Sorry it has been so long since I posted an update. I had some pretty bad writers block pertaining to this chapter. I have gone through and done a basic grammar and spelling check on this chapter, I will be going through it later this week an re-posting if it needs major fixes. Feel free to read, leave a comment, send me a message, or any combination thereof. :)
THIS IS A SLASH STORY! (Although that won't happen for some time)
word count now: 8,320
Updated as of the 1st of August, 2019
~sSs~
Amelia woke up at her desk the next morning. She looked around tiredly and realized she must have fallen asleep while working the Sirius Black case and Harry's case. He had been wronged, and she was going to try and help him fix it.
She had already written up paperwork to send her most trusted officer to interview the Dursley's. She had even authorized the use of legilimency on them. She knew that no one would question her, plus Amelia had a feeling that Harry's relatives would lie to whatever questions asked of them.
If for whatever reason, they had mind shields, she would have them brought in so she could use a truth potion on them. Some witch or wizard discovered that only certain potions worked on muggles, none of those being health-related. However, mind potions worked well.
Amelia sighed and stood up to stretch. As she went to sit back down, a house-elf popped in, "Mistress Bones, breakfast is being prepared in the kitchen." She shook her head as the little elf popped away. Blimmy was the one who took care of most of her needs. Harry had yet to meet this house-elf, although he probably should.
Amelia straightened up and walked to the kitchen. She was surprised to see Harry already at the table eating.
Harry looked up when he heard Amelia enter, "Good morning Miss Amelia." Harry smiled up at her before he dug back into his eggs and bacon.
"Good morning, Harry," Amelia mumbled tiredly. She needed to sleep in her bed more often. Amelia sat down and grabbed her cup of coffee and drank it slowly, almost like it was the elixir of life.
Harry noticed that Amelia looked tired, exhausted even. He had seen Uncle Vernon look like that after he came home from work late. Harry liked those days, usually because his uncle was too tired to notice Harry.
Harry finished eating and wiped his mouth with the napkin sitting next to him. He was about to get up when Amelia stopped him.
"Harry, did you take you potions last night?" She needed to know.
"Yes, Miss Amelia," Harry started, "Well, I actually almost forgot, but Minnie popped in and told me that I needed to take them. She also reminded me that I needed to change into PJs." Harry had started to fall asleep when Minnie had popped in startling him that night.
"Good," Amelia snapped her fingers, and another potion appeared on the table, Harry groaned after seeing it, "Don't forget to take this mornings dose." Amelia smiled at Harry, knowing that she would have reacted the same way. Glumly, Harry nodded his head and grabbed the potion. He was getting tired of having to take them, and he was only on his second day of receiving them.
Harry wanted to put off the inevitable, but Amelia was watching him like a hawk.
Uncorking the bottle, Harry downed the contents grimacing at the taste.
"Good job Harry, Now go shower and get dressed. We have more Gringotts business today," Amelia started looking down at her almost empty cup of coffee.
Harry stood up, "Yes, Miss Amelia." Harry rushed up the stairs to his room to do as he Amelia told him.
By the time Harry got out of the shower, it was almost time to leave. Harry stepped into his room to find a set of clothes picked out for him. 'At least I don't have to figure out what to wear.' Minnie had picked out some black slacks and a Gray shirt. Harry also wore one of his new robes and boots with his outfit. Satisfied, Harry made his way down the stairs to see Amelia standing in the entrance. Harry noted that she had also had changed.
"Are you ready, Harry?" Amelia asked her young charge.
"Yes, Ma'am," Harry nodded his head. He was both excited and nervous about his core being unblocked.
"Well then Harry, let's go," Amelia offered her arm to Harry. Harry grabbed it, and they were off with a pop.
Amelia and Harry landed in a side ally right next to the bank. Amelia could sense how nervous Harry was through the tight grip on her hand.
Amelia looked down at him, "Are you ready, Harry?"
Harry gulped and nodded his head; his face told a different story. Amelia wanted to chuckle, but she didn't think Harry would have reacted well to that. He was nervous enough as it was.
The duo walked up to the stairs and into the bank. Harry was surprised that there were as many people as there were. Didn't wizards have jobs also? Harry made a note to himself to ask Amelia about wizarding jobs.
Amelia led them to an "unoccupied" goblin. Harry had a feeling that Goblins didn't rest all that often.
"Good morning, We have an appointment with Manager Goldchain," Amelia informed the goblin before the teller had a chance to speak.
The goblin gave a little sneer, "And who has the appointment?"
"Harry Potter." The goblin paled, and Amelia looked a little smug. She didn't care for the lower-ranked goblins.
The goblin then swallowed thickly, "Very well miss, let me inform Manager Golchain of your arrival. I will be back shortly." Amelia nodded her head, curtly.
Less than two minutes later Goldchain and the one goblin from before came out. "Hello, Madam Bones and Mr. Potter. If you follow me, we shall get started." Goldchain beckoned for them to follow him.
