I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC
Hello guys, Badger here. Before we begin, I would like to say that I have set up a poll, which should be on my profile. The poll is to do with pairings for Harry and James. If you don't mind, I would appreciate it, if you go and put in two votes [One for Harry and One for James]. Just to say, this poll is not guaranteed, so if one choice has 25 votes, doesn't mean that it will happen. This is just to see what people want, which I will take into account when choosing the pairings for the Fanfic.
Anyway, now that's out of the way. Due to a lot of free time, I was able to write this chapter quicker then I was expecting, I hope you don't mind. I am glad to see that people were happy to see the Dursleys gone. In the next chapter, we will see a segment of them in prison, so get ready for that. This chapter is a little bit longer then a few of the others and continues from where the previous chapter ended. This chapter went pretty well, though the Gringotts section was rewritten slightly, so I hope you like it. Enjoy!
Chapter 13
The Potter title and the Albrights
Harry quite liked the apartment they were in. It was a pretty decent size. The kitchen area was by the front door, where a dining table and some chairs sat nearby. After the kitchen, there was the main living room, where there was a black sofa with matching living chairs, which were all pointing to a tv. There were three doors, which Harry had to guess led to a bathroom and bedrooms. All across the apartment, were various book cases and on the far right wall, there was a grand fireplace, which seemed out of place, with the modern steel grey paint work of the walls and wooden flooring.
"This is a nice place" Harry said
"Thank you" James smiled "This placed belonged to my mother, it's a small apartment above a café…she bought it during her final year at Hogwarts, when her parents sadly passed"
"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that" Harry replied "Where are we exactly?"
"Down in Cornwall" James answered "Far enough away from not only your relatives place, but also from the Magical World itself…come on, let me show you to your room"
Harry nodded and followed James to one of the doors on the other side of the apartment. James opened the door where a fairly sized room looked back at the two of them. The walls were a pearl white, with a grey carpet. A small sized, double bed rested against the center of the farthest wall, with a bedside table on either side. There were also a few empty shelves on the wall and a decent sized wardrobe on the left hand wall, with another door next to it.
"I'm sorry it's a bit basic" James spoke up "If you want, you can ask Jinx to change the room to suit your style…that reminds me, I'll have her gather your things and bring them here"
"Thanks James" Harry smiled
Harry still found it surprising how he had only known James for a year and he already done so much for him.
"Don't mention it" James grinned, as he pointed to the other door in the room "That door leads onto my room, so if you need anything, whatever it is, you can get to me quicker"
"I…I don't want to be a burden" Harry said softly
"Nonsense Harry" James waved dismissively "If you need anything…and I mean anything…let me know"
Harry nodded gently, as James closed the door to the room, where he placed an arm around his shoulders.
"Now, there is someone I would like you to meet" He said
"Who is that?" Harry asked
"I'm sure you remember me telling you that Jinx had some help raising me?" James asked, to which Harry nodded "Well, my mum became good friends with the owners of the café, so Jinx had instructions to take me here, should something happen to them, where the owners can help take care of me…and I want you to meet them"
"Okay…are they good people?" Harry asked
"The best" James smiled "Come on"
Harry followed James out of the apartment, down some stairs, where they entered a door, which led to a small café. It was empty, besides a plump woman, with fiery red hair, that was slowly going grey. She had her back turned, facing away from the, washing some glasses.
"Abigail, I'm home" James said
The woman put down her glass and turned, only to smile brightly, when she saw James standing there.
"James, it's good to see you dear!" She said, moving from the counter and wrapping James in a hug "How was your first year?"
"It was good, thanks for asking" James replied
"And who is this?" Abigail asked, noticing Harry
"This is Harry Potter" James introduced "He will be staying with me from now on"
"It's nice to meet you Miss" Harry said
"Oh, call me Abigail" She replied, wrapping Harry in a hug
Harry tensed slightly, not used to this kind of contact. If Abigail noticed, she didn't say anything about it, as she released him. James smiled at what he was seeing, before he looked around, with a small frown on his face.
"Where is Marty?" He asked
"Oh, he is out with a couple of old friends" Abigail replied, "He'll be back around dinner I'm sure"
"Well, I'll make sure we're here by then" James nodded "Then we can catch up"
"Somewhere you need to go?" Abigail asked
"I plan to take Harry to Diagon Alley" James replied, seeing as there was no one else in the café "There are a few important things to do there"
"Of course" Abigail nodded, giving James another hug "See you soon"
"See you soon" James replied, returning her embrace, before they went back upstairs, whilst Abigail went back to cleaning
"She was nice" Harry commented, when they entered the apartment
"Yeah, she is" James smiled softly "She is the closest thing I have had to a mother and I wouldn't change that"
Harry wasn't sure what to say to that and moved on.
"Who is Marty?" He asked
"Martin Albright, her husband" James replied "Prefers to go by Marty, he is a big kid at heart, a nice man, I think you'll like him"
"Well, from what I have seen from Abigail, I'm sure I will" Harry shrugged
"Good, they also have a son, who was a wizard, I believe he moved to New Zealand" James added "I believe he was called Zack"
"Have you met him?" Harry asked
"No, never have, anyway come on, let's go to Diagon Alley" James said, looking at his fireplace, before he turned back to Harry "You've never used the Floo system before have you?"
"No" Harry replied "What is it?"
"Well, it is a simple mode of transportation" James explained "with a fireplace that has been connected to the system, you can travel from point A to point B, with a handful of Floo Powder and you destination in mind…want to try it?"
"Sure…it may be better then Apparation" Harry shrugged
"Okay then" James smiled, grabbing a small pouch "What you need to do is, take a handful of Floo powder, step into the fireplace, speak your destination clearly, then throw the powder down…think you can do that?"
Harry nodded, before he took some powder from the pouch and stepped inside the fireplace, which was a little bit cramped. He took a deep breath, before he spoke, following the instructions James told him.
"Diagon Alley!" He said, throwing the powder down
Harry had to close his eyes, because of the intensity of the green flames that lit up around him. When they died down, he found himself flying forward. He opened his eyes, just in time, to catch himself from falling. After steadying himself, he looked to see he was in some kind of store, which was just a massive splash of colour, with sweets, quills and other trinkets. Harry wasn't able to actually explore, when a man appeared.
"Who are you?" He asked "How did you get through to my Floo?"
Harry opened his mouth, but was unable to say anything, as the Floo lit up again and James appeared, though unlike Harry, he didn't fly out of the fire place.
"Oh, Mr Badger, good afternoon" The man said "Is this gentleman with you?"
"Yeah, Harry is staying with me" James nodded
The man looked at Harry, before he noticed the scar on his forehead and his eyes widened.
"Oh, Mr Potter, I do apologise" He said "I didn't realise it was you"
"It's okay" Harry replied
"Well, if you want to browse, feel free" The man replied, before he went back to his counter
Harry looked to James, who just rolled his eyes in mild amusement, before he led Harry out of the store.
"Who was that?" He asked
"His name is John Kent, a bit eccentric, but harmless" James replied "I helped him when a Niffler got into his store about a year ago and he allowed me to use his fireplace for the Floo system"
Harry nodded slightly, before he asked the other question on his mind.
"Why have we come here?"
"We are going to Gringotts, so you can get your title" James replied
"My title?" Harry asked
"Yes, like every other heir to an Ancient and Noble House, you have a title that you will inherit and…seeing as you are the last living Potter, its in your right to claim your title" James explained "Normally, most will wait until they reach the age of seventeen before they claim their title, however, I feel like if you had your title of Lord Potter, it will help should anything happen…I will teach you everything you need to know during the holiday"
Harry nodded, before they entered Gringotts. Even though he had already been in the bank already, Harry still felt a little bit intimidated by all the Goblins, sitting at their desks which almost seemed to loom over him. James, however, didn't seem to notice as he led Harry to the desk at the very front, where he politely cleared his throat, which caused the Goblin to look up.
"Ah, Mr Badger" He said "How can I help you?"
"Me and Mr Potter will like to see whoever runs the Potter accounts" James replied
"Really?" The Goblin asked "Very well, if you will follow me"
Harry looked around, as the Goblin took the two of them down a corridor that was completely new to him. Across the corridors there were various doors, with various names and some kind of crest on them, including: Bones, Malfoy, Black, Longbottom and LeStrange. He even saw a door with Badger above it. He didn't have time to ask about it, as they came across a door, where Potter was engraved on a plaque. Harry took notice of the crest above the door. It was in the shape of a shield, with a golden Griffin, with a sword going across the entire crest. Harry shook his head slightly, as the entered the room, where they were asked to sit on the chairs, in front of a grand desk.
"Wait here" The Goblin said "I will go and grab the Potter account manager"
James bowed slightly to the Goblin and guided Harry into one of the chairs, where he noticed a far away look in his eyes.
"Are you okay Harry?" He asked, sitting down on the other chair
"Yeah, it's just…I was thinking about how my parents" Harry said "Do you know where they are buried?"
"I'm afraid I don't" James sighed "But if I find out, I'll let you know and we can go visit them if you wish"
"Thank you" Harry replied softly
After a small moment of silence, the doors opened, where a different Goblin entered, dressed in a pinstripe suit.
"Mr Badger, Mr Potter" He said, in a scratchy voice "I am White-Fang, the Potter account manager, what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Ummm…James thought I should claim my inheritance, and title" Harry replied, nervously
"Ah, yes…we were expecting you to come here at some point" White-Fang nodded, grabbing a scroll and unfurling it, along with a knife "In order to access the Will and Testament, you will need to give some blood, just slice your thumb and place on the small box at the bottom of the parchment"
Harry looked nervously at the knife. He glanced over at James, who nodded at him. Taking a deep breath, Harry took the knife and gently cut into his thumb, so it drew blood, before pressing it against the box pointed out to him. There was a small glow on his right hand, before a ring appeared on his middle finger. The ring was a golden bang, which wrapped around a beautiful red gem in the center.
"Congratulations, you are now Lord Potter" White-Fang said, as he looked over the Will "As well as the Potter title, you have also been left the entire Potter fortune, consisting of 50 million galleons, as well as the Potter Manor in Somerset, as you are Lord Potter, you will have a seat on the Wizengamot, however as your are too young, you will need a Proxy to hold the seat and take your votes, until you are of age to do so yourself, do you have anyone in mind?"
"Umm…no" Harry replied
"You could ask Amelia Bones" James spoke up "I'm sure she'll agree"
"Well, if she does agree, bring her here to accept the position" White-Fang nodded "If that is all, I wish the two of you a nice day"
James nodded, before he led Harry back out of Gringotts, an arm around his shoulders. Harry was expecting to be led towards the store they came from, but instead he led him to some clothing stores.
"What are we doing?" He asked
"Well, we have gotten rid of you relatives" James replied "but you need some new clothes, whatever you want, my treat"
"James, you don't have to do that" Harry said
"Nonsense" James said dismissively "You won't need much, just some clothes for a couple of days…I'll take you to some muggle clothing stores at some point…just let me do this"
"Ok then" Harry sighed
Harry knew better then to try and stop James. He was going to have to get used to this.
…
It was later in the day and Harry was waiting for James to finish with whatever he was doing. It was around five in the evening and they were getting ready to meet up with Abigail and Marty. Currently, Harry was wearing some of the new clothes James had bought for him. He had to admit, it did feel nice to have his own clothes. It was a few minutes later, when James came out of his room.
"You ready?" He asked
"Yeah, just been waiting for you" Harry replied
"Ok, let's go then"
The café had quite a few people around, but thankfully, they were too busy eating and chatting to notice them. James led Harry to the very back, where the booths were, where they found Abigail chatting with, who Harry guessed to be Marty. He looked to be a nice looking man. Marty was quite tall, with short brown hair and beard, which were going grey.
"Hey guys" James spoke up
"James dear, you're back" Abigail said "Come, sit down"
"Ah, James, how are you kid?" Marty asked, in a thick Irish accent
"I'm good" James smiled "Abigail may have already told you, but this is Harry, he will be staying with me from now on"
"Ah, yes" Marty nodded, extending his hand to Harry "How are you Harry?"
