AN: Seeing as some people are disappointed with the direction of this story, and how the characters are being portrayed, I've decided to add tags on the start of the first chapter like I have on AO3. Please go back and read those to find out if this is something you wish to keep reading.
Anyway, to everyone else, thank you for kind comments and support. Here is an extra long chapter that I really enjoyed writing!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
He hadn't seen James since their fight. His mother had pleaded with him to just talk to the man, but Harry was still angry. His father was a bully. That was a fact he'd already been aware of, but he'd thought it was something he left behind in his teenage years. He should have realised that it isn't that quick, nor easy, to change one's stripes.
Harry sighed. He didn't know what to do about James. He wanted his father in his life, of course he did, but was he really willing to expose himself to the man's biased and degrading opinions? His mother was easy, maybe too easy, to be around. She would support him wholeheartedly no matter what he decided. But not James. He was still stuck in his bigoted ways.
The more Harry learned about blood magic and rituals, the more he realised that the so-called 'Dark' magic wasn't inherently evil or bad. It was all up to the one who used it. James was not happy about him learning those branches of magic and he made his opinions abundantly clear. Necromancy wasn't a subject that was ever touched upon, even though Harry had a natural gift for it. He still had his reservations, but Ignotus was starting to wear him down on a few of the more harmless branches.
He cast a quick Tempus charm and rubbed his face. It was nearly time for his appointment at Gringotts. He'd be seeing the Slytherin manager first, then Kartaak the Potter manager, and finally Ragnok. He didn't want to give his secrets away to the Slytherin or Potter manager so he'd have to go as a child. It sucked, but he figured he could take an ageing potion before leaving Ragnok's office.
Once again he donned a slightly different appearance. His hair was blonde and his scar hidden away by makeup. He'd transfigured a dark blue robe to wear over his other clothes so he wouldn't stick out too much in the Alley.
He debated whether he should risk Apparating alone to the Alley or if it was better to ask Death for a ride. Harry sighed, knowing that between the two there wasn't really a choice.
"Death?" He asked, resigned to another day of being 'Tom'.
"Yes, little Master?" The old gentleman said as he materialised next to him. The being took in Harry's resigned expression and grinned widely. "Are you in need of a chaperone again?" He sounded practically giddy.
"Yes." Harry groused.
"How delightful!" Death said with a laugh and instantly changed into the blonde woman that had acted as Harry's mother the last time.
"Will we be going right now?" The deity inquired.
"Yes." Harry muttered and sullenly grabbed the woman's hand.
The two of them stepped through the shadows, and in an instant appeared in front of Gringotts' white walls. Harry's heart rate sped up and his head jerked to each side to see if anyone had noticed, but the witches and wizards on the street merely walked past them, ignoring them completely. It was like they couldn't see them at all. He gave Death a puzzled look.
"I figured you might be in a rush." The woman said with a bright smile, before tugging him along inside the bank.
"My charge has a meeting in master Ragnok's office." Death said to the teller.
They were told to wait until a goblin was free to escort them there. Harry suspiciously watched the people who hustled back and forth inside the bank, looking for any familiar faces.
His chaperone gently nudged him, and the two followed their guide. The office looked just the same as last week. Harry climbed up into one of the chairs that were set up in front of the desk and prepared to wait again.
Ragnok had agreed to let the other managers use his office for the duration of their meetings today. The goblin in charge of the Slytherin estate was the first one of the lot.
Death was enjoying her role as a doting parent a little too much, Harry thought. Her slender fingers were carding through his hair, playing with the blonde strands. He huffed and swatted her hands away with a glare. Of course, he ended up looking more cute than angry thanks to his babyface. The deity merely smirked in amusement. Bloody menace was what she was. Harry almost felt like pouting, but he had enough self-control not to sink that low.
In came an elderly goblin who was dressed sharply in a black, three-piece suit and a green silk cravat. He looked rather dashing for a goblin.
