This story is based on characters and developed from some situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter 20
Basilisk on Privet Drive.
1st August. Day 35 continued.
Why had he killed that old caretaker last year? At least he would have been company in this house for him now, if he hadn't, but then the man had been a Muggle and would probably have been poor company in any case. Voldemort looked out of the window of what had once been the dining room in Riddle Manor, his fathers ancestral home. He spent much of the day here, each day since he had arrived, looking out over the village, contemplating his current situation and how he was going to recover from it. For now, he needed to familiarise himself with where he was, this may be his ancestral home, but he had not spent long here, at least in human form. He had spent the last year here, in this room mostly, while he had been in that almost helpless form with only Nagini and Pettigrew for company. While his snake was good company, when she was not hunting, Wormtail had been poor company, useful only to serve. To his right, as he looked out through the glass, was his mothers' childhood home, hidden in the trees. It was a far more modest affair than this, a place easily ignored by most, dismissed as a ruined shack of no importance. It was true that it was not much more than that, even when she had been there. Worse when he had first found it, it was now falling down, collapsing under its own weight, seemingly symbolic of the failures since his return.
To the left of his view he could see the tower of the church, round which was the graveyard, where not long ago he had been restored to human form, then failed to kill Harry Potter. Occasionally he wondered if he would have had more success, if he had remained as he had been, he quickly dismissed those doubts, he was not defeated, he could regain what he had lost.
He had waited years to be able to make his triumphant return, he had planned for it, and its aftermath more than he had even worked out his first rise. Now his plans all lay in tatters, what had started so well had disintegrated around him in an extraordinarily short time it seemed, and he had little information about why or how that had occurred. He was stuck here, as certainly as he had been in spirit form for all those years, and he could not see his way forward, yet. It was a feeling he was not used to, one he had to relieve as soon as he could.
This house was, in many ways, where it had all started, the house of his paternal ancestors, the ones he would not acknowledge if asked. He found it ironic that he would rebuild again starting here, in the room he had killed the last of his fathers' family, except for himself, the ones who had abandoned him to that Orphanage. He had assumed that it had been his father who had been the Wizard, he knew his mother to be dead and in his then naivety he had thought that anyone with Magic would not have allowed themselves to die. So to him, then, it had been clear that his father had been the Wizard like himself. It had been a real shock to discover he had been wrong, to learn his mother had been the witch and of the Slytherin line. He had learnt enough to despise his Uncle as much as he did the Riddles, killing the latter and allowing the former, Merope if his memory served, to be blamed and convicted. His Uncle had been convicted and died in Azkaban, the last in the direct male line of Slytherin, leaving himself as the last of the founders line through his mother.
His maudlin thoughts of the past were dragging him down a path he could not go, but showed him that he was in need of proper company, that his new recruits were too green to provide. However, he would not call Severus, the last of his senior Death eaters, not yet, besides he was not much in the way of a conversationalist. If he called the potions master then he would only be taking the man away from his work, which would put him in a bad mood, not that, that would be anything new, Severus was always in a bad mood. No, he needed someone who was not such hard work, so he called the others. It was not just company he required, he needed food and supplies as well, and he needed someone else here to serve him. Someone to be at his beck and call, just as Wormtail had been. He knew he did not have the resources for that at the moment, he had no one he could spare for that. He stood in the dining room, looking out of the window, watching the village activity in the street below. It was the only entertainment he had, and all he was likely to have, if events since he had arrived were any indication.
He could not leave the house himself, not without being noticed, and his presence noted, word of the odd looking man was sure to spread, he could not allow that. He no longer appeared fully human. His resurrection had not restored his appearance completely, as he had expected it would, he realised that there was a factor he had not accounted for. It seemed that the milk from Nagini, which he had been forced to take to sustain himself for almost a year, had altered the potion when he had entered it. It had been an unknown element in his resurrection, one he had not taken into account, one he could not have expected, but it was his only explanation for his appearance. Having, uncharacteristically, failed to realise that the milk in his system, would act within his resurrection, he now had some snake like physical characteristics, most obviously his nose, which appeared as simply two slits. The only way he would know for certain if his theory was correct, would be to go through the process again, not something he would choose to do soon.
He had not gone further than anyone else towards immortality to throw his Horcruxes away, by using them needlessly. He had hidden them well, no one could find them. One was hidden almost within sight of the window he was stood at, safely concealed in the hovel his mother had been raised in. It had never been the sort of place he could have lived in, a solid shed was a fair description, even life in the orphanage was preferable, it served a better purpose now, hiding one of his anchors to life. He had already checked this hiding place, the night of his resurrection, it was probably the most precarious of the locations they were in, but it was still secure. Reassured he had checked the ones he could, his security was intact at the cave, so he didn't enter, there was no point, the locket was secure. He knew the Diary had been wasted by the now missing Lucius, and he could not enter Hogwarts or Gringotts, but it was safe to assume they were undisturbed. With Nagini at his side again, after she had spent over a decade foraging and staying out of sight, they were all secure so far as he could discover.
He felt a vibration in the wards that he had placed on the building while he had been in hiding here, after he had killed the old man. Someone had passed through them, to enter the house, one of his followers, no alarms had sounded, so it was one of them. He turned to face into the room, Nagini sensed the change and circled him protectively. When the visitor entered the room, they saw it was one of his few new recruits, one yet to earn his Mark, but who had been given the foundations for one, so he could be called as Voldemort wished. This time, however, the man had come here without the need to be summoned.
"My Lord." He bowed when he saw where Voldemort stood.
"What is it?" Voldemort demanded, Nagini stopped circling and looked directly at the man.
"My apologies My Lord, I know I am not expected, but I thought you would want to see this." The man held out a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"Is that the sole purpose of your visit?" Voldemort took the paper from the young man.
