Beginning Author's Note:
Starting now, I will only be posting responses to comments in the author's note if I can't PM you.
Past or present tense, make sure you let me know before I post the 5th chapter. I put a poll on my profile, so please vote.
I have once more added more to Chapter 0: Things to Know. #17 & #18 on the Canon list and #8 & #9 on the non-canon list.
Chapter 3: Wishing it Wasn't True.
Sunday - August 9th, 1992
It takes Ron several days to get over his anger with Harry; it might be because he forgot why he was angry in the first place. The same morning that Ron starts talking to Harry again, they all get their first contact from school. Their Hogwarts Letters.
While sitting at the table for breakfast Mr. Weasley hands Percy, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny's their Hogwarts letters. Fred and George swap letters, making everyone wonder if it's because Mr. Weasley gave it to the wrong twin or because they want everyone to think that.
As Harry's wondering where his school letter is, Hedwig flies in through the open window with it and another letter tied to her leg. Harry unties the letters and gives her some bacon as thanks.
Taking the reward Hedwig flaps her wings and perches herself on the back of Harry's chair, to begin preening her feathers. The 1st is his school letter and Harry can easily tell the 2nd letter is from Hermione, based on the neat and proper handwriting. He opens the one from Hermione first.
Dear Harry,
I heard you got your godfather back, it's a real shame what happened to him. I've heard horror stories from some of my dorm-mates about Azkaban. I still can't believe he never got a trial! What's the point in having laws if they don't follow them!? I have a lot of questions I'd like to ask him about, like what Dementors are like, but I don't think it would be very polite of me to ask. But that's besides the point, I want to tell you how happy I am for you now that you have someone you can call family again!
Thank Hedwig for me again, she delivered my Hogwarts letter for me. That was very nice of her. This might seem strange, but it's like she knows when someone is writing a letter to you. So far every time I've written a letter to you, she's already here waiting. I'm absolutely grateful, but I really want to figure out how she's always here to deliver it. It's quite fascinating, really!
Now that I've got my letter, thanks to Hedwig of course, my parents are going to take me to London on Wednesday to get my new books! Why don't we meet up in Diagon Alley? Let me know what's happening as soon as you can! Since you're staying with Ron and his family, I was hoping they'd come too. Tell them I said hi!
Sincerely from,
Hermione
P.S. Give Hedwig extra treats for me!
Her letter gets Harry thinking, 'How does Hedwig know when someone's writing a letter? She even went and got that Witch Weekly magazine; it's as if she knew there was an article about me in it. Wait, how did she get it? She didn't steal it, did she?'
Harry turns suspiciously to look at Hedwig and quietly asks her how she got the magazine. Hedwig hoots and gives him a triumphant look.
"You paid for it?" Harry asks in sheer bewilderment, "How did you get the money?" She blinks and coos in response.
"You've been collecting money you found during deliveries?" She bobs her head yes and puffs out her feathered chest with pride.
"Well thank you, Hedwig, do you want me to repay you?" She eyes the bacon and sausage still on his plate, so he gives it all to her. She playfully nips his ear in appreciation and happily accepts the meat with a delighted coo. 'I wonder where she keeps the money she finds, well that's none of my business.'
Harry turns his attention back to the table and sees everyone looking at him strangely. "What?"
"What was that about?" Ron pipes up, asking the question everyone's thinking.
Harry fills in the blanks for everyone at the table, telling them about Hermione's question about Hedwig and how Hedwig bought the Witch Weekly magazine. "It makes me wonder how the shopkeeper reacted to an owl buying the magazine." Harry already knows he'll have to tell Sirius about it, he'll get a real kick out of it.
"How do you know what she's saying?" One of the twins asks, "Can you speak owl, like how Salazar Slytherin could speak to snakes?"
"I don't think I speak owl, I just sort-of… know what she's trying to tell me. I don't really get it either." Harry wants to explain better, but he can't find the right words to do so, so he decides to comment on the other part of what Fred(?) said. "I didn't know one of the founders could talk to snakes too."
"What do you mean by that?" George asks warily.
"What do I mean by what?" Harry asks, confused about what George is asking… at least, he thinks it's George; he really needs to learn how to identify them.
"You said you 'didn't know one of the founders could talk to snakes too.' I'm asking what you mean when you said 'too'." George clarifies for him.
"Oh, that." Harry gives an understanding nod. "It's because I can speak to snakes too." Harry says it nonchalantly, like it's not a big deal he can talk to snakes.
Most of the Weasleys at the table gasp at his revelation, some of them look fearful, particularly Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. While Ron is glaring at Harry again. Their reactions dumbfound the non-redhead and it makes him feel uneasy, like he shouldn't have said that, for some reason.
After several moments of awkward and fear-filled silence, Fred asks, "Are you sure you can talk to snakes?"
Harry nods slowly in anxious confusion and worry. "I… talked to one when I went to a zoo last summer…. why? Is it bad that I can talk to snakes?"
"Harry…" Mr. Weasley leans forward and interlaces his fingers in front of him. He takes a moment to mull over how he can break it to the boy. "Harry, there's a huge and highly believed superstition in Britain that speaking Parseltongue is a sign of a dark wizard; many of the past dark wizards like You-Know-Who, Salazar Slytherin, Herpo the Fool and a few others, were Parselmouths." He then clarifies that Parseltongue is the language and that a Parselmouth is a person who can speak it when he sees that Harry is confused.
"And there were no good Parselmouths? Ever?" Harry's question remains unanswered for a few moments, he starts to shift in his seat. "I mean, I can't be a dark wizard, I've never done anything evil."
Mr. Weasley gives Harry a kind smile, as if telling him not to worry about it, "It's just a superstition, Harry. Being able to speak to snakes doesn't make you a dark wizard. I'm assuming you were never taught the language, right?" Harry nods shyly, but he is feeling a little better. "Then, that means you were born with it and you can't be evil just because you were born with something."
Harry relaxes slightly. "I think I get it, it's like saying everyone with blue-eyes is evil because a few villains had blue-eyes."
"Right," Mr. Weasley pats Harry's hand reassuringly, "being born with something doesn't define who you are. It's the choices you make and the actions you take that define you. And from what I've seen and heard, you are anything, but a dark wizard." The reassurance has Harry feeling a lot better.
Arthur makes a quick scan of his family for their reactions: his wife and daughter look guilty for having believed the superstition and the twins nod in understanding. As for Percy, he hasn't been paying attention, he hasn't looked up from the law book he's been reading since he sat down for breakfast. He's completely tuned everyone out.
Ron, on the other hand, doesn't seem to get it, his expression is a mix of confusion and disgust. The reason becomes apparent immediately when he opens his mouth to speak. "But this makes you related to Slytherin and everyone knows that all Slytherins are evil! Not one dark wizard didn't come from Slytherin!"
Ron's 'fact' causes his father's head to drop in embarrassment, Fred facepalms George and vice versa, Mrs. Weasley looks like she's conflicted in agreeing and disagreeing. Ginny rolls her eyes at her brother's stupidity, they had just gone over this and he still doesn't get the message. As for Percy, well… he's still tuning everyone out. He's so focused on his law book that he probably wouldn't notice a hungry pink Nundu appearing right in front of him.
