The Odd Combination of Fate and Humor

Notes:

Disclaimer:

You know the drill already: I do not own Harry Potter in any way; those rights belong to J.K Rowling. The plot and any extra characters are my own though.

Warnings:

This story WILL contain slash! This means that this story will be purely male x male slash regarding the main characters. Please do not read if you find it offensive to read about two guys kissing…etc.

Everyone else… please enjoy

Key:

"speech"

"soft-spoken or seemingly vague speech"

'thoughts'

- Parseltongue -

'Latin words'

Mental messages

Chapter 7: Trip to Gringotts

It didn't take long for Harry to get ready and before he knew it they were standing in front of a giant but crooked building. Tom had placed a modified glamor spell on him that would ensure that not even magical objects could see through the cover. He was now a clichéd blonde-haired and blue-eyed boy. The glamor didn't change his height since no one actually knew him yet.

He had to visibly keep his jaw from dropping as they entered the bank. Severus had warned him that they would be dealing with real goblins, but he hadn't expected them to look so scary. Harry unconsciously stepped closer to Tom, who was also glamoured and the man took his hand.

This immediately made his body flush and he forgot all about the goblins. He shyly looked up at Tom and the man smirked. He realized that the man knew exactly what effect he was having on him, but Harry smiled as saw that there was a slight flush on Tom's cheeks as well.

They walked up to one of the counters and the goblin gave them one look before he indicated that they should follow him. Harry subtly glanced at his group as they followed the goblin. Tom, Severus, Sirius, and Remus had all decided to follow him, but Draco and the rest had not been allowed to come along since they were already stretching it with five people entering Gringotts after-hours.

Remus mentioned that they would have used the Floo (they had at least explained about the wizarding transport system), but it could be traced since the Floo network was monitored by the Ministry. Harry had side-along apparated with Tom to a nearby alley once they were ready to go. This was because of the fact that it was impossible to apparate directly into Gringotts ever since the goblins had installed anti-apparition wards.

They were led to an office far away from the general bank area and Harry couldn't help but notice that the corridors seemed to become gloomier the further they went. They came to a door that read "Rituals and Spells" and he felt his eyes widen slightly. Tom softly squeezed his hand and Harry took a deep breath to calm himself.

He had been slightly worried earlier, but the group had explained to him that not all rituals required the standard sacrifices he was thinking of. Some rituals only required runes to work while others relied on the strength of the witch or wizard to direct the magic's intent. They had also explained that they will most likely place him in a room with runes.

Harry was glad when they told him that they would all stay with him and that he didn't have to worry about doing anything alone. Severus had given him a brief overview of what to expect afterward and Harry knew that the potions master probably had quite a few potions stashed in his robes if something were to go wrong.

The goblin stopped at the door and knocked twice before opening it. He turned to them and spoke. "Master Silverback will be conducting and overseeing the ritual on Mr. Potter. I will request that you wait inside this room. He won't be long. Please refrain from stepping into the rune-circle in the middle. It will jeopardize the ritual if foreign magic other than those of the client were to step into the ring prior to the ritual."

Everyone nodded and they sank into the seats that line the one wall of the room. Harry had to admit that he had never seen such an amazing place before. It was like they were outside except for the wall against which the seats were lined. They could see a waterfall at the far end of the room and the water just seemed to disappear into oblivion.

The ceiling and walls looked like they were in a cave and numerous fireflies could be seen clinging to the roof. The place was well lit, even though Harry couldn't seem to figure out where the source of the light was and in the exact center of the room stood seven giant stones.

Each stone had a different rune painted onto it and each rune had been made a different color. The entire room was breathtaking and Harry found himself forgetting for a few minutes that he was going to have to stand inside the circle when the time came to do the ritual.

The door opened again and a different goblin entered the room. This one was dressed more finely and Harry assumed him to be Master Silverback. The goblin took up the spot next to the rune circle and he allowed his eyes to roam over the group until it landed on Harry.

The small toothy grin that the goblin sent his way, made him shiver, but Harry managed a small smile in return. "Mr. Potter I presume. Please release the glamour. It will interfere with the ritual if any magic is actively used within the circle. I would ask that once in the circle, you also refrain from concentrating on any spells."

Harry nodded and stepped closer to the goblin after he allowed the glamor to fall, the goblin then motioned for him to enter the circle. "This first test won't hurt, although you might find yourself having flashbacks of your memories. You will need to close your eyes and stand completely still in the middle of the circle that has been marked out."

None of the wizards liked the fact that Harry would be seeing some of his old, and possible horrifying, memories, but they all knew that it was the only way to find out what exactly is going on within his body and his magic.