"Well met." The goblin said and nodded his head at the two guests, eying them with shrewd, black eyes. "I am master Karrnok."
Harry thought he fit the image of a Slytherin pretty well, probably must be a cunning bastard if he was chosen by Voldemort personally. Not that there was anything wrong with a good dose of cunning.
Harry and his chaperone returned the greeting.
"It seems that you, Mr Potter, are the heir presumptive to the Slytherin Lordship. It's rather curious don't you think? Imagine my surprise when your name, of all, was the one who appeared in my ledger." The goblin seemed amused of all things. He did know who his original client was right?
"Why?" Harry asked, looking at the goblin with big, innocent eyes.
The goblin studied him, peering over his long nose with calculating eyes. Harry would bet his entire trust vault that Karrnok would happily watch him and Voldemort battle it out, preferably to the death. He seemed like the type who didn't care who owned the estate as long as profit was made.
"No matter. Let's get on with business. Although the Slytherin family is an old pureblood family, there was never an heirship ring crafted, or if there was, then it has been lost for hundreds of years." Karrnok steepled his fingers together in front of him on the desk and leaned forward.
"In addition, since the current Lord Slytherin wasn't aware of having an heir, there hasn't been a trust vault made available for your disposal, nor do you have access to the main vault."
"Are there any obligations or requirements he must meet to inherit the lordship one day?" Death asked.
"Yes. However, both have already been achieved. The first is a right by blood, the second is the ability of parseltongue." Karrnok's eyes were hungry as they looked at the child. "Most intriguing." He hummed. "You are not going to be what the wizards expect you to be, will you. "The goblin mused.
Creepy fucking goblin, hired by a creepy fucking Dark Lord, Harry thought with a glare. "I don't think that is any of your business," he replied waspishly. It didn't quite have the same effect as if he'd been an adult though, instead he sounded like a petulant child.
"No, perhaps not. But I will be keeping an eye on you Mr Potter. I think we can expect great things." Karrnok said with a sharp grin.
"That would be all for now. I will inform Lord Slytherin of your heirship status when he decides to reappear. In addition, you will be notified if there are any changes made to your status or financial situation."
"Any letters you wish to deliver to my charge should be handed to master Ragnok first. He has a method to contact us, as normal owls are unable to find us." Death explained, ensuring that Dumbledore wouldn't find out about Harry's connection to the Slytherin line before they were ready. Not that they were expecting to hear anything from Voldemort until Harry enrolled at Hogwarts, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
"I will take note of that." Karrnok replied, writing a little footnote in his ledger. "I will inform Ragnok that our business has been concluded for now." The goblin gave them a curt nod then walked out the door.
"Well, that was uneventful." Harry muttered once the door closed.
Death cocked a fine, blonde eyebrow.
"Well it was!" Harry huffed.
"Perhaps. But at least you got confirmation that Karrnok won't try to give either of you the upper hand. He seemed rather impartial as to who runs the estate." Death added.
They were left to wait for another 20 minutes before the door opened and in came someone new. Harry assumed that it was Kartaak. The goblin matched the description his mother had given of him. He was tall for a goblin but old and almost gaunt. He had only a few wisps of white hair on his otherwise bald scalp. His back was crooked and he used a cane to walk. His books for the Potter estate were carried by a much younger goblin who seemed to be his assistant.
"You must be the young Mr Potter I was informed about." The ancient goblin said in a raspy voice, adjusting the large glasses on his nose as he took a closer look. "Mh, you look more like a Black than a Potter. It's the cheekbones and nose I think. Hmm." He seemed lost in thought as he stared at Harry.
Death cleared her throat, startling the old goblin out of his musings. "The estate? We are here to hear about the vaults, their contents and how the estate is faring." She pointed out.