As they walked behind Goldchain, Harry noticed they went through a different door than last time. This one was located at the end of the bank, directly across from the main doors.
The new hallway was smaller but no less elaborate than the one that Goldchain's office was situated on. Harry was happy that they had someone leading them; otherwise, he was sure he would have gotten lost. He remembered doing at least three left turns, a right turn and lots of curves. Finally, they stopped in front of an unassuming wooden door.
"This is the ritual room where you will have your core unblocked. Before we start, you will need to change onto the ritual robes. Make sure you wear only the clothes that we have provided. Any other materials may mess with the ritual and have disastrous results," Goldchain informed Harry. When Harry nodded his understanding, Goldchain continued, "Very well, Mr. Potter if you will go into this room and change. We will start once you are finished." Goldchain gestured to another wooden door directly across from the first one. This one, however, looked a little more delicate than the ritual door.
Harry entered the changing room and found a single white linen robe. Sighing, Harry stripped down to put on the robe provided.
Harry took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm down. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew it would just help him in the long run. Nodding his head to himself, Harry left the changing room and reentered the hall.
Goldchain was waiting outside with the healer from two days ago, Brissea. "Are you ready, Mr. Potter?" Goldchain asked Harry.
"Um, ya. Where is Miss Amelia?" Harry was worried she had left him at the bank on his own.
"No need to worry Mr. Potter. Madam Bones is in the viewing room. I will be there with her to make sure nothing goes wrong with the unblocking. There will be five other goblins in the room to help perform the ritual." Goldchain told him. It was a goblin policy to make sure that all rituals held had a magical number. Most of the time, it was because the sudden influx of magic caused a massive burst of accidental magic and specific magical numbers had better handling abilities.
"When you are ready Mr. Potter just step through the door," and with that Goldchain left Harry with Healer Brissea.
Harry looked at the other goblin. "Are you ready, Harry," Healer Brissea asked. Harry tentatively nodded his head. Healer Brissea proceeded to open the door and gestured Harry through.
The first thing Harry noticed was the green stone floor with a white and gray circle in the middle. There were other red and black designs around and inside the circle.
Healer Brissea closed the door behind her and pointed to the center of the circle which was surrounded by five goblins, not including the main healers, "Mr. Potter, would you please take your robe off and lay down in the center of the circle." Harry blushed deeply; he was hoping that he would be able to keep the rather comfortable garment on. Healer Brissea saw his hesitation, "Mr. Potter, you need not worry. We are all professionals. I can assure you I have seen much worse." She shuddered at the memories of the larger wizards that had come in to have a ritual done.
Still blushing, Harry stripped off the robe and padded over to the circle while trying to cover himself. Harry wanted to have some parts kept from prying eyes. Laying down on the floor, Harry shivered at how cold it was. Looking up, Harry could only pray that this didn't take too long.
Soon the goblins started to chant something in another language. The symbols began glowing all around the room. There was a flash of intense pain from Harry's forehead, and then he knew no more.
~sSs~
Healer Brissea waited for her current patient, Mr. Potter, to lay down on the floor. He had seemed reluctant at first but got over it after she had chastised him. She hadn't been lying when she said that she had seen worse.
Healer Brissea saw Harry shiver, but let him be. Any magic would disrupt the ritual she was about to do.
Standing outside of the circle that Harry was currently laying in, Healer Brissea and the other goblins started chanting in Gobbledegook. Not many wizards took the time to learn their languages.
Soon the runes placed around the room in specific spots started to glow. This was supposed to happen. What wasn't supposed to happen was the cry of pain from Harry, nor the sudden burst of magic that came from him. The latter wasn't supposed to happen until all of his core was unblocked. She had only gotten about a quarter of it done.
Immediately stopping the ritual, Healer Brisssea ran over to Harry. Just as she reached him Goldchain and Madam Bones were bursting into the room.
"What Happened!" Madam bones demanded. She was almost positive that wasn't supposed to happen.
"I don't know Madam Bones," Healer Brissea looked up at her, confused, "There are very few things that would cause this kind of reaction during a core unblocking ritual. None of these I checked for because it all involves soul magic."
Amelia looked startled and worried. "Soul magic? You think something might be wrong with his soul?"
"Possibly, I will have to wake him up to do the checks; from there, we will see what we can do." Healer Brissea hoped it was one option over the other.
Standing up, Healer Brissea levitated Harry out of the room, down the hallway and into another room.
Setting Harry down, she started to grab the things she would possibly need from another room.
Amelia stood at the back of the room next to goldchain. "What are they doing?" asked Amelia.
"Well Madam Bones, they are going to wake Harry up, run a very specific diagnostic charm that has to be maintained by two healers, and depending on what they find depends on one what they do," Goldchain told her.
"Okay, what might they find?" Goldchain sighed. He supposed that it wasn't so bad that she didn't know next to anything about soul magic.