"It was my Lord, I have no more commitments until later today, so I thought it best to bring that for you."
"Then, you may make yourself useful to me. You know where the Kitchen is, you will make me something to eat, whilst I read this paper."
The man bowed and left the room, more nervous than ever, while Voldemort looked through the paper. The cover story began a report on some trials, of his followers. Trials, and convictions of a large number of people. He opened the paper, to where the story listed those convicted and their sentence, he quickly realised it was all of his Death eaters, including all his inner circle, except Severus. He let out a howl of rage, how had they managed to catch them all in one go. Reading on he discovered what had happened, he was furious. The Wizangamot had passed a new law and the Ministry had warded public places, to detect and imprison anyone with the Dark Mark, his mark. They had caught almost every one of his followers, no wonder they did not answer. He now had the answer to what had happened to them, but it raised other, more concerning, questions, to which he had no answers or even more than basic information.
How had they discovered a way to detect his mark on his followers, and how had they managed to create a ward that did it? He could not understand it, he had chosen his method of marking them carefully, tested it thoroughly, precisely to prevent this from happening, but somehow a way to do so had been found. He needed a way to discover how the wards worked. Now he no longer had anyone to call on to examine the wards, they were either dead, or in Azkaban, if the report in the paper was anything to go by. What was more they had clearly found the way, without his followers in the ministry finding out or informing him. It was obvious they did not know, or they would not have been captured by it. Meanwhile, he would cease marking his followers fully, at least until he could find a way round this new Ward, until then the basic spell to summon them would have to suffice.
He watched as his only servant present, brought in a plate of scrambled eggs on toast and placed it on the dining table, with a glass of wine and cutlery. "Is that the extent of your culinary expertise?" He asked the man.
"No, my Lord." He replied. "But, there was nothing else in the larder for me to cook with."
Voldemort snorted his exasperation. "You didn't think to fetch more with you, when you came?"
The man shook his head. "I am sorry My Lord, I did not think you would need me to."
"Well now you do know, do not fail me again, you will return later with supplies, tell the others to do the same. I need to plan what I do from here on, and I can't do that on an empty stomach."
"Yes my Lord."
"Well go then, do not take too long about it."
The man left hurriedly, wondering why he had bothered to join this cause. Voldemort sat and ate the meagre meal before it became cold. With the new information he now had, once he finished the meal, he resumed his contemplation of his situation. Once more standing at the window and watching what was going on in the main village street below. He picked up the paper again, only then noticing the date, his anger rose further. Suddenly the paper burst into flames where he held it, he dropped it, cast an Aquamenti to put out the fire, the date on it clear on the floor, it was ten days old. The fool had brought him news that was out of date, he supposed he should be glad that it had been news that was useful, but he still required a current source. The Vicar cycling past on the road below caught his attention, once more he returned to his thoughts and observations, it was the only distraction he had.
After breakfast, the family gathered in Sirius and Bella's lounge at Grimmauld Place, where Griphook, who had arrived from the bank, briefed them on his plan for the day.
"We shall arrive by Portkey inside a warehouse, which you own, Basilisk Holdings cars have already been transported there ready for us, from one of the Muggle companies your Grandfather owned. The cars are appropriately liveried and comfortable, I understand they are regarded highly by Muggles, and of types used even by the Monarch, so should give an appropriate impression. They have been Magically enhanced and protected, of course, and we shall not be troubled by Muggle traffic. I suggest the family travel together in one, security in another and others in the third. We shall use them to tour your new properties in the area this morning before returning home for lunch and for Miss Grainger's arrival. Appropriate arrangements have been made regarding the local police, to allow us priority while we are in Little Whinging as well. After lunch, we shall return by the same route to travel to Privet Drive, where we should be able to finalise everything with Dursley, from what he said to us this morning. Any questions so far?" The Goblin paused.
They all shook their heads, so Griphook continued. "Once we get there, we know they will not react well to discovering who the Earl actually is, however ignore them as much as possible, they have no power in this. I shall conduct the actual transaction, so force them to stick to the point as much as possible. Although we shall have security with us, as we shall this morning, though we don't expect too much trouble from the Muggles. Be ready to draw your wands should it be necessary to defend yourselves, especially this afternoon. The aim is to get you there, carry out the transaction, then leave as quickly as we can, with as little fuss as possible. Once we have the payment, which I expect shall be in Stirling, rather than Galleons, and once I have checked it, I shall send it straight to the vault to be converted and banked for Basilisk Holdings. Naturally we included the fee for the conversion in the debt, so it won't cost you or the alliance a single Knut. They will have no opportunity to retrieve it as we walk away, for example. If it is a Muggle cheque then a similar procedure will be followed, It shall be presented and cleared before they even have chance to close their front door. Thanks to our agreements with the Muggle Banks, processing transactions such as this is completed within minutes, the funds will be cleared, converted and in the vaults, preventing any ability to stop payment. Throughout it all, we shall be in control, no matter what they believe. Right, having heard all that, have you any questions for me?"
There was a moments silence, Harry and Ginny looked round and Harry said. "No, I think we understand."
"In which case I suggest we set off and visit the other properties in the area now and leave time to return here for a leisurely lunch. Then, when we call on the Dursleys this afternoon, we shall be refreshed and perhaps put on a bit of a show to demonstrate just what they have lost." Griphook suggested, with a grin.
"Sounds good to me." Harry said. "Lets go!"
They arrived in the warehouse a few minutes later, to find two top of the range Bentley's and a large Rolls-Royce parked next to each other, facing the door along with a clutch of six large motorcycles. Stood by them was a team of security and three uniformed chauffeurs, who seeing their arrival snapped to attention ready to open the doors.
"Griphook, you do realise this is going to draw a lot of attention when we pass by, let alone if we stop to get out if we wish to inspect any of the properties." Harry observed.