"Oh my god, Ron." Harry groans out in frustration, Ron's opinion effectively destroyed the budding good mood. "Ron… remember Scabbers or as we now know, Peter Pettigrew?" Ron shivers at the mention of the 30 year old man he had been unknowingly sleeping in the same bed with. "Well, he's a dark wizard and he was in Gryffindor."
Ron looks like he's about to faint, a Gryffindor, of all people, is a dark wizard. 'At least there's never been an evil Gryffindor before the rat.' Ron thinks to himself, trying to soothe his belief.
"Sirius also said something about how almost every pureblood, if not all, are related by blood. Which would mean you are related to Salazar Slytherin too."
Ron's face turns red with rage and is about to deny it, but his dad casts a silent Silencing Charm on him before confirming what Harry said. "Ronald, my mother, your grandmother, was in Slytherin. She's also a Black, where, in the past, the former Head of House Black, Acrux Black, married Ethel Slytherin." Ron's jaw drops at the revelation of his ancestry. "So, yes, you are related to Salazar Slytherin."
Arthur removes the silencing spell now that Ron no longer looks like he's about to rage. When Ron hears his own groans of disbelief, he speaks again. "Ok! I get it, not all dark wizards are from Slytherin, but everyone in Slytherin now is definitely evil. The house is full of slimy snakes and I don't want nothin' to do with 'em." Harry almost chuckles at the double negative. "I've had 'nuff of my beliefs destroyed, so what else did Hermione's letter say?" Ron inquires, giving a silent prayer that the rest of his beliefs are still correct.
Harry takes a deep breath to calm his nerves before answering. "She says she's happy I got my godfather back and she wants to know if we could meet up in Diagon Alley on Wednesday to buy our school stuff." Harry says, summarizing the contents of her letter beyond the Hedwig part of it.
Mr. & Mrs. Weasley communicate silently with their eyes to come to an agreement. "Wednesday is fine, dear," Molly says, "we just need to set up a time to meet up at The Leaky. Now, what does everyone need to get this year?"
Harry opens his letter from Hogwarts to find out.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of
WITCHCRAFT & WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards)
Dear Mr. H. Potter,
You have formally been invited back to Hogwarts for your second year. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books. The Hogwarts Express will arrive at Kings Cross Station at 10:00am on August 31st. The Hogwarts Express leaves platform 9 at 11:00am, please make sure to present the enclosed ticket to the staff before boarding the train. Term begins on September 1st.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of
WITCHCRAFT & WIZARDRY
SECOND-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 2)
by Miranda Goshawk
Break with a Banshee
by Gilderoy Lockhart
Gadding with Ghouls
by Gilderoy Lockhart
Holidays with Hags
by Gilderoy Lockhart
Travels with Trolls
by Gilderoy Lockhart
Voyages with Vampires
by Gilderoy Lockhart
Wanderings with Werewolves
by Gilderoy Lockhart
Year with the Yeti
by Gilderoy Lockhart
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions
Fred leans over to read Harry's list after reading his own. "You've been told to get each of Lockhart's books too, huh? The new DADA teacher must be a fan, I bet it's a witch."
"That lot won't come cheap." George comments, worrying about whether his parents can afford it. "His books are really expensive."
"We'll manage." Mrs. Weasley says too quickly, "We should be able to get most of Ginny's things second hand." Harry wonders if he can help out somehow, his godfather did just put literal tons of galleons in his trust vault. He could easily buy everything for them, but he knows they'd never accept it.
"What are you all planning to do today?" Mr. Weasley asks, blatantly changing the subject away from their monetary issues.
"We plan on goin' up to the hill and practicin' with our brooms." Ron answers excitedly, hoping he can take a turn on Harry's Nimbus 2000.
On their way to the hill George complains about how Percy might become the 2nd Head Boy in the family, since he got twelve O.W.L.s. "It'll be torture if he gets Head Boy."
"What are O.W.L.s?" Harry asks him.
"It's the tests you take at the end of your fifth year. O.W.L. stands for Ordinary Wizarding Levels." Fred explains or maybe it's George. "Depending on how you do on these tests will affect the courses you can take in your sixth and seventh year. Percy got twelve, the same as Bill, who was Head Boy, when he was a seventh year." He shakes his head in disappointment. "I don't think I can stand the shame of having two Head Boys in the family."
Harry asks about Bill and Charlie and learns that they're their eldest brothers. Bill and Charlie have both already left Hogwarts and The Burrow. Charlie, who he heard about last year and had correspondence with due to the Norbert debacle, is in Romania studying dragons. While Bill is in Egypt doing a job for Gringotts as a cursebreaker.
"Dunno how mum and dad are gonna pay for five sets of Lockhart's books and Ginny needs robes and a wand too." Fred wonders aloud.
"Why do you each need a set?" Harry asks unsurely, trying not to step on any toes. "Since there can only be one DADA class at a time, can't you all just share 1 set of books?"
The twins look at each other like they're blaming the other for not coming up with such a simple answer. "That's a good idea, I can't believe we didn't think of that. Me and Gred can share the books in class and pass them off to whoever has the class next." Forge reiterates with his hand holding his chin, "It'll save us a lot too, with how expensive they are, thanks Harry."
"Maybe I can get my own wand too." Ron comments hopefully, "Since we'd save a lot just getting one set instead of five."
"Your wand works fine though, Ron," Forge tells him and goes on to dash his hopes. "It's just an unnecessary expense to get you a new wand when you can use the one you have perfectly fine."
"But it's not fair!" Ron whines heatedly, "You all have your own wands and Ginny is getting a new one, but I'm using Charlie's."
The twins glare at him, "For your information, Ickle Ronnikins, we are using the wands of our late twin uncles, they aren't our own. Bill still uses his and Ginny is only getting a new one because we don't have a spare." Ron does the somewhat smart thing by not trying to argue with them.
After several hours of fun playing on their brooms and dodging apples that the twins threw at random to simulate bludgers, they decide to head back inside for a late lunch. Mr. Weasley tells them that they can meet Hermione at 11:00am at The Leaky Cauldron.
George tells his parents about Harry's idea on how they can share Lockhart's books and they're very supportive of the idea and thank Harry for it. They too are wondering why they didn't think of it, having their kids share one set of books saves them a good amount of money.
"You don't mind Luna coming along too, do you?" Harry asks Mr. Weasley.
"I don't see why not, the more the merrier." Arthur winks at him, which Harry ignores.
Harry then takes out some parchment to write a letter to Luna and Hermione. He tries to go and tell Luna in person, but Mrs. Weasley doesn't let him go, saying he needs an adult to go with him, but both she and Arthur are busy doing their own thing. He didn't think about using the floo to fire call her, but he wouldn't have anyway because he's seen how sparingly they use the powder at The Burrow.