"Well, there are only two possible things they will find. The first is that Harry doesn't have all of his soul, and the second is that he is host to someone else's soul along with his complete soul." Goldchain explained.
"Okay, which is worse?"
"Well, first, I would think. A person cannot host both souls unless there own complete. If one's soul weren't complete, then the extra soul would be consumed by the body's soul, making the body's soul complete, or another step to completion."
"Okay, so only a soul that doesn't need more soul bits can have another soul attached on to it; otherwise, the first soul would absorb the second," Amelia clarified.
"That is correct Madam Bones," Goldchain nodded his head.
"What happens if in incomplete soul only needs a tiny fraction of another soul and gets more than they need?" No one ever said that Madam Bones wasn't curious.
"Then, we would see the whole soul and the left over soul piece. We wouldn't be able to tell you if any of the original soul had been whole, to begin with, or not. The same way we wouldn't be able to tell if the attached soul piece was the original amount or not." Goldchain explained some more.
"I can see why the first option would be worse, you would have to find someone willing to give up their soul, or at least part of it," Madam Bones agreed with Goldchain's earlier statement.
Goldchain laughed, "Perhaps Madam Bones, but the second possibility means that we would have to kill Mr. Potter to detach the extra soul piece and then bringing him back to life."
Amelia looked at him, horrified, "Goblins partake in necromancy?!"
Goldchain gave a hearty laugh at what Amelia had just said, "I can assure you Madam Bones that we do not partake in such a dark and evil magic. No, we use muggle methods to bring someone back to the living."
Amelia looked confused. Did muggles have the ability to do something like that? She was about to ask, but Healer Brissea had decided to wake Harry up at that moment.
"Hello, Mr. Potter. There were some complications during the ritual, so we had to put it on pause. Another healer and I will be running a very delicate diagnostic scan to figure out what may have happened," Healer Brissea told Harry using a very calm voice.
This didn't stop him from being a little bit worried or terrified. What kid wouldn't be if they woke up in a completely different room with four goblins surrounding them when the last thing they had felt was agonizing pain. Harry only stared wide-eyed at Healer Brissea.
"Very well, Mr. Potter, we will begin now. I ask that you do not move. The scan should only take about a minute," Healer Brissea instructed Harry. Getting no response, she and another healer stood on either side of Harry.
Pulling out wands they started to chant in high elven, a lost dialect to most. Harry dimly noted that this language was different than the one before. As they chanted, a blank scroll started to fill up.
Soon the chanting stopped, and Harry started to relax when the goblins left his side to go over the parchment. Amelia waited with bated breath for the results.
After discussing with the other healers, Brissea walked over to Harry and motioned over Amelia and Goldchain.
Healer Brissea started speaking after the other two joined her, "The good news is that Mr. Potter's soul is whole…"
Harry interrupted her squeaking out, "My soul?!"
Not happy about the interruption Healer Brissea continued, "Yes Mr. Potter, your soul. This leads us to what we will do next. First, we will put Mr. Potter into a deep sleep before slowing his pulse down to where it no longer was beating. We then have exactly five minutes to complete the extraction of the extra soul before restarting Mr. Potter's heart using adrenaline. If we don't complete the procedure in the allotted five minutes, then Mr. Potter's brain cells will start to die."
Harry was dead silent. They were going to kill him and bring him back to life.
"We will, of course, be using all muggle methods to stop and restart Mr. Potter's heart."
Harry didn't know how he felt about dying, besides the fact that he didn't like it.
"There is little to no complications during the procedure."
'LITTLE TO NO COMPLICATIONS?!' Harry should in his head, 'YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME!'
"We should be done in less than ten minutes."
'Great I'm going to be dead for ten minutes.'
"One healer will administer the drug that will stop Mr. Potter's heart."
'Murdered by a goblin. Awesome.'
"That healer will also administer the adrenaline that will restart his heart."
'And brought back by the same goblin that kills me. Also Awesome.'
"Another healer will monitor Mr. Potter's vitals while he is under the procedure."
'That sounds rather boring.'
"And then myself and the last healer will remove the extra soul piece," Healer Brissea finished.
'Wait, extra soul piece?!' Harry was perplexed as to why they needed to stop his heart. So he asked, "What do you mean extra soul piece, and why do you need to stop my heart?"
Healer Brissea answered him in the simplest way she could imagine, "Well Mr. Potter, you have a piece of someone else's soul attached to you, and to remove it you can not be alive, technically."
"Do you know who's soul it is?" Harry questioned.
"No Mr. Potter, we do not. We have no way of telling who the soul piece belongs to. We should be able to tell how many times someone has split their soul though," Healer Brissea informed him.
Amelia spoke up, "Wait, do you mean someone can split their soul and multiple times at that?"
"Yes, Madam Bones. I believe your unspeakables call it a Horcrux, or at least that's the name of an object that someone has stored their soul in. The process of ripping one's soul in half doesn't have a name primarily because you store the ripped out piece somewhere else," Goldchain put in.