Harry stepped into the circle and a low hum started echoing around him. He didn't like the fact that he was alone in the circle, but Tom gave him an encouraging smile and he nodded. Tom would make sure that the goblins didn't hurt him. Unfortunately, his mind chose that moment to recall the goblin's words.

What had the goblin meant when he said the first test won't hurt? Did that mean that they were going to do more than one test? Harry shuddered slightly, but he forced himself to stand still. With his eyes closed, Harry couldn't see the flare of light that was emitted from the runes and it looked like it was being absorbed into the young man's body.

The absorbed light exited his body again and then collided with a parchment that had been summoned without anyone noticing it. Letters formed words and words formed sentences on the parchment as the runestones repeated the process again and again.

While this was happening, Harry was having a hard time standing still. The memories that resurfaced plagued him and Harry felt like going on a mini-rampage to silence them. His attention suddenly shifted as a memory he only vaguely remembered, started to play off in his mind.

He was back at the Dursleys, but it was on one of the rare days that they had called in a babysitter to watch both him and Dudley. He had been eleven years old back then. He still remembered that Dudley had been strangely nice to him that day though. Harry hadn't realized it at the time, but now that he was watching the memories from a different angle, he could clearly see that Dudley had urgently wanted to talk to him about something.

The day had progressed peacefully and their babysitter, Miss Leona, was extremely friendly and diligent in her job, even though he could recall that Vernon had told her not to bother feeding him. He had been shocked when he had been treated with the same care as Dudley and she had even fed him the same amount too, but it was not the most important thing to have happened that day.

Harry's memories clicked as he suddenly remembered him and Dudley playing outside. Well more accurately, Dudley was playing outside with his toys while Harry just sat in the sun and stared longingly at them. His cousin had seen his look and moved to walk over to him with two toys in hand, but accidentally stepped on one of his toys instead.

Dudley had lifted his foot in horror and Harry could still remember the heartbroken expression on his cousin's face. The broken form of a husky had lain on the grass and Harry hadn't hated his cousin in that moment, but there had been nothing they could do to fix it. Suddenly it seemed like his cousin was hyperventilating and Harry had watched in shock as the broken husky became whole again.

He knew that it was one of the things his aunt and uncle called 'freakish', but he also knew that he hadn't done anything and the only explanation was that it had been Dudley. At first, he had been happy since his aunt and uncle would surely treat him better if Dudley could do the same things, but the thought disappeared in horror as he glanced up to see the babysitter standing frozen in the doorway while her face went as white as snow.

The memory progressed to dinnertime when his aunt and uncle returned. Harry had immediately locked himself in the cupboard and it hadn't been long before his uncle had ripped open the door and dragged him out. Both his aunt and his uncle decided that their son was normal and so the only explanation was that Harry had done something freakish again.

Harry mentally grimaced. He was not surprised that the resulting beating caused him to forget the day entirely. Since then Dudley had also been on a mission to prove that he wasn't like the 'freak' and so the beatings became harsher and more common from that point onwards.

He was suddenly jolted out of his memories when he felt someone grip his arm while moving to stand behind him. He opened his eyes and saw Tom looking down at him with a worried expression. Harry smiled to reassure him, but the smile changed into a grimace and he looked at Severus. The ritual was apparently finished so he could speak.

"What happens when there is someone who can do magic, but they were overlooked completely by the Ministry of Magic?" The headmaster grimaced and Harry could tell that the potions master didn't really want to answer, but he answered him nevertheless.

"Something like that is impossible since its magic itself that seeks out the children who bear it. The only possible reason for a child to be left where he or she is would be if it would do more harm than good if the child was discovered. Usually, this occurs when the child rejects the existence of magic to such a great degree that it would mentally harm the child beyond repair if he or she was confronted about it."

Harry paled and nodded before waiting for Severus to finish speaking. "The most prominent case would be if the child and his or her magic recognize that they would definitely be in mortal danger if they revealed their gift."

All eyes turned to Harry as Severus looked at him sharply. No one spoke and even the goblin patiently waited. Children were treasured in the goblin culture and it came to no surprise to anyone in the room that the goblin seemed interested in what Harry had to say.

Harry looked at his feet, but Tom softly lifted his chin. "Is there anyone you know that might be in such situation at this very moment?" The dark haired boy wanted to shake his head, but he found that he couldn't. Even though his cousin treated him worse than dirt, Harry still shuddered at the thought of his uncle finding out that his son was also one of the 'freaks'. Instinct told him that Vernon would probably kill the boy in his anger.

"The person I'm speaking of is my cousin…" Gasps echoed around the room but Harry shook his head and they all stayed silent. "Look, I'm not going to have a sudden change of heart, I'm just stating the facts. We were playing outside once and Dudley was being friendlier than usual. He even looked like he wanted to share his toys with me for the day, but he accidentally stepped on his favorite one."

