Prologue
Harry's still hoping for a bit of a break, poor kid.He shouldn't have to take so much strain yet the world forces this on him. He always was the downtrodden 'freak' beneath the heels of all he knew, and then eventually, suddenly the homecoming hero – "Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back..." - The one raised upon a pedestal. How did a world expect someone like this to cope?
Needless to say however, he did cope, and did so admirably. In his own way of course, which was... unorthodox to say the least. Fighting trolls is a strange way to go about being a celebrity, but hey, whatever works. And work it certainly does. Eat your Hart out, Gilderoy!
However, he didn't realise that going playing at hero got people killed. Harry was well trained by those who wish to manipulate him; at the first sign of danger, he'd jump into the fray. Can that boy not unlock his Slytherin side? You know, the one that always, without fail makes sure he will stay alive before jumping in. Bravery is a Gryffindor trait, and Godric died young. Salazar lived to one hundred and ninety nine years old, while Gryffindor to just fifty-nine.
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Author: Jacobim Von Styluss
Disclaimer: This ain't mine, and never will be. Unless JKR's selling, of course.
Note: In my fanfic, G, S: & K: are the symbols to be used for money. They are used in the same way as £ and $ signs. For example, twelve galleons, two sickles and three knuts is written G:12,S:2,K:3. Also, if you were to check my calculations in a part of this chapter, you would find a galleon to be worth £8.50. (I'm a Brit, so I don't really know $s)
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Harry had spent the last few weeks on his bed, pondering the many mysteries of life; 'Does God exist? If so, why does he hate me? If not, is there many minor deities, like those of ancient religion? In which case, which one of them really has it in for me?' These were but a few of his repertoire of self-pitying, dark thoughts, whipping around his head at the speed of the Knight Bus. While he hated the fact that he was deeply engrossed in self pity, there really was nothing else to do.
However, he thought he now totally understood what had happened to cause him to regain memories – exactly what happened to Bertha Jorkins, simply set off by a different trigger. Bertha Jorkins regained her memories when she was put under the Cruciatus curse for a sustained period of time.
Harry had thought long and hard about the Cruciatus curse for many hours, and came up with a theory. The Cruciatus curse did not create physicalpain. It built up mental pain, that was translated into physical, by the nature of the curse. It was designed to stimulate the nerves in the body via the brain. Under the pressure of such mental trauma, thememory barriers created by obliviatessnapped. Since somebody who had been obliviated was rare, with it being a 'grey' curse (formerly dark, but classified as vital to wizarding society, and was now restricted but not prohibited), this recall was never noted.
In fact, it had almost certainly happened to some muggles who had been obliviated. After greatly traumatic events, some muggles were believed to have gone delusional. They would remember seeing mystical and strange creatures, and dark cloaked figures, like Death Eaters. As muggles knew nothing of recall, it was assumed the mental trauma had driven these people insane, whereas they had merely stumbled upon a unicorn, or had been caught in a death eater attack.
'I wonder why complex research has not gone into the affects of things like this. All you need is common sense...'. However, his answer was provided when he remembered something Hermione once said; "Most wizards don't have a scrap of logic...". 'You never said a truer word, Hermione.'
It occurred to Harry, that with simple logic, he could create many different useful things. For example, surely someone with a strong knowledge of muggle electronics, working in tandem with wizarding researchers could surely invent electrical systems which work in high magic places.
In fact, Harry had plans. He knew exactly who he wanted for his researchers.
'Those two will love the idea...'
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About a month after he was admitted, Harry Potter was released from Greater Whinging Hospital with a warning to be careful. Harry rolled his eyes at that one, but thanked the medical staff greatly. Harry always appreciated the efforts of those who helped him, and those who helped him for reasons other than his celebrity status had his gratitude tenfold.
He and his relatives had talked many times during his weeks in the Hospital, recovering from his abuse. They had come to an agreement of sorts, and Harry had forgiven his aunt and cousin. His aunt's poor treatment of him was because of truly limited options, while his cousin knew no better. By now, they were on amiable terms, and they planned to stay by his side while they could, providing the familial support he lacked through his younger years, and hopefully keeping him grounded.
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Harry had made plans while bedridden, and the first of them included finding some way to reach Diagon Alley. However, the knight bus operated only during the nights, and he had no floo access anywhere nearby, he was forced to catch the train. Luckily, Petunia had a credit card to pay for their tickets, so they headed to London. They made it to London with little difficulty, and found the Leaky Cauldron, stopping in a clothes shop & a chemists en route. Harry now had no visible scar, and a whole new look. Nobody was likely to recognise the Boy-who-Lived for the duration of this trip. Harry, taking his relatives through the barrier, headed into Diagon Alley.