Amelia looked thoughtful. She figured that this needed to be added to her to-do list. Hopefully, the unspeakables would be able to shed some more light on the subject. Then Amelia had another thought, "Could the soul piece be He Who Must Not Be Named?"
Both the goblins had a look on their face that said it was very likely, "If he wanted to gain a false form of immortality then it could be. But like I said, we won't know." Goldchain was the one that voiced it. Harry looked horrified at the thought of having a piece of his parents' murderer attached to him.
"I'll do whatever you want me to do, just get it out!" Harry told the goblins with tears running down his cheeks. This Voldemort guy was a monster.
Amelia felt sorry for Harry. The boy had already been through so much. Here he was, willing to die to get rid of the remnants of an evil wizard.
Amelia paused before asking, "One more question. Wouldn't a piece of someone's soul hold a part of them concerning mannerisms, beliefs, and such?"
Healer Brissea replied, "The soul piece would and if mister Potter's soul were not whole, then he would have taken on some of the mannerisms that the soul piece contained. Lucky for mister Potter he doesn't have to worry about that. Now the soul piece would not hold any memories to explain those mannerisms, which is one of the reasons why we won't be able to tell who the soul piece belongs to.
Harry sat and thought about what the goblin had said. 'So the soul piece in me might not be from this Voldemort guy. But everyone thinks that it probably is,' Harry thought to himself. Either way, he wanted the soul out of him, and he re-voiced this sentiment out loud.
"Very well, Mr. Potter. I must warn you that although you may be asleep, the process still may hurt. You will likely feel some pain after we wake you up."
Nodding his head, Goldchain gave Harry a piece of paper to sign. Even in the magical world, there were standard medical forms. After Harry finished reading them or attempting to, he signed and handed the papers back over.
Goldchain took them while Healer Brissea started to get Harry ready for the procedure. They put in a muggle IV bag and hooked him up to a heart monitor. Harry was a little scared at what was about to happen. Harry saw his soon-to-be goblin murder walk up to the IV bag before inserting a needle into it. Soon Harry was asleep.
When Healer Brissea saw that the anesthetic was working she indicated for the other healers to take their places. Healer Brissea had never done this before, but she was well versed in the theory of how to do it. She shouldered at the thought of someone ripping their soul in half; she was positive she would be able to do the procedure. If not for her pride, then for the little boy laying on the table.
Nodding her head, Healer Brissea commanded, "Let us begin."
The drug they used to stop the heart only took about two minutes to take effect. Once that happened, the real work began. The two healers worked on separating the two souls from one another. Healer Brissea noted that it was harder than what she thought it would be. This was mostly because the leaching soul had attached itself to Harry's soul to sustain life. It had woven around Harry's soul and had continued to grow like that throughout Harry's life. Healer Brissea thought it was likely that the extra soul had fed off Harry's magic to help maintain itself. It seemed Harry's soul was unaffected by the foreign soul.
Healer Brissea couldn't have been happier when they finally got the last of the extra soul piece detached from Harry. Goldchain walked up then and offered a small metal cup that the soul piece then reattached to.
While Goldchain took the newly made Horcrux away, Healer Brissea indicated that the adrenaline be pumped back into Harry's heart. The operation was, thankfully, all done in under ten minutes.
When the adrenaline was administered, nothing happened. Everyone held their breath, thinking they were too late. But Harry wasn't one to disappoint. Not two seconds before they started preparing the second dose did Harry wake up, his heart beating rapidly. Amelia jumped back, shocked, and Healer Brissea gave Harry a calming drought. The boy needed it.
"Well, Mr. Potter, how are you feeling?" Brissea asked.
"Um, a little jumpy still." Harry could have sworn he could hear his heart beating out of his chest.
"Don't worry Mr. Potter. The adrenaline will wear off soon enough. When that happens, you will feel exhausted," Healer Brissea assured him.
Goldchain stepped in then, "Normally we don't do this, but we would like to keep Mr. Potter overnight to make sure there are no negative reactions that don't happen immediately. Tomorrow morning we should be able to finish the core unblocking."
Amelia nodded her understanding and sat down into one of the chairs. The other goblin healers had already left the room with most of the equipment they had brought in with them. Both Goldchain and Healer Brissea left Amelia and Harry in the room after assuring the witch that she would be able to stay.
Amelia was surprised at how fast the adrenaline had worn off when she saw Harry sleeping in the hospital bed. Sighing, Amelia grabbed some case files out of the bag while Harry slept. She knew that it was far too early for her to sleep, so she opted for getting caught up on old paperwork.
~sSs~
Amelia woke up to the soft talking of Healer Brissea. Drowsily she sat up and rubbed her eyes. The room didn't have windows, so she didn't exactly know what time it was. Looking around, she saw that Harry was awake and asking the healer questions. He seemed well enough.
"Ahh Hello Madam Bones," Healer Brissea chirped. Harry looked relieved to see her awake.
"Healer Brissea. What time is it?"