"Ah, yes, yes. Of course. Let me see." Slowly, Kartaak turned the pages of the first ledger until he found what he was looking for. "Ah, here we are. The Potter estate has three vaults and one property. Vault number 410 is the Potter family vault. Vault 484 is the trust vault for the Potter heir, and lastly, vault 812 was the personal vault of Mrs Potter née Evans." The old goblin explained as he duplicated the list describing the contents of each vault.
They were handed over to Harry who quickly took a look at them, eyes widening with surprise.
"What happened to the family vault?" He asked accusingly.
"Hum, So you noticed." Kartaak sighed. "Your late father was rather frivolous with his money. He didn't have the head for investments like your grandfather did, and so he spent what he had without a care for when it might end. However, it wouldn't have mattered if it wasn't for the war. The main Potter vault was well padded and new investments were being made. But unfortunately the war did happen, and your father made large donations to the war effort. I'm not actually sure if he was aware just how large the donations were. They were however signed by him and delivered here in person. I had no choice but to execute the transfers." The old goblin looked disgruntled at the memory. "Which is why the main vault is nearly empty. There has been some income from previously made investments, but not much."
"Who was it that collected the money?" Harry asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer.
"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." Kartaak grunted, clearly not very fond of the old headmaster. Which wasn't that weird considering he had left the goblin in charge of a moneyless vault.
Harry sucked in a deep breath. This wasn't really news, he shouldn't be upset about it. It had been war, and Dumbledore used the money towards defeating Voldemort. Yes it absolutely sucked that his father had been so irresponsible, but he couldn't really blame Dumbledore. That was what logic told him, but still he felt furious with the headmaster, and with James.
Harry rubbed his face. He felt Death's hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing it in what Harry assumed to be a comforting gesture.
"So the main vault is empty. What about the property in Godric's Hollow? Has any steps been taken to secure it from trespassers?" The deity inquired.
Kartaak shifted his attention over to the blonde woman and spoke after taking a sip of water from the conjured glass on the desk. "The ministry has claimed the rights to the property and is using it as a national landmark. With Mr Potter still being so young, and none of his guardians having done anything to stop the process, I'm afraid the ministry has been able to do whatever they wish."
Harry frowned. He didn't want the property either way, and closing it from the public now would alert Dumbledore that something was going on, but he still didn't like it being gawked at by random people. The ministry's takeover was illegal and it irked him something fierce. Still, needs must. There really was only one option here and that was leaving it be.
"What about my parent's things?" Harry piped up.
"Mm. Some of it was deposited into the main vault after their deaths I believe. Far from everything however. Opportunists scavenged the house for valuables before anyone thought to collect anything you might want in the future. What was collected will be on the list you were given." Kartaak explained.
The chance of his mother's pendant, containing all of her illegal or Dark books, being in the vault was next to nil. The first thing any thief would go for was the jewellery. Harry sighed, feeling dejected.
He knew mostly what his mother's vault contained, and with the added inventory he'd just been handed, there really was no need to discuss it in detail.
"I'd like a new key made for the family vault and that belonging to my mother, please." Harry requested. "Invalidate any copies. Also, if you want to communicate with me please go through Ragnok first and not by owl. He knows how to contact me. Thank you for taking care of everything until now though, I appreciate it." Harry plastered on a smile.
Kartaak studied the boy before he nodded in assent. "I have had the honour of working with three generations of Potters before you, and I am looking forward to what you will do in the future. You remind me somewhat of your grandfather, he was a shrewd businessman with a keen eye for details."
The goblin pulled out a small box and placed it in front of Harry. "Before you leave, you should try on your Lordship ring. Normally I would be presenting you with the heirship ring, but your case is a curious one. For some reason you have skipped the heirship position entirely in my ledger. I won't pretend that I'm not intrigued in finding out how this is possible, but I won't pry. Stranger things have happened when one deals with magic."
Harry's mouth was dry when he reached out for the silver box. At least he was thankful that Kartaak couldn't inform anyone of what happened in this meeting without his permission. And since any post would be given to Ragnok, he didn't have to worry about Dumbledore reading something confidential from a letter.