"Too much?" Griphook said innocently, a grin on his face.
Harry nodded, chuckling. "Yep, for this morning at least, maybe keep the motorcycle out riders for this afternoon, they would not be usual for what we plan for this morning, except perhaps for a Royal visit, I suppose."
A few minutes later, they set off with the family in the Rolls-Royce, while their security occupied the other two cars. One of the guards who would be remaining at the Warehouse had opened the door, while another went out into the road to wave them out when the street was clear. They swept out onto the road through the industrial estate smoothly. The Rolls-Royce was second in the convoy, sandwiched between the two Bentleys, each with a flag on the bonnet with the Potter coat of Arms next to the Ashmole one. A small shield with the Basilisk Holdings logo on it, was mounted over the Windscreen of each as well.
They drove smoothly, without haste, along the road that would eventually lead from the industrial area into the main town which it was on the outskirts of. Griphook pointed to one of the signs on the lot they were passing and said. "You will notice that this estate has several properties branded Basilisk holdings, including the lot we have just left and three other empty units as well as four that are occupied. These four are linked with businesses with retail premises in the town, you also own a majority share in the developer of this estate which owns the other twelve lots. There are other properties in the town as well as retail and industrial, of course, all of which now carry your brand."
Once they entered the town, despite the lack of outriders, the short convoy still attracted attention from the pedestrians out and about as they passed. Harry recognised where they were, though he had not ventured this far from Privet drive often. He knew a couple of Dudley's friends from primary school lived in this part of the town, but he thought that these particular ones had lost touch with his cousin. He knew they had gone to a different secondary school than Dudley, though he knew his cousin still had a core gang who had gone to Smeltings like he had. There was little for them to see of their property in this part of the town, but soon they reached the town centre and the main concentration of the local business investments they had gained.
They left the cars to walk through the main shopping area, where they could see Basilisk Holdings added to signs of a number of shops. Not to mention to the name of the small mall off the main street, which it seemed they owned entirely. Griphook gave them a report on what the holding on each property was, some it was simply the business, others it was the building, and some it was both. Harry found it interesting the variety of trades that Vernon had bought into, he had no doubt many were ways of trying to get influence with the local big wigs. While he could understand the link to buying a Hardware store, travel Agent and Estate Agent, it was not so easy to see his attraction to a health food store.
Harry saw a few people he knew as they toured the street, he didn't approach them, they had never been friendly towards him when he had lived here, besides they showed no sign of recognising him or wanting to speak. That amused him, he knew he had changed considerably, thanks to the bindings on him being released, and they would not expect him to be accompanied by a girl, especially one like Ginny. Neither would they expect him to be dressed as finely as he was, or be accompanied by people who were obviously there for the security of the couple. It also meant that word would not reach the Dursleys that he was in town this morning, before the visit to them later. In a way Harry was sorry not to see any of Dudley's gang though, seeing their faces if they recognised him would have been worth it, but it seemed none of them were there this morning. The sensible part of Harry was glad of that really, he knew it would likely have caused a scene and drawn more attention to them than they were already receiving. Indeed, some of those out shopping had stopped, to try to see what was going on. Especially when a few of the proprietors of the businesses they took an interest in, came out to greet them, some with samples of their products.
Once they had seen all they needed to in the shopping mall, they returned to the cars which took them to Grunnings, where they met the management team and toured the factory. The absence of Vernon from the factory today and mews of his demotion seemed to have cheered up the staff, at least from what Bill had told him of the atmosphere at the plant the day before. There was no mention that he may not be returning at all, that news could wait until it was certain, one way or the other.
The factory was a well-organised plant, heavy casting and engineering in one area, producing large drills such as those required for oil rigs. Grunnings produced all manner of drills, from those right down to ones required by dentists, vets, and surgeons. These were produced in sterile laboratories at the other end of the site, well away from any possible vibrations from the heavy work or even the road. The company got all its metal from its own works in the North of England, so could control the quality of the materials used, the furnaces also supplied metal for other purposes to other manufacturers.
Apart from manufacturing the drills, there was a large design department that looked after the companies requirements, from drills, to the packaging, labels and letterheads. There was even a moulding shop where plastic cases were made for the hand drills as well as the protection of the bits that required it. As a whole the factory was well-organised, with only the non-metal raw materials from sources that were not in house.
They finished the tour of the site and returned to the cars once again. Journeying back to the industrial estate by a different route, so they could see two other companies bought with Grunnings money. One of the companies produced and maintained the machines required by much of the factory, the other was a building and builders merchant supplies company. That business could maintain all their holdings in the area, and had built the estate that included Privet Drive. When they reached the industrial estate they saw the distribution site for the company, which had good access to the roads out of the area to the rest of the country, airports, and the continent. The yard held a number of trucks awaiting use and different types of trailer should the need for them arise. They reached the warehouse where they had started, and took a Portkey back to Grimmauld place, leaving the cars and motorcycles securely, ready for use in the afternoon.
While they sat waiting for Hermione to arrive, Bill told them that he had received a report from the team they had watching number four in Privet Drive since he and Griphook had left this morning, as a precaution. They didn't want to be walking into anything unexpected this afternoon, Bill was glad they had. He was concerned about some of the contents of the report about the activity at the house, while they had been out. "Petunia has been trying to convince the neighbours that yesterday was all a terrible misunderstanding, and they would see it resolved this afternoon when they welcomed an Earl to their house. Her story was that he was coming to see them especially, leaving the question of why for the neighbours to surmise, confident they would believe it was to her family's benefit. Apparently she has no sense of what they have done and is trying to save face, though she is not having the effect she believes. However, foolish as she may be being, more concerning is the latest news that a large vehicle arrived in Privet Drive after our visit this morning, and a substantial woman with a number of dogs has arrived at the house. She and the dogs were welcomed into number four, with open arms, she may add to the difficulties of the day. At the very least, she is a complication, an unknown."