"It is a little after six-thirty. Mr. Potter woke up only ten minutes ago. I have already sent for food for the two of you."
Amelia nodded her head and stood up to stretch. She then turned her attention on to Harry, asking, "How are you feeling?"
Harry responded, "I feel, I don't know. Lighter?" He seemed unsure of how to put it.
"I would imagine so," Healer Brissea said, "When the food gets here, Mr. Potter, make sure to eat as much as you can. Assistant Manager Goldchain is getting the ritual room cleaned out so we can continue from where we left off yesterday morning." Harry nodded his head in understanding.
Their food arrived not much longer after that. It was a simple porridge with some bread on the side. Amelia also made sure that Harry took his potion following a glass of much-needed water.
Harry couldn't believe what had happened to him. He never imagined that his life would be messed up more than it already was.
Amelia thought about Harry's circumstances. She didn't know how much one boy could go through before breaking. She knew men who would have gone crazy had they been in Harry's shoes, hell she was pretty sure she would have gone crazy.
The more she thought about Harry's situation, the more suspicious she got of Dumbledore. It also had her wondering who exactly Voldemort was. All she knew was that he was a Dark Lord. She even remembered the day he became known by the rest of wizarding Britain. She never really looked into his past. If it hadn't been for that night, he would have won. Amelia added looking into who Voldemort was onto her ever-growing list.
Soon enough, a goblin came to tell them that the ritual room was ready. Harry seemed pretty nervous, which was understandable what had happened the previous time.
Healer Brissea led Harry to the changing room and then showed Amelia to the observation room. It didn't take long for Harry to change and was soon standing in the corridor waiting for Healer Brissea.
"Are you ready, Mr. Potter?" A voice questioned from behind him. Harry turned around to see Goldchain.
"Hello, Mr. Goldchain," Harry said nervously.
"There is no reason to be worried this time. I had the healers double-check everything." Goldchain said, trying to make Harry feel better. He usually wouldn't have bothered, but abused children were a soft spot for him. It also helped that Mr. Potter would likely bring in a decent amount of business for Gringotts, or at least hoped that would be the case. He had every intention of making sure Mr. Potter knew about finances. He had even suggested some tutors to Madam Bones the previous day before Harry's ritual began.
Harry opened his mouth to say something but ended up closing it again. He was pretty sure he looked like a gaping fish. Harry couldn't think of anything to say, so he just nodded his head instead.
Healer Brissea came up moments later to direct Harry to the ritual room, Goldchain left then.
Harry walked into the room and noted that it looked the same as it had yesterday morning. Without being told, Harry walked to the center of the circle and took his robe off. He couldn't help shivering in the cold air in the room. He knew the shivering would increase when he laid down.
Sighing at the cold floor, Harry slowly lowered himself until he was flat on his back. The shivering increased, much to his disappointment.
Healer Brissea started chanting, Harry vaguely remembered it from yesterday morning. The runes on the ground also lit up. The difference this time was that Harry noticed more runes lighting up, not that he knew what they were. Soon Harry saw the lit runes spread to the ceiling. The pattern intrigued him, and he told himself to ask Madam Bones about it after all was said and done.
Harry didn't think about it for much longer. He soon felt a warmth spread from the pit of his stomach to the rest of his body. Harry couldn't describe what it felt like.
He certainly tried. He supposed this is what being loved and welcomed felt like. Like he was greeting a long lost friend, he never knew he had. Soon the lights and the chanting began to fade.
Harry laid on the floor, crying tears of joy. Healer Brissea came over and handed Harry the robe. She smiled down at him, "Everyone feels the same after getting their magic back." Harry smiled and wiped the tears away.
Realizing where he was, Harry stood up and put on the robe before anyone else came into the room. He had tied it on just in time too. Not a second later Amelia and Goldchain entered the ritual room.
Goldchain spoke before anyone else had the chance, "Well done Mr. Potter, most are usually sobbing messes from getting full access to their magic back. Whenever you are ready, you can change back to your clothes, and we can head back to my office." Saying what he needed to say, Goldchain left the room and waited in the hallway.
Deciding not to waste time, Amelia ushered Harry out of the room and into the one across the hall. Luckily it didn't take long for Harry to change.
"Now that your core is taken care of, we can head back to my office and get your inheritance test done," Goldchain stated before turning and walking in the direction of his office. He expected Harry and Amelia to follow him without further prompting. He assumed they would want to get this done and over with, mostly due to the exhausting ordeals over the last couple of days.
~sSs~
Harry was tired. In all honesty, he just wanted to get back to his bed. Now that thought made him happy. He had his bed, not a cot in the cupboard under the stairs. He was following Goldchain as fast as his feet could carry him, but he couldn't keep up. He wasn't just tired, but he was also very sore. It felt like he had been run over by a bus, or whatever the magical equivalent to one was. Harry started thinking about all the ways his life had changed since he had found out about magic. So far, it had improved his life. He did not doubt that something would happen that he wouldn't be fond of. Picking up his feet, Harry sped up his pace to catch up, not that he thought Madam Bones would let him fall behind.