Harry also writes a letter to Sirius to tell him about the shopping trip and then to Hagrid thanking him for the birthday card. 'Hedwig's going to have a busy night, I'll make sure to give her more treats when she gets back.'
With the promise of extra rewards, Hedwig flaps her beautiful white wings and takes off with 2 letters on each leg.
Tuesday - August 11th, 1992
Hedwig returns from her delivery mission with three response letters. After Harry unties them, he makes sure to give her her promised reward.
Hermione's letter says she'll be at The Leaky at 11:00am and then all, but demands to know who Luna is. She curious after having seen the letter addressed to Luna. For whatever reason, Hedwig delivered Luna's letter last, even though she lives the closest.
Padfoot's letter tells Harry he'll be picking him up from the Weasley's at 8:30am to take him to Gringotts to have a private reading of the his parents' will. Sirius says he set it up with the Potter Account Manager as soon as he got Harry's letter. He also mentions that the will reading shouldn't take long, so they'll definitely be done before 11:00am. They'll just wait at The Leaky Cauldron for everyone to arrive. He also teases Harry about the letter to Luna, much to Harry's Chagrin.
Of the 3 letters, Luna's letter is the most interesting.
Dear Harry Potter,
I would absolutely love to go shopping with everyone. I'll floo to The Leaky Cauldron a little before the meeting time. Daddy won't be coming, he leaves for his next expedition early tomorrow morning and will be gone for 2 weeks. Don't worry, he'll leave some money for me to buy everything I need.
Daddy told me not to buy Gileroy Lockhart's books, he said he doesn't trust a man who goes around scaring muggles while dressed up as an oversized monkey. I believe the muggles call him Largefoot or something like that. Muggles can never catch Largefoot because he just disappears, so Largefoot must be a wizard in disguise and daddy says that Gilderoy is the closest match. Gilderoy never has an alibi during the times Largefoot is sighted and is reported of having large feet himself. This will all be brought to light in October's edition of The Quibbler, look forward to it!
Your owl is absolutely beautiful, I could run my fingers through her feathers all day, they're so soft! She's a brilliant owl too, I can tell. I bet she keeps all the Heliopaths away from you.
Your friend,
Luna Lovegood
P.S. Thank you for being my friend!
Harry's glad she'll be coming, but becomes upset at reading the next part. 'Not only is her dad not going shopping with her for her first year at Hogwarts, but he'll also be leaving her home alone for 2 weeks.' He shakes his head to release some of the anger and continues reading.
When Harry gets to the Lockhart part of the letter he can't keep himself from laughing, which gets everyone's attention at the breakfast table. He blushes at the attention and finishes reading the letter before passing it to one of the twins after pointing at the 2nd paragraph. They read the paragraph aloud, changing who speaks every sentence, and everyone, but Mrs. Weasley and Percy, laugh. Percy because he's not present and Mrs. Weasley looks offended because she's a big fan of his.
Wednesday - August 12th, 1992
A little before 8:00am the Sirius fire calls to tell Harry to get ready to go to Gringotts. Harry gets ready and floos to The Leaky Cauldron once the call ends. As usual, Harry is thrown from the fireplace, but Sirius is there to catch him.
"Heya, Pup!" Sirius hugs his godson after setting him on his feet.
"Hi Padfoot." Harry greets back nauseously, his mind spinning from the early morning floo travel. "How're the muggle lessons going?"
Sirius has been taking lessons from a muggleborn's mother on how to live in the muggle world. It would be weird if he didn't know anything while living in a muggle town. Mr. Weasley has been joining him for some of the classes too; he can now pronounce electricity correctly.
"They're going well." Sirius answers elatedly, both he and Arthur are in complete awe of what muggles have achieved without magic. "Muggles are amazing, they have so many things that make life easier and none of them use magic. I really like using pencils, I don't have to worry about making a mistake. That and their paper is so much better than our parchment, it's cheaper too! Then there's telephones and TVs and all those different sports."
Harry nods along, finding his godfather's enthusiasm entertaining. "I've gotten so many pranking ideas from all the muggle technology; I almost have enough to fill a book! I could talk all day about this stuff, but we've got somewhere to go; Goblins hate when people aren't on time."
The two of them use the floo to get to The Leaky Cauldron, much to Harry's dismay. He's really starting to hate floo travel, not that he liked it in the first place. The constant embarrassment he causes himself whenever he uses the floo, would make make anyone hate floo travel if they were in his position.
They make their way through Diagon Alley in the direction of the large marble building with the very life-like statue of a dragon on its roof. The light reflecting off the white building walls is harsh to look at. They probably painted the walls white on purpose to blind wizards. While Harry's taking in the look of the large intimidating statue, the statue blinks. "Padfoot?" Harry calls out in slight alarm. Sirius gives him a questioning gaze, prompting Harry to continue. "Is the dragon statue supposed to blink?"
"Blink?" The question itself is rather unusual. He watches the statue of the dragon as they get closer, but it doesn't happen again. "I don't know, it might be an enchanted statue. I'm certain it's not a real dragon, if that's what you're asking." Harry nods, accepting the idea of it being enchanted. Now he's wondering how enchanted it is, it would be really cool, while also terrifying if it's one of the bank's defense mechanisms.
Sirius remembers something about the goblins just before they walk inside. "Just in case you don't know, goblins take pride in their position and titles, so you should always call them by their title followed by their name. You'll want to call the goblin we are going to meet 'Account Manager Grushack', not 'Grushack'." Harry nods and they continue forward, he remembers Hagrid saying something similar during one of the times he visited him last year.
As they pass through the huge front doors of Gringotts, Harry's reminded of what Mrs. Tonks told him to have the goblins do. "Should we see if they can identify the curse in my scar?"
"Oh, right!" Sirius smacks his forehead, berating himself. He should have remembered that. "Sorry Pup, it completely slipped my mind. We'll ask, but we might have to come back later or tomorrow in case the process takes too long." They still have to meet everyone at 11:00, so if the diagnostic would take too long, they'll have to come back another time to get it done.
They guttural voice of the old goblin at the podium scratches at their ear drums. "What can Gringotts do for you today, wizards?" The goblin's voice portrays his loathing of anything human. The podium the goblin is standing on seems to be specifically made to be high just so they can look down on humans.
"Hello, we're here for a meeting with Account Manager Grushack." Sirius answers politely.
The goblins' old, beady black eyes narrow at them before flipping through the pile of parchment in front of him. "Sirius Orion Black and Harry James Potter are the only two wizards who will be meeting with Account Manager Grushack today. I presume you are those two wizards?"
"Yes, I am Sirius Orion Black and this here-" Sirius pats Harry's shoulder, "-is Harry James Potter."
"Right." The goblin says uninterestedly and then yells for another goblin. "Dreadclaw! Take these two… wizards… to Account Manager Grushack!" He wants to call them something more insulting, but it's against their rules to insult polite guests. He'll just take his frustrations out on the next impolite wizard.
Another goblin that is much younger than the one stationed at the podium walks over. "Follow me, wizards." Dreadclaw abruptly turns around after speaking, his attitude is very similar to the older goblin that called for him.
Harry and Sirius follow after him and through a set of large double doors that leads into a long hallway. After passing several doors they arrive at their destination, Grushack's office. Dreadclaw knocks on the door several times in a pattern of some sort.
"Let them in!" Growls a voice from behind the door. Dreadclaw opens the door and lets them pass through; he debates on whether or not to slam the door on them, but thinks better of it. It would be rude to do such to an esteemed account manager's clients, so he closes it behind them normally.
"Hello wizards, I am Account Manager Grushack and I am the Potter family's account manager among others." The goblin, Grushack, introduces himself. He's sitting behind a large gray desk. He's completely bald and proudly bears the numerous battle scars on his face and arms. He gives off the impression of an army general. Even his outfit is like a general; a gray suit with many medals on the left breast. "Before we begin, you both need to provide a drop of blood to prove you are who you say you are."
Account Manager Grushack reaches into a desk drawer, pulling out an ornate ceremonial dagger and hands it to Sirius along with a small piece of parchment. Sirius runs his thumb along the blade of the dagger and lets a drop of blood fall onto the parchment. Said parchment absorbs the blood and red cursive writing begins to appear on it.
Head of House Black
Sirius Orion Black
DOB: 11/03/1959
Once everything is written Sirius holds the back of the dagger's blade against the wound on his thumb. The cut quickly heals and it appears as if he was never hurt. Grushack takes the held out parchment, nods, then hands a different piece of parchment to Harry. Harry takes the dagger and parchment and cuts his thumb to allow blood to drip onto the parchment.
Grushack's eyebrows raise the tiniest amount due to the child's lack of hesitation. Every child he's seen would always flinch, cry or scream at the thought of cutting themselves; weaklings, they know not true pain. But alas, he cannot say the same for the child currently in front of him.
Juvenile Head of House Potter
&
House Black Heir
Harry James Potter
DOB: 07/31/1980
Harry hands both the parchment and the dagger back to Grushack after healing the cut. The goblin just glances at the two parchments before putting the dagger back in his desk drawer. Harry wants to ask about what's written on the parchment, but holds off for the moment. Grushack proceeds to open another drawer and pulls out a scroll. "This is the last will of Lily & James Potter and only the executioner can unroll it."
Grushack hands it to Sirius and the moment Sirius touches it, the will flashes red before returning to its original pale yellow color. Sirius unties the string around the will before passing it over to Harry. "You should be the first to read it."
Harry nods and stares down at the will in his hands. Attached to the red string that was used to tie the will is a little card that states a situational condition for the will to be read.
If only our child, Harry James Potter, is still alive and we have both passed on, then this version of the will is to be used and all other wills are void.
Sudden influxes of different emotions flush through Harry, all of which pertaining to what he's about to do: sadness, happiness, anger, fear, anxiousness, relief, grief, loneliness, pride and love. He runs a hand through his hair and blinks away the tears building up in his eyes. He unfurls the scroll and begins to read.
The Last Will and Testament of
James Fleamont Potter
&
Lily Juniper Potter née Evans
September 27th, 1981
Message
Harry, we want you to know that we love you more than you can possibly imagine. We are filled with regret that we couldn't be there with you while you grow up, but since you are still alive it means that we succeeded in protecting you. Don't think, even for a moment, that we aren't watching over you. We love you so much and we will never be disappointed in you.
Debts & Taxes
All debts and taxes are to be taken out of the Potter family vault and paid the day before it's due. This has been arranged with Account Manager Grushack, who will do so immediately upon hearing of our deaths.
Bequeathal
To Sirius Black: We leave you the prank photo album and 100,000ʛ. If Harry ever asks about us, please bring it out and tell him the stories behind the photos.
To Remus Lupin: We leave 60,000ʛ and our flat in Diagon Alley. Take it, it's not charity, don't refuse our last wish.
To Amelia Bones: We leave 60,000ʛ. We hope it can help you with Susan.
To Pandora Lovegood: Since you are currently out of work to raise little Luna, we leave you 80,000ʛ and hope that it will be helpful.
To Mary MacDonald: We leave 60,000ʛ, use it to help advance your studies.
To Alice Longbottom: We leave you a copy of Lily's potion and charm research books, as well as Lily's Hogwarts photo album.
To Peter Pettigrew: We leave 50,000ʛ, but that's only if you didn't betray us as our Secret Keeper. If you did, you get nothing and we'll ensure your afterlife isn't pleasant.
To Minerva McGonagall: We leave you 20,000ʛ and a copy of James's notes on transfiguration.
To Filius Flitwick: We leave you 20,000ʛ and a copy of Lily's charms research.
To Harry James Potter: We leave you everything else, which will be available to you when you become the Head of House Potter. There is a trust vault set up in your name that will refill every year to 2,500ʛ on your birthday.
Guardianship
The following list of people are to be asked, in the order they're written, if they can take custody of Harry. Whoever takes Harry into their home will receive an initial 10,000ʛ and 1,500ʛ per month. This money can only be used on or for Harry, unless it's an emergency. Any expenses that go beyond the monthly stipend can be credited to the Potter Family vault.
Alice Longbottom (Godmother)
Sirius Black (Godfather)
Mary MacDonald
Pandora Lovegood
Filius Flitwick
Minerva McGonagall
Amelia Bones
Any wizarding family trusted by at least 2 or more of the above people.
If a home can still not be found by this point, Harry is to be placed in a good muggle orphanage. In case this happens we left 20,000ʛ to be used as a donation to the orphanage that takes him in. A thorough investigation must be done prior to Harry being placed there.
Remus Lupin, you will receive a series of instructions if Harry is placed in an orphanage. Know that we would have put you on the list, but in wizarding law, it would be illegal for you to take him in due to your 'furry little problem'.
Executor
Sirius Orion Black
There is to be no contest provision
Signed
Lily Juniper Potter née Evans
&
James Fleamont Potter
The message to Harry in the beginning warms his heart, knowing his parents love him and are watching over him. The thought makes him smile with a sad undertone.
Harry is slightly stunned to read that his parents knew Luna's mum and that he could have grown up with his new friend. If that was the case, he would have met the Weasleys a lot sooner too. That's only if Sirius wasn't put in prison and if Sirius, Alice Longbottom and Mary MacDonald 'whoever that is', couldn't take him in. It's too bad he's stuck with the Dursleys for the blood protection, he would have had a much better life if the will was read.
Blinking back tears, Harry hands the will back to Sirius and nods silently. Harry doesn't know what to do or what's supposed to happen next, so he just waits quietly, mulling over everything that was in the will. Between Sirius and Grushack they go over the will and make the necessary changes that need to be addressed.
Pandora's bequeathal will instead be put in a vault for Luna to do with as she wishes. Sirius refuses the 100,000ʛ, he has more than enough money. The money for him was because they all thought he would be disowned, but apparently his grandfather refused to disinherit him.