Even Sirius looked skeptical at the idea of a spoiled child having a favorite toy, but Harry ignored it. "I could clearly see that he was heartbroken, but I knew there was nothing I could do. He somehow fixed it himself, however. The toy just melded together as if it was never broken in the first place. I myself knew that I hadn't used my 'freakish' abilities since it always sent a charge through my body when I used magic, but that day I sensed it from him instead."

Worried looks pointed towards him and Harry realized that at least some of them had guessed correctly at the aftermath. "Unfortunately the babysitter saw that little accident and it was reported to my aunt and uncle immediately after they got home. The…beating they gave me ensured that I completely blocked the incident from my mind though."

Even the goblin got an angry look on his face as Harry's words registered in context, but Harry continued to speak. "Dudley got more and more violent after that. Like I said, I'm not making any excuses for him since he is the reason Nagini found me in the state I was in, but I think he was trying to lock the incident away to ensure that he would never have to endure his father's beatings like I did and to prove that he was 'normal' in hating the 'freak'."

The room was deathly silent as Harry finished speaking. Not even the waterfall made a sound and it was clear that the goblin was trying to distract himself as he reached for the parchment that was still hovering in mid-air. A half horrified and half enraged shriek shocked everyone into motion and they were surprised to see an extremely pale goblin holding the parchment in his hands as if it was going to attack.

Harry felt a sliver of trepidation flow through him, but he steeled himself. Nothing could be worse than what he had endured at the Dursleys, could it? The goblin practically shoved the parchment into Tom's hands before grabbing Harry's arm and stomping off. A different door appeared in the room as the goblin clicked his fingers and Harry could count about twenty shocked goblin faces as they passed them in the corridor.

He glanced back to see his family jogging frantically to keep up with them until the goblin dragged him into another room. Tom and the others wanted to enter, but the goblin held up his hand sternly before speaking. "Usually we would charge two thousand galleons for this ritual, but I refuse to accept any form of payment." Shocked eyes followed the goblin as he made his way to Harry.

No goblin ever refused to get paid, but they understood the reason as the goblin continued his rant. "I refuse payment because only a no-good, good-for-nothing, manipulative and bastardly SOB, would ruin a boy's life by placing that many curses and restrictions upon him. The magical signature matches Dumbledore's and I hope I find him before the authorities do because there will be hell to pay and we will make sure we enjoy every minute of it!"

Harry looked around as the goblin mentioned 'we' and saw the room suddenly filled with goblins that were salivating through their teeth in anger. A parchment was being passed around and he realized with a great deal of embarrassment that every goblin now knew how weak he was. He didn't even know how they nabbed the parchment from Tom in the first place.

He had barely thought the words of embarrassment when an exceptionally large goblin placed a hand on his arm before speaking. "You are not weak and your treatment is nothing to be embarrassed about. It is them who should feel the flame of shame. The ones you once called family and Dumbledore… even as a 'creature' classified as vicious, we goblins protect our young to the death and if one of us can't protect a young one alone, then the whole clan helps. Have courage and heed my words, you have the goblin clans at your side."

Harry nodded numbly as tears fell from his eyes. He started out with nothing, but now he had a family that loved him and even an entire clan of goblins that were willing to protect him. He hugged the large goblin, much to everyone's surprise and the room emptied slowly to give them privacy. A thought occurred to him and he pulled back slightly. "Sorry I this is going to sound rude, I don't mean it to be that way since I'm just curious, but I hope you're not just doing this because I'm apparently The-Boy-Who-Lived."

The goblin looked at him and laughed. "Dumbledore tried to sell that story to us to gain our allegiance, but we refused. My name is Killerfang and I am the leader of the Savage clan. We are entwined with almost every other goblin clan in existence and in return for our alliance; I only ask that you leave us Albus Dumbledore for the many crimes he has committed against us. We will not kill him since we acknowledge the fact that many other races have also sworn vengeance against him, but I will request that we be the first to punish him."

Harry looked at Tom for help and his mate nodded. Harry turned back to the clan leader and bowed as instinct told him to. "It will be an honor to give him to you if we are the first to catch him." The remaining goblins smiled their razor smiles before leaving to get back to work.

The Goblin leader gave him a slight bow and he was left with only Master Silverback and his family. The goblin shook his head and kept the door open as he led Harry to the center of another rune circle, but this one contained runes as black as night. Tom seemed to pale and Harry realized that it probably wasn't a good thing.

Silverback looked at Harry and his family before speaking. "I apologize for the fact that your information spread so quickly. We usually keep the information confident between our client and ourselves, but a chain reaction started once another goblin picked up the parchment that had fallen in your family's rush to get to you. I shouldn't have grabbed you as I did, but as you have gathered, we are very protective of our young and your circumstances immediately brought out the protective side in all of us."