~sSs~
Amelia looked down at her young charge. She could see the tiredness seeping into his face. She honestly hoped that nothing groundbreaking would be coming out of the inheritance test. With her luck, that probably wasn't going to happen. She breathed a long breath out. Harry needed to see her calm and relaxed, not ready to keel over. She was glad that Harry, at least got to sleep last night. She was going to make him rest up over the next couple of days. She, after all, had set up more appointments for him at the ministry.
That was another thing Amelia was not looking forward to, all of the work at the ministry. She didn't want to think about all of the backed-up paperwork that she was going to find on her desk when she returned. Luckily during her short break, she would be able to focus on the Black Case.
Looking back to Harry, Amelia thought about the last two days. So much had happened. She could see Harry moving on like a champ. Most children would have been crying and complaining. She knew very little of what his life was like before. Harry hadn't yet opened up about his time there. She decided then and there to have Harry see a mind healer. She decided to make an initial appointment and see how it went from there. Now she just had to do her research to find the best one.
~sSs~
Goldchain stopped in front of his office door to unlock it. He waited until Madam Bones and Harry had reached him before opening the door and ushering them in.
"Go on and take a seat. I have to get the items ready for the test," Goldchain said while walking around his office grabbing various items. Harry and Amelia both sat down in the chairs in front of the desk. Harry didn't know what to think. So much had happened in the last couple of days.
Goldchain brought out a small, simple-looking dagger and a rather thick piece of parchment. If Harry took a closer look, he would notice small markings all along the rim of the paper.
The paper was placed in front of Harry. Harry looked down at the paper and back up to Goldchain. Before he could ask what's next, He was handed the dagger.
"Mr. Potter, If you would please place seven drops of blood at the top of the paper," Goldchain instructed him.
Harry looked at the dagger, unsure. He then looked at Amelia, "Miss Amelia, do I have too?" Harry didn't want to cut himself.
Amelia looked at Harry and nodded, "The magic in the dagger will react to your magic and blood. It won't recognize any birthright if there is a magical signature that doesn't match the blood being put on the blade. You don't have to cut your self, a prick on the tip your finger should get enough blood." She hoped the last part would do at least a little to sooth Harry.
Harry didn't like what he had to do, but his mom had suggested it in the letter. He did not doubt that she had loved him, and she would only want the best for him. Breathing deeply, Harry put the tip of the blade against the pad of his thumb. Harry noticed that he could hear his heart rate again. Squeezing his eyes shut, he pushed the dagger. There was a sharp stinging sensation and then some pain which, well, felt like being stabbed in the thumb. Harry couldn't help the tears that escaped his eyes.
Harry opened his eyes to see his blood on the end of the dagger. Slowly he moved the small blade over to the top of the parchment. Harry wasn't about to stab his thumb again, not if he could help it anyway. Tipping the dagger, he slowly let seven drops fall from the blade. Immediately Amelia had her wand out banishing the remaining blood and then healing Harry's small wound.
"You did wonderful Harry," Amelia told Harry in an attempt to male him feel better. Harry looked up at Amelia with teary eyes and nodded his head before saying thank you to her for healing him. Harry and Amelia both missed the paper soaking up the blood and the subsequent lettering that followed a moment later.
Goldchain grabbed the now filled paper and started going over what was written. His eyebrows rose in surprise at what he read. He knew the Potter's had money, but Harry Potter was to be receiving more than what he had initially thought.
"Well, Mr. Potter," Goldchain finally spoke up, "It seems that your family history is wealthier than I had expected. Remember, what's included in this will only show what your blood and magic have inherited. If someone outside of the listed family's bequeathed or gifted you with any money, vaults, etc. then they will not show on this test." Goldchain slid the parchment over for Harry to look at.
Harry grabbed the parchment and started to read. His eyebrows rose high enough to pique Amelia's interest. Harry looked over at Amelia and handed the paper to her. Looking down, Amelia understood why Harry and Goldchain had been surprised. There were quite a bit of surprises listed on the inheritance test.
Harrison "Harry" James Potter
Mother: Lily Jenifer Potter nee Evans
Father: James Hardwin Potter
-Heir to the house of Potter through father. 320,000 galleons in a trust vault, 2.3 million galleons in the family vault. Various books, weapons, armor, and jewelry. Properties: Potter Manor located in Northern England (unplottable and inhabitable), Potter Cottage located in Godric's Hollow (under ministry control), Potter Townhouse, located in London (unplottable). Current Businesses: Topfer Brewery situated in Germany. Abilities: Animagus.
-Heir to the house of Pervil through father. Skills: magic sensitive. Other information is unavailable at the current time.
-Potential heir to the house of Gaunt through Tom Marvolo Riddle. Additional information is unavailable at the current time.