"Funny names your places have. Diagonally?" pointed out Dudley.
"Don't forget Nocturnally – Dark place that is." Harry smirked. His relatives sniggered.
"Right, well first were going to the bank." continued Harry.
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Harry's relatives were interesting in their reactions to the goblins. Dudley's eyes bulged. "What the hell?" he whispered to Harry, tugging his sleeve like a three year old. Petunia's reaction intrigued Harry. She looked interested, without doubt, but not too surprised.
"Ah, Mr Potter," said the goblin, once Harry had shown his key to the warty creature in the booth. "we have been attempting to contact you for quite a while. May I enquire what kept you from providing a response? Normally, you should schedule an appointment for the matters of which we must speak."
Harry raised an eyebrow at this. "I have been in hospital for the past..." Harry began to reply. "No, no," the goblin cut him off, "We cancelled all correspondence while you were in hospital, in accordance with the secrecy act, but we have been trying to get through to you for months, since before your exams. It's a good thing you came when you did. Come, follow me. Your relatives can come also." They were ushered into a medium sized room behind the booth.
"Why do you need me, and also why so soon?" He wondered aloud, once settled into one of the exceptionally comfortable chairs inside the fairly plain but comfortable office. He didn't ask about not receiving mail from them. Dumbledore probably sifted through everything. The only question is why?. While the man was evil, there was no reason to simply irritate Harry. That would achieve nothing..However, the matter would be clarified for Harry very soon.
"Mr Potter, you are to go through an inheritance ritual."
This confused Harry. There was two faults with this statement. One, hadn't all of Sirius' possessions been confiscated upon his arrest? Sirius was still a wanted fugitive to the ministry. Secondly, why would they have wanted him before the exams? It hadn't happened until midway during one of his last exams. He voiced confusion, although of a different type. He couldn't admit to knowing a convict, the ministry would see it as their chance to finally put Harry away. So he asked who he was inheriting from.
"Surely you did not believe that your trust fund was your only supply of monetary support left by your parents?"
"Trust fund?"
"Evidently you did..." Murmured the goblin, below his breath. He sighed. "Your parents set up a trust fund for casual spending, while the Potter vault would be under the control of your legal guardian. However, this failed to happen, due to Mr. Black's subsequent arrest and illegal imprisonment. Anyway, control must be returned to the Potter heir at the age of sixteen, otherwise the vault is forfeited. A family vault would normally be forfeited to the ministry, but in the case of an elite pureblood family vault, such as yours, it will be given to the Wizengamot. And therefore, Mr. Dumbledore. To be honest with you Mr. Potter, Dumbledore is a criminal. I myself have collected a great deal of information which may interest you about Mr. Dumbledore's dealings. The goblin council have read through it already, and decided they have no trust in this man. Therefore, we will limit any transactions that he makes, and all accounts he is in control of will be heavily monitored."
The Goblin handed Harry a file. Harry flicked through , it seeing a couple of photos, and a lot of script. "Thanks, I'll read through it later." 'This may come in useful... blackmailing Dumbles should be fun.'
"So, Mr Potter, as I am sure you are aware, you have reasonable grounds to take Albus Dumbledore to court. We can arrange a law firm to build an organised case against him. Do you wish to press charges at this time?" asked the goblin.
"Hmm... not yet I think. I think I will wait for the right moment, then strike. It will take a great deal of public slandering, and perhaps some tactful ministry donations. That will butter fudge up nicely... On that subject, how much money do I have?"
"At the moment, about twelve thousand galleons, but that will increase when your family wealth is added, of course. Liquid assets in your family vault come to approximately G:14,250,000. Or, if would rather, £121,250,000."
Harry whistled, Dudley's jaw dropped, and Aunt Petunia fainted.
After Dudley had been warned about catching flies, and Petunia had been picked up and soaked (Well, she had to be woken up somehow...), Harry asked "If those are liquid, what about invested?"
"Well, Mr Potter, This is a bit of a strange subject. We goblins a while ago chose to offer a service where we would invest a reasonable portion of the wealth. Your parents agreed, and we have been doing this for a while.
"I am currently the controller of those investments, and understand that for you, investments are about more than money. I decided to create a set-up where you would have a great deal of power over the world. Thus, You own the Daily Prophet (Although they don't know this yet), have controlling shares in the WWN, and own Hernan's Arms, which is a global magical and muggle weaponry store You also own many others, but those are simple investments, not strategic resources.
"Hernan's is the only one of these who know of your ownership. The England branch...well, door at least, is in an alley near Ollivander's. Not Knockturn though, this is Siecoe Path we are talking about. A useful place for those seeking... ah, unique establishments.
"A muggle weaponry shop is almost unheard of in wizarding England, and various other shops are in that road. Most have never heard of it though, so you needn't worry about buying, shall we say, slightly more questionable items than the norm, such as dark artefacts. No-one will see you, or at least, they won't care. Those loyal to the ministry are not welcome in Siecoe, for Siecoe tends towards anarchy more than anything else. T'is a fascinating place.
"I would recommend that you visit this place, for it is a place of great value to those who have visited it. To find it, you simply have to want to. There is a wall near the wand-makers that will vanish as you concentrate. Once you are through, it shall reappear. This road is spelled so only those who have no desire to go spilling the secrets of Siecoe to those who do not truly need it.
"By the way, Hernan's is a truly remarkable shop. You will understand why as you visit it. Now, I believe you wish to be acknowledged as the Potter heir. Very well."
The goblin led them to a simple room, with what looked like an old typewriter, made from copper, in the centre. However, there was a large hole in the top also.
Once Harry had, upon the goblin's direction, dripped a small droplet of his blood into the hole on top, the machine began to print out a list of assets;
Monies:
Main Vault G:14 390 780 S:4 K:8
Trust Vault : G:8 000
Stocks:
100 ownership, Daily Prophet, Newspaper – Worth App. G:3 000 000
100 ownership, Hernan's Arms, Weaponry store – Worth App G:90 000
78 majority, Wizarding Wireless Network – Worth App G:2 300 000
33 share, Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes, Joke shop, Worth App G: 1300
(Various others were listed underneath here)
Charities:
St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Artefacts:
The Potter Knives.
Fenestrus
The Claro Calx.
The Celeritas armoury.
More artefacts, and other items of smaller interest was displayed, and then it asked a question. 'Do you wish to take up the reigns of Head of House Potter?' Harry typed 'Yes' into the keypad. 'State your name.' 'Harry James Potter.'
'Harry James Potter is now legally the Head of House Potter. Since he is now the head of a Noble House, he is emancipated with immediate affect. He is also granted the right given to a person of age twenty-one, in both the Muggle and wizarding Worlds. The statement of assets and charities has been perforated before this text. Please remove, as it will immediately, and automatically update depending upon the assets. If the statement is misplaced, inform the Gringotts staff of this, and they will ensure a new one is created.'
It then printed out several legal documents, such as a birth certificate, a statement of emancipation and a slip allowing the taking of his apparition test amongst others.
THUNK! A small compartment shot out of the machine, containing a key. 'This is the key to Vault 107 – Potter, Family. You already possess the key to Potter, Trust.'
"Come Mr. Potter, I believe you want to visit your vault."
"Yes, yes of course."
While in the cart transporting them to 107, Harry asked the goblin a question. "What is your name?"
"Grillkrup, Mr. Potter." he replied, looking slightly surprised. He was rarely noticed by wizards.
"Please, call me Harry. However, can I ask a question... Can you be a legal representative?"
"Do you wish me to represent you in court?" The goblin looked shocked. Nobody wanted goblins to do anything but banking.
"Of course, after all you found the dirt on Dumbledore, you seem to understand the legalities, and you haven't stood for what Dumbledore was doing even before I knew everything. Also, your forward planning impressed me hugely, for example, your investments made on my behalf. It will be very useful to have the media under my thumb, and some fire-power is useful as well."
"Thank you Mr. Potter. While a goblin cannot be a legal representative, I have heard of some loopholes in the legislations relating to this. For example, I could simply tell you what to say as you say it, because legally a goblin doesn't really exist. I could actually stand by your side, with my voice in your ear whenever you need it. The loophole is only there so we can be swiftly executed without repercussions, if need be (Rebellions, and such). However, Mr. Potter, you needn't worry. We have taken precautions against such a measure."
"In that case, would you like to be my... advisor? I want you to continue to deal with my legal affairs, my accounting, and possibly be a liaison to the goblins if need be. I won't deny my need to possibly make alliances."
"Of course Harry, and... thank you. A wizard giving responsibility to a goblin, trusting a goblin, is a rare thing. I am honoured" said Grillkrup. He was beaming.
The cart arrived at their destination. "Well, Harry. We've arrived."
A huge door, with 107 carved into it in flamboyant lettering, slowly opened. The sight they saw when it opened made his eyes water...
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AN – Okay! Longest chapter yet! What do you think, do you like? If so, you know what you must do. Review! It's the only payment I get for this, and each review makes me so much happier.
Right, first two people to guess the narrator's name, win a small role/cameo in the story. By the way, there are two correct answers. If you get either of them, you are a winner Hint: He knows a great deal. Imagine how he knows that, while still no-one knows who he is. There is a hint in Philosophers stone, towards the end.
However, do note that you will not be included in the story straight away. Also, this competition will continue until the two reviewers have guessed correctly. No anonymous reviews as competition entries. This is to ensure people cannot enter again and again. While a flood of reviews would be nice (It always is), I don't want people firing off different characters at random, and also I need to contact you. But remember, if your e-mail is not on your profile I cannot contact you. I will not announce the winners, for I wish to keep the answer a secret for a while. Good Luck!
Polls!
So far, the Poll results are thus:
Poll 1
A:1, B:0, C:4
Thus, Harry will not remain with the Order of the Phoenix. He may join Voldemort, or start his own side.
Poll 2
DM:0, TMR:1, LM:1 RodLes:2, RemLup:0, SB:0
Thus, Draco, Remus and Sirius are out of the running. Voting is still open, but only vote for Rodolphus, Tom or Lucius, and for Poll 1, only vote for A or C. Please vote, people. If you enjoy this enough to review, I want to hear what your opinions are.
27/06/05
A7x Fan – Thanks! It doesn't surprise me that 'muchos' was wrong. However, nobody would get 'Muy' ('cept you of course), and I didn't know 'Muy' anyway. Hey, I did french. Don't worry though, I'm always correcting inconsequential things, as well. That's why I do beta'ing as well as my own work.
ERMonkey Burner of Cookies – 'Fraid I don't really like Seamus much. To be honest, I would rather an older lover for Harry. I only put in Draco because most people like that pairing. My personal fave is Rodolphus. I've never seen it before, and I like the idea. My damn unorthodox side kicking in again.
28/06/05
Heather () - I agree about Draco. He would be rather unsuitable for Harry's situation. I love Dumble-bashing & Dark!Harry. I don't know why, but I really like fics like Abandon by Batsutousai, and Turn of the Tides by Virginia Riddle-Malfoy (I actually beta this one, but I am currently going through the earlier chapters. I've sent her chapters 1-9, but I don't know if they've been posted.)
Coulbauth – Thanks!
Sweet-Little-Yugi – Wow! You're enthusiastic about this! Great! Anyroad... (stares into space & whistles)...Sorry, couldn't think of anything to say for a sec! Sorry! Anyway, I'm glad you like the idea of Rodolphus and tom. Those are my favourite two on my list. Draco's childish, Lucius is snobbish, Remus and Sirius are too... light-side, I suppose, for this fic. While he will be fighting for light morals, such as equality, others may not see it that way. My personal favourite is Rodolphus, but it was originally gonna be HP/TR. I thought of Rodolphus while I was writing the review responses, and added it.
Skull Bearer – To be honest, Bellatrix won't be too involved with the plot. If I go for Rodolphus (I plan to at the moment, he's winning the vote) I'll probably have Bella and Rodolphus as not much more than friends, with a possible TR/BL pairing, or perhaps SS/NM BL/LM. I'm, lad to hear your favourites would be Rodolphus and Tom, because those were mine as well, by a long way. First your kickass name, now your favourite pairings, I'm starting to like you more and more. You seem so very... Slytherin. As for your vote on the side that Harry joins, sadly, choice C is severely outvoting you. It's a shame, as my favourite was A as well. However, the way things are in my head, I can tell you one thing. I have no plan to have Harry actively oppose Voldemort. An alliance in the making?
Aww... C'mon. I got loads for chapter 1. Why less for chapter 2? However, kudos to those who did review, and extra credit to ERMonkey Burner of Cookies & Skull Bearer. They reviewed both chapters, and thus, they get a cookie! A virtual intangible cookie, but a cookie none the less. Have fun burning, ERMonkey.