BLOOD OF THE MOTHER By BertaS Sept. 05
Chapter 15
Description: Harry looks at some mail, and discovers he has business to attend to.
Not mine, it all belongs to JKR
To Gringotts We GoWith the kitchen clean, Severus turned his attention to the now overflowing basket of mail.
When Harry came back, he was surprised to find the Potions Master sorting his mail into several piles on the table. When he was done he handed a small stack to Harry saying, "I believe you will want to read these first, Harry. The rest is fan mail and personal notes from friends, I believe." he motioned to the other two piles. "I took the liberty of banishing anything that scanned as dangerous." He seemed to be looking for approval.
"Alright, thank you." There were five letters Severus had deemed important, one from Gringotts, three from the ministry and one from Hogwarts Board of Governors.
Severus tapped the last one, "It would seem that OWL results are running a little late this year."
Harry cautiously broke the seal, slid the heavy parchment out and opened it:
Ordinary Wizarding Levels
Results
For Harry Potter
Astronomy A(1)
Care of Magical Creatures E
Charms O
Defense against the Dark Arts O+
Divinations A
Herbology E
History of Magic A(1)
Potions O
Transfiguration O
(1) Questions not attempted did not count against student due to disruption during testing.
There was a book list for all available classes this included beginner classes in things that Harry had not previously taken. And a note to inform Professor McGonagall of the desired classes as soon as possible.
From the Ministry there was a summons to testify at what was being called 'The Deatheater Trials', an official notice that he would be receiving an Order of Merlin, First Class, as soon as a ceremony could be arranged.
There was also a very short note from Madam Bones that she was working on getting him a waiver on the ban on Under-Aged Magic. And that there should be no trouble with clearing the infractions already incurred.
The last letter, the one from Gringotts had the two wizards gathering their things and preparing to go, there was a small amount of confusion when Harry again handed the staff that he thought of as the Raptor Staff to Severus, but this was soon cleared up when Harry said, "I can only use one at a time and this one likes you." He then grinned "Besides you said you'd watch my back, and I want you as well equipped for that as possible."
Harry and Severus were ready to go to Gringotts the only discussion was how to get there. After a short explanation of apparition Severus agreed that with Harry supplying the extra power needed he could apparate both of them to the Gringotts main entrance.
Harry really did not want to deal with Sirius's will. He had managed not to think about Sirius most of the summer and now he had to deal with Snape as well. A Snape who seemed to be totally dependent on him and had already had two mental breakdowns today as well as a couple of nasty shocks.
Harry did not even have to ask for his goblin before there were goblins bowing and scraping before him. The elder of the two said,
"Mr. Potter, Thank you for coming so soon. Gringotts owes you a debt of gratitude for your defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort. If you will come this way we will not take any more of your time than absolutely necessary. Your escort may wait in this room." Harry took in Snape's pale face and replied, "No, I'm sorry, I prefer he stay with me." The goblin nodded and led the way further into the Gringotts complex. They came to a halt in front of a door labeled Senior Director Grignack.
The Senior Director was an older goblin, richly dressed with an imposing bearing. The leading goblin did the introductions and left the room. Grignack invited them to sit and Harry noticed that Snape turned his chair slightly so he could see both the goblin and the door. Grignack's next words drove that thought from his mind.
"Mr. Potter, do you intend to claim your Potter birthright?"
"My what?" Harry asked surprising both Grignack and Snape.
"Your birthright, Mr. Potter, your inheritance from your father's family. You do realize that under the old laws you are of legal age to claim your independence and manage your own affairs. After your defeat of Voldemort yesterday there have been a series of political maneuverings within the Wizengamot to gain control of you and your legacy. Madam Bones and her faction have blocked most of that. Mr. Black's will suggest that you do so and we here at Gringotts agree." Stated Grignack calmly.
Harry's mind raced, he didn't want anyone to have control of him any longer.
"What do I have to do?"
Grignack nodded and made a notation on his papers. The office door flew open and a younger goblin rushed in carrying a box. The staff Snape was holding came up and Harry had to place a restraining hand on Snape's arm to prevent him from cursing the goblin.
"Easy Severus, he is just doing his job." Said Harry.
"My L… Harry you made your safety my responsibility." Said Snape in a harsh whisper. Harry patted him on the arm and turned back to Grignack.
Grignack ignored the by play between the wizards confident of Harry's control over Snape. He opened the box producing an ornate ring. "This, Mr. Potter, is the Potter family ring. You must place the ring on the first finger of your right hand, state your full name and recite the words 'I claim my birthright as the Head of the Potter Family by rite of blood'."
Harry stood and picked up the heavy ring. It was made of gold with a raised P, tiny diamonds and rubies encircle the P. He placed it on his finger and recited the words; there was a flash and a surge of magic and the ring shrunk to fit his finger. Catching a movement out of the corner of his eye Harry turned to find Snape on his knees once again. Before Harry could say anything Snape said, "My Lord Potter, I Severus Snape pledge you my body heart and soul as thy liegeman." Harry could feel the magic of the oath in the air as he looked at Severus somehow he knew what he had to say but hesitated, "Are you sure, Severus?" when Severus nodded Harry continued, "I Harry James Potter, Head of the House of Potter accept thee Severus Snape as my liegeman and pledge thee my protection, for now and always." As the magic in the air slid around the two of them Severus breathed a sigh of relief as the bond filled the emptiness inside him.