-Secondary heir to the house of Slytherin through Tom Marvolo Riddle. Abilities: Parseltounge and Parselmagic. Other information is unavailable at the current time.
-Heir to the house of Black through Sirius Black. 100,000 galleons in a trust vault. Information is unavailable at the current time.
Amelia was surprised by some of the information, others not so much. Harry took a look at the parchment again before looking up at Goldchain, "What does this mean?"
Goldchain explained as well as he could, "This shows a quick overview of what you will inherit through blood, magical adoption, or magic. If it is listed as unavailable, then the information is only available to the head of that house, or it has been so long since the vault was active that we do not know what is in it."
Harry looked up surprised, "You don't know what's in all the vaults?"
Goldchain sighed, "We are a service, Mr. Potter. Keeping track of a family's wealth is a service. Having a vault is a service. Most families get both; some don't. Two of the vaults on this list were created and left untouched since this branch opened. That was before we had out financial services. Only vaults with the financial service get our other amenities such as interest and investments." Amelia nodded her head along as Goldchain was speaking.
Once he finished, she added, "It's something that you would have learned had you been raised according to your parents will."
Harry was still confused as to what was going on but figured he would have enough time to figure it out.
"Well, at least I don't have to worry about money," Harry laughed, mostly to himself.
Goldchain chuckled at Harry's comment.
Harry looked up at both Goldchain and Amelia and asked, "So how do I see what others have given me? I mean you said this only shows some of the stuff I now have right?"
Goldchain answered, "I can start the investigation into what has been given to you right now if you want. It will take at least a week to gather all of the necessary information along with copies of the wills."
Harry nodded his head, "Do you think there is more that I have then?"
Goldchain shrugged, "Most Likely. You are famous throughout the wizarding world for surviving a killing curse. You are more famous here in the U.K. for supposedly defeating Lord Voldemort."
Amelia snorted at the last comment, "Completely ridiculous. I am going to do a full investigation of that night. I will try to make the investigation as quiet as possible to not attract attention. The longer no one knows, the more I can get done on the case."
"That's a good idea Madam Bones," Goldchain agreed and continuing, "Should you need help with the investigation, feel free to ask. We goblins are more than happy to help, at the cost of course."
Amelia chuckled, "Of course there is a cost."
Harry piped up then, "Can you please start whatever it is that you need to?"
"Of course, I'm assuming you are talking about looking into what else may have been given to you from outside parties?" Goldchain replied.
Harry nodded his head too tired to respond anymore. He figured that this had been a rather long couple of days for him.
"Is there anything else you need from us at the moment Goldchain?" Amelia asked.
"Not at the moment. We will send a letter to you for Mr. Potter when our investigation bears some fruit." Goldchain replied.
Amelia stood up, and Harry seeing her do such a thing followed her lead. Amelia held out her hand for Harry to take, "Come Harry. We should get you back. You need rest, and I need to go to the ministry to get some work done," Amelia turned to Goldchain, "Thank you for your help. I will think about your offer of help for the other case we discussed earlier."
"There is no rush Madam Bones," Goldchain replied with a smile filled with pointed teeth.
Amelia led an exhausted Harry towards the apparition point that Gringotts held. She wished she could sit and relax, but there was too much work that needed to be done in a short amount of time.
Once she had apparated them just outside of her home, Amelia turned to Harry and said, "I have to go and do some things at the ministry for a little bit. If you need anything at all, tell Minnie, and she will try to help you or come get me." Harry nodded his head in understanding. Amelia continued, "Well then I suggest you get a short nap in and after start reading your textbooks. Minnie will make sure you don't sleep too long. All right I'm off now, stay safe, Harry." Amelia then stepped back and apparated to the ministry.
Harry was alone for about five seconds before Minnie popped up in front of him, "Minnies be looking out for young Harrys now. Follows me and we wills get you to sleep." Minnie ushered Harry into the house and led him to his room. Harry was still baffled that he was just given his own room.
Minnie turned around to Harry, "Young Harry be going to nap now. I will wakes you up in one hour." Minnie nodded her head and popped out of the room. Harry looked around the room for a moment. 'I better get to bed,' Harry thought, 'I don't want Madam Bones or Minnie mad at me.' Harry climbed into his new bed and laid down to rest.
~sSs~
Amelia appeared inside her office. She was one of the few people that worked in the ministry that could apparate directly into their office. Amelia crossed over to her desk and wrote a short note to the warden at Azkaban telling him of the current situation involving Sirius Black. She rummaged through her drawers till she found a unicorn-shaped charm. She muttered "Hoc praestolans custos sum (I await a guardian in this object)," the sister spell to the patronus charm, while thinking of her happiest memories (AN: This imbues the chosen object with happy thoughts). She grabbed the charm and slipped it into the folded up letter before walking over to her window and summoning an official ministry owl. She didn't have to wait long, and soon the message and charm were off towards the British wizard prison.