Alice Longbottom's bequeathal will be given to Neville due to his mother's condition. Harry overhears his account manager telling Sirius about Alice and her husband Frank's condition. Sirius is horrified to learn that they had been tortured into insanity. He knew they had been tortured because Bellatrix would constantly brag about her exploits, but he didn't know their condition. Poor Neville, it must be a kind of torture itself to know your parents are alive, but you can't do anything to help them recover.
The only other change is obviously the removal of Peter Pettigrew's bequeathal. A copy of the will is also going to be submitted as evidence against Pettigrew in his trial, since it states him as being the Secret Keeper.
With the will read, Sirius now has proof to show to the ministry in order to take custody of Harry.
After finishing with the changes to the bequeathal, they ask Harry if he has any questions. "Um… what exactly is 'everything' that was left to me?" The amount of money his parents were giving everyone is a large sum, so his curiosity has been piqued. Though, no matter how much it is, he'd give it all away and never look back if it meant he could get his parents back.
"I can only give you a rough estimate right now." Grushack tells him and then explains that it's because he doesn't have an up-to-date inventory list of the vault.
The last time the inventory was taken was just a few months before the last wizarding war ended. There have been multiple withdrawals and deposits over the past decade, so the amount of wealth will have changed since then. The withdrawals were mostly taxes and debts and the deposits were mostly interest and payments due to the Potter family.
Goblins do not have to open a vault to take money out or put money in, but they must have a receipt to do so. They can only take out or put in the exact amount the receipt describes. It's goblin protocol to not enter any vaults without the permission of one of the vault owners and that permission only lasts for 168 hours, in other words, it only lasts a week.
"For a rough estimate the Potter vault has 8 million galleons and about 5 million galleons worth of miscellaneous things such as: furniture, books, artwork, jewelry, etc."
Harry goes owl-eyed at the amount of wealth his family has. 'That's 65 million pounds! I'm rich!?'
Grushack grins menacingly, well to Harry it looks menacing, "That's just the main Potter vault, there are 4 branch vaults that contain around 2 million galleons in each. As well as your trust vault that has 159,500 galleons inside." He only knows because the trust vault is set to be refilled to 2,500ʛ every year on your birthday. Since there hasn't been any withdrawals since the 31st of last month and adding the deposit of 157,500ʛ from the ministry, it comes to 160,000ʛ.
Sirius snickers while Harry almost faints at the revelation of his wealth. "You're also going to succeed me as Head of House Black and my family is worth a lot more."
Harry's floored by all the amount of wealth he'll be inheriting, but Sirius's statement reminds him of his question he held off on asking. "How am I the House Black Heir? Don't I have to be a Black?"
"By all intents and purposes, you are a Black." Sirius tells him. "During the war, I had no idea if I was going to survive. I knew that if I died then Lucius Malfoy's newborn son would be next in line to become Head of House Black. I didn't want that prick, Malfoy, to get his hands on my family fortune. As I had yet to be disinherited and in case I never was, I took a big risk to you my heir."
Sirius shivers at the recollection of what he had to do to make Harry his heir, if anything has gone wrong, he probably wouldn't have lived. "With your parents' permission, I performed both a Blood Adoption Ritual and a Magic Infusion Ritual on you. With both rituals completed successfully, you became recognized as a Black through both blood and magic."
"How was it risky?" Harry's not even sure if he wants to know, but curiosity killed the cat.
"If something went wrong with the Blood Adoption Ritual, I would have died." Sirius shivers again, if something had gone wrong the ritual would have drained out all of the blood in his body. "As for the Magic Infusion Ritual, if it went bad, I could have permanently lost my magic and in some cases being stripped of your magic can kill you."
These rituals are normally illegal, but there's an amendment that allows the rituals to be conducted legally if the house or populus is at war. Since, at the time, the populus was in a civil war brought about by Voldemort, Sirius was legally allowed to perform both rituals.
These rituals are a fail-safe for when the main line of a House doesn't have a successor in non-peaceful times. By using these rituals the main line of the House can continue on through the adopted child. When the rituals are performed, they're normally done in secret to protect both the child and the main line from being killed off by branch families, in other words, to prevent Line-Theft.
Harry decides to ask something different. "Is there anything I need to know about being a head of two houses?"
Sirius answers, but the further he gets in the explanation, the bigger his Cheshire smile grows. "Being the head of both houses just means that you are in charge of both families. Anything that involves the family needs to have your permission. That plus you'll be holding two hereditary seats in the Wizengamot; your vote will count twice, once for each house." He takes a pause to wink before continuing, "You'll also need to take a wife for each house!" Sirius waggles eyebrows and gives Harry a thumbs up.
"What!? Are you serious!?" Harry yells in panic as all the blood drains from his face.
Sirius slaps his chest with both hands before throwing his arms out wide with shit-eating grin, "I'm always Sirius!"
"Ha!" Grushack laughs, pointing one of his long fingers at Sirius, having appreciated the joke.
Harry ignores his godfather's antics, "How does that even work!?" Harry runs a hand through his hair, "Isn't that illegal!?"
"Maybe in the muggle world it is, but we're not in the muggle world." Sirius calmly replies, but still smirking.
"Do I really have to marry two girls?" He asks in desperation.
"Yes," Is Sirius's short and simple answer, "if you don't have a wife for each house by the time you turn twenty five, the Wizengamot will select one for you and you really don't want that to happen."
Harry's head drops in defeat at the answer. Sirius puts a supportive hand on Harry's shoulder, "Just think about it… two wives! Every man's dream! And you get to live it!"
"That's not helping." Harry's response is barely audible.
"Harry, it was either you or the Malfoy spawn getting a second wife and the entire Black fortune." Sirius shrugs, "I chose you. You already found your first wife, you just need to find one more."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Harry tells him, refusing to acknowledge the implication. "What about having a kid yourself and making them the next Head?"
Sirius takes a moment to answer before sighing out an answer. "…I can't. At least, not anymore. Azkaban really screwed me up, but at least there's a good side to it!" He tries to smile jovially and nudges Harry with his elbow suggestively, but it lacks some impact, like his heart's not in it.
Realizing he hit a sore spot, Harry gives up arguing for now. "Ok, I'll… try to get over it."
Seeing that Harry isn't really convinced, Sirius puts a hand on his shoulder. "Think of it this way, Pup." He squeezes Harry's shoulder. "You'll be protecting a girl from the Malfoy spawn's grubby little hands."
Sirius just said the exact words he needed to in order to convince his godson to agree, albeit still reluctantly. If Harry were to refuse to become the HoH Black then Draco would become the HoG and need to have two wives. He wouldn't want to subject any girl to such suffering, much less two of them.
Harry sighs in resignation and lifts his head up, "Ok, fine… I'll do it."
Sirius grins and slaps Harry's back encouragingly, "That-a-boy, Prongslet! Protect the damsel from the troll!"
Harry cracks a smile at the insult. "No, the trolls are Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy's a glorified gnoll." Account Manager Grushack grins ferally at Harry's comment; goblins have a long standing and immense hatred for gnolls. Gnolls are hyena-like humanoids, like bipedal hyenas with near-human intelligence.