The goblin motioned to Tom, who once again held the parchment in his hands. "Most of your magic had been blocked and even your creature inheritance had been subdued. Most people receive the full creature inheritance, but you have been lucky enough to only receive the traits and not the instincts. Once I break the seals, you will find that you will have wings and claws when you need them and because of your bond to your mate, he might even be able to receive them too."

Murmurs echoed in the room and the goblin glared sternly at the occupants standing in the doorway. Only Harry saw the glint of amusement in the Goblin's eyes and he chose to stay silent. "The ritual we are about to perform might cause you great pain, and you can decide to reject it if you want to, but it will enable you to gain your full power back."

Harry felt a little scared at the mention of pain, but he didn't want any blocks on his magic so he nodded in answer before the goblin continued. "You will be weak for a few days and I would advise your family to stay close to you at that time since you will mainly have the urge to sleep while your magic adapts to its full potential. I will also cast a Goblin Guardian spell that will repel most malicious spells if they are thrown your way."

The happiness in the young man's eyes almost broke the goblin's heart. It was truly a testament of how bad people were when a child was happy being granted the simple and basic protection that all children were supposed to have while growing up.

Silverback was glad that his leader had already promised to help the boy, It made his job so much easier as he performed numerous spells and rituals to not only release the boy from his restraints, but also from the compulsion to save people and to put himself in danger. The goblin truly didn't know what Dumbledore was thinking, but it was clearly apparent that he was scared of the boy's abilities.

The goblin could clearly see that the boy's new family cared for him. They each went so far as to cast sticking charms on each other's feet since they knew that seeing the boy in pain would subconsciously cause them to run into the room.

Luckily the boy's strong magic allowed him to break through any and all blocks that had been created and the goblin smiled as the boy's family engulfed him afterward. The wizards didn't know it yet, but Killerfang had practically adopted the boy when he announced that his clan would follow him, but no one will tell him or his family about it until the time that their leader deemed it necessary.

Silverback mentally made plans to visit the Centaur herds that lived close to Hogwarts. They would help the young boy in times of danger and hopefully spread the word along to the vampires, werewolves and numerous other creatures that resided within the magical world.

The goblin glanced at one family member in particular. Maybe they didn't need to send word to Greyback after all since his adopted son was extremely close to the boy in question already. The look the werewolf gave him as he nodded, confirmed Silverback's thoughts. It seemed like the so-called 'magical creatures' of the Wizarding world were coming together in a bid to gain their rightful places as equals.

A few hours later…

Harry sat up groggily as he felt the arms around him tighten. He immediately recognized Tom through his energy and sank back down. It occurred to him that he could have seen Tom's true face when he first arrived at his house, but the man had apparently used a clever spell that disguised all of his previous forms as well. Now Harry was left puzzling his mate's looks, but he was unable to form any clear pictures.

A soft sound interrupted his musings and Harry wondered why he was using his mate's body as a mattress in the first place. The room smelled clean and unused and Harry realized that he must have collapsed directly after the last ritual.

He hadn't felt any pain, but the moment the rune energy left his body, Harry had been unable to keep his body standing upright. Even now he found it hard to move and Tom's chuckle caused him to glare at the man. "How would you like it if you had a few curses and blocks on you that were all being broken at once?"

The man slightly blushed guiltily and pulled Harry deeper into his arms. "If it was me or anyone else you knew, then I am sure that we would be dead right now." Tom shuddered and Harry took pity on him by hugging him close. "I can't believe that you had so many curses and bindings on you. I'm almost afraid that I'm stuck in a nightmare where I can't protect you enough."

It was a novel thing, being protected, but it felt good and Harry was determined to help others by showing them the kindness he had been shown. He might not know many people yet, but he was adamant in showing that he was there to help whomever he could, Dumbledore be damned.

Harry felt slightly guilty as he realized that he had formed an opinion of someone without giving them a chance, but then he realized that people who manipulated the lives of helpless children, weren't innocent or misguided at all and he felt his resolve harden once again.

Tom glanced at him protectively before hugging him close once again. "Severus said that he will look into the issue of your cousin, but don't expect any of us to forgive him. We know you wouldn't like it if we hexed him like we are itching to do, but don't expect us to play nice even if he has turned over a sudden new leaf."

Harry found himself giggling at the thought. Dudley turning over a new leaf… he'd believe it when he saw it, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they had to get his cousin out of the house as soon as possible. Maybe it was his protective streak, he didn't know, but just the thought of anyone going through what he had experienced, well the thought was enough to give him nightmares.

Sorry about the late chapter, I hoped you enjoyed reading it. I was kind of stuck on what to write until my brother poured me a glass of obs and told me to relax lol.