A.N./Disclaimer: Most of the characters and the original plot belong to J.K. Rowling. I do not own them. Neither am I profiting from this nor do I plan to commercialize it. I am writing for fun.
A.N.: Thank you for all the follows, favorites and reviews.
Chapter 4
Time Chamber, Gringotts
Entering into the Time Chamber, Ragnok and Harry headed straight towards a building that looked a replica of Gringotts, only smaller. "This is where we will meet everyday. It has a conference room big enough to accomodate all of us and spread out our documents", said Ragnok. He continued, "I would suggest you also discuss a few laws that will help you and your friends. Your alliance with the addition of Lord Black will have the necessary votes to create and abolish laws." After a pause, he said, "However, we need to let them know of your Lordships and emancipation. Being honest with the people who will support you from the get-go will go a long way in strengthening your ties."
Nodding in agreement, Harry followed Ragnok into the building quietly. When they reached the conference room, the visitors and Ragnok XII were already seated around a circular table. In a corner of the room was a table covered in folders and parchments. In front of Amelia was a folder that looked empty, parchments and writing supplies. Augusta, Minerva and Ted too had writing supplies in front of them. The seated members were staring at Harry and Ragnok XI, waiting eagerly for them to begin the meeting.
Ragnok XI broke the silence, "Before I let Harry start the meeting, I would like to thank you all for coming. I assure you none of this will be a waste of time. We have much to discuss and take a few decisions which will not be possible without your help." After a pause, Ragnok continued, "I had taken the liberty to order us some refreshments which we can enjoy while Harry gets a few things out in the open that weren't mentioned in the letter." Turning towards the door, Ragnok commanded in gobbledegook. Six goblins entered with assortment of biscuits and snacks, tea and large mugs of a thick, brown liquid. They placed everything in the center of the table and left after bowing to Ragnok XI. "Please help yourself", said Ragnok and took a seat at the center position, beside his son who was on his right. On his left was Ted followed by Minerva, Amelia and Augusta, in that order. On the other side, beside Ragnok XII were two other goblins who Harry thought were other account managers who were attending on Ragnok's invitation.
"I thank each and every one for being here", began Harry. "When Director Ragnok told me who else will be in the meeting, I did some research on all of you with his help. I can happily say that he couldn't have chosen a better group. Let me start with Senior Account Manager Ragnok. Your father tells me that you are the youngest Senior Account Manager since your ancestor Ragnok, the Fifth. I am honored to have you as my account manager and your guidance is welcome. Lady Dowager Augusta Longbottom, a witch so formidable that no wizard or witch will want to draw her ire. Director Ragnok tells me that even the Dark faction of the Wizengamot fear your viciousness. I believe Director Ragnok wants you here because when you speak, the Wizengamot listens. Of course, you being an ally and family is a bonus. Lady Regent Bones, or shall I say Madam Bones, Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement. You are the first female Head of DMLE and the youngest Head ever. It speaks volumes of your sense of justice. Director Ragnok chose you not only for your alliance, familial relations and sense of justice, but also because you are one of the very few in the Ministry that can be trusted to do what is right over what is easy. Law Wizard Mr. Edward Tonks, you are the Solicitor on Retainer for House of Potter. However, the Director and I also believe that no other wizard or witch is as well-versed in the laws of both mundane and magical world as you. This will help us in using the very same laws to outmaneuver the pureblood bigots and their propaganda which has resulted in Britain being the breeding ground for Dark Lords and such wannabes. Lady McGonagall, or perhaps I must call you Professor McGonagall. I believe you are here not just to support me as your godson's only son, but also to help us plan and achieve things in an efficient way by keeping Dumbledore busy within the castle.
"Before we proceed further, I have a few questions", said Harry. He paused to drink water and continued, "Gran, what can you tell us about House of Emrys?"
"House of Emrys, or the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Emrys, as it should be called, was the sixth house of the High Council", said Augusta. "People nowadays have forgotten the contributions of House of Emrys as it hasn't had a Head of House for a thousand years or so."
"Why hasn't the House of Emrys had a Head of House for a thousand years?", asked Harry in an interested tone.
"Because the last Head of Emrys was cursed", blurted out Amelia. She continued without a pause, "The Bones Family Grimoire mentions that Myrrdin Emrys, or Merlin, as everyone knows him, was cursed by Morgana that his bloodline will not have a male heir for a period of thousand years. House of Emrys being a patriarchal line could not have a female Head or Regent if there was no surviving male heir."
"Why is House of Emrys important other than their contributions to the Isles of Britannia all those years ago?", asked Harry, enjoying being in-charge of a startling conversation.
Augusta replied, "It is important because when the House of Emrys returns, and trust me when I say that it will, the High Council will be at its full strength. The vast majority of wizards and witches that stay in Britain might not know this but the Wizengamot was established by the High Council when House of Emrys was cursed. The Wizengamot established the Ministry a few centuries down the line."
"However, during the establishment of the Wizengamot, the High Council had a failsafe of sorts in place. Each of the six members of the High Council have an oath in their Grimoire that can be used to dissolve the Wizengamot and by extension the Ministry. As Lady Regent of House of Bones, I know the oath in my Grimoire but not what is mentioned in the other Grimoires. The Wizengamot can only be dissolved when all the six members declare their oaths for dissolution. There is no majority rule as it has to be unanimous", intoned Amelia.
"Well, let me introduce myself properly then. I am Harry James Potter, Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses of Emrys, Peverell and Potter, Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff, Heir to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black", said Harry in a theatrical voice with a bow. Pausing to look at the gob smacked faces of Amelia, Augusta and Ted, he continued, "The curse on House of Emrys was broken when my mother, who was a direct descendant of Myrrdin Emrys, gave birth to me. I inherited the Houses of Slytherin and Hufflepuff by Right of Conquests. Tom Marvolo Riddle, the self-styled Lord Voldemort, is a descendant and the last heir of Slytherin. He killed Lady Hepzibah Smith, the last descendant of House of Hufflepuff. When I beat Riddle for the third time this Friday, I inherited the titles. However, I would have become a Lord irrespective of the titles by Right of Conquests due to the traditions of Houses of Peverell and Emrys. Lord Sirius Orion Black is not only my godfather by godparent ritual but also my blood-adopted father, which makes me Heir Black. Though if he produces a male child, I want his son to inherit the heirship."
Amelia, Augusta and Ted were stunned. Ragnok XI was looking at them in amusement, Minerva seemed deep in thought. Ragnok XII was staring at his father's amused expression. The other two goblins were indifferent towards the revelation. They had known for a while as they were working on the financials. Harry looked at them for a while and proceeded to sit down. It was a long ten minutes before Amelia broke the silence.
"Bloody Hell!", screamed Amelia.
Augusta, who was now out of her stupor, chided, "Language, Amelia."
"Are you kidding me, Augusta? Out of all the things I had expected before I came here, this was not it", said Amelia, shaking her head. "Not only has he made the High Council whole again, giving us the power to dissolve the Wizengamot, he is the heir of Hogwarts as well. He could go about changing the entire educational system if he wants and nobody can bat an eye as he is the sole owner. How am I supposed to stay quiet after the revelations?"
"One thing I have learned from the little time I have known Harry is that you have to be prepared for the unexpected when he is involved", chuckled Minerva.
"Let me get this straight", said Augusta looking at Harry. "Your birth broke the curse on House of Emrys. Your victory over You-Know-Who let you inherit Slytherin and Hufflepuff titles as he was the last holder of the titles. You have taken up your Lordships because of Right of Conquests and your house traditions. You are the Lord of three of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses and heir to another, and Lord of four of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses." Turning to Ragnok XI, she continued, "I agree with your choice of support group, Director Ragnok. If these things got out, people would hunt him down."
"I agree with your assessment, Lady Augusta", said Ted for the first time. "We have to protect him. We cannot be reckless but at the same time, we cannot be toothless. Even though we can't let out the fact that Harry is Lord Emrys-Slytherin-Hufflepuff, we need to get Sirius his freedom. Andi will be pleased to know her favorite cousin has been innocent all this while."
"That is where you all come in", said Harry. "We will work together, as a family or as a group of friends, but we will. We are not going to go into too much detail today as it is evening already. Before we leave tonight, Director Ragnok and I decided to hand each of you a copy of the letters and the Wills of my parents. They shed light on a few of our dear Headmaster's machinations. We will convene tomorrow and begin our discussions. The first matter, however, will be Sirius' freedom."
Nodding their heads, everybody agreed to the suggestion. Ragnok XI took out the mentioned documents and waved his hand over it, making a copy of each of the documents for each of the participants in the discussion.
"I have goblin guards waiting outside who will show you your living quarters", said Ragnok XI. "Harry has been in the Time Chamber for a while and has his own quarters. We will meet here at 9:30 the next morning."
Gathering all the provided documents, everyone left the conference room.
The next day, Harry arrived at the conference five minutes before the scheduled time. He was a little surprised at first, to see Amelia, Augusta, Minerva and Ted already at the table. However, when they looked at him with concern, he felt happier that there were at least a few adults who seemed concerned about him. All he ever wanted growing up was a family. These people might not be blood, not all of them anyway, but they might as well become his family. He was broken out of his stupor when Ragnok XI entered with his son and the other goblins. The wizards and witches in the room left their seats to bow to the Chief and took their seats after Ragnok XI sat down.
"Good morning. I hope each and every one of you had enough time to go through all the documents", said Ragnok XI, taking the lead. "Let us discuss how we can force the Wizengamot to give Sirius Black his due trial."
"We can take the Gringotts certified Will and present the case in front of Minister Fudge. This will force his hand to give Sirius a trial", suggested Minerva.
"Though I like the idea, Dumbledore had sealed the will. He will know we are onto him in a flash. Given the lengths he had gone to prevent Harry from being raised by Sirius in the first place, I don't think we should risk his interference at the beginning itself by using the Will", said Augusta.
"I have a suggestion, but I will need Amelia's help for it", said Ted. "How about we play a grand prank on the Minister and Dumbledore at once?", asked Ted with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"If you believe we can pull it off, I will lend my entire support as long as it doesn't require me to break any law", said Amelia.
"It is no secret that Fudge will do anything to look good as a Minister, nor is it a secret that he is deep in Lucius Malfoy's pockets", said Ted. "Malfoy cannot take up the Black seat and its fortune because Sirius Black was never convicted at a trial. House of Black currently doesn't have a Solicitor on Retainer. As Sirius is my cousin, I will take over the case myself. Say Amelia tips the Minister that due to my persistent questions regarding Sirius' trial record, she discovered upon checking that Sirius had never been given a trial. We can spin it for Fudge in a way that he will look good irrespective of the outcome of the trial. We let him believe that if Sirius is innocent, he is Lord Black and Fudge's administration gave him the trial that the previous administration didn't, and if he isn't, he will be in Lucius' good books for playing a role in Lucius' son inheriting the Black fortune."
"I like the sound of it. How will we prank Dumbledore though?", asked Harry.
"In Wizengamot, during trials, we can ask for the Chief Warlock or the Chief Witch to be recused if they are closely associated with the victim or the defendant", said Ted. "As Dumbledore had been the Chief Warlock when Sirius wasn't given a trial, we will ask him to recuse himself. I will present my argument to the Wizengamot in such a way that the majority will want Dumbledore to recuse himself. Once Sirius gets his trial, he will be declared innocent", said Ted and paused to make sure everyone was following him. "As I am his attorney, I will get some time with him prior to his trial. I am going to instruct him to ask where you are and who is looking after you. I am sure Dumbledore will try to cover it up which is why I will ask him to bring up the Potter Wills."
"I will help with it", said Augusta. She thought for a moment and continued, "Mr. Tonks, make sure to instruct Sirius to threaten the Wizarding Britain if the Will isn't opened in that session itself. Ask him to pull out all the resources of House of Black from Wizarding Britain. I will get the Potter-Longbottom-Bones alliance to follow up with the same threat. The entire Wizengamot knows that if the Black, Longbottom and Bones families, and their allies pull out their resources, Magical Britain will be brought to her knees."
"Lady Dowager Longbottom speaks the truth", said Ragnok XI. "Besides, they will be scared that if the word got out and Harry pulled out the resources of his families, the ones they know of, there will be no longer a Magical Britain nor will there be a Hogwarts."
"This is an excellent solution, Ted", said Minerva. "However, I believe Albus will still try to stop Sirius from getting the guardianship. I am sure he will put forward that Sirius shouldn't be given Harry's guardianship for his elongated period of exposure to dementors. Harry is the Boy-Who-Lived. Entire Wizengamot will want his guardianship to be handed to someone whose mental and physical health cannot be questioned."
"True, however, because he is the Boy-Who-Lived, and the last Lord and Lady Potter died a hero, nobody in the Wizengamot will want to be seen standing against their wishes", said Augusta.
"I might have a solution to that", said Amelia. "What if we let Sirius choose someone to take over Harry's guardianship for the period of his healing? I know he will choose one among us or Andi. In that way, we can look after Harry and make sure Dumbledore doesn't get his hands on him."
"I think that will do", said Augusta and paused. She continued, "We will have to be careful. Once we get Sirius free, we can figure out why Dumbledore is obsessed with Harry's guardianship."
"Director Ragnok and I know the answer to it", said Harry. When everyone looked towards him, Harry continued, "We know Riddle, or as he calls himself, Voldemort isn't dead. He made soul containers called horcruxes, splittings his souls. We are not sure how many, but we know that it is more than two. I destroyed one this year in the Chamber of Secrets after I killed Slytherin's basilisk. The other was in my scar which has now been removed and stored in one of the high security vaults here at Gringotts.