"I'm fine sir" Harry replied
"Call me Marty kid" he replied
"So, you both go to school together" Abigail spoke, being careful do to everyone else in the café around them "Tell us about it"
For the next couple of hours, James and Harry spoke to the couple about their First Year at Hogwarts, as well as other topics. James had even asked about Zack, who was apparently working in a zoo enclosure, which was a surprise to him. Apparently, Zack never keeps a job, wanting to try everything the world has to offer and, apparently, James never expected him to work in a zoo. Harry had to admit, he rather liked the Abigail and Marty. They were fun to be around and were polar opposites. Abigail was straightforward and serious, whereas Marty was childish and eccentric. It was quite funny at times. Harry had to guess that James had taken influence from their behaviour. Harry was quite disappointed that they had to leave, not wanting to end their conversation, but they did have the rest of the holidays to spend time with them. Harry was looking forward to what the future would be like.
…
Lucius Malfoy stared at the book that was in his hand. He knew what this was. He had been overjoyed when he was trusted enough by the Dark Lord, to take care of one of his most prized possessions. At the time, he was disappointed to see it was just a diary, but when he used some diagnostics charms, he found it was full of some of the foulest magic possible. He kept it well hidden for all these years. Lucius almost forgot about it, until recently.
He wasn't sure what he was going to do with it, but he soon had an idea. An idea that would see Mudbloods and the rest of the filth from Hogwarts, which would see the old fool that is Dumbledore removed from Hogwarts and the Wizengamot. When that happened, and his Master rose again, it will be easy to take over and the Malfoys will rise to greatness once more, with the Dark Lords power. The only question was, how to get it into Hogwarts. He couldn't have Draco smuggle it into the castle. Can't risk someone finding it, not to mention that his son wasn't the best with sneakiness and tact, no matter how many times he taught him. This meant he will have to sneak it into some unsuspecting witch or wizards bag. But who?
One name came to mind. Lucius remembered that Arthur Weasley and his department, had been doing raids to see if anyone had dark objects, as well as trying to pass a Muggle Protection Act. If he was to smuggle the diary into the bags of one of his children, they would be blamed for the catastrophe that was soon to follow, ruining Arthurs life and reputation. Yes, it would be perfect.
…
There we are guys, Chapter 13, I hope you enjoyed.
We have met the two people who helped Jinx raise James for the past ten years. What did you think? Even though they weren't in the chapter much, they will appear in others, though I don't know how important they will be. Before anyone asks, with the character Abigail, yes I am making her similar to Mrs Weasley, as I feel like it will be a nice parallel for when Harry actually meets Mrs Weasley later on. As for Marty, he isn't based off of anyone, though when writing this chapter, I considered calling him John [Red Dead Redemption fans will understand]. Do let me know if you will like to see more of them.
I know the moment when Harry uses the floo doesn't make sense, but remember in canon, he used the floo and ended up in a random store in Knockturn Alley, so, I just decided to do something similar. We also had a visit to Gringotts. I have seen many fanfics where Griphook is the Potter account manager and wanted to do something different, so made up a character. I have also read many fanfics where Dumbledore has sealed the Potter Will and Testament but that didn't happen here because...again...he won't be a bad or manipulative character. We also had a brief mention of Black and LeStrange. This was to act as foreshadowing, I guess, for when they appear much later in the story. I also don't mind the description for the Potter crest and ring, I literally put them in google and just took influence from what came back.
The small section at the end, with Lucius Malfoy, was actually not in the chapter originally, but I thought it would be nice to add in, especially as it comes after the moment when Harry believes everything is going right in the world right now.
Finally, I can't remember their name right now, but someone commented saying that James seems to be taking center stage and I need to numb him down slightly. I have mentioned this before, but right now, James is taking center stage, as Harry will eventually become a strong, independent character with his influence, taking center stage. Don't worry though, in second year, Harry will have more time to shine and be the main attraction, with James taking a back step, though I won't tell why. You'll have to wait and see.
I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time.
Badger out