Goblins hate gnolls more than they hate humans, which is saying a lot because goblins really hate humans, well, most humans anyway. Their hatred for gnolls runs so deep into the Earth that if a goblin sees a gnoll, they'll immediately attack them and they'll continue to fight until one or both of them are dead.
"With that out of the way," Sirius says, changing the subject, his voice drops from a playful tone to a serious one. "Account Manager Grushack, we were advised to come here to have the cursed scar on Harry's forehead identified and, if possible, removed."
"We can analyze it, but it'll cost a pretty sickle." Grushack says, holding up his hand and rubbing three of his long fingers together. His eyes narrow shrewdly at the prospect of making some coin.
"Ok, how much?" Sirius doesn't seem worried about the cost.
"It's 1,000 galleons for our high tier magic detection, 125 galleons for the mid tier and 25 for low tier." Grushack taps his fingers on his desk in anticipation, knowing for sure that a Black will go for the high tier version.
Sirius doesn't skip a beat and immediately chooses the option Grushack anticipated. "We'll go with high tier, it'd be a waste if we went with mid tier and it couldn't be identified."
"Indeed." Grushack agrees with a sharp nod. He jumps off his chair and heads to the door of his office. "Follow me, I don't have all day. Time is money and I don't like wasting either of them."
They follow Grushack out of his office and venture further into the depths of Gringotts. Eventually they reach a large and very dimly lit room. The walls and marble floor are covered in blood-colored runes that are laid out in intrinsic and unique patterns. The runes pulse with a feel of strong and ancient magic and are the only source of light within the room. The room itself is practically empty; the only things inside it are a large archway in the dead center of the room and a wooden desk right beside it.
Before they can enter, a new goblin appears out of nowhere, standing next to the entrance and blocks their path with a spear. "Halt wizards!" The goblin that stops them is dressed in black dragonhide armor and doesn't look friendly. "No wands or enchanted items are allowed beyond this point!" Then he points to an ornate white and gold box on the other side of the hallway. "Remove any and all magical items and place them in that box. If you are the one to go under the arch, you must take off your outerwear as well."
Now Harry's feeling very uncomfortable, he didn't know he'd have to remove most of his clothes. He doesn't want anyone to see his scar/burn matted skin, but he doesn't have much of a choice if he wants to find out what's in his scar. Harry slowly, and with great unease, takes off his gray robes and the shirt underneath, leaving him bare chested with all his humiliation revealed to the several prying eyes.
When Sirius sees the scarring and the burns that riddle Harry's torso and back, he wants to put the Dursleys through everything they did to Harry, but several times worse. His anger burns like a raging fire that if it was a real fire, a person would be burned to a crisp just by standing within 10 feet of him.
The two marks that make Sirius the most furious are the large cross burnt into Harry's back and the word 'FREAK' just above his posterior. The word was cut into his skin by some sort of bladed edge. If killing Harry's relatives wouldn't separate him from his godson again, he'd do it heartbeat and he'd be proud of it.
Grushack's and the guard goblin's reactions are not what Harry is expecting, they give him a respectful nod. In the eyes of the goblins, Harry is a warrior. Anyone that has been through so much torture, without breaking completely, deserves respect. The fact Harry is so young only adds to their admiration of the boy's strength of will.
The respectful gazes of the goblins unknowingly remove a small portion of Harry's self-pity and doubt. It is this moment that Harry starts to accept his past abuse, even if he doesn't realize it yet. The road to self-acceptance is hard fought and emotionally treacherous, but today marks Harry's first step on that long road.
After Harry's down to just his boxers and Sirius having left everything magical inside the box, the guard goblin speaks. "Wizards, you may now enter the Ancient Room of Magic Revelation." He removes his spear from blocking their path, but stops Harry with his words before he enters.
"Stand straight, scars are not shameful." The guard goblin says with guttural and spiteful growl. Although he admires the boy's willpower, he had noticed the young wizard's reluctance to undress; he can almost feel the shame radiating off the child wizard. He detests when someone is ashamed of their scars. He views scars as the pride of a warrior and being ashamed of them is an insult to warriors, like himself.
Harry looks at the goblin with surprise and straightens his back unconsciously. He doesn't get a chance to speak before the goblin continues, "Scars are medals of Honor and a warrior's pride, do not belittle us warriors by feeling shame over your scars."
Harry has never thought of his scars as medals of honor before. He's only ever thought of them as shameful; something that should never be shown to anyone. But now, in front of him, there's a goblin giving him a new perspective. Harry's inner turmoil passes, he might not want to bare his scars openly like the goblins do and he still wants them removed, but now… he can start to accept them. Harry's expression hardens as he asks for the goblin's name.
The guard goblin's eyes narrow in suspiscion and growls out a response, "I am Black Guard Kithlock."
"Hello Black Guard Kithlock, I'm Harry Potter." Harry introduces himself and holds out his hand for a handshake. Although surprised, Kithlock cautiously grabs the young wizard's hand and shakes it. A handshake is a sign of equals, wizards have never viewed goblins as equals.
"Thank you for the advice, Black Guard Kithlock." Harry says to the armored goblin. Kithlock grunts in acceptance before turning forward again.
Harry walks through the large doorway into the Ancient Room of Magic Revelation. Harry's walking with his back straight and a new sliver of confidence. Sirius nods and thanks Kithlock as well for what he said before following after his godson. Being able to come to grips with one's past abuse is difficult, he should know. The goblin deserves the thanks for helping his godson, even if it's just a little bit.
"Mr. Potter please step under the arch and do not move from under the arch until I tell you to." Harry does as Grushack says and steps under the arch. A moment after Harry steps under the runic arch, an intense and heavy pressure falls upon him. The sudden impact brings Harry to his hands and knees. The pressure feels as if it's trying to flatten him like a pancake.
The pressure is not normal, it's a pressure that hits his soul, not his body. Even though it's not his body feeling the pressure, it still reacts as if it does because the body and the soul are interconnected in many ways.
The force is so great that Harry is reminded of a Greek myth. He feels like he's become the Greek Titan, Atlas, who was forced to hold up the sky.
Putting pressure on a soul is different than putting pressure on someone's body. If a person's will is too weak, they'll fall flat on their face, even if they're the strongest man in the world. Only those with a strong will can stand tall under this type of pressure.
Grushack didn't warn Harry of the pressure because he wanted to see the boy's strength of will. Most wizards would have instantly passed out or been forced flat against the floor, unable to move.
Harry clenches his fists and jaw as hard as he can, too stubborn to let the magic pressure win. With great difficulty, Harry lifts his right leg and puts the sole of his foot on the ground. He puts all the strength he can muster into the leg, attempting to stand back up. It takes several attempts, but he successfully stands up with both feet firmly planted on the ground.
Through stubbornness and sheer willpower, Harry makes it to the end still standing. The moment the pressure is gone, relief spreads through him and he collapses to the floor in a heap. The whole scan took a little over 10 minutes, but for him, it felt like an eternity.
"Harry!" Sirius panics and attempts to rush over to him, but Grushack stops him.
"He's fine." Grushack states coldly. "He's only a little fatigued. You cannot approach the arch as you are still clothed."