"That would be Marge Dursley." Harry told them. "Vernon's elder sister, she is just as bad as he is, if not worse, but she owns several dogs and uses them as her weapon. She provoked me more severely than usual, and I accidentally inflated her, so she floated away, a couple of summers ago. The ministry deflated her and modified her memory, so she will not remember it. I doubt she knows anything about our world, unless Vernon has told her, which is unlikely to say the least. She believes the Dursleys tales about my parents being unemployed drunks and that I go to a school for criminally incurable boys."
Bella shook her head and snorted. "Stupid people!"
"I remember you blowing her up." Ginny grinned. "It was the summer Sirius escaped from Azkaban, we went to Egypt to see Bill. You stayed at the Leaky Cauldron after you did it, didn't you?"
Harry nodded. "Yep, Fudge met me at the Cauldron, when I arrived. First time I used the Night bus too, which was memorable. Anyway, I had the rest of the holiday there and in Diagon Alley, got to know Tom and Florian quite well, as well as a few others. That was all because of Sirius as well you know, I heard a noise after I left the house, used my wand to light up the place and there was Padfoot. I had no clue it was you though Sirius, all I knew about you then was from the Muggle news. You were a dangerous, escaped prisoner, according to them. All I knew was what I could see, quite a large black dog where one should not be. You barked, the only dogs that had ever barked at me were Marge's, just before they attacked. So I stuck my wand out in case you went for me and with a bang the bus arrived and took me to the Cauldron. She makes Vernon look pleasant, however she has money, where from I don't know, though she does breed dogs and sell them."
"Sorry about that Harry, I was worried about seeing you out that late, but couldn't reveal myself to you." Sirius said. "I had no idea what your reaction would be, but I was desperate to see you, to reassure myself you were fine, then I was going to try to track down the rat."
"I know, but looking back, it does seem odd that I had no guard or anything in Diagon that summer, when you were supposedly coming to murder me." Harry grinned.
While they had spoken, Griphook was quickly looking through the file he had on Grunnings, then brought out a parchment. "Ah yes, I thought it was familiar, Margery Dursley? She is listed as the tenant of another house bought by Grunnings. Quite odd really, it is the only actual property outside the town that was bought in the company name, apart from shares of course. The Metal works was set up at the same time as the founding of the factory, long before Dursleys' involvement. We shall be seeking a large amount of money from her soon, in unpaid rent, payment of which seems to have been overlooked, since the house was acquired. They bought it some time ago from her original landlord, at a very favourable price. Having looked at the description of the property, it is quite a large home with a good chunk of land, including a barn, stables, and paddocks. Presumably she uses the buildings for breeding the dogs and the land for exercising them. We shall be able to investigate further, and I suggest we do that before acting."
Harry and Ginny nodded. "That seems like a good idea Griphook." Ginny said.
Griphook nodded then continued. "It seems we have caught up with her brother before we did her, but that is not a problem, we shall simply deal with them separately. As we are so far along with Vernon Dursley, I suggest that so long as they pay off the debt, then he may leave Grunnings, and we leave his sister for another day. Vernon will still lose the Privet Drive house, which belongs to the company, of course. After all, they are not suitable as Tennant's for it, either. Weasley, I think it wise if we increase the security for our visit there, we shall leave as planned after lunch and after Miss Granger has arrived to allow time for that to be arranged. Ensure the local Muggle Police are informed that we shall be there in an official capacity with escort. Inform the Dursleys of the time we shall arrive, ensure they realise that the Earl is too busy to spare more than a few minutes to deal with this. They are not to waste his time, or that of his entourage."
Bill looked to Harry and Ginny for agreement, which he got and left the room to make the arrangements. It seemed that any thought of a subtle arrival had been abandoned in favour of putting on an impressive show. A type of shock and awe approach, sending a message to the Dursleys that they were not in charge and would not intimidate anyone who was with the Earl.
Hermione arrived at the house with Bill, who had gone to collect her, just before lunch was due to be served. She made her way up the stairs to see the family, she was greeted warmly by them all as they walked into the lounge.
"Good to see you Hermione." Harry gave a cheeky grin. "Did you have a good Holiday? How are your parents? Are you okay? How much did you miss Neville? How many books did you read? Was the beach good? What about the hotel and the food? Was the weather good? Did you go sightseeing or just stay on the beach?"
The others laughed at his multiple questions, delivered in the rapid fire style Hermione had often employed.
Hermione joined the laughter. "Good one Harry. I am glad to see that you are still coming out of your shell, believe it or not, you are getting stronger too. To answer your questions, if I can remember them all. The food was fantastic, as was the hotel which was right on the beach which was amazing. It was sunny all the time during the day, though we had a couple of spectacular thunderstorms overnight while we were there. I am fine, my parents are too and send their love, it was a great holiday, yes we went sightseeing there wasn't that much time for reading, but I got through five books anyway. I have presents for you both, it was a good relaxing holiday, though it ended quite interestingly once I got home." She lifted what looked like a glowing egg from her pocket, which she had enchanted to protect the delicate object, hoping it would distract attention from her failure to mention Neville in her answer.
Bill's eyes widened. "Is that a Phoenix Egg?" He asked.
Hermione nodded. "Yes, it's Fawkes, it seems she was only with Dumbledore because he forced her to stay with him through a spell, he drew power from her as well. She got free and bonded to me yesterday, before burning."
"So the leader of the light is not as light as he would have us believe, and has never been truly bonded to a Phoenix, but tries to force a bond instead." Bella observed.
"Today just gets more and more interesting doesn't it." Sirius grinned.
"Not too interesting from now on I hope." Harry said darkly, causing Hermione to instantly look worried.