The lid of the box slid smoothly on its hinge as Harry opened it, revealing a gold signet ring with a round and flat centre of lapis, much like the Peverell ring, just with a different design. Royal blue sapphires were embedded into a circle around the centre, glittering beautifully in the light.
The blue lapis top of the ring held an engraved version of the Potters family's crest. The crest itself was filled with a coat of gold. He reverently studied the design. It was a standard pointed shield surrounded by laurel leaves. The inside of the shield was adorned with an oak tree in the middle.
Harry swallowed hard. It was the first time he'd seen it. No one had ever bothered to show him anything with the crest on it in his previous life. It also made him wonder why Ron or Neville had never asked about him not wearing his heir ring. They were both purebloods so they should have known about the rings and their significance, Neville even wore his own! Ron could probably be put don't to either ignorance or jealousy, but not Neville…
"Do I just put it on?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yes, any finger will do." Kartaak replied.
Harry hesitated for a few seconds before reverently sliding it on his left index finger. There was a moment when the ring burned before a familiar and comforting magic washed over him, speaking of home and family. It enveloped him completely and he had to close his eyes to bask in it.
The ring resized to fit his small finger.
"Congratulations Lord Potter." Kartaak nodded his head.
"Unless you have anything else you wish to discuss, I will leave you two for now. Your new keys can be picked up at one of the tills when you leave." The goblin hummed to himself as he closed his book. "I am available if you ever need to contact me about your accounts. Good day to you, Lord Potter. "
"Good day, master Kartaak."
The freshfaced goblin assistant returned to carry out the books when Kartaak left.
Ragnok must have been informed about the meetings ending, because it didn't take long before he was seated in his office chair again. His eyes zeroed in on the new ring on Harry's finger. "Had a productive morning, I see?" He smirked.
"Somewhat, yes." Harry replied and felt like rolling his eyes.
"Did you manage to get the mailbox we discussed?" The child asked.
Ragnok nodded and pulled a carved, wooden box out of one of his expanded desk drawers and slid it towards Harry. The box was made of walnut wood. The warm shade of brown, with its intricate carvings of runes and Celtic knotwork made it a beautiful piece of art. The crafters had even carved the Peverell crest on top of the lid. It was exquisitely made and Harry found himself running his hand over the smooth finishes.
"How much will it cost?" He asked, not expecting it to be cheap.
"The price came to 180 Galleons, with the added enchantments." Ragnok said. "I took the liberty to have the funds transferred from your account."
Harry nodded. That was far from as bad as he'd expected. "How does it work?"
"Your box is linked to mine." Ragnok said and opened Harry's box, placing a quill inside. "Everything that's inside of here will be transferred to mine once you close the lid." He continued with the demonstration, closing the lid of Harry's box, making the runes on the other softly light up. "Once something has been sent to you the runes on your box will glow, indicating that you have mail. Yours differs from the standard Gringotts boxes in that it is only connected to mine."
"I've asked Kartaak and Karrnok to send any messages they have to me, through you. I hope that's alright?"
"That is fine. Also, If you have any letters you wish to send through owl post, I may be amenable to post them for you. For a fee of course." Ragnok grinned, making Harry snort.
"Of course." Harry smiled wryly.
They hashed out rates until they were both happy and had come to an agreement.
"I have a request that I'm not sure is entirely legal." Harry voiced slowly. "Nor do I know if it's even possible." Harry licked his lips nervously.
Ragnok seemed intrigued and leaned forward in his chair with a raised eyebrow. "I'm listening."
Harry took a deep breath to steady himself. "I would like to create an adult persona for myself as Lord Peverell. As a child I won't be taken seriously no matter my intelligence. In addition it would provide me some freedom to start moving politically."