Harry helped Snape back into his chair with a look that said 'We will talk about this later' and sat back looking at Grignack.
"Ok, what's next? I thought we were here about S…Sirius."
Grignack nodded. "Oh yes. With your defeat of Voldemort and the capture of Peter Pettigrew yesterday Sirius Black was declared innocent late last night by the minister pro tem. With that declaration it became much easier to deal with the estate. Mr. Black's personal assets, which were frozen when he was incarcerated, have now been released. Mr. Black had already been incarcerated when he became eligible to claim his birthright, which now is open to be claimed. Mr. Black's will is now valid and can be followed to the letter.
Mr. Black declared you, Mr. Potter, his heir. You are the primary beneficiary as well. You may have noticed an increase in the amount in your trust vault this summer? That was due to the disbursement of Mr. Black's hidden assets, in other words, assets that belonged to Mr. Black but were not in his name. There are other small bequests in Mr. Black's will and with your permission I will set up a reading in several days." Seeing Harry's nod he made another note on his papers and continued, "Do you have any questions at this time? Are you prepared to claim your inheritance now?"
Harry sat there with a rather dumbfounded look on his face trying to decide if he had questions. He had avoided thinking about Sirius for most of the summer and now had come face to face with the reality the Sirius was gone and would not be coming back.
"What do I have to do to claim my inheritance?" ask Harry after a few moments thought.
Grignack smiled, showing sharp pointy teeth and made yet another note on his papers. This time the door opened in a more hesitant manner and the entering goblin glanced at Snape on his way to the desk with another box. Snape merely smirked.
"This is the new Black Family Ring. Mr. Black had it commissioned shortly after his leaving the ministry's hospitality. His plan I believe was to claim his birthright as soon as he was legally able but he did not wish to wear the traditional family ring. Place the ring on your right ring finger state your full name which should, for these purposes, include the Black surname and recited the words, 'I claim my inheritance as the Head of the Black Family by rite of magic'."
Harry once again stood and took the ring, this one silver; though he thought it must be white gold or platinum, with the emblem a black grim's head. Harry smiled at the ring stated his name 'Harry James Potter Black and recited the words. Once again there was a flash and surge of magic and the ring resized it's self to his finger. He glanced to his left but this time Snape only smirked a bit at him. He sat down and looked at Grignack waiting for the next bombshell. The goblin nodded to himself and made another note and began speaking again.
"Now, Mr. Potter that the formalities have been taken care of, we can get on to the real business. Here are the new keys to your vaults. The Potter family vault, the Black family vault, and Mr. Black's personal vault, which should contain Mr. Black's personal possessions, which were confiscated by the Ministry, assuming that is if they can be found to be returned. Also repartitions the ministry will be paying for false imprisonment and lost wages. Then we have vault number 932 under the name of Nigel Grim that contains personal property Mr. Black wanted you to have, the liquid assets from that vault have already been placed in your trust vault." The goblin aide once again entered the room a deposited a large book on the desk. Grignack nodded at him and continued speaking.
"This is your personal ledger, Mr. Potter. It contains the information needed to manage your affairs, though I dare say you could have your pick of goblin mangers to aid you if you wish. The first section is of course vaults and amounts in them along with an itemization of other objects contained in the vault, if known. There is quite a lot in the family vaults of course that we goblins are not aware of, there is a small quill in the book so that if you desire you may make notes on what you find in your vaults. The next section is real estate owned by the Potter-Black Estate, in effect by you personally Mr. Potter. The last section is investments, business interests and ownerships. All of the Potter and Black interests have been combined but each item is annotated as to which estate it is originated from. You Mr. Potter are now one of the wealthiest wizards in Britain. Have you any questions?"
Harry looked at the five-inch thick book and just shook his head. He had questions, tons of them but he couldn't seem to think of any of them. Snape leaned toward him and in a low voice ask, "Are we going to Grimmauld or Hogwarts or do you wish to stay somewhere else, Harry?" Harry smiled his thanks to Snape and asked
"Grignack are you familiar with the properties. We are going to need somewhere out of the way to stay. Somewhere we won't be targets of the remaining death eaters and the assorted prats trying to control me or who want things."
Grignack smiled his scary goblin smile and replied, "I believe that you own just the place Mr. Potter."
When they left Gringotts several hours later, it was on the motorcycle they had found in the Grim vault and with brand new bottomless moneybags, shiny new ATM/debit cards and muggle id's. Harry had insisted that Snape be outfitted with the same things. Though Snape's moneybag connected to his own vault, the ATM/debit card was connected to Harry trust vault. Harry had found a letter from Sirius attached to the cycle. It was not the original, it was brand new, but it had all of the charms that Sirius's bike had.
Harry and Snape rode away from a hidden muggle entrance to Gringotts never realizing that there was a mob waiting outside the main entrance for them to leave. Harry left with some closure for the loss of Sirius, and Severus Snape with a slowly growing awareness that Harry Potter, in his heart his new master, would not throw him away.
Next Chapter: I have no idea
A/N: We made it to 5 whole pages in word. I'd like to thank loralee1 for her help on the scene at Gringotts, she is not just my sister she my beta. I also hold her responsible for my ever trying this in the first place. Thanks to any one who reviews.