Griphook nodded and she asked. "Okay, I have known life can be quite interesting, so to speak, with you since first year Harry, but what is going on?"
"Well we are in for a potentially difficult afternoon, Griphook, would you let Hermione in on the plan and the background to it please?" Harry asked.
The Goblin nodded and explained briefly what they had planned for the rest of the day to her.
Once done, Bella interjected. "Right now that's done, we shall eat, we haven't eaten yet, Hermione, thought we would wait for you to arrive, hope that's alright?"
Hermione was deep in thought, but had heard every word and shook herself. "What? Oh, yes that would be great, I left the house before lunch, so haven't eaten either, is it okay if I join you?"
Sirius chuckled. "Of course Hermione, that's what we expected in any case."
"Oh? Oh yes, of course and I shall be happy to help you this afternoon, Harry, it's what friends are for. Which reminds me, I have a Birthday present for you, I shall get it out of my Trunk for you later."
"Thank you, Hermione, for both things." Harry grinned, then added. "Besides, I, for one, can't wait to hear more about your Holiday Hermione, and we really must find out how much you missed Neville."
Everyone laughed as Hermione went bright red.
"Oh, that much." Narcissa chuckled.
Neville arrived a few minutes later, just as they were sitting at the table. He was expected to join them for lunch, although they had not set a time, being unsure when they would be eating. He would also be with them during the events of the afternoon, another person to help give Harry moral support, returning to the place of so much torment for him.
Of course his arrival, so quickly after Hermiones' embarrassment and the laughter that had ensued, meant that the mirth in the group resumed as he walked in which caused some confusion for him as he crossed the room to greet Hermione. Ignoring the hilarity they were causing she hugged him then held his hand, as they walked to the seats, which somehow had been left for them, next to each other.
They ate lunch in their private dining room, while Hermione told them about her time away exploring both Muggle and Magical sites. She even admitted to enjoying the days her parents had insisted she spent relaxing on the beach, where she had gained the attention of quite a few young men, and a couple of girls as well. She may not have taken any of them up on their offers, she was not looking for a holiday romance. Naturally she had been flattered, really enjoyed the attention and not been unfriendly with any of them, though made sure not to encourage them romantically. Hermione told them about their journey home and how it had been the smoothest international trip they had ever had by Muggle means. Then she described how Fawkes had arrived and what had happened when the Phoenix had bonded to her.
As they were to put on a bit of a show that afternoon, to demonstrate to the Dursleys just who they were dealing with, after they had eaten they dressed to impress, men in suits, women in smart business clothes. Bella and Narcissa under the guidance of Hermione, while Harry had ensured Kreacher knew what to put out for Sirius and Draco, and he had asked Dobby to ensure Neville had what was needed. Together they made a formidable impression, sure to impress any Muggle businessman, Harry was surprised at how confident the clothes made him feel, which helped him to dispel the nerves he felt to some extent. It was never going to be easy to return to that house for him, but at least he now felt that he was ready to face it. Before leaving the house they cast cooling charms, so they would not feel the heat while at Privet Drive, then they all gathered to take the Portkey to the warehouse once more.
The heat wave that had stricken the Muggle world for so long, had still not broken, much to the annoyance of the residents of Privet Drive, along with that of the rest of the country. Those who lived in that particular street had, for a change that day, something else to talk about other than the weather. In almost every house they were still chattering about the Dursley's change of fortune, as reported in the first editions of that day's local newspaper. The report was much more sensational in what it said than anything they had seen the day before, and included information about major changes at Grunnings, where the real owner had taken back control from Vernon Dursley. It appeared that contrary to his previous claims, he did not own it after all and the new owner had discovered a number of irregularities, which were now being investigated. There was a lot of speculation about who Dursley had stolen the company from, and what else they had lied about. The neighbours already knew that he and his wife had lied about their nephew and were in denial over their own son, but none had even suspected he had gone so far, until now. Not one of them felt sympathy to the family, but freely gossiped and gloated over their misfortune.
After the humiliation of the day before, the Dursleys themselves, were tickled pink to have so easily persuaded Mr. Griphook to have the Earl visit the house to finalise matters. Perhaps the man was not quite as cunning as he had appeared, they were reassured that he had been so easy to manipulate in this matter at least. It suggested that he may not be the obstacle to them which he first appeared. It had been an idea that Marge had suggested during the telephone call the evening before, have this Earl meet them face to face, butter him up, enable him to see what fine, upstanding people they were. After all, no one of that standing could fail to see the type of people they were. Marge had said they would offer the money, she had it and was happy to let them use it. They would even apologise, if they had to, but take the opportunity to help him see it was all simply a misunderstanding. They were convinced that once they could speak with the man, all would be well and Vernon back in good graces with him sufficiently to be put back in post at Grunnings.
They had to prepare, ensure all was in place to impress, see to it that the neighbourhood saw that yesterday had all been a mistake which they had been the victims of, nothing more. Even before Marge had arrived, Petunia and Vernon had spoken with enough of the neighbours, so they were sure their version of matters, that the Earl was coming to set things right, would spread freely through to them all. Not for a second, did it occur to them that these self same people had read the local paper, which the family had not, and so would wait to see what actually happened rather than take their word. Of course that did not prevent any of them gossiping and speculating, weighing up whether what they had seen and read in the paper, or what they were being told by Petunia, was more likely to be the actual case. Contrary to the Dursleys belief, they were not popular, not since their neighbours had realised the truth about Dudley and then looked at the behaviour of his parents, but none of them wanted to miss what happened. They all hoped for more of what they had seen the day before, perhaps see the Dursleys receive more humiliation. As the Dursleys hoped, there would definitely be an audience when the Earl arrived, but not for the reasons they believed. It would not be one there to admire them and their ability to attract and Earl to their home, but rather, one looking for more entertainment at their expense. Few shared the Dursleys view, that the Earl was coming to set right a wrong done to them and the more their neighbours thought about it, the less likely it seemed. After all, why on earth would he personally come, unless there was something he wanted, rather than something he wished to give.