"Director Ragnok is going to assign a team of curse-breakers to hunt down the remaining horcruxes and bring them here. We cannot destroy them before Voldemort regains a body. We know he is out there somewhere as a wraith and if we destroy the horcruxes now, the soul pieces will return to him. Therefore, we will wait for his return and thereafter destroy the horcruxes using a goblin ritual.
"As you have read in one of the letters, Dumbledore believes there was a prophecy involving me that puts me against Voldemort. The logical thing to do would have been to train me for the eventual fight, but Dumbledore has done everything opposite to it. He bound my magical core and a lot of magical abilities." Harry paused to drink water. Director Ragnok waved his hand and a copy of Harry's blood test results appeared in front of every individual in the room. Everyone looked appalled.
"That meddlesome old bastard", screeched Ted.
"Quite", said Amelia. "These many bindings could have turned you into a squib."
"I believe there are more shocks to come", said Augusta looking at Harry with a somber expression.
Harry nodded and waited a moment for the people to digest the information and continued, "Director Ragnok believes that Dumbledore knows about the horcrux that was in my scar. The only way to remove a horcrux from a living individual without killing the individual is through a goblin ritual. It could be that Dumbledore did not know this, but we are not quite sure on that part. We believe Dumbledore was setting me up to die." Harry paused for a dramatic effect. Everyone looked green with disgust. Harry continued, "When the healers were removing my binds, they discovered three things. First, every binding had Dumbledore's magical signature on it. Secondly, there were trackers bound to me with his magical signature. One tracker was for my position and the other was a life indicator. And third, there was a ward link on my magical core. My magical core was recharging the wards at my relatives' place which was recharging my trackers. As I have been away for a long time, the trackers weren't functioning. They would have recharged once I entered the wards at my relatives' place, which I never will."
Harry let everyone come to grips with what he had just said. After a brief period of silence, when no one spoke, Harry continued, "According to my mother's will, the entire plot on Privet Drive belonged to her which she bequeathed to me. Tomorrow, real-time, an agent from Gringotts will approach the other residents and my relatives with a deal to vacate their houses before the weekend. As soon as all the houses are empty, they will be demolished and a new mansion will be built, Lily's Keep. I plan on spending my summers and other holidays there for the foreseeable future. It will be big enough to hold each and every one mentioned in my parents' Wills and more. I plan to put it under fidelius and become its secret keeper or may be make Director Ragnok the secret keeper. Each of you will always have a space there, of course."
"It seems like you've been doing a lot of planning, Harry", said Minerva with a warm smile.
"Yes, Aunt Minnie. I plan to be a better student. I have had at least three near death incidents since joining Hogwarts, two of which have included Voldemort and have survived mostly due to luck", said Harry seriously.
"Harry, can you please explain us the last statement. Augusta and I are on the Board of Governors. Albus never mentioned anything involving near death incidents other than the Chamber of Secrets which Albus had entrusted only Malfoy with", said Amelia, glaring at Minerva.
"Before Harry says everything, I want to apologize for my part in not bringing it up sooner. Albus has forced all of us professors to not speak about anything that goes on in school as it is his duty to report to the Board. I did not know that he never reported anything", apologized Minerva.
Harry began his tale after receiving a nod from the witches. He told about the troll incident, Fluffy the cerebrus, Norbert the baby dragon, the night of detention in the Forbidden Forest, the incident involving the Philosopher's Stone, his encounter with Voldemort-possessed Quirrel, the acromantula nest, the Chamber of Secrets fiasco, the slaying of the basilisk, the horcrux, Lucius Malfoy's involvement in it and the almost return of Riddle. The group was horror stricken in front of him. Even Minerva did not know a few things.
"What in the name of Merlin's saggy balls is going on at Hogwarts? Is it a school or a nuthouse?", screamed Ted, having lost his cool.
"I wonder why my niece never mentioned about anything", muttered Amelia.
Director Ragnok cleared his throat to draw everyone's attention towards himself and said, "I believe the students have all been potioned in their meals to treat these events as nothing out of the ordinary. I am sure that Harry is able to see the oddities because of his healing regiment."
The next couple of hours were spent on discussing the events. Harry was even asked for his memories which he happily provided. The group watched the memories and sat stunned.
Amelia did not know how to react. Here was a boy who had faced a fully grown mountain troll and lived to tell the tale. She was sure even the aurors would have considered themselves lucky to achieve this feat. If that wasn't enough, Albus had the brightest of ideas to hide such a powerful magical artefact within the walls of the castle beyond a series of tests that were easily overcome by three first years. Of course, Harry had to face Voldemort again, as an eleven-year-old, inside the supposedly most secure place in Magical Britain of all places. What in the name of Merlin's beard was going on! And an acromantula nest? Seriously? Then there was the basilisk. She could not fathom how Harry, a twelve-year-old, had the courage to face that monster. Even her best trained aurors would have failed. He slayed a sixty-feet basilisk with a sword. A fucking sword! Then there was Voldemort again, paying his annual visit. Gloating about his power. She was awed by Harry's shenanigans, but she was also scared. Why did a student of all people had to take care of issues that the adults should have been looking after? She wanted to strangle the old bearded fool but now that she knew that Voldemort was still out there, it would be foolish to put Dumbledore behind bars right away. She knew they had to play the waiting game with Dumbledore. She did not like it, but it was necessary. She was lost in her thoughts.
Augusta was shocked to the core. She had read the prophecy in the letter. She couldn't help but imagine her chubby grandson in Harry's place. She had had her fair share of duels and encountered numerous situations where she was either awed or shocked in the aftermath, but nothing came close to what she had just witnessed. She couldn't fathom how Harry had managed to face down all the things that came his way and managed to live to tell the tale. What was more impressive was that the lad had overcome his obstacles with a bound magical core. Out of all the incidents, the one that worried the witch the most was that in a school with a powerful and knowledgeable wizard as the Headmaster and the accomplished Heads of Houses, how could they not know that it was a basilisk. What shocked her even more was that a second-year witch, that too a muggleborn, managed to solve it, all on her own with the little facts that she had and the information from school's library. Then there was Lockhart. She couldn't find a word to describe him. How did the great Dumbledore not know that he was a fraud? Or maybe he did. The things she was learning about the wizard's machinations, she wouldn't put it beyond him to hire Lockhart because he knew about Lockhart's forgery. The horcrux also worried her. The wards should have alerted the Headmaster about dark magic within the castle walls. Thinking along these lines, she came to a horrid conclusion: Dumbledore knew about everything. He knew about the horcrux, the Chamber of Secrets and the basilisk. Instead of shutting the school down to remedy the situation, he let the events take their course of action. He was probably looking forward to Harry's showdown against Riddle. He had a perfect excuse, in fact, two excuses that would explain his inaction. As he is not a parselmouth, he couldn't open the Chamber of Secrets. And then Lucius had paid the Minister to force the Board's decision to remove him from his position as the Headmaster. The more she thought about it, the more disgusted she was with him. Dumbledore would pay for his heinous crimes soon, she vowed to herself that she would see to it.
Minerva was seething with anger. One of her favorite cubs, who also happened to be her honorary grandson, regularly found himself in situations of life and death, and Albus never told her. Albus knew what went down between Harry and Quirrel/Riddle, but never told her. He had asked her to trust his better judgement and she had left it that. Albus had said that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened again, which meant that he knew that it had been open before. He also knew that it wasn't Hagrid, but he did nothing to stop his arrest. He had known about Myrtle's death and still left the school open. She thought about the school's wards and came to the same conclusion as Augusta. She was horror struck. She couldn't fathom how a wizard could put so many lives of young children at stake to fulfill his machinations and think of himself as 'Leader of the Light'. He might be the most powerful since Merlin, but he did not possess Merlin's righteous spirit. She wasn't sure who was the Dark Lord, Riddle or Albus. She wanted to make herself believe that Albus had his reasons and was doing things for the best, but she couldn't. She had gone a long time trusting Albus blindly, but not anymore. She knew she needed to be careful. She recalled the last piece of memory they had watched, Harry's conversation with Albus and the youngest male Weasley. She was baffled by Albus' statement. Awards for Special Services to the School to Harry and Mr. Weasley? The red-head had done nothing but slow him down. He couldn't even keep his wand to himself. Miss Granger and Mr. Longbottom deserved it more. If Miss Granger hadn't done her research, Harry would be dead, and the Wizarding World would have had Riddle running around in a younger body. Mr. Longbottom had been spending all his free time helping Pomona with the mandrakes for the Restoration Draught. She was going to convince the Board to outvote Albus' decision. She knew her life in the castle was going to get tougher, but she also knew that her presence was more important for the safety of the students, sometimes from their own demented Headmaster.
Ted was trying to calm himself down but failing miserably. He was sure if Andi came to know about these incidents, the infamous Black vendetta would bring about the demise of Albus. Merlin, he wanted to kill the bearded bastard himself. How could a wizard be so evil and call himself 'Leader of the Light'? He couldn't think of where to begin from. If the troll was in the dungeons, why did he ask the students to return to their dorms when the Slytherins live in the dungeons! What was more surprising was that nobody raised a question. Either all of wizardkind had lost their ability to reason or the belief in Dumbledore had become so blind that they would die if he suggested them to. His logical mind wasn't happy with the conclusions it was arriving to. To bring down Dumbledore, they would have to plan things carefully and set them into play. The only way to bring down such an influential wizard would be to display all his misdeeds to the wizarding public. They would have to start planning and gathering all the evidence. The day after Voldemort is dealt with, they would put all of Albus' wrongs on display for the public. He was going to beg Amelia to let him on the panel of prosecutors. This was a wizard he would be excited to put down.
The goblins were staring at Harry with awe. They were a warrior race, and here was a warrior of extraordinary grit who had proved himself time and time again. Ragnok XI was astonished. His ancestor, Ragnuk, had crafted the Sword of Gryffindor for Godric. Ragnuk and Rowena Ravenclaw along with a few goblin enchanters had charmed the sword to present itself to a worthy Gryffindor in a time of need. Godric Gryffindor was first and foremost a warrior. For the sword to deem Harry a worthy heir meant Harry was a warrior himself, at least in the eyes of the goblins. To have achieved the feat at the tender age of twelve was a great feat, and that was just another reason for Ragnok to put the Nation's support behind the young Lord. The goblins nodded to each other, got off their seats and bowed to Harry, each with his fist on chest. Harry, Ted and the witches were surprised at the goblins' warrior salute. Shaking himself out of his surprise, Harry returned the warrior salute.
"The Nation will stand by you in your conquest against the vermin that is Tom Riddle, Lord Potter", said Ragnok XI. The wizards and the witches were surprised by the Chief's declaration. They knew that the last time the Goblin Nation had stood by a wizard or a witch was a thousand years ago when they had stood by Godric Gryffindor, who had been declared a Friend of the Nation.
Harry bowed to the Director and said, "I am humbled by your declaration of support, Chief Ragnok. I hope that once this is over, we become friends, like our ancestors all those years ago. My allies and I will fight for the rights of the Goblin Nation and other magical beings. I know Hermione will. She was disgusted by the treatment Dobby received at the Malfoys'. She might be a mundane-born, but I will take her suggestion for the stance of my Houses. I have read about how the entire Magical Community thrived when the High Council governed Magical Britannia. The bloodsnobs who entered the Wizengamot following the establishment of it have preached and practiced bigotry at the highest level, bringing about the end of peace and harmony. This has led to Britain to be the breeding ground for Dark Lords and such wannabes. If the Wizengamot members don't pull their heads out of their arses, I am sure that the sister Houses of the High Council will follow the Houses of Emrys, Peverell and Potter to dissolve the Wizengamot."
Augusta and Amelia were stunned by Harry's proclamation. Never in their wildest imaginations had they thought that any house of the High Council will propose the dissolution of the Wizengamot. The fact that a twelve-year-old had such strong understanding of right and wrong, and that he would go as far as proposing to dissolve the Wizengamot to bring about the harmony that the Magical Britannia had enjoyed moved them. Augusta was first to follow, "House of Longbottom will be right beside Houses of Potter, Peverell and Emrys. Never should it be said that a Longbottom didn't back a Potter. I am sure my Neville will be thrilled. The fact that it will bring about the peace we are all desperate for is a bonus."
Amelia wasn't far behind, "House of Bones will stand beside House of Potter as well. Susan always considered the wizardkind foolish to treat the Goblin Nation with disgust when the Nation was in control of their finances."
"I have an intuition that my godfather will follow us as well", said a determined Harry.
"I am pleased by your proclamation, young Lord", said Ragnok XI. "Let us continue with our discussions tomorrow. My assistants and I have completed the audit of the Houses you are the Lord of." He waved his hand and eight sheafs of parchments appeared before Harry and one sheaf of parchment appeared before everybody else. He continued, "Each of the top seven sheaf of parchment corresponds to the holdings and assets of your Houses, Harry. The last parchment which everyone else has as well, is the list of items and amount of money that has been removed from your vaults since the demise of the last Lord Potter and by whom. They also contain information on where the items and the money are currently at. I would suggest each of you to go through the given documents and meet here at same time tomorrow to discuss our approach."
Gathering their sheets, the humans nodded in agreement. Ragnok looked at Harry and continued, "The beast masters and the appraisers have evaluated the carcass of the basilisk after watching the memory at eighteen million galleons at least. The estimate doesn't include the fangs as discussed with you before, Lord Potter. I would suggest we discuss the disbursement of the funds tomorrow as well."
Harry nodded and turned towards the humans. He said, "I will need your help. Can we all meet up this evening and discuss regarding the disbursement? I have a few ideas and with your help we can ensure that we make the best use of the funds." The four nodded at his request. Harry turned to Director Ragnok and the other goblins, and said, "Thank you, Ragnok. We will have a plan for you tomorrow." The humans collected the parchments, bowed to the goblins and left the chamber for the day.
Harry went back to his assigned residence and freshened up. After a small meal, he picked up the parchments and started to go through them.
Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter
Properties:
Potter Castle, Scotland:
Unplottable, currently under war wards, move-in ready
Potter Manor, Italy:
Unplottable, currently under war wards, move-in ready
Potter Keep, USA:
Unplottable, currently under war wards, move-in ready
Potter Cottage, Australia:
Unplottable, needs repair
Potter Chateau, France:
Unplottable, need house-elves to open the house
Isles of Potter:
Unplottable private island
Potters' Flats in Diagon Alley and Leeds, Privet Drive in Surrey (Lily's Keep planned for construction)
Vaults:
Potter Family Vault (vault #002a): 792,187,265 galleons 11 sickles 22 knuts
Potter Family Heirloom Vault (vault #002b): Generations worth staffs, wands, family rings, jewelry, portraits, furniture, etc.
Potter Investments Vault (vault #137): 8,348,912 galleons 3 sickles 18 knuts; limited to 10,000,000 galleons. The exceeding amount at the end of the year is transferred to vault #002a. If the value is less than 10,000,000, the required amount is transferred from vault #002a.
Potter Heir Trust Vault (vault #687): 21,906 galleons 13 sickles 9 knuts; refilled to 50,000 galleons every July 31st, the heir's birthday.
Yearly fixed payout of 5000 galleons to Hogwarts Support and Emergency Funds group (vault #100)
Investments & Ownerships:
Nimbus Brooms: 35%
Wizarding Wireless Network: 30%
The Leaky Cauldron: 15%
Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions: 10%
Quality Quidditch Supplies: 20%
Twilfitt and Tatting's: 15%
The list contained a few other names that he did not recognize. However, he now had a better idea why the Potters were rich. Apparently, his family's investments were very profitable. For the last twelve years, more than six million galleons a year were moved from the investment vault to family vault. According to the goblins, however, the profits had become stagnant as there hadn't been any new investments. What worried him though, where the funds from his trust vault had gone. He was quite sure his school supplies didn't cost him around 28,000 galleons. Someone was removing his money and the only name which came to his mind was Dumbledore's.
He picked up the second parchment and went through it.
Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Peverell
Properties:
Peverell Manor, Britain:
Unplottable, currently under war wards, move-in ready
Peverell Keep, Norway:
Unplottable, move-in ready
Peverell Cottage, France:
Unplottable, move-in ready
Vaults:
Peverell Family Vault (vault #005a): 129,176,283 galleons 13 sickles 21 knuts
Peverell Family Heirloom Vault (vault #005b): Generations worth staffs, wands, family rings, jewelry, portraits, furniture, etc.
Peverell Investments Vault (vault #256): 1,752,363 galleons 7 sickles 25 knuts; limited to 2,000,000 galleons. The exceeding amount at the end of the year is transferred to vault #005a. If the value is less than 2,000,000, the required amount is transferred from vault #005a.
Peverell Heir Trust Vault (vault #788): 0 galleons; refilled to 10,000 galleons every July 31st, the heir's birthday.
Yearly fixed payout of 5000 galleons to Hogwarts Support and Emergency Funds group (vault #100)
Investments and Ownerships:
Firebolt Brooms: 35%
Wizarding Wireless Networks: 10%
The Daily Prophet: 24%
Just like House of Potter, there were names of some businesses that Harry didn't recognize. The profits had been substantial as well. Around a million galleons a year were moved from the investment vaults to the family vault. However, he was shocked to see the ten thousand galleons no longer in the trust vault. He went through the other lists.
Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Emrys
Properties:
Emrys Hall, Scotland:
Unplottable, wards need repair, house-elves required to move in.
Vaults:
Emrys Family Vault (vault #001a): 98,176 galleons 2 sickles 8 knuts
Emrys Family Heirloom Vault (vault #001b): Generations worth staffs, wands, family rings, jewelry, portraits, furniture, etc.
Emrys Heir Trust Vault (vault #216): 0 galleons; no known heir for a thousand years until recently.
Investments and Ownerships:
None.
Ancient and Most Noble House of Gryffindor
Properties:
Lion's Den, Scotland:
Unplottable, currently under war wards, move-in ready
Griffin's Cave, Ireland:
Unplottable, move-in ready
Vaults:
Gryffindor Family Vault (vault #007a): 76,983,158 galleons 4 sickles 1 knut
Gryffindor Family Heirloom Vault (vault #007b): Generations worth staffs, wands, family rings, jewelry, portraits, furniture, etc.
Gryffindor Investments Vault (vault #278): 761,986 galleons 0 sickles 5 knuts; limited to 1,000,000 galleons. The exceeding amount at the end of the year is transferred to vault #007a. If the value is less than 1,000,000, the required amount is transferred from vault #007a.
Gryffindor Heir Trust Vault (#vault 705): 0 galleons; refilled to 5,000 galleons every July 31st, the heir's birthday.
Yearly fixed payout of 5000 galleons to Hogwarts Support and Emergency Funds group (vault #100)
Investments and Ownerships:
Hogwarts: 25%
Firebolt Brooms:16%
Wizarding Wireless Network: 6%
The Daily Prophet: 4%
Ancient and Most Noble House of Ravenclaw
Properties:
Ravenclaw Manor, Scotland:
Unplottable, currently under war wards, move-in ready
Lily's Cottage, Godric's Hollow:
In major disrepair, currently illegally occupied by Ministry
Vaults:
Ravenclaw Family Vault (vault #008a): 56,512,969 galleons 14 sickles 21 knuts
Ravenclaw Family Heirloom Vault (vault #008b): Generations worth staffs, wands, family rings, jewelry, portraits, furniture, etc.
Ravenclaw Investments Vault (vault #298): 726,197 galleons 10 sickles 25 knuts; limited to 1,000,000 galleons. The exceeding amount at the end of the year is transferred to vault #008a. If the value is less than 1,000,000, the required amount is transferred from vault #008a.
Ravenclaw Heir Trust Vault (#vault 715): 0 galleons; refilled to 5,000 galleons every July 31st, the heir's birthday.
Yearly fixed payout of 5000 galleons to Hogwarts Support and Emergency Funds group (vault #100)
Investments and Ownerships:
Hogwarts: 25%
Nimbus Brooms:16%
Wizarding Wireless Network: 5%
The Daily Prophet: 5%
Ancient and Most Noble House of Hufflepuff
Properties:
Hufflepuff Hall, Scotland:
Unplottable, needs repair
Vaults:
Hufflepuff Family Vault (vault #009a): 46,512,969 galleons 10 sickles 12 knuts
Hufflepuff Family Heirloom Vault (vault #009b): Generations worth staffs, wands, family rings, jewelry, portraits, furniture, etc.
Hufflepuff Heir Trust Vault (#vault 726): 0 galleons; no current heir
Investments and Ownerships:
Hogwarts: 25%
Flourish and Blotts: 10%
Ancient and Most Noble House of Slytherin
Properties:
Slytherin Lair, Scotland:
Unplottable, needs repair
Vaults:
Slytherin Family Vault (vault #010a): 72 galleons 7 sickles 22 knuts
Slytherin Family Heirloom Vault (vault #010b): Generations worth staffs, wands, family rings, jewelry, portraits, furniture, etc.
Slytherin Heir Trust Vault (#vault 786): 0 galleons; no current heir
Investments and Ownerships:
Hogwarts: 25%
After having gone through the holdings and assets lists, Harry was in a quandary. Someone had been emptying the trust vaults of his Houses. He couldn't understand the reason for lack of funds in Slytherin vault. Despite being one of the Ancient and Most Noble Houses, the vault had less than 100 galleons. The Slytherin descendants were either piss poor in making investments or had no care for money. Whatever the reason be, he knew he had to start making money for all his Houses. Readying himself to be shocked, he picked up the last parchment. To say Harry was pissed after reading the parchment was an understatement.
Apparently, Albus too-many-names Dumbledore had been emptying all of his trust vaults. Ever since the Halloween, Albus had moved 50,000 galleons from Potter Trust Vault to one of his personal vaults till his tenth birthday, which amounted to 450,000 galleons. Ever since Harry's eleventh birthday, Dumbledore had systemically removed money in small amounts over time and emptied the vault before their refill date. This had amounted to 60,256 galleons that he had stashed away. What he wasn't prepared for was that ever since the beginning of his second year, Mrs. Weasley had removed 16,838 galleons using his key and moved to a vault in the name of Molly Prewett.
Albus had also moved the 20,000 galleons combined from the other three Houses' Trust Vault to a vault owned by 'Order of the Phoenix' for all these years, which amounted to a total of 220,000 galleons. He had also drawn 3000 galleons a month since November of 1981 from the Potter Family Vault. He had converted 100 galleons a month to pounds and paid Petunia Dursley. He also had a similar setting for Arabella Figg, which confused him. What was the relation between Mrs. Figg and Albus? He transferred 1000 galleons a month to the vault owned by 'Order of the Phoenix'. Since August 1991, he had transferred 400 galleons a month to the vault owned by Mrs. Weasley under the name Molly Prewett, 200 galleons a month to a vault owned by Ronald Weasley and another 200 galleons a month to a vault owned by Ginevra Weasley. Why was Dumbledore paying them? From a total of 417,000 galleons for the 139 months, Dumbledore had paid 13,900 galleons each to Petunia Dursley and Arabella Figg, 139,000 galleons to a vault owned by 'Order of the Phoenix', 4,600 galleons each to Ronald Weasley and Ginevra Weasley, 9,200 galleons to Mrs. Weasley's vault, and moved the remaining 231,800 galleons to his personal vault.
If all that wasn't enough, the 20,000 galleons of yearly payout for Hogwarts Support and Emergency Funds were instead moved from the vault to the vault owned by Order of the Phoenix for the last eleven years.
However, money wasn't all he had removed. Listed below the detailed explanation of his money, was the list of items Dumbledore had removed. He had removed the few books that were in his Family Vaults. Among other things were a pensieve and a golden chair from the Gryffindor vault, an assortment of china and other utensils from all the four vaults, a trunk from Ravenclaw vault and Charlus Potter's wand from the Potter Vault. Harry was livid. He was screaming with rage when he heard a knock at his door. Calming himself down, he headed to open the door.
Opening the door, he saw four angry faces. Clearly, they had gone through the parchment as well. He invited them inside and led them to the sitting room. They sat down and discussed the extent of Albus' scheme. They also discussed about the money from the slayed basilisk. After a couple of hours, when the four visitors left the quarters, Harry recalled the things that had now come out in the open. Mrs. Figg is a squib whom Albus had placed in Privet Drive probably to keep an eye on Harry. Order of the Phoenix was a group of Albus' creation to fight Voldemort and his cronies in the last war. The fact that he was still funding them meant that Albus knew that Riddle would return, and a war was coming. Due to the funds that Albus had moved from Hogwarts Support and Emergency Funds, Hogwarts was also suffering from lack of maintenance. His Aunt Minnie had also mentioned that it was odd that Hagrid had not mentioned Harry about the location of the platform which was a must for muggleborn and muggle-raised wizards and witches. This led to Augusta being convinced that Albus had set up the meeting between Harry and the Weasleys. The fact that despite being a wizarding family, the Weasleys chose to travel to the muggle side of the platform smelled suspicious. When Harry had recalled the entire incident, the others were sure of it as well. The platform for Hogwarts Express had always been nine and three quarters. They were shouting in the open because they knew Harry would be out there looking for the entrance as Hagrid hadn't told him about it. It also meant that at least the three Weasleys being paid did not have Harry's best interests at heart and weren't his true friends. Ronald was probably pretending to be Harry's friend and relaying all his actions to Dumbledore. However, they still had no clue why Ginevra was being paid. Harry was tired after a long day and headed to bed. The next day was going to be a long one and he knew it.
The following day Harry made into the conference room five minutes before the scheduled time and joined the other waiting humans. The five humans were joined by the goblins after a couple of minutes. After the morning greetings were exchanged, they got down to business. Harry nodded to Ted who kickstarted the meeting, "As the Solicitor on Retainer for House of Potter, I would like to propose our next course of action against one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. We, that is, Harry, Amelia, Augusta, Minerva and I, have come to a solution that would be safe for the time being. However, I have a few questions first." Director Ragnok waved his hand, as if signaling for Ted to continue. Ted asked, "Is it possible to recall the heirlooms removed from the vaults using goblin magic?"
"It is possible, Mr. Tonks. All we require is the permission from the young Lord", said Ragnok with a toothed grin. Ragnok had an intuition that he was going to love their approach.
"Perfect. In that case, we would like the heirlooms to be recalled during the emergency Wizengamot session on Tuesday. As Mr. Dumbledore had removed the said artefacts on the pretense of the Potter Heir's guardianship, it is only fitting that they be returned to the respective vaults when he will no longer be the guardian. Mr. Dumbledore would never have been the executor of the Wills in the first place if there wasn't a law during the war which required the Chief Warlock to be the executor of the Wills from the Major Houses", replied Ted.
"I like your plan, Mr. Tonks", said Ragnok XI while the other goblins were noting the instructions.
"Thank you, Director Ragnok but it was Lady Dowager Longbottom's idea. Albus has no idea about the extent of Olde Magic. He would treat the disappearance of the heirloom as a result of transfer of guardianship", said Ted with a warm smile which turned into an evil grin as he continued. "As for the money, we propose the entire amount to have been removed from the vaults be returned. Since the money paid to Mrs. Petunia Dursley and Mrs. Arabella Figg had been converted to pounds, we would suggest you take the amount from Albus Dumbledore's vault. We also request you to charge Mr. Dumbledore an appropriate rate of interest. We suggest that you and your team keep the charged amount of interest. In place of actual gold in the vaults that you are removing, we suggest you place Leprechaun gold of equivalent account. We have a small request, but we fear it goes against the code of honor and integrity that the Goblin Nation prides in."
Ragnok XI who was laughing hysterically broke out of his stupor at the last sentence. His grin turned feral when he said, "If it is a suggestion to deal another blow to Thief Dumbledore's plans, we are all in. The wizard made a mockery of our race when he crafted his scheme. As a warrior, all I can look for is revenge. Ask away."
Now it was Ted's turn to laugh like a maniac. He controlled his laughter and said, "As Lord Black will take over Harry's guardianship, according to Gringotts policy, all the vaults owned by Harry will need to be keyed again, thus cutting off Albus' or anyone else's access to any of his Harry's vaults according to the wizardkind. However, since you know Harry has taken over his Lordships, you have already made the vaults inaccessible to the existing keys. If anybody attempts to withdraw funds or anything else from Harry's vaults between today and Tuesday, we request you to refuse them access without letting them know the actual reason. We also request that you let us know if Albus continues to pay the three Weasleys. We would like to know if they are true friends of Harry."
"We agree with your proposition, Mr. Tonks", said Ragnok XI grinning. He continued, "It is too bad you don't want to be an attorney for us. You are ruthless when you want to be. House of Potter is blessed to have you."
"Director Ragnok, I am humbled by your praise. James, even though he was younger than me, was a great friend. I will do my best to honor him and his memory", said Ted and bowed.
"Director Ragnok", said Augusta. "Permission to speak?"
"Permission granted, Lady Dowager Longbottom", nodded Ragnok.
"Mr. Edward Tonks, House of Longbottom has not had a Solicitor on Retainer for years since my husband passed away. House of Longbottom and I would be honored if you would consider taking on the role for us as well. You can set up the terms and we can discuss further", said Augusta with a small smile.
"Mr. Edward Tonks, House of Bones has a similar proposal", chimed Amelia.
"Director Ragnok, I believe Uncle Ted is going to be one rich Law Wizard", chuckled Harry. He continued, "As a Solicitor on Retainer for House of Potter, he has agreed to hold the same for all my other Houses as well. I am sure that after Sirius' trial, he will have a similar proposal from him as well."
"I am humbled and happy at the same time to take up these jobs, Harry. You are my family and so is Sirius. I may not be blood related to Houses of Longbottom and Bones, but I consider them friends and we may very well be an extended family in the near future", said a happy Ted looking at Harry. He turned towards the witches and said, "Lady Regent Bones, Lady Dowager Longbottom, I accept your proposal. We can discuss after we free Lord Black." When he received their approvals, he turned to Director Ragnok and continued, "For the funds generated from the carcass of the slayed basilisk, we have a disbursement plan. Harry requested that three million galleons worth of basilisk flesh be retained by the goblins as a charge for the services of rendering. Is it acceptable, Director?"
Director Ragnok was wide-eyed. It was Gringotts policy to charge five percent of profit for their services. Here was a wizard offering more than three times the amount. Ragnok turned to Harry and said, "It is very much acceptable; however, it is more than our usual charge, Harry."
"That may be so, Ragnok, but you have been kind enough to look after my healing and help me learn my family history. You have trained me for months and are going to help me in my conquest against Riddle. It is the least I could do. I know the goblins enjoy basilisk meat as a delicacy. Besides, as I said yesterday, I hope we can be friends someday, like our ancestors", replied Harry with a smile.
"You are an amazing wizard, Harry. Your ancestors will definitely be proud of you", said Ragnok, returning Harry's smile.
When Ragnok turned towards Ted, Ted continued the disbursement plan, "One million galleons each be paid to Miss Hermione Granger, Mr. Colin Creevey, Mr. Justin Finch-Fletchley and Miss Penelope Clearwater. We request you to open a vault each for the ones who don't have one. A hundred thousand galleons be paid to Mr. Argus Filch. If any living relative of Miss Myrtle Warren can be found, they should receive 1,900,000 galleons. Mr. Weasley, the father of Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Ginevra Weasley is to receive two million galleons, anonymously. The remaining seven million galleons will be disbursed by Harry as he didn't say anything other than he had a surprise planned."
"Before Lord Potter can continue", Director Ragnok butted in, "I believe my son has been looking for Miss Granger since her eleventh birthday. Am I correct in assuming that Miss Granger's birthday is on September 19 and that she is currently 13?"
"You're correct, Ragnok", said a surprised Harry. "Why has Ragnok XII been looking for Hermione?"
"On September 19, 1979, two heir vaults became active at the same time. One belonged to Ancient and Most Noble House of Dagworth-Granger and the other was of Most Noble House of Draven. We were sure an heir or heiress of both the houses was born but we never knew the name. Both the houses had been dormant for a while as there were no magical heirs. When you mentioned Miss Granger, I thought she was it. To confirm my suspicion, I asked if I was right about her birthday. The next time she walks into Gringotts, I will only let her walk out after an inheritance test", said Ragnok.
Harry, though, had a question. He said, "That is amazing, Ragnok. Hermione will be happy to know her family has had magic deep in their history. However, I have a question. How was Ragnok XII able to know when the heir vaults became active of a dormant line and nobody knew I was Emrys heir when I was born?"
"That is because of Olde Magic, Harry. Myrrdin was cursed by Morgana using Olde Magic. The only way the presence of an Emrys Heir could be known was when he decided to let the others know. Your inheritance test was your decision to let us know which houses you were heir to", replied Ragnok smiling at Harry's curiosity.
Harry nodded and continued, "Thank you, Ragnok. That explains a lot." He sighed with relief and said, "From the remaining money, I want a million galleons to be transferred to Hogwarts Support and Emergency Funds. They are to be used at Professor McGonagall's discretion to improve life at Hogwarts for students and bring about the necessary maintenance. I want another million galleons to be donated to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. They are to be used by Madam Bones to prepare and hire more aurors, and for their protective gear. Another million galleons to be transferred to St. Mungo's to upgrade their facilities and get better healers. I would like Lady Dowager Longbottom and Healer Andromeda Tonks to look after the upgrade. I want a million galleons to be transferred to Mr. Edward Tonks. I am sorry Uncle Ted, but I want you to use this money to establish your own firm and hire only the best Law Wizards. As you will be representing all of my Houses and probably Houses of Longbottom, Bones and Black as well, soon other Houses of prestige will follow. With you being in charge of your own firm, you can choose your clients. The balance be stored in a vault which will be used when the war comes. For the four fangs, I request you to craft a dagger out of each fang and sell the venom. One dagger is to be held by your clan, Director Ragnok, for your ancestor crafted the Sword of Gryffindor. One will be held by House of Gryffindor. One for House of Longbottom for Neville's hard work with mandrakes for the creation of Restoration Draught. One for Miss Granger for her dedication in research which led to saving of many lives." Harry sat down and drank water from the glass in front of him.
Ragnok XI was the first to speak. "I for one completely agree with your disbursement. I am humbled and grateful that you honored my ancestor."
"Thank you, Harry. You might not know but your donation to DMLE will help us to be better equipped for the incoming war", said Amelia.
"Harry, you look a lot like your father but have enough of Lily in you as well. That distribution plan was right and fair", chimed Minerva with pride.
"I am moved by your idea of gifting House of Longbottom a dagger. You do your ancestors proud, Harry. I will ensure your St. Mungo's plan becomes a success", said Augusta, wiping a tear.
Ted sniffed, "Harry, you've just handed me my dream on a platter. I will make you proud of your Uncle Ted."
"It wasn't me who came up with the entire plan. I will be honest here. Aunt Minnie helped me with the suggestion for fangs and Director Ragnok helped me with the suggestion for St. Mungo's and DMLE. He knew about the monetary issues there and let me know. I had planned for Uncle Ted's as soon as I knew that he will be taking up all my Houses. The first plan that Uncle Ted had relayed was planned by us all together", replied Harry, shaking his head. With everyone too emotional to continue, they decided to call it a day and meet the next day.
The remainder of the month was spent planning. They planned about the laws they wanted to get enacted and the ones they wanted to be abolished, how they were going to get Dumbledore and Snape out of the school on June 20 when the goblins were going to be in Hogwarts to render the basilisk, how they were going to deal with the Weasleys, how to keep Dumbledore in the dark about Sirius' trial till Tuesday, how to deal with questions about Harry's changed appearance, the questions about Godric and Rowena, preparing for the incoming war, etc. The evenings were spent with them regaling the stories of Harry's parents and grandparents. Harry was enjoying his time in the Time Chamber. He was happy to be told of his parents and grandparents.
During the last planning session on the last day in the chamber, Harry said, "I am very grateful to each one of you for having taken the time to help me. I have a request. I would like Susan, Neville, Hermione, Luna and Dora to get custom wands made by Master Sato. These wands will be very powerful wands as they will be exact matches for them. Dora is an auror and I would like all of us to receive some training over the summer. If our plans go through, we will be able to continue our training in Hogwarts. We know the war is coming and we'd rather be prepared for it. I would like it if you four, Aunt Andi, Sirius and Remus got one made as well."
The four humans in question looked at each other and nodded. Augusta spoke, "I speak for all of us when I say I agree to your request. Thank you for having thought about us."
"You're welcome, Gran Augusta. I would like to think us as a family and family look out for each other", said Harry with a smile. At the end of the planning session, everyone bowed to the goblins who returned the bow, and left the building towards the exit of Time Chamber where their elves joined them. Godric and Rowena appeared with a flash.
'Hello Harry. Godric and I are going to Potter Castle to hunt in the surrounding forest. We will always appear when you think of us', trilled Rowena.
"Alright, Rowena, Godric. Have a safe flight", said Harry. With a merry trill and a flash, both the ancient birds disappeared. As soon as they stepped out of the Time Chamber, the elves disappeared. Amelia, Augusta and Ted said their goodbyes and left. Minerva and Harry said their goodbyes and expressed their gratitude to Director Ragnok. They proceeded to the antechamber to pick up Harry's wand. As soon as Harry entered, Master Sato said, "Come in, Harry. I have your wand ready." He then handed Harry the most beautiful wand Harry had ever seen. The wand had a grayish-brown hue on the shaft and a beige handle. As soon as Harry grasped the wand, he could feel his magic dancing, almost too playful. He felt alive like never before.
Smiling to himself, Harry said, "I have never felt my magic so happy before. It is as if it has finally met its long-lost friend." Looking at Master Sato, he said, "Thank you, Master Sato. I have already informed Director Ragnok to pay for your services. Do you have any holsters?"
"I do have them. The ones I have are enchanted to be invisible to everyone but you once activated with your magical signature and placed on you. They have anti-summon charms as well", said Master Sato, taking out three holsters and handing them to Harry. "If I recall our last conversation correctly, you are going to recall the fabled wand. You will need three of them for the three wands you will possess."
Harry nodded happily and placed the holsters. He said, "About my earlier request, please bring about 30 holsters when you come then."
"I will, Lord Potter", said Sato and winked at him.
"I will see you soon, Master Sato. Good day", said Harry and left with Minerva.
They entered Ollivanders. "You're right on time, Mr. Potter. I just finished crafting your wand", said Ollivander. He picked up the wand with care and placed in Harry's hand. The wand was a darker shade of brown. Grasping the wand, Harry could feel his magic flow. It was playful but not as playful as his 'familiar' wand.
Harry paid for his wand and left with Minerva for Hogwarts. It had been a good stay within the Time Chamber, even enjoyable towards the end. Now it was time to sit back and watch their plans come to fruition. If everything went right, Harry would have his godfather free soon and Harry would be free of Dumbledore's manipulations without revealing his emancipation. When they reached Hogwarts, Harry felt a great magical surge rush through him. He smiled when he heard a female voice in his head,
'Welcome back, my Lord. I have been waiting for you. Adrian had told me that I'd be able to talk to you upon your return.'
'Thank you for your welcome, Lady Hogwarts. I had been looking forward to talk to you as well.'
'Forgive me for my intrusion, my Lord, but I know where the traitor friend of your parents is. Peter Pettigrew is right here in this castle posing as the pet rat of Mr. Ronald Bilius Weasley. I had warned the Headmaster of the animagus when he had first come as Mr. Percival Ignatius Weasley's rat, but the Headmaster had ignored my warning.'
'You have nothing to be sorry about, Lady Hogwarts. You have done my friends and I a great favor. Thank you so much, my Lady.'
'You are welcome, my Lord. Let me know if you need help with anything.'
'I will, my Lady.'
Turning to Minerva, Harry said, "I just had an interesting conversation with Lady Hogwarts."
"Oh?", a puzzled Minerva exclaimed. "And what exactly did you talk about?"
Harry replied, "Let us go and get ourselves a Peter Pettigrew."
Minerva stopped in her tracks and exclaimed, "WHAAAAAAT?!"
A.N.: I couldn't help myself, sorry. I will most probably have the next chapter up by Wednesday midnight.