Ragnok stared intently at the young boy. Creating fake identities weren't all that uncommon, and Harry being Lord Peverell already would make it much easier. What was uncommon however, was for a child to take on the mantle of an adult. A six year old child nonetheless. "And you are sure of this?" He inquired.
"Yes." Harry said firmly. Looking the goblin straight in the eye. "There will also be a large amount of Galleons as a commission to you for making this happen."
Ragnok was quiet for a few minutes, making Harry internally sweat in his seat, but he kept up a firm and determined exterior. He wouldn't back down on this. For his future plans to work, this was important.
"It can be arranged," Ragnok said slowly, "and seeing as you are Lord Peverell, it isn't technically illegal. What has to be forged however, are details of your birth and parentage if you want a more solid identity. In addition you would need a minimum of O. W. L results to legally carry a wand in Britain."
Harry thought about that, sitting his O. W. Ls shouldn't be too difficult right? He'd already done it once and passed well enough. "When are the exams held?" He pondered.
Ragnok raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Do you intend to take them?"
"Well, you said I needed to take my O. W. L's to legally carry a wand right? It would also help establish my identity here in Britain. I'm confident that I will be able to pass them." Harry said with a determined nod.
The goblin eyed him with surprise and a little disbelief. "And your guardian is in agreement with all of this?" He said and turned his attention to Death who had been mostly silent.
"Yes, he has my full support, master Ragnok. And as for a background, we have that arranged already." She pulled a stack of documents out of a handbag Harry hadn't noticed earlier, and handed them over to Ragnok. This wasn't something they had planned so he had no idea what those documents said.
Ragnok read through them in silence, flipping the pages as he rapidly digested the information. "You've been thorough." He murmured and peered at the blonde woman.
"Yes. I saw no reason not to be. I think you will find everything you need in there." Death gestured to the documents.
"During the second world war, Grindelwald was obsessed with the Peverell family. There had been a few who still carried the name despite not being able to pick up the lordship. He hunted them down for information on something he thought they might possess, but never found what he was after. It was believed that he killed them all." She tucked a blond strand behind her ear.
"However, one of the families had been aware of the dangers they faced, and therefore squirreled away their young daughter into the Henley family living in Canada. They raised her as their own, claiming that she was biologically theirs. Due to this, she managed to escape Grindelwald's persecution and lived until adulthood. She in turn got married and had her own child on samhain of 1966, a young boy by the name of Harrison Steele." The woman elaborated.
"And you want young Mr Potter to take on the role of Harrison Steele." Ragnok continued sceptically.
"Yes. Harrison's parents were hermits, living deep in Canada's wilderness long before they had him. They had no friends and taught their child themselves, not trusting anyone else. His mother was a paranoid sort, his father not any better. Sadly, they died tragically in a hunting accident. They had both been animagi, the mother a caribou and the father a grizzly bear. One day while out in the forest, a muggle hunter found a lonely caribou walking around. Thinking how lucky he must be, he aimed his rifle and fired, killing her instantly. Her husband heard the shot and came running, only to find his beloved wife dead on the ground. The hunter was shocked to see the caribou transforming into a woman, but he didn't have much time to think of the consequences of his actions before a large bear went for his throat and mauled him to death. Harrison's father carried his wife back home and buried her in the backyard. He told his son to go check their snares in the forest, and when Harrison returned, he found his father dead in the living room, having killed himself by a gunshot to the head, leaving only a letter explaining why. Hardened by losing both his parents on the same day, Harrison packed up his belongings and decided to travel the world, eventually coming to Gringotts here in England." Death finished.
"And how much of this is true?" Ragnok asked.
"Most of it. Except that young Harrison died as a toddler and was buried in the garden. His mother was never the same after that. Hence why nobody saw much of her. Nobody knew of his death." Death answered.
"How do you know all of this?" Asked Ragnok suspiciously.
"I have my ways." Was the airy reply coming from the woman.