Amelia looked at her chair in longing. She wanted to take a break but knew there would be no time for that. She had to check court records to make sure there was no trial transcript of Sirius Black and then she had to go to the Department of Magical Children's Welfare (DMCW).
Amelia left her office, locking it as she went, and headed to the records hall. The walk took longer than she cared for. Too many of the other ministry employees felt the need to stop and try to talk to her. She didn't care for all of the politics that occurred to her on a near-daily basis. She had decided to join law enforcement because she wanted to help people and protect her world.
The door leading into the records hall was rather nondescript. It was meant to look this way, after all, all of the official ministry documents were held.
She tapped her wand on the handle and waited for the click before pushing the door open. The records hall was nearly impossible to navigate for most people. Thankfully she had worked a lot down in the records hall for the first couple of years as a LEO. She had been tasked with getting documents from these very halls more times than she cared to remember.
Amelia walked up to a small podium, standing at the beginning of the room. Sitting on the podium was a book, an ink pot, and a quill. Grabbing the quill, and dipping it into the ink, she wrote her name on the page along with the information she was looking for, any court records pertaining to Sirius Black. Now all she had to do was wait. Most people started to look through the shelves. Sometimes she wondered if witches and wizards knew how to use their brains.
About fifteen minutes later, a metal table sitting next to the podium started to hold documents. There were only eight total files. Amelia wasn't particularly surprised by the small amount. She knew that he was innocent. She was guessing that most of the files were related to his short time as an Auror. Upon opening the files, she saw she was correct.
Amelia made a copy of the files and the spell results from the search for said files. Nodding to herself, she grabbed the documents and left the records hall.
Amelia's next stop was the DMCW. She made her way to the lifts and waited for one to arrive to take her to the next destination. She waited for about a minute; Amelia absently noted that this was slow response time.
Two minutes and several stops later, she was on the correct floor, but not the right hall. Amelia sighed, rubbing her head. She was starting to think that the day was trying to be extra tricky just for her.
Amelia started walking down the current hall seeing no other option. Three left turns and a right corner later, Amelia was standing outside of the DMCW offices. Walking into, she noticed the room was filled with piles of papers, everywhere. She was surprised to see that there were no filing cabinets, at least none in sight.
Looking around, she didn't see a soul. Wasn't there supposed to be someone here regardless of the time of day. Amelia was just about to shout out when an older witch rounded one of the impossibly tall stacks of paper.
"Ahh hello, Madam Bones, What can I do for you?" The older lady asked.
"Hello Madam Marchbanks, I have some business with the DMCW. Is there anyone I can talk to?" Amelia asked. She remembered Madam Marchbanks administering her O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s at Hogwarts.
"Yes, well, you are going to have to deal with me for the time being. With the recent budget cuts, more positions need to be covered by fewer people. Damn ministry firing people for no good reason. I tell you, it has been putting more work on me. Not only do I run the wizarding examination board, but now I'm helping out over here. But poor Daisy couldn't handle this with the few amount of staff she is now allotted." Madam Marchbanks rattled on.
Amelia forgot how much the other women could talk. "Yes, that's terrible Madam Marchbanks,"
Madam Marchbanks interrupted, "Oh, Griselda please, dear."
"Griselda then, I understand how you feel. The law enforcement branch also took a major cut. We won't even be able to train our officers for the advance positions like Aurors or Hit Wizards."
"Oh, that's just terrible."
"Yes Griselda it is, but that's not why I'm here."
"Of course dear. What can I help you with?"
"Is there somewhere more private we can talk? Also, I'm going to need a confidentiality oath."
"Of course dear. There is a private room in the back. What kind of con-oath are you going to need?" Griselda led Amelia to the back of the paper filled office where there indeed was a nondescript door leading to a small interview room.
"It is a matter of child abuse," Amelia stated.
Griselda paled and gasped, "Abuse? Of a magical child?"
Amelia nodded her head, "Yes Griselda, and the child in question has a rather high profile. I need absolute secrecy for this child."
"Of course dear. Poor child." Griselda agreed. Her, like many others, loved and cared for all magical children. They were little blessings brought into this world. Griselda pulled out her wand, along with Amelia, and said a rather complicated oath followed by Amelia saying an even more complex spell. Lucky no wand movements were required.
Soon the two witches were sitting at the table in the back room. Amelia shared everything she could concerning Harry to Griselda. To say that the older witch was surprised would be an understatement. She was also shocked and appalled what had happened to him. No one, regardless of age or gender, should have to go through something like that.
Griselda transferred Amelia temporary guardianship for Harry. She was lucky that she was given the power to at least do that much.
Griselda and Amelia talked for awhile setting up a case file for Harry. Griselda was surprised there was no file; Amelia wasn't.
By the time all of the paperwork had been copied, filled out, and filed Amelia was ready for a glass of fire whiskey and a hot bath (AN: A girl can have both right?).
It was nearly midnight by the time Amelia got back to her home. She headed straight for her bed to get at least some rest for the next day.
~sSs~
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter :)