized it wasn't.
There was a short note with another envelope inside. He read the note which says:
Mr. Harry James Potter,
We understand that today you have reached the legal age and therefore you are
now entitled full access to your inheritance. From hereon, the trust set aside foryou by your parents will be moved into the Potter family vault. We would like to
meet with you soon to finalize this transaction.
Also, the letter attached was to be released to you upon reaching the legal age.
Signed,
Gorjack
Head Goblin of Wizarding Inheritance
It didn't say who the second letter was from, but he already knew before he even opened it.
"Who's that from?" asked Ron.
Harry didn't hear him. Instead he grabbed the second letter and opened it. As he read it, his eyes widened, and... He couldn't believe it.
"Harry? Harry, are you alright? You're all white. Harry?" Mrs. Weasley was getting worried at him. He was still staring at the letter and wasn't responding to anyone around him. She placed a hand on his shoulders and shook him. "Harry?"
Harry jumped in his chair when Mrs. Weasley laid a hand on his shoulders. "Huh?"
"Is something the matter?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
Harry looked around the table and saw everyone staring at him. Then Ron asked, "Who's the letter from?"
Harry looked back at the letter in his hands and took a big gulp. "It's... it's from my mum and dad," he whispered.
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Early the next morning, Harry had gotten dressed early in is usual workout shirt and shorts. He quietly went out the door, careful not to disturb Ron. Once outside, he started his routine, running around the latke, just out of sight from the Burrow.
Breathing in the fresh air, he thought of what today would bring. After yesterday morning's letters, Harry managed to convince Mr. and Mrs. Weasley of letting him and Ron go take their Apparition exam and then go to Diagon Alley right after, if Charlie was to go with them. Bill offered to go with them, but remembered that the Delacours were to arrive that morning. Mrs. Weasley had agreed to let them go and reminded them not to forget to buy some dress robes for the wedding. As for Ginny, she didn't need one because she and Gabrielle had gotten their brides maid gown the previous week.
Ginny… Harry remembered seeing very little of her. All day, she hardly spoke and spent most of her time in her room or outside. Harry noticed that she did her best to keep away from him. He wanted to speak with her but couldn't gather the courage to. He could face dangerous magical creatures, fight dark wizards, and duel Voldemort with only a little fear, but when it comes to Ginny, he felt completely helpless.
That night, they had a small and quiet celebration of Harry's birthday. He insisted that he didn't want a large party and since there was little time to plan and prepare, they decided to have another celebration the next night so that Remus, Tonks, Hermione, and the twins would be able to attend.
By the time Harry had finished his tenth lap around the lake, his shirt was soaked with sweat. But he wasn't finished yet. He continued with sit-ups and push-ups. After two hours of exercise, he decided to take a troll around the lake to dry up his shirt before walking back to the Burrow. The breeze was blowing again and it felt good on his skin. By the time he reached the door his hair was even scruffier than usual.
I should probably get cleaned up. Hermione and the Fleur's family will be coming here today.
He turned the knob and pushed open the door where he was greeted with silent stares by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, the twins, Bill, Charlie, and the Delacours. He had forgotten they'd arrive before breakfast.
"Uh... Morning," Harry mumbled and felt awkward as they continued to stare. And then he heard whistling coming from the twins and Charlie. If he was awkward coming in, he was now completely embarrassed.
"Uh... Err..."
"At this time he was saved from saying anything as Gabrielle squealed and came running up to him and hugged him. "Harri! I mizzed you!"
He gave her a smile and a pat in the back before letting go of her.
"Come. Meet muzzer and fazzer." She began pulling him in the direction of a tall blonde woman who was the exact replica of Fleur and a tall dark haired man with a mustache. He felt underdressed as he looked around. Everyone was fully dressed and wearing nice long robes. He, on the other hand, was in grey muggle shirt with no sleeves that clearly showed how defined his chest was and black shorts that showed his muscular legs. Even before he took a step as Gabrielle pulled him, his face had gone completely red and he knew anyone looking at his face would notice. Looking at Ron, the twins, Bill, and Charlie, he could tell they were trying to stifle their laughter, but the twins almost failed at this feat. Hermione on the other hand was smirking.
Harry greeted Fleur's parents whose English were a little hard to understand.
"Er... Nice to meet you all. Excuse me, but I should go change." Harry gave Ron and Hermione a look that told them to follow him. As he climbed the stairs, he chanced a glance at Ginny and saw her playing with her breakfast, a blush on her cheeks, and a sad smile on her face.
It has to be this way...
Once up stairs and in their room, Ron burst out laughing.
"So this is what you've been up to," Ron chocked through his laughter.
"Really Harry. It's good you're exercising," Hermione smiled and tried to keep from laughing.
"Oh sod off, the two of you! I'm just preparing myself for what we'll have to do." Harry turned serious. "It's not going to be easy you know." At his tone, Ron and Hermione turned serious.
"Yeah, I know. I've been looking up all types of spells and practicing them," said Ron.
"Yes, well... Now that we're all of age, we can do more training together. Without Dumbledore around, Voldemort and the Death Eaters may increase their attacks on the muggles," said Hermione.
"It's not only the muggles that he'll target. Members of the ministry and the Order of the Phoenix are also on top of his list," said Harry with a look of defiance in his eyes that neither Hermione nor Ron had ever seen before. "Speaking of which… Do any of you know what's happening with The Order? Who's leading them and any activity?"
Hermione shook her head.
"I think dad said something about McGonagal, Remus, and Shackelbolt leading the group. Remus has been trying to get clues on Death Eater activities and Shackelbolt has been sharing informations he receive from the Auror department," said Ron.
"Nothing else?" frowned Harry.
"Nope. Sorry mate."
"I guess it's just hard to adjust without Dumbledore. I mean, everyone's relied on him for so long with this war, no one really imagined that he would be one of the first to leave," said Hermione.
"Yeah. I've always imagined that he'll be here in the end. But now, we'll have to take it from here." Harry will always miss him even though all his life, Dumbledore had moved him like a pawn on a chess board. The old man had made many mistakes when it came to raising him, but at the same time, he gained the strength to keep fighting. I won't let you down. Harry didn't say anything after that and seemed to be buried deep in his mind.
Hermione, seeking for a way to pull him out of his mood, decided to change the subject. "I've also been looking up the items you mentioned that are possible horcruxes and I agree Harry. But I think that we shouldn't rule out the possibility that he used other items belonging to them. I mean, what if he never found some of them, he could have settled with some other items that are equally as significant."
"I know. But those are our best chances. We also need to find out possible hiding places. After we leave, I'll show you the memories Dumbledore showed me and we'll see if there's any clue there." Harry took out some clean robes and headed for the showers. "I'll see you two downstairs and we'll leave for the exams after breakfast."
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Harry couldn't help but be irritated as they walked through the lobby of the ministry. Again, people were pointing, staring, and whispering about him. It was a relief when he, Ron, Hermione, and Charlie entered the lift.
"Just remember the three "Ds": destination, deliberation, and determination," said Hermione.
"Don't worry, you two. I'm sure you'll be fine. Even if you fail this one, you can always try again next week. Besides, it gets easier after you retake the exam," smirked Charlie. He had failed his first Apparition exam and passed the second which means that he should know what he was talking about.
"Ha! Easy for you to say," snorted Ron and crossing his arm. "Harry doesn't have anything to worry about. He's already done it several times, even managed to Apparate both him and Dumbledore together. And besides, I'm not worried! Bloody examiners! Half an eyebrow, I tell you!" muttered Ron. Ron felt worse and worse as the lift came closer and closer to their floor and then sprang open. All four occupants stepped out and headed towards the double doors at the end of the corridors.
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Two hours later...
"See... That wasn't too bad!" beamed Hermione as the four of them Apparated to Diagon Alley. All around them, shoppers went about their daily business going from shop to shop. No one noticed them due to the fact that it was very crowded today. At a few intervals, Aurors can be seen patrolling the streets and on the windows of most of the stores, were the pictures of known Death Eaters.
"I knew it wouldn't be too hard. I mean, I've already tried it before haven't I?" Ron had a smug look on his face while the other three just shook their heads and rolled their eyes.
Charlie let out a loud sigh and said in a weary voice, "I should really get paid babysitting you lot."
Ron scowled at him and said, "You don't have to stay you know. We'll be fine. We can take care of ourselves and we obviously don't need you tailing us around. We are of age I'll have you know!"
"Charlie, there are aurors around, so I'm sure nothing bad will happen." As much as he liked Charlie, Harry didn't want someone constantly looking over his shoulders. "Besides, if anything happened, we'll just Apparate out of here."
Charlie was unsure if he really should leave them alone. Well... They proven before that they can take care of themselves. Besides, it's too crowed here for anything to happen... "Alright... You lot will stay in Diagon Alley and will not wander off?"
The trio nodded.
"Well... Fine, but... You better finish your shopping quick. We still have to get back home for your party Harry. Remus and Tonks will be there." Still unsure, he gave Ron some gold and started walking away. "We'll meet here in three hours," he called back.
Their first stop was Gringotts. Harry wanted to check the family vault and find out the balance. If the gold that was in the vault he had been using was only the trust, then the Potter family vault must hold a lot more.
Once inside, he asked Ron and Hermione to wait for him in the lobby. He would have brought them with him, but he wasn't sure how Ron would have reacted if he saw how much gold Harry had. No. I think it's best if they stay here.
Harry walked up to a goblin where he was asked to present his keys and wand for identification, a new security procedure.
"My name is Harry Potter and I'd like to speak with Gorjack, head goblin of wizarding inheritance."
The goblin just stared at him, then at his scar and said, "This way sir."
Harry was escorted to large double doors by the corner and led through a series of dark and winding corridors lit only by torches. At times the path would fork and branch out into two, sometimes three. The walls were grimy so Harry tried to avoid touching them even though the path was only three to four feet wide. If he were to navigate through these tunnels by himself, he was sure that he'd never see daylight again.
Finally, they walked through a door that held a table piled with scrolls. More scrolls could be seen lining the shelves on the walls. Behind the table sat an old looking goblin with spectacles and had a few short stubby while hairs sticking out the top of his head
"Sir, Mr. Harry Potter to see you." The goblin bowed and left as he was dismissed.
"Sit down Mr. Potter. We meet at last. My name is Gorjack, head of the wizarding inheritance." The goblin looked through his spectacles at Harry and grinned. Harry could see that quite a few of his teeth were missing. "Ah, yes... You are here about your inheritance."
"Yes, I am."
"Well, I must say. Your inheritance is quite something. As of today you will have access not only to the Black family vault, but also the Potter family vault. These are the documents detailing all the properties from the Potter family. And this," he said handing out a second scroll, "details the Black properties. Please look them over and if you have any questions, feel free to ask."
Looking through the Black family documents he saw that there were many properties, large and small, that didn't really interest him. Some were hidden and some weren't. One that was hidden was Grimmauld Place and can only be found by the owner and those he has given permission to. Guess there really wasn't any need for the Fidelius Charm.
In the Potter documents, he also saw many properties that were hidden and others that were not. It seems that the same principle holds true with these hidden properties. Perfect. One property that caught his eye was the one in Godric's Hollow. He didn't know where it was located, but there on the scroll, was its exact location. He noticed that it wasn't one of the hidden properties and this puzzled him. If they were hiding from Voldemort, why couldn't they have picked one of the others that were well protected?
"Gorjack, how often did my parents update this document?" asked Harry.
"This was only updated once. When a witch or wizard dies, their will is automatically updated to include all and any property or wealth they may have gained since their last update. The ones they weren't able to divide amongst the recipients of the will, automatically goes to the primary recipient of the inheritance. And since you are the only recipient, all of it is yours."
"Are you telling me that my father never looked at this or the Potter vault?" Harry was shocked to hear this. How could his father not know of all these money or property?
"To be honest, Mr. Potter, your family were never interested in being rich and insisted on making their own way in the world themselves, so... None of your ancestors has looked at these documents or touched the vault in about three to four centuries." Gorjack was now looking at Harry with interest while Harry sat there staring at this goblin with his jaw hanging. "I ask you now Mr. Potter, will you continue your family tradition or will you break it?"
Harry didn't want the money; he had enough, but the property... He was sure he could find some uses for them.
"Thanks you Gorjack. I think I'll keep it."
"You're welcome. If there is anything else I can do for you..." offered the goblin but was interrupted.
"Actually there is." The goblin only looked on with mild interest. "I was wondering if there is anyway I can have access to my accounts with out having to keep coming back here."
"Yes sir, there is. We have special pouches that, with a nominal annual fee, will allow you to withdraw money from any where at any time."
"What if I need to exchange it to muggle currency? Will it work the same way?"
"Yes sir, it will, but there will be additional fee." The goblin was now grinning even wider.
"Of course." This will be perfect. "Can you tell me if there are any charms placed on the pouches for protection purposes?" Harry asked.
"Certainly. The pouch contains anti-theft; only the witch or wizard it's designated for will have access to it. If lost, you can come back here and retrieve another one for a small fee and the old one will be destroyed wherever it may be. It can withstand any extreme weather conditions from fire, water, and lightning. It also has protection against many curses and counter charms. If the charms were in any way tampered with or nullified, then it will be automatically destroyed and a new one will be waiting here for you. Of course, if that should happen, additional fee will be applied again." It appears that the goblins grin just kept getting wider and wider.
That's good enough for me. "I'll take three." Harry sat back and waited.
Now it was the goblin's turn stare. I did not expect that. One... Yes. But three? "Uhh... Three sir?" asked the goblin, his smile disappearing and seemed unsure for a second.
"Yes. I'd like all three to be connected with the Black family vault, one of which will also be connected to the Potter family vault."
"Yes... Yes sir." The goblin who he thought looked old and frail jumped from his seat, ran out the door, and came back a minute later. Harry was so surprised that he almost fell over. Geez, that was fast. They must get a commission out of this. "Here you are sir." Gorjack was out of breath as he handed Harry three pouches in three different colors: white, brown, and black.
Harry took them and thought that it looked just like the money pouch he always carried around. "How do I designate these to certain people?" Harry asked.
"Well, all three already recognize your magical signature, so you can use all three. There is an active spell already in place that will let those pouches recognize the next wizard or witch who touches them as someone who was given access to the account. However, that is the only spell that you can disable. No other, or it will be destroyed."
"So... Will Finite Incantatem be enough?" he asked.
"Yes sir. But I repeat, this is the only time you can cast a spell at it. After that, no other spells will work."
Harry took out his wand, pointed it at the black pouch, and cast the spell. The pouch glowed blue before returning to normal. The black one was to be his and give him access to both accounts, while the other two will only have access to the Black family account.
"And will the fees be taken directly out of my account?"
"Yes sir."
"Thank you Gorjack. I'd also like to take a look at the separate vaults." Harry stood up as another goblin escorted him out.
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Harry walked out into the lobby to meet Ron and Hermione and handed them the pouches; the white to Hermione and the brown to Ron.
"What are these?" asked Hermione.
"Well, this is one of the conditions I will allow you to come with me. If you don't accept them, then I'll leave you behind," he explained.
"A pouch? Uh... Sure Harry, I accept," said Ron a little unsure at why he was being given a pouch.
"Just so you know, those have access to the Black family vault. So when you guys need money, wizard or muggle currency, just say how much you need and it'll be there."
"Harry I... We..." Hermione looked shocked.
"Mate, we can't take these. We don't want the money," Ron argued.
"Listen, we won't have time to get a job and make money while searching for the Horcruxes. We'll be doing a lot of traveling and the Black fortune will come in handy. Ron, I know you don't like hand outs, but this isn't one of those. If you want, you can think of this as a job and I'm paying you to search for the Horcruxes with me," he smirked hoping they would just accept it. "Besides, once you touched them, it automatically accepts you as its owner."
"Harry. Thank you," said Hermione as she gave him a hug.
"Yeah, thanks mate," and stashed his brown pouch inside his cloak.
As they left the large silver and gold doors of Gringots, he told them about his meeting with Gorjack, some of the properties he inherited, and what he saw in the vaults. When he visited his vaults, they had almost the same contents: gold, sickles, nuts, jewels, various magical objects, furniture, and odd trinkets similar to the one's Dumbledore used to have in his office. In the Potter family vault he had also found a pensieve that he had asked the goblin to send to the Burrow. Ron and Hermione were impressed by these and both agreed that if they did spend a few galleons, it wouldn't put a dent in Harry's inheritance.
Their next destination was a small, beaten down store just off Diagon Alley. Harry had decided that it would be best to keep all their possessions with them at all time. For this purpose, he suggested that they each buy a trunk similar to the one that Moody was imprisoned in for most of their fourth year and just shrink it for easy transport. Hermione and Ron had objected at first but finally agreed after seeing advantages with owning one. Harry bought three and paid with the gold he inherited.
After buying the trunk, the three went from shop to shop buying advanced books on potions, defense and offensive magic, different branches of magic, transfiguration, and all other subjects that Hermione thinks will be useful and some that will not. Harry and Ron looked at her as if she had grown another head. She was picking out books as if she had forgotten that they were supposed to pay for them. Harry let her do this knowing that she will probably be able to read all the books in no time. For his part, he has no intentions on reading everything.
Besides books, they also bought potion ingredients, restorative potions, and many other potions. Hermione was the one who decided to stock up on their potions supply.
Now, the only thing missing are the robes, dress robes and everyday robes, muggle and wizard alike. For the muggle clothing, they will have to buy that at another time after the wedding.
As they walked through the doors to Madam Malkin's, Harry recalls the event that occurred last year. Malfoy and his mother were here before they walked in and Harry couldn't help but confront him. His anger always rose to the surface just at the thought of him. This time however, he was sure that there wouldn't be a repeat of that.
They spent a good hour being measured and choosing their robes. Just like the other books and potion ingredients they bought earlier, they placed the robes in their trunks and Hermione had used her wand to shrink them.
"I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat," said Ron.
"Sure. Let's head back to The Leaky Cauldron. We still have some time before we have to meet with Charlie," said Harry. It had been a few hours since their breakfast and he was also starting to get hungry.
"I wish they hadn't snatched Florean Fortescue. I could really use some ice cream and sundaes right now," Ron complained.
"First of all, no one is even sure that Voldemort's got him and second, is your stomach all you can think about," Hermione said rolling her eyes.
"That's true. But if he was taken, why do you think they would want him?" asked Harry.
"Dunno. He's obviously the best in the business, ain't he? I mean, if they were to take him, then they would have an unlimited supply of ice cream and sundaes, right?" smirked Ron. Harry was able to stifle his laughter while Hermione just shook her head, but Harry could see a smile on her face.
In the sky, the clouds had covered up the sun and blanketed the place in shadow. Harry was glad that they had bought warm cloaks that were water proof because the wind had started to pick up. Pulling his cloak tighter around him, Harry looked up and down Diagon Alley and saw that it was still as crowded as before and the aurors could be seen patrolling the street. If only there wasn't a war going on, Harry wouldn't be there buying supplies to fight this war. Instead he would be here buying his school supplies for his final year.
Wonder if Hogwarts will be kept open. There hasn't been any news whether the school will be kept open or closed for the coming school year. The Daily Prophet had printed articles about the topic. The school governors were still debating about it and couldn't agree on it.
Harry was busy with this though that he stopped paying attention to his surroundings. When he did manage to pull his mind back to reality, he realized that he had slowed his pace and that Ron and Hermione were a few meters ahead. They had stopped to wait for him with a worried expression on their face.
Harry scolded himself for letting his mind wander. He increased his pace to catch up to them, but it was too late…
There was a loud explosion and screams filled the air. Harry pulled his wand from his back pocket and looked around to see what had caused the explosion. Everyone on the street had stopped in their tracks. Aurors had their wands out and were trying to evacuate everyone. Still no one knew what was happening and where the attack was coming from. The few who were smart enough and were able, had apperated to safety.
Just then, there was another explosion much closer to where Harry was standing. He turned around just in time to see a large wall of a building explode out into Diagon Alley. The wall had broken to large chunks due to the force of the explosion and bombarded the people on the street. The force of it was too strong that those who were unfortunate enough to escape were knocked unconscious or killed on the spot.
A split second after this explosion, there were many more explosions up and down Diagon Alley, but those faded at the back of Harry's mind. As the explosions forced a barrage of concrete, metal, and glass on the witches and wizards standing on the street, Harry's face went pale as he noticed that Ron and Hermione were amongst those that were on the ground, not moving.
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A/N: Thanks to those who left a review and sorry it took a long time for this one to come out. I'll try to get the next one out as soon as I can. I don't know when it will be especially since college starts again today. I will continue this. So keep reading. 'till then...
Wizzel: Thanks to be the first to review. At the beginning of the story, he was already fit; he is after all an athlete. But since he has more time to exercise his muscles, they've become more developed. My Harry will never develop really big muscles. I don't like that very much. Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.
tony: Thanks. I wonder how JKR will make the Dursleys pay when Harry comes of age.
kim: Thanks so much. Reviews do help. Makes writers feel guilty if they don't update often. ;-)
mosleyn001 Glad you liked the prank! And yes, they're permanent. But then again it's nothing that surgery can't fix, right? Heh heh... ;-) I'll try to update when I can, life does get in the way sometimes. And I will try my best to finish it.
wandmaker: Thanks for the review. Hope you liked this one.
Oh... and another disclaimer... The part about Flourean Fortescue, the idea was from a picture drawn in PhoenixSong but I don't remember who the artist was.
--Ness