Chapter Fourteen: The Boy-Who-Lived Returns Pt. I
November 7th, 1984 | Byers House, Hawkins, Indiana
Harry was distracted. As anyone would be when faced with so many bombshells dropped on them in a single week. After the incident in the Upside Down, he had begun to think that perhaps life could become somewhat normal. He had hoped to move back into the Hopper Cabin, continue his work at Hawkins Laboratory, and continue to train Eleven in the use of her abilities. But now everything had changed. He was being forced back into the Triwizard Tournament after discovering that the wizarding world was somehow alive and well. Nothing made sense. How had he not detected any magic being emitted anywhere here in America or the UK? How come whenever he cast 'Point Me' towards Hogwarts, the Ministry, or the Leaky Cauldron, nothing seemed to show up? And how did people know about him? How had he become a member of this wizarding world after being here for only a year?
None of his questions could be answered in his lab, so he decided he would go to MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America). But not without some backup. So, the day after receiving the letter, Harry set off with Hopper, Eleven, Will, Joyce, Johnathan, and Nancy. He had only planned on bringing Hopper, El, and Will. But the others had refused to stay behind, claiming their interest in seeing the wizarding world for themselves. Harry couldn't blame them for their interest and allowed them all to follow him. They took a portkey directly to New York City, where they spotted the Woolworth Building. He hadn't done that much reading about the American wizarding world in his time at Hogwarts, but it was common knowledge among most wizards that the Woolworth Building acted as the MACUSA Headquarters.
It was a very large building, and upon entering they discovered that it was even larger within. The interior was covered in gold, emerald, maroon, and black. Witches and wizards were swarming the large atrium doing their own business. It reminded Harry of the Ministry of Magic. But this place was bigger. As Harry and his group moved through the large lobby, Harry took note of many things. The paper airplane memos and owls flying overhead with letters attached to their legs. House-elves were polishing wands in the corner with a wand-polishing machine Harry had never seen before. And around the entire atrium, there were black-colored elevators transporting wizards and witches up and down the several hundred levels within the complex.
And at the center of the atrium was a monument similar to the fountain in the Ministry of Magic. It was made of four columns adorned with Phoenix statues. And in the middle of those statues were even more statues with the names of witches who lost their lives in the Salem Witch Trials. On the base of the column, Harry read out the words. "Integritas, Unitas, Virtus, Magia. It means Integrity, Unity, Valour, and Magic," He explained.
"You can read Latin?" Joyce asked.
"You need to if you want to make spells. And I can read, write, and speak over a hundred languages. The perks of being programmed by psychopathic murderers," Harry replied cheerfully. Joyce frowned, with Nancy and Johnathan adopting the same expression. Once Harry had reached an empty elevator, the entire group funneled in. They took it up to Level 101. There, they were met with the Wizarding Recourses Department. It wasn't his first stop, but he had questions, and this was the department where questions were answered. So he moved up to the front desk, where he was met with an older witch with a nametag that read 'Spindle'. Harry politely rang the bell, waiting to be noticed.
She glanced up at him, a look of boredom etching across her features. "Can I help you?"
"Yes. My name is Harry Potter, and I had a few questions I would like to ask regarding my status," Harry spoke. The woman perked up upon hearing his name, her eyes shooting up to his forehead. No doubt looking for a scar that he had long since removed. She frowned a suspicious one that seemed to point to her not believing him. Harry sighed. "I haven't stopped at Gringotts, yet. I was hoping that I could ask a few questions and talk to the President. It's an urgent business that can't wait,"
"We need proof of identity and an appointment before allowing meetings with the President," The woman replied.
"I made an appointment last night. As for proof of identity," Harry had to thank the wizard who had sent them those forms of identification in Raccoon City. One of them was the Potter ring, which was proof of the title. Harry pulled it out of his pocket and deposited it onto the counter. The woman's eyes widened, her hand reaching forward to scoop up the ring. She examined it for a moment, before letting out a small sigh. "I apologize, Lord Potter. Of course, we would be willing to answer any questions you might have. As for the meeting with the Madame President, when will you need to arrive?"
"My appointment is in two hours. I wanted to stop by here first to ask a few questions," Harry replied.
"Well then, we'll have one of our advisors meet with you in the meeting room. Just take that door to your left, and enter the third door to the right. He'll be joining you there. Have a wonderful morning, Lord Potter," The woman spoke. Harry smiled and entered the hallway with his group behind him. They all filed into the meeting room in the third door to the right, with Harry conjuring enough chairs for everyone to sit. He was positioned between Will and Eleven, who were both marveling at all they had seen in the atrium. Harry smiled warmly, leaning to talk to them both. "If you think that's cool. Wait till you see Diagon Alley. We'll be going there after I meet with the President," The two grinned, having heard him talk about the magic of the alley a few nights before.
After only a couple of minutes, a young man wearing a three-piece suit stepped into the room. When he turned to them after closing the door, his face took on a hard frown. "I was under the assumption that this building was warded against the no-maj's presence," The man said.
"It is. I've ensured that the wards don't affect them," Harry motioned to the bracelets around each of his companions' right wrists. They were made of gold, and held a bright red rune-stone at the top of each one. They negated the wards against no-maj's. "These people are my friends. I expect them to be treated with respect while within my presence,"
"Of course, Lord Potter," The man bowed. He took a seat across them at the desk and reached down to remove a small folder. After he had dipped his quill in ink, he began. "You said you have questions,"
"Yes, of course. But before we begin, I am going to have to request the use of confidentiality. The things I discuss here cannot be told to anyone outside of these walls. Except for the President of course, but I will be meeting with her after this to inform her of everything going on," The man gave Harry a firm nod, scribbling down 'Confidential' on Harry's file. Once that was done, Harry continued. "I will not tip-toe around this subject, so I will just come out with it. I am not of this universe. I was not born here, and I have only lived here for a single year. Yet here I am, with people acting as if I have been here for my entire life. And even worse, I have been pulled into a Tournament that I have already participated in. I was hoping that you could help me understand why people seem to know me,"
The man was floored by what Harry had seen. He was completely still, and his quill was beginning to drip ink onto the wood of his desk. After a full minute, he shook his head and cleared his throat. "Um...do you have...proof? Of your being from another universe?"
"If you wish to see for yourself, all I need is permission to enter your mind. I'll show you all you need to see," Harry replied. The man seemed unsure, but he nodded nonetheless and lowered his Occlumency shields just enough for Harry to make a connection. Once he was within the man's head, Harry began to show him everything. Harry's entering Hogwarts, participating in the Tournament in his fourth year, going through the Veil at the end of his fifth, his time in Raccoon City, being taken by Death, and his time in Hawkins. When the trip down memory lane was over, the man was stunned. "As you can see, I have lived a life in the wizarding world. And I have lived here for a year. I hadn't even noticed that this world existed until I got the letter stating I was to participate in the Tournament again. I'm not even enrolled in Hogwarts," Harry explained.
"Yes. This is most confusing," The man spoke, rubbing his chin. "All I can tell you is this. Shortly after the death of Lord Voldemort on October 31st, 1971, Harry Potter was left in the care of MACUSA Aurors by an unknown figure who arrived in this very building that night. The infant - you - was given off to a wizarding family somewhere in Pennsylvania, and we never heard of him again. We had wondered why he wasn't enrolled in Ilvermorny or Hogwarts, but we soon gave up on looking, and here you are. I can't explain how you were unable to find or see us either. Because here we are, and we've always been here,"
"And that's the strange part. I've been to both London and New York City before. There was no sign of the Leaky Cauldron, the Ministry of Magic, or even Hogwarts. And the Woolworth Building was the same as it is to the no-maj. Nothing to show signs of magic. And even weirder, this Earth doesn't have Ley Lines like mine. I have no idea how you get magic here," said Harry.
"Ley Lines?" The man asked.
"Lines of magic that surround the entire planet. The no-maj call them longitude and latitude lines. They pump life into the planet and allow magic to take place. But this world doesn't have them," Harry explained.
"We most certainly don't have 'Ley Lines'. But our magic comes from the Sun. Hundreds of wizards and witches have done tests, and the source of magic seems to be within the sunlight. We're not sure how it originates, or how it travels alongside light, but it just does," The Sun? How the hell did the Sun produce magic? And how had he never noticed when he was studying the energy readings of the Sun itself? Perhaps magic was tethered to sunlight, clinging to it until it reached its destination. If that were the case, then it would be unreadable in any no-maj devices. The perfect disguise. Harry's smile widened.
"That's brilliant. It's as if magic is hiding within the sunlight. Using it to reach anywhere and everywhere. With Ley Lines, magic was only possible on the planet's surface or by using your magical reserves. But here, magic is possible from anywhere with access to sunlight. Which is everywhere. That's bloody brilliant," Harry spoke. This opened a whole new world of possibilities. If magic was hiding in the sunlight being projected by stars then that would mean that magic was an integral part of planetary and galactic evolution. And if that were the case, then that would mean that everything was connected through magic. Because magic would be everywhere except within dark matter. And even then, that was untested. Magic could be throughout the entire universe, and they wouldn't know it. "Thank you very much. You've helped me a lot," Harry spoke. He got to his feet and enthusiastically shook the confused man's hand.
Then he left, not waiting for the others to catch up. When they did, Nancy grabbed his arm. "We hardly learned anything back there,"
"I learned more than I thought I would back there. A lot more," Harry said with a smile. Nancy let go of his arm, frowning as she turned to discuss things with Johnathan, who along with the others were very confused. El ran forward and grabbed his hand.
"What next?"
"We speak with the President,"
The President of MACUSA Rosemary Hatch was having an excellent day. Her legislation for elvish rights had been passed within Congress. Her young son had said his first words. And Harry Potter was in her office. The first two were very excellent things. But the third thing was the brightest part of her day. The young Lord had vanished off the face of the Earth in 1971, and here he was thirteen years later sitting across from her in her office. He was exactly what she had expected him to be. A tall, lean young man just like his father. He had long, black, unruly hair. Bright green eyes. But no scar. She distinctly remembered the fact that he had a bright red scar running across her forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt. But his forehead was smooth and scarless. Odd. But she couldn't deny his identity. He had shown her the Potter rings after all.
"I won't keep you long, Madame President. I promise," Potter spoke. "I've spoken with the Wizarding Resources Department, and have had many questions answered for me. But I have a few more that can only be heard by your ears. Firstly, I would like to ask you about my title. I am aware that my family originates from Great Britain. But I have noticed even people here refer to me as Lord Potter. I was wondering why,"
"Well. While you hold no power in the American magical government, you hold great prestige around the world for your defeating Lord Voldemort. Many people recognize that and recognize you despite your lack of a scar. Why is it that you have no scar?"
"I had it removed several years ago with no-maj surgery. I was treated differently from other kids, and so I went to have it removed," Potter replied.
"And the Barrows?"
"Barrows?"
"The family that took you in," Hatch clarified.
"Oh, right. I am unsure what happened to them. The earliest memory I have was in Hawkins, Indiana. Far away from Pennsylvania. Whatever happened to them, I'm unsure,' Potter explained. Hatch frowned. The Barrows too had dropped off the face of the Earth to raise the Potter boy. And here he was stating that they had forgotten him somewhere in Indiana. She would have to launch an investigation regarding their whereabouts.
"You are aware that you are the sole heir to the Barrows title as well? As far as I am aware, they never had children," Hatch commented.
"Hmm...that's good to know," Potter spoke. He was most definitely telling the truth about not knowing the Barrows. The boy showed no sign of emotion at the prospect of their deaths, and it made sense. He hadn't known them and thus felt nothing. Potter seemed to come too from his thoughts and spoke once more. "I also wanted to speak with you regarding the Triwizard Tournament, with which I was recently entered. I am aware that I must compete in at least the third task, but I was wondering if perhaps an exit was possible from the binding magical contract in place,"
"I'm afraid not, Lord Potter. I know nothing about the contract in question, but all magical binding contracts are unbreakable unless both parties agree to dispel it. And seeing as the Ministry has stated you must compete, I'm afraid an exit is impossible," Hatch explained.
"Perfect. Thank you for your time, Madame President," Potter spoke suddenly. He got to his feet and outstretched his hand. Hatch - surprised - reached out to shake it, and watched as he and his entourage of no-maj friends left her office. She was very confused. He had requested a meeting with her just for that? To ask about his title and if he could exit the stupid Tournament? He was very strange. More strange than she had thought any wizard could be. But not as strange as that Lovegood man. He was as strange as they got.
"So you're telling me you got something from that," Hopper spoke, motioning back to the office. "You asked her two questions,"
"I got all I needed," Harry replied simply.
"Which was..."
"Answers. All of my other questions will have to wait until I get to Hogwarts. Only Dumbledore will believe me anyway. That man upstairs only believed me because I showed him everything. And if I know the Ministry of Magic, they won't believe me if I went under Veritaserum and showed them my memories through a Pensieve. They would just claim that I was immune to Veritaserum and that my memories were fake. Dumbledore was there that night my parents died. If anyone can answer my questions, it's him," Harry explained.
"So...to the Alley?" Will asked.
"To Diagon Alley," They all placed their hand on Harry's shoulder and he displaced them directly into Diagon Alley. Or at least what he remembered was Diagon Alley. It partially worked, seeing as they appeared directly within the center of the Leaky Cauldron. No one seemed to care though. After all, it was the entrance to the Alley, and people probably portkeyed here often. Harry led them out of the much cleaner version of the inn and stepped out in front of the brick wall leading into the Alley. Johnathan sighed. "I don't suppose you know what to do here?"
"Of course I do," Harry replied, slightly offended that the young man would ask such a question. He examined the rubbish bin, and followed it up to three, and across the right two. He then pressed down on the brick and watched with satisfaction as the magic went to work. Bricks peeled away from the wall, creating a small passageway that led into the relatively calm Alley. There were few people here. After all, the school term had begun two months before, and people were only here to pick up odd and end things for their homes. Harry smiled. Everyone else was grinning. "Ok. We can all look at the different shops after we've stopped at Gringotts. After all, we'll need some money if we want to get anything,"
"We can get stuff?" asked Will.
"Sure. Once we get access to my vaults, you can get whatever you want," Harry shrugged.
El frowned. "Vaults?"
"Magicals carry their money in vaults down in the depths of Gringotts. But magical currency is different from yours. Americans have pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars. We only have Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. Galleons are gold and the highest currency, being worth roughly six dollars each. Sickles are worth...forty cents or so. And a Knut is worth a single penny or two," Harry explained. "My trust vault was filled to the brim with Galleons the last time around, and I haven't seen the actual Potter Vaults yet. And I have no idea what the Barrows have in their vaults. I'll have to ask the goblins,"
"Goblins?" Joyce asked.
"Yeah, you remember that creature who was polishing wands?" They all nodded. From Harry's reaction to the creature, they assumed it was normal, but they had all been slightly freaked out. "Well, that was a house-elf. They perform magic and serve under families or organizations. Then you have Goblins. They're a warrior race that rose up and eventually took charge in organizing magical currency and banking. Then there are hundreds of other creatures. Merpeople. Dragons. Phoenix's. Thestrals. All sorts of things. But I warn you, don't do anything to anger the Goblins. They'll likely display your head on the steps up there," That seemed to get Hopper's attention, who had begun to puff out his chest during the Goblins' explanation. He deflated immediately and followed Harry up the marble steps.
They stepped into the Goblin-run bank, walking up to the bank teller watching over them from his high desk. "Name and purpose," The teller called out.
"Lord Harry James Potter. I'm here to properly claim my inheritance and to enter my vaults," Harry replied. The goblin frowned but motioned to his right. There, another goblin Harry found familiar was waiting for them. Harry bid the teller a good day and followed the goblin that he identified as Griphook led Harry into a small room. They all piled in, with Harry once again conjuring chairs for everyone. Griphook removed a small bowl and knife from somewhere and passed it across the table. Harry understood immediately and reached out to grab the knife. Without hesitation, he slid the knife across his palm and let his blood pour down into the bowl.
"What the hell?" Hopper grabbed Harry by the shoulder.
"Calm down. It's for identification," Harry spoke. Once the bowl was half-filled, the wound healed without a scar, and Harry was given a blood-replenishing potion. He downed it in one gulp, biting back against the poor taste. He had forgotten how bad magical potions tasted. Griphook took a piece of parchment and carefully pushed it into the bowl of blood until it was completely submerged. Then he pulled it out, and set it down on the table. He vanished the bowl and the blood, and instead watched as the blood carefully drained from the parchment until there was lettering visible. Harry read it silently to himself.
Profile: Harry James Potter
Age: 19
Blood Type: O+
Blood Status: Half-Blood
Titles: Lord Potter, Lord Potter, Lord Potter, Heir Barrow
Harry frowned. Why was 'Lord Potter' on there three times? Griphook explained. "It seems you are the Lord of three different Potter inheritances. Though I am afraid to say we only protect one set of Potter vaults," Harry grinned. He had been a Lord in three universes. Despite what he had heard from others, the magical contract tied between him and the Goblet of Fire labeled him a legal adult, even if the Ministry of Magic disagreed. If he had known, he could have gotten into his vaults the summer before his fifth year. And of course, the mysterious person behind the letter sent to him in Raccoon City had claimed that Potters' inheritance for him. So that made three Potter families and three titles.
"What does that mean, having three of the same titles?" Joyce asked.