Marge arrived, along with her pack of Dogs, which always worried Petunia, although she tolerated them she was never keen on them in her house, but she could say nothing about it. Her sister in Law was effectively bailing them out with her own money, so Petunia held her tongue. They each began to work to ensure the house looked its best, though after a couple of minutes Dudley's assistance amounted to staying out of the way in his room playing computer games. Once word reached them of the expected time of arrival of the Earl, Petunia started to prepare delicate canapés and treats with which to tempt him. The warning that the Earl and his entourage would not remain at the house more than a few minutes, was immaterial to the Dursleys. They knew how to impress, they knew they could win him over once they had the chance, then he would remain as long as they desired, not how long his staff had planned.
They ate a quick lunch, then an hour before they expected their guest, as they saw him, was due to arrive, they got Dudley off his computer, and they dressed in their finest, aiming to impress. Knowing the importance of what was happening, Dudley was well-prepared to play his part as the charming son of the host, he had done it many times and knew his role well. He sat with his parents and Aunt, expectantly, confidently awaiting the arrival of the man they needed to sway to their side, trying to watch through the window in anticipation, without being seen to do so from outside. There was not a single doubt in their minds that, despite what Griphook had said, they would be in control of this meeting.
It was in the middle of the afternoon that a motorcycle, with flashing blue lights, stopped the traffic at the end of Privet Drive. It allowed a clear run into the street for a convoy of two Bentleys and a Rolls-Royce, under motorcycle rider escort, which swept apparently effortlessly into the road. A few of the residents were already out in their front gardens, watching, in anticipation of the events they hoped would unravel before them. On seeing the cars' arrival, they quickly roused the others to come out and watch, this could be the start of a momentous occasion. Then one of them noticed the badge mounted over the windscreen of the cars and on the flags on the bonnets. It matched the one that until yesterday had been the talk of many of them, since it had appeared on the street signs for Privet and Wisteria Drives, alongside the name Basilisk Holdings. Some had noticed that name and badge had appeared on a number of properties and buildings around the town. They now all knew who they paid the ground rent to, for the land on which their houses stood, each one of them now realised they had a link to the Earl who was visiting.
Inside the Rolls-Royce, Harry had noticed that they were receiving attention as they drove through the town. A policeman waved them through one of the junctions, though usually two of the outriders leap frogged the cortège to stop the traffic and clear the route. Once they reached Privet drive, he watched as people came out into the street. All of them people he recognised, though despite the years he had lived here, not one of them was a person he knew as anything, but a neighbour and none of whom had bothered with him before. "Looks like we are expected, only Petunia would want to show off to the neighbours that they were paying off a debt." He shook his head. "I wonder if any of them will recognise me?"
Ginny looked at him, she knew he was nervous of seeing the Dursley's again, she squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"Remember." Sirius distracted them. "Let our Security out first, then wait for Griphook to signal that all is secure. I shall get out first, to prevent the Dursleys getting to you before you are out of the car, you follow."
"They know there will be dogs there, don't they? If Marge is here, so will be her dogs." Harry asked, still concerned.
Bella grinned. "Don't worry about that, they will be dealt with if necessary. Security can modify any memories, if need be as well, if we need to use Magic. Now Ginny you stay close to Harry, once we get out of the car, you are easier to protect if you are together. Neville, Draco, and Hermione are in the front car and will form a close escort for you both, we shall complete the party along with the additional Alliance security in the rear car."
The cars pulled up in front of number four, instantly the members of security leapt from the rear car and drivers seats, all in Black suits, taking up positions to protect the group. Neville, Draco, Griphook and Hermione got out of the front car and made their way to the door of the Centre one. The Dursley's appeared at the front door, taking a step out of it, so they could all stand outside it, forming a welcoming group. Vernon and Dudley in their best suits, Petunia and Marge dressed in their finery, all four trying to put on a show of looking proud to be welcoming an important guest.
"Ready?" Bella asked, receiving a nod from Harry.
"As I will ever be." He replied sardonically.
"Remember Harry, you own them, they have no hold on you any more." Bella smiled.
Harry nodded again, just as Griphook tapped on the window and a security guard opened the door. "All is ready for you My Lord." The Goblin announced.
Led by Sirius, who stood slightly to one side to allow space for them to exit, then he and Bella led the way with Griphook.
Vernon led his family forward, extending his arm. "My Lord, welcome to our home." He loudly pronounced to Sirius. "I am so pleased you could come."
"While I am a Lord, I am not the Earl, Dursley." Sirius growled. "Nor is this your home, you are here by the grace of the Earl and you would do well to remember that."
Momentarily puzzled Vernon looked round, looking for another likely candidate, desperate to silence the giggles of those watching them. Seeing the younger members of the party, he spotted Harry, a much changed Harry in the time since he had left their home, but still definitely the runt who had caused them so much trouble. His look of surprise, changed quickly to one of loathing, then he had a thought on how he could discover which of them was the Earl and show up the boy at the same time. "My Lord, are you aware you have a freak, a delinquent boy with you? What are you doing here boy?"
Draco smirked. "Unbelievable, I thought you were exaggerating Harry, but he really is an arrogant buffoon, it is hard to believe anyone can be that hard of understanding."
Neville nodded. "Incredible, I really didn't think anyone could be that slow and not be related to Crabbe or Goyle. Now Dursley why is it you have insisted on disturbing our schedule, dragging the Earl and his lady to this place unnecessarily?"