Harry takes a few minutes to rest before unsteadily getting to his feet and walks over to Grushack and Sirius. Once he reaches them he falls on his rear in exhaustion. Sirius bends down to put a supportive hand on Harry's shoulder and asks if he's ok. Harry gives a slight nod, too tired to answer verbally.
Grushack walks over to the desk and grabs a piece of parchment that is filled with information. Sirius tries to see what's written, but he doesn't know how to read the goblin language so he gives up and waits.
"Mr. Potter." Harry looks up at Grushack when the goblin calls his name. "From what I have here" He waves the piece of parchment. "There are two worrying parts of the analysis." Grushack pauses to give them a moment to prepare themselves. "The first one is that within the scar on your forehead is a foreign soul fragment that has been tainted by the foulest of magics. I have good reason to believe that it is a soul shard of the abomination that gave you that scar."
"Voldemort's soul? Can you get rid of it?" Sirius asks darkly, unlike most wizards, Sirius is no longer afraid of the name. He always took satisfaction from the angry responses he got from saying it. He would always use the name whenever his Death Eaters prison-mates tried to antagonize him. The small satisfaction would only last until the next round of Dementors, but it's the little things that count.
"I'd have to talk to our curse-breakers, which I'll do after the meeting. I'll mail you the result." Grushack tells them.
"What… can it do?" Harry asks worriedly as he thinks about it. The disgust he feels from learning about the shard is enough to make him want to take 10 showers. 'Of course I somehow have a shard of Voldemort's soul in my head, but it does explain why I got so many headaches around Quirrell… oh right didn't Quirrellmort break into Gringotts? I wonder if they ever found out it was him.' Harry unintentionally pushes the thought to the back of his mind when Grushack speaks again.
"At the moment, the shard can't do anything except syphon a small portion of your magic." Grushack says, relieving the two humans of some worry. "It is currently being held back by the protection within your blood. You have until your 17th birthday to remove it, otherwise there may be some complications. As for what those complications are, I am unable to say."
"Ok, what about the second worrying part?" Sirius asks, not wanting to beat around the bush.
"There is something hidden inside Mr. Potter's magic core, something of which our arch could not identify. What it could find out is that the seal on his magic core has been mutated by Mr. Potter's own magic for his protection." Grushack goes on to explain that the arch's analysis shows that Harry's magic mutated the seal on his core. If the seal is removed before the soul shard is taken out, then whatever hides inside his magic core would be influenced by it and/or vice versa.
Harry and Sirius both agree that waiting to get rid of the seal would definitely be the best idea. At least until they can have the soul shard removed. "Will Harry have any problems with casting magic while the seal is still there?"
Grushack shakes his head negatively, "According to the arch, although the binding is unusually strong, binding 65% of his magical strength and the 3% syphoned by the soul shard, he's still magically stronger than the average wizard of the same age with just the available 35%."
"Bloody hell, Pup!" Sirius yells joshingly with his hands flailing above his head, "You'll be attracting all the birds!"
Harry groans in exhaustion and agitation, hoping his godfather is pulling a prank on him. "How did you get that from me having a stronger than normal magic core?"
"Witches are unconsciously drawn to strong wizards, it's an attractive trait. So, once your seal comes off, you'll be getting the attention of quite a few witches."
"Can I keep the seal on then?" Harry asks pathetically, already knowing the answer.
Grushack answers him, "You'll want to have the seal removed before your 17th birthday. If you still have it, there's a relatively high chance your core will rupture when you go through AMM."
"What's AMM?"
"Adult Magical Maturity." Sirius answers nonchalantly, thinking Harry just doesn't know the Acronym.
"What's that?" Harry asks him.
"You haven't been told about this?" Sirius's question only gets a negative response. "Muggleborn and muggle-raised are supposed to be told about this when they get introduced to the magical world. I can't see Minerva forgetting to tell you."
"You mean Professor McGonagall? She didn't introduce me to the magical world." Harry states awkwardly, "Was she supposed to?"
"It's part of her job as the Deputy Headmistress to…" He trails off, "If she didn't introduce you… then who did?"
"Hagrid."
"Hagrid!?" Sirius shouts in exasperation. "Why in the name of all that is magic was Hagrid the person to introduce you to our world!?" Harry just shrugs, he doesn't have the answer for that. "I'm going to have a word with Minerva about this."
Sirius just can't wrap his head around it. "Hagrid's a good guy and all, but even if she was too busy to do it herself, Hagrid is not the person she should have gotten for the job! It should have been Filius or Pomona" Harry agrees, Hagrid was not the right person for the job. He left Harry with more questions than answers and actually left Harry to go drink after Gringotts. Harry could have been easily abducted and it was a very likely outcome if someone had realized who he was. That plus Hagrid never told him how to get to platform 9 3/4.
Grushack coughs, interrupting their banter. "I think that's everything, I'll send a letter when I get the answers you seek. I must be going, time is money and I don't like wasting either of them." After repeating his earlier phrase, he tasks Kithlock to escort them back to the main floor. Harry and Sirius get all their things from the ornate box and follow Kithlock to the entrance of the bank.
On their way back to The Leaky Cauldron Harry asks Sirius about magical maturity again. Prompting Sirius to begin the explanation that every wizard is supposed to have known before they go to Hogwarts.
He explains that there are three stages of magical maturity. The first stage is called Juvenile Magical Maturity and takes place on the day a witch/wizard turns 11. After going through JMM they gain the ability to consciously control magic because their magic core has finished constructing itself.
The second maturity is called Youth Magical Maturity and takes place when a witch/wizard turns 13. After YMM their body becomes more in tune with their magic; their blood can now carry it a lot more efficiently and the connection between their heart and magic core is stronger. The stronger connection allows for them to cast more powerful spells without the risk of hurting themselves.
Lastly, the third maturity is called Adult Magical Maturity and takes place when a witch/wizard turns 17. AMM is when your magic core finishes stabilizing and you are no longer restricted in what magic you can learn because it is no longer dangerous. Obviously it can still be dangerous if you don't perform the magic correctly.
"What do you mean by dangerous?" Harry asks, this is a little intriguing.
"It's dangerous because magic, by nature, is chaotic. Your magic core will need more precise control as the complexity of the spell increases." Seeing that Harry is still confused he changes the wording. "Think of it like this, magic is naturally chaotic and hard to control. If you were to try and cast a complex spell, but your magic core can't control the magic enough to perform it, your core could be damaged or worse."
Harry is pretty sure he understands now. "Is that why we aren't taught certain spells and magic until we're older?"
"You got it, Pup!" Sirius gives him two thumbs up. Harry deadpans at Sirius's playfulness and just shakes his head at the child-like antics of his godfather. It makes Harry wonder sometimes about who's supposed to take care of whom.
A girl's voice calls out to Harry just before they enter The Leaky Cauldron. "Potter, I never would have expected to meet you here. And without Granger and Weasley following behind you." The tone isn't cold or insulting, but more like she's stating a fact and slightly teasing him.