"Normally, this would not happen. But the blood states that he has four titles. He will thus receive all of the benefits of being Lord Potter three times over. And will be able to claim the inheritance left to him by the Barrows before their passing," Griphook explained. When asked what the benefits of each title provided, Griphook took on a wide grin. "The Potters were a very wealthy family. Thus, they had many shares within wizarding businesses across the world. Something that your mother tried to broaden. As such, you will be able to claim three times the worth of those shares. You will receive three times the number of seats you hold in the Wizengamot. And you will receive three times the interest on all of your annual investments. But those will be the only benefits,"
"Those are very good benefits," Harry spoke with a matching grin. Griphook's grin increased even further as he pulled out a set of papers that he handed to Harry. After taking a seat, Harry proceeded to sign over three dozen papers that would finalize his inheritance. And when it was done, Griphook removed a small bag from his desk and emptied its contents onto the desk. There were two lordship rings there, along with two golden cards, and a ring with two keys. "The rings are your lordship rings. We will be working to create a second one for your third title. The cards are for shopping. They're each connected to the Potter and Barrows vaults. And the keys are used to enter your vaults. I would advise putting on the rings now, to ensure the claim is successful. We will call you back when your fourth ring is created,"
Harry gave the goblin an understanding nod, reaching down to grab the two rings. His original Potter ring was placed on his right ring finger, so he placed the new Potter ring on his right middle finger while placing the Barrows ring on his left middle finger. A small golden light surrounded the two new rings for a single moment before all was normal. Harry then pocketed the two cards and the ring of keys and got to his feet. "Thank you, Griphook. May your vaults flow with gold and your enemies bleed by your sword," He gave the goblin a deep bow, one that was returned by the grinning goblin.
"May your vaults overflow, Lord Potter," Griphook replied. With that, Harry exited the office. He was examining a small paper given to him by the goblin, which displayed all of the assets owned by the Potters and the Barrows. It read;
Ancient and Noble House of Potter:
Current Head of House: Harry James Potter
Current Members: Harry James Potter
Current Galleon Holdings: 29,475,830
Current Sickle Holdings: 6,940,285
Current Knut Holdings: 12,590,392
Current Properties: Potter Manor (Scotland), Potter Cottage (Godric's Hollow), Potter Cottage (France), Potter Apartment (U.S.A)
House of Barrows:
Current Head of House: Harry James Potter
Current Members: Harry James Potter
Current Galleon Holdings: 0 (See New York Branch)
Current Sickle Holdings: 0 (See New York Branch)
Current Knut Holdings: 0 (See New York Branch)
Current Properties: Barrows Manor (U.S.A)
So the Barrows held no part of their fortune in the London branch of Gringotts. He would have to go back to New York in order to get to that. But it surprised him to see that much in the Potter vaults. He had only ever had less than half a million galleons in his trust vault. But that made sense after all. It was a trust vault for a reason. Harry stopped in front of the carts, seeing that there was only one left. And there were only four seats. Five if you counted the conductor seat. And there were seven of them. Eleven and Will wanted to go on the cart first. And because Harry had to be there to go down to his vaults, Joyce decided to join them, leaving Hopper, Nancy, and Johnathan in the lobby.
The cart ride was exactly like Harry remembered it. Though he couldn't really peer down to see the caves with a terrified Eleven clinging to his arm, no doubt terrified by the speed of the cart. But Will was having the time of his life, shouting with glee as Joyce smiled. But the cart trip ended, and they were now within the small alcove labeled 'Potter'. Harry recognized the Trust Vault instantly. But there was now another vault door to its left. The main vault. Harry pulled out one of the keys on his ring, carefully sliding it into the keyhole before turning. At once, the door popped off of its lock, swinging open to reveal a large room the size of a warehouse. It was split into three neatly organized sections that Harry easily identified. The Library; which consisted of over a dozen shelves filled to the brim with books belonging to the Potter's and his mother. The Relics; a small section made of shelves and chests filled with odd trinkets that had been kept over the centuries. And the last section is the largest. A mountain of gold the size of the Great Hall was sitting on the right side, filled to the top of the room with gold, silver, and brown coins.
"Holy shit," Joyce whispered.
"Agreed," Harry replied. While everyone moved to admire the mound of gold piled in the corner of the room, Harry turned to the goblin who had accompanied him. "How much money is in the Trust Vault?"
"The Trust Vault caps out at 500,000 galleons. If it's lower than that by January 1st, money will be transferred to ensure it's reset," The goblin replied.
"Good. I would like to rename that vault. Could you produce a new key and card specifically for it?" Harry asked.
"Of course, Lord Potter. And the name for the vault?"
"Byers," Harry replied. The goblin smiled, nodding as he stepped back up to the cart. With that handled, Harry turned back to the group and smiled. Perhaps after his hearing, he could kill Voldemort and set things right. Maybe even live a normal life filled with magic, science, and exploration. But even then Harry scoffed. Harry Potter would never live a normal life. It was his destiny to forever be thrown to the forefront of whatever conflict arose next. But perhaps one day he could die in the peacetime between conflicts. Then he would really be able to rest knowing that he hadn't left people behind. Because it was that which haunted Harry the most. That he left behind his friends in the war. And he left his friends behind in the aftermath of an apocalypse. But he had a chance to make amends now. And he would make amends.