"Indeed!" Draco added. "Your resignation has been accepted, you are leaving this house, both of which you are doing in disgrace, I should have thought you would want to slink away unnoticed. Any sensible person would have simply, quietly paid off their debt and gone with no further fuss. I suppose it was too much to ask of you though, Harry did tell us you would attempt to make a big deal of this, try to boost your own sense of self-importance, it seems he was not wrong."
In the headmaster's office at Hogwarts, alarms had begun sounding, sparking a flurry of activity from the room's occupant. Weakened he may be, but he had strength enough for what he anticipated would be a simple task. He took the Floo to his brothers' pub, then walked the few steps into the backyard and for the first time in weeks, he Apparated away.
Vernon was unruffled completely by what the two young men had said, he had barely noticed the insults to his character and intelligence. They were unimportant, he was confidant he now knew which of them was the Earl. He grinned and took Draco's arm. "My dear Earl, my apologies for not recognising you straight away. I have no idea what lies the boy has told you about us, or why he would, but rest assured we simply wish to settle matters as quickly as possible. Why don't you come inside, and we can finalise matters properly, without the interference of an ungrateful brat who we took in from the kindness of our hearts."
"Indeed they did Harry!" An unwelcome voice called from the street. "I am glad you have returned here yourself, making it easier for me to return you to the bosom of your family."
Vernon released Draco as they all turned to see Dumbledore trying to get past the security guards. Griphook shook his head and one of the guards waved his wand, the watching neighbours forgot their interest and suddenly had things to do elsewhere. The guards held the headmaster, a distance from Harry, he was gasping for breath and not struggling, so it was not a problem.
Vernon glared at the Wizard. "You won't return that brat here until you have reinstated and doubled what we are paid to keep him."
"Not to mention you had better sort out this whole mess." Petunia snapped.
"Of course, I will set all back to as it should be, you shall receive the payments I arranged for you and have the properties given returned. Just as soon as we get Harry inside, back where he should be and things are back as they need to be for the greater good." The Headmaster said, standing himself up again.
"That will not be possible Dumbledore, but I thank you for that public confession of conspiracy to steal both wealth and a bloodline." Griphook intervened.
Dumbledore snorted derisively. "You think any of that will matter? I am the leader of the light, the most powerful wizard alive, you think your word will be taken over mine once I have set all back as it should be?" He coughed from the effort of trying to sound confident, perhaps this was not such a good idea after all, he would have to salvage what he could and quickly.
"I am not here to bandy words with a delusional wizard." Griphook dismissed the posturing headmaster's words. "I am here to see to the Earl's business and regain his property."
Dumbledore balked at the dismissal of his words. "Do not dismiss me or what I can do Goblin." He gasped through coughing fits. "I will have my way, I alone can guide Harry to his destiny, it is my work and nothing can stand in its way, not even you. I must lead him back from the path he has taken, before more damage is done, take him back to the light I lead."
"Really Headmaster?" Hermione had heard enough, the man looked up at her sharply, surprised that she was here. "How can you still claim to be fit to lead anyone in the path against the Dark, when you are no longer even bound to a Phoenix. Which all who have been truly leaders of the light, of the status you claim, have been. How can you still claim to be fit to lead anyone in the path against the Dark?"
Dumbledore was shocked, how could she know? She had to be guessing. "Miss Granger, what are you doing here, your parents should not have been able to…." He stopped, realising what he was about to say.
Hermione smirked. "Yes we know all about the spells you cast to control my parents to your will, they have been recorded and removed, they cannot be reinstated. Yet further evidence of how far you have strayed, from the correct path, headmaster, in your blinkered view of a greater good. Along with your behaviour towards Harry and the loss of your Phoenix, how much more evidence do you need."
"I have no idea what you are talking about Granger." Dumbledore spat and with surprising speed, withdrew his wand and stunned a guard.
The guard fell to the ground, surprisingly so did Dumbledore, he was on his knees, gasping for breath, his wand hanging loosely in his hand. There were a series of pops, as a number of Aurors arrived, wands at the ready. The head Guard walked over to them, he had asked that they monitor the area just in case. They had informed them of what they would be doing today and Amelia had approved it, but assigned a team to monitor for any offensive spells, such as the one Dumbledore had cast. His attack had alerted them, and they had arrived promptly to assist.
One of the Auror's went over to the prostrate headmaster, scanned him with his wand. "Good grief, this can't be right, he is magically exhausted." He exclaimed.
A second Auror confirmed the diagnosis, then checked the wand, using Priori Incantatem. "Incredible, he simply used a stunner. Right usual procedure, revive the victim then stand watch over Dumbledore."
The Aurors and Guard took up their duties, the disturbance to the business of the day at an end.
Griphook turned back to Dursley. "Now that, that unfortunate incident is done with, let us return to the reason we have had to inject this nonsense into the Earls day. Perhaps now Dursley, you will save yourself further humiliation and settle your debt as you agreed this morning."
"Yes I believe it is time for that." Marge smarmed, then took hold of Draco's arm. "Please do come in, we can leave the riff-raff and scum outside, whilst we entertain you indoors. I am sure, as an Earl, you will appreciate visiting with those of us worthy of your time."
"Unhand me madam, whoever you are. Not only would I never consider you worthy of my attention, but although I am proud to be associated with him, I am not the Earl." Draco declared, forcefully pulling away from the woman.
"Well which one of you is the Earl?" She demanded.
Bella grinned mischievously. "Ladies, Gentlemen and Dursley's, those of you in debt, please pay your respects and cash to The Earl Harry Potter Black."
There was a moments silence, before Vernon bellowed in rage. "That freak? You dare do this to us after we took you into our home, gave you Dudley's clothes, fed you. Why you ungrateful little brat, I'll be damned if I owe you another penny boy." He raged and tried to charge at Harry, who simply waved a hand and the Dursley Patriarch stopped mid-stride.
"Bluntly you should be grateful I am kind enough to just let you pay what you owe, rather than pressing charges against you, you great tub of lard." Harry told the man calmly, but with the authority that he now had. "You did nothing but steal from me to fund your own life and spoil your son. Now, it is time you paid back what my parents left for me, not you. I have wasted enough of my valuable time on you today, we are very busy, can we get on?"
Vernon found he could move again, but could not get near Harry, his face quickly growing purple in his frustration. "Why you little…." He seethed.
Marge followed her brother in the shade of purple she had turned. "Why you little brat, you were always a worthless runt. Don't give him a penny Vernon, you owe him nothing, he should be giving it all to you for everything you have done for him. I'll get the dogs, once he sees Ripper he'll soon back down. Him an Earl? What a joke. Once the dogs are finished with him, he will beg you to keep the house and your company." She whistled and the noise of the dogs rushing out, excitedly barking, came from the house. They emerged in a pack barking and snarling from the door to their mistress. "Get him!" She ordered viciously, pointing at Harry then looking smugly at him as the dogs turned and growled, baring their teeth threateningly.
"You must be joking." Sighed Bella, a smile growing on her face.
Sirius grinned, then transformed into Padfoot, growled a deep, dominant sound, that rumbled from his gut. Marge's Dogs stopped in their tracks and yelping in fear at the far more dominant dog that had just appeared and threatened them. Even Ripper whimpered, ears and tail falling, he led the pack, running back into the house in fear.
"How dare you, my poor babies, if they have been harmed in any way at all, I'll sue." She threatened.
"Really, how?" Grinned Sirius. "How are you going to explain a man turning into a dog and frightening a pack ordered to attack in a court then?"
"Bah, just pay them Vernon, I've given you the money, it's a good job my landlord has ignored me for so many years, you will move in with me, and welcome. Neither of us will need to pay any rent their, at least." Marge instructed in frustration.
Vernon handed a briefcase to Griphook, who waved his hand over it, before he accepted it. "We do not deal in cut up newspaper Dursley."
"How dare you." Vernon blustered. "We do not cheat others."
"Open it then!" Griphook retorted. "We are not stupid, I thought that even you, who finds it difficult at the best of times to recognise the intelligence of others, would realise that after our dealings with you to date Dursley."
Swearing in frustration Vernon called Dudley to bring the money out, the boy brought out another, identical, case. Again, Griphook passed his hand over it. "Fifty pound notes, exactly the right amount, good." The Goblin grinned, snapping his fingers, Dudley felt the case was suddenly lighter, he opened it to reveal it was empty, except for a receipt.
"Where is it?" Vernon demanded angrily.
"In the rightful owners vault, where it belongs, already converted and deposited." Griphook told him.
"How dare you do that here in a respectable, normal street."
Ignoring the large man's outburst, Griphook simply stated. "Now you have settled your debts, you are released from your employment, you shall receive your pay for the months notice in thirty days. You may not work for another employer during that period, we shall know if you do. We shall also know if you deliberately damage any of the Earls property and deduct an amount from your wage to repair it, if the amount of damage exceeds your pay then we shall return to retrieve the balance. You have seven days to vacate this property, we shall know when you have left. These terms are compliant with the document you signed with us yesterday, goodbye Dursley."
With that they turned to leave, the security moving between them and the Dursley's. Harry not even looking back at them or the house where he had spent his childhood. He took Ginnys hand in his own, and they walked back towards the car.
"Harry I must insist you come with me, this folly has gone far enough." Dumbledore had recovered enough to sit up on the ground.
"No, Albus, I will not. I am not your puppet, you have exhausted any trust I had in you by your actions this summer and before, so I will not go anywhere with you." Harry responded.
"It was not a request." Dumbledore snarled, as he pushed himself up to get on his feet, desperate, he attempted to cast an Imperious on Harry.
The spell was just emerging from the wand, when there was a loud crack from Hermione's pocket, a brilliant white light sprang from it and struck the headmaster. He fell back to the floor, the light flashed back to Hermione and stopped just in front of her, the spell weakly flew a couple of feet into the air, before it fizzled out. There was a bright white, fantastic bird floating, apparently effortlessly at Hermione's eye level.
"Fawkes?" She asked.
While the others heard Phoenix song, Hermione heard. "Yes my bonded it is I." In a wonderfully soothing voice.
"You are beautiful." The young witch breathed.
"Why thank you my bonded." She heard her familiar reply. "Being truly bonded, not forced, has given me my true form."
Neville looked between Hermione and the Phoenix. "Er Hermione what's going on?"
"Fawkes was telling me that her new form is because she is truly bonded this time, not forced as she was before." Hermione told him.
He nodded understanding, and she turned back to the Phoenix. "Will you join us in the car or go straight to our destination, Fawkes?"
"I shall go straight back to my perch, I shall know if you need me." The Phoenix told her, then flashed away.
They saw the Aurors taking the unconscious Dumbledore away, just as they got back into the cars, Griphook joined Harry, Ginny, Sirius, and Bella in their car.
Ginny sighed as they set off. "Right, now that's done, do you think it is at all possible that we shall get the chance to relax before the season starts tomorrow?"
"I should think so my Lady." Griphook replied, then turned to Harry. "I believe the reappearance of Marge Dursley's landlord can wait for another day, don't you my Lord?"
"I believe that would be best, hopefully letters and visits from our representatives, rather than us, will be sufficient this time though." Harry replied. "I have had enough of that family to last a lifetime."
Editors notes:
My usual thanks to those who have reviewed this story so far, as well as to those who have clicked follow and/or favaourite. Thanks also for the continued good wishes, they do help in my recovery.
I hope you have enjoyed this latest chapter, I look forward to reading your reviews.
Until next time.
Tgfoy