Harry finds that the voice came from a girl he barely knows. It takes him a moment to recognize her because he's not used to seeing her without the school uniform on.
The young girl has long strawberry blonde hair that flows halfway down her back, and not a hair out of place. Her piercing icy blue-eyes move from Harry to the crown around them and back again. The afternoon sun gleams off of her light and unblemished skin; which is further accentuated by her gold trimmed white summer dress. A small playful smirk adorns her light pink lips and Harry's silent stare makes her smirk grow the tiniest amount larger. "Don't recognize me, Potter?… Or do you like what you see?"
Harry blinks and a blush creeps up the back of his neck when her words register in his mind. "I do." His eyes widen as he realizes what he just answered and he quickly tries to correct himself while his blush spreads to his whole face. "I mean! I do recognize you!" Her smirk falls a bit at the correction, making Harry feel a little guilty "err… not that you don't look good, you do!… I just said that, didn't I?" Harry says before groaning at his self-induced embarrassment.
His groan sets the girl off and she tries to hide her giggling mirth with her hand and saying something about how he's easy to tease. Behind him, Sirius is barking with laughter at what Harry got himself into. Another groan from Harry gets his godfather to stop, but a few chuckles still escape. "Sorry Pup, but you walked right into that one!" The grin on his godfather's face is quite large.
"I know!" Harry moans in frustration. "Anyway, what I meant to say is that I do recognize you, Daphne." He tries to not make it sound like a question when identifying her. The small smile she gives him confirms he got it right. "It just took me a moment; I've never seen you in anything except the school uniform."
'Which doesn't do her any favors.' Harry mentally adds before he's able to stop his thoughts from going in that direction. "And I'm surprised you're talking to me. I'm pretty sure this is the first time you ever have." Harry feels like he made, at least, a decent recovery.
"Well, with Weasley always hovering around you, I never got the chance to talk to you," Harry scrunches his eyebrows in slight confusion, he knows Ron doesn't like Slytherins, but the way she said it makes it sound like that's not the only thing. "All of last year, he constantly shooed people away from you. Then add on his blatant hatred for all things Slytherin, an~d I think you can do the math."
"What do you mean by 'shooed people away from me', Ron's not doing that, is he?" Harry asks suspiciously, she doesn't have a reason to lie to him, but he doesn't want to believe what he's hearing.
"If telling people 'Harry doesn't wanna talk to yah; he's just too nice to say it' isn't shooing people away, then I don't know what is." Daphne says, trying to imitate Ron's voice and mannerisms to drive, but then she frowns afterwards, feeling disgusted with herself and regrets trying.
"I-I don't see why he would do that." Harry doesn't know what else he can say, 'Was Ron really doing that? Why?'
"You don't have to believe me, but didn't you ever find it strange that people only talked to you when Weasley wasn't around? Which wasn't very often, I might add." Daphne points out, getting Harry to stop and think about it.
'She's right, no one ever talked to me when Ron was around.' There were quite a few times he can recall where several people only talked to him when Ron wasn't present.
She continues to drive the point home, "Until recently, the only one to get past him was Granger." She saw the Witch Weekly article, but she doesn't say that. "But that might only be because she helps him with his homework or does it for him, whichever it is."
"You know, Pup. I think she has a good point." His godfather gets his attention. "From what I've seen of the kid, I can see him doing that. I also remember you telling him off last week about insulting your friends. That might be his attempt to try and push them away from you."
"Thank you, Mr. Black and I must apologize, I haven't introduced myself." Daphne's polite words are backed up with a curtsy. "I'm Daphne Greengrass, it's my pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Sirius nods thoughtfully, "No wonder you look familiar, you're Alyssa and Byron's daughter, how have they been?"
"They're swell, thank you for asking." She dips her head down politely in thanks, "Anyways, I must be going, my mother is waiting for me. Again, it was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Black and Potter I ho-"
"Harry." Harry interrupts, "just Harry, calling me Potter reminds me too much of Malfoy."
"Very well, Just Harry, and you're right, I wouldn't want to sound like that muppet." Daphne grimaces at the thought of being compared to Draco Malfoy, "I hope you think on what I've told you." Once she's out of sight, Harry and Sirius continue their way to The Leaky Cauldron.
They sit down at one of the tables to start talking. "So… what are you going to do about Ron?" After asking the question he pulls out his wand and casts a few temporary privacy wards.
"I… don't know." Harry responds. How is he supposed to handle skmething like this? "I don't want to believe he's been keeping people away from me..."
"But…" Sirius says for him.
"But I can't just ignore what she said because it's true people only spoke to me when Ron wasn't there." Harry finishes, he's hating himself for doubting his friend. "… what should I do, Padfoot?" Harry's tired and upset voice makes him sound like he's lost on what to do, which is true.
"You have other friends, don't you?" Harry nods, "Then kick him to the curb, tell him to stop, try to get him to change, prank the bloody hell out of him, you have a lot of options." A ghost of a smile crosses Harry's lips when he hears Padfoot curse while suggesting to prank Ron. "Do what you feel is best."
It takes Harry a moment to respond, "Can I stay here with you tonight? I don't really want to be around Ron much right now, at least until I've decided how I'm going to handle this." He needs to figure out how he's going to confront him. He'll try and push it from his mind while shopping; it shouldn't be too hard with all the other people going with them.
"Sure Pup," Sirius grins, he'll always help if Harry needs it. "Don't worry about it too much. I'll tell them I want to spend more time with you. I'll tell them you won't be back until your treatment's over too, which starts tomorrow."
Harry gives him a small sad smile. "Thanks Padfoot." He's wondering how not to worry about Ron and everything else he learned today.
Harry and Sirius have a little over an hour left until they meet everyone, so Sirius brings Harry up to his rented room, so Harry can rest. The whole ordeal with the Arch and everything he learned at Gringotts has left him with barely any energy. As soon as Harry lies on the bed, he's out like a light.
A few minutes after Harry falls asleep, Sirius casts some security charms and quietly leaves to go buy an Invigoration Draught in case Harry needs it.
Sirius returns about 15 minutes later and patiently waits until 10 minutes before the meeting time to wake Harry up. He made the right call in getting the Invigoration Draught because Harry is still exhausted. Harry quickly chugs the disgusting draught and almost immediately he's wide awake. The draught only lasts for 4 hours and Harry will crash pretty hard once the effect wears off, so they'll have to make sure they're back in time.
Leaving the room, they head down to the bar, where Harry hears a girl's voice shout his name before he's accosted by a brunette bullet. "Harry!"
Ending Author's Note:
And there it is, chapter 3. I know it's shorter than the my first two, but it does pass my minimum 10k mark. Plus I felt it was a good spot to end. It's just how the cookie crumbled.
PM me or leave a comment on your thoughts or if you have any non-pairing suggestions. I look forward to hearing from you.
Again, I'm still asking if I should change to past tense or keep it as it is. I will continue to ask until I post chapter 5, so I'll only be taking your vote until then. There is a poll on my profile for where you can vote.
Thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoyed it and I'll see you next chapter!