Silence reigned in the office and Ragnok seemed conflicted. "Very well… Lord Peverell," he looked sharply at Harry. "I will make this happen. You will need to give me a few weeks to arrange it all. I will keep you updated through letters." He wasn't happy about it, but Harry was his client and he didn't want to lose the Peverell estate to someone else.
ΔΟΙ
They discussed the new identity some more before moving on to the things people had willed to their 'saviour'.
"People left me all of this?" Harry asked with wide eyes as he perused page after page detailing money, artefacts, and properties that had been left to him in people's wills, or gifted to him after the war.
"Yes, most notably was Adeline Astorp, an old spinster who had no children or living family she felt were good enough to inherit. She left you everything she had, which was quite a lot. Not so much in liquid assets as in properties and stocks. She died last year and her properties have been locked down as they were. There are a few holiday homes around the world you might find interesting." Ragnok smirked at Harry's wide eyed astonishment.
"France, Greece, America, Indonesia…" Harry read out loud, still completely baffled. "How do I get access to them?" He asked.
"Some of the properties are unfortunately being rented out. They have contracts that last for a certain amount of time. The rent is being deposited into the vault she left you." Ragnok explained. "The properties she used herself were locked by Gringotts. I can give you ward stones that will act as a key into each property, the wards should then acknowledge you as someone who has a right to be there. If you do this, I would recommend clearing the ward books for allowed visitors so none of the unhappy relatives pay you a visit."
Harry took a deep breath, trying to process it all. What on earth was he going to do with this much? It felt so… so ridiculous. One person shouldn't have this much. He rubbed his face. "Will they take any damage from staying locked up for a while longer?" He didn't want to deal with them yet. He had so many other things to focus on.
"No. There is no need to rush in claiming them. As long as the wards Gringotts placed around them still stand, there will be no issues."
Harry nodded gratefully. "Can you close all the minor vaults on this list and have the money transferred to the Potter family vault? The rest can stay in its own separate vault if possible."
"Of course." Ragnok fished out a document and handed over a quill to Harry. It thankfully wasn't a blood quill. "Sign here and it will be arranged." The goblin pointed to the last line of the parchment.
Harry made sure to read it in its entirety before he signed anything. It was something Ignotus had knocked very firmly into his head. However, everything seemed to be in order so Harry confidently scribbled down his name and stamped the drop of red wax next to it with the Peverell ring Like Ragnok instructed him to do.
"I want to visit the Peverell vault today if I may." Harry looked up at his manager.
"I will have someone escort you there. Do you wish to go right away?" Ragnok inquired.
"Yes, There is just one thing I have to do first." Harry replied and placed his mailbox into his Dragonhide satchel. While his hand was down there he fished out a potion phial and looked at Death. "Transfigure my clothes for me?"
She lifted a delicate eyebrow and smirked in amusement, giving him a little nod in acquiescence.
Harry uncorked the phial and drank its content in one big gulp. The transformation happened quickly, and he was immensely glad that Death was able to alter his clothes in tact with his growth. When he looked down he realised that the clothes had become much fancier than what he'd been wearing earlier. The robe was black with a tight, high collar and silver buttons down the front. It looked perfectly tailored and had embroidered silver accents. He raised an eyebrow at the deity, ignoring the pains and aches of his body.
"So is this the shape you wish to take for your new identity?" Ragnok asked, looking surprised and calculating at the same time.
"Yes." Was the only answer he gave.
ΔΟΙ
The cart goblin, that Harry didn't know the name of, sped up their ride. Down, down, down the rabbit hole they went, further down into the depths of Gringotts than Harry had ever been before. The Lestrange vault was nothing in comparison to how deep the Peverell vault laid.
Harry thought he saw a flash of orange from the corner of his eye, and he was once again reminded of the poor Dragon being kept down in the dark as a guardian. There was however, nothing he could do about it.
The ride felt like it went on forever, but finally they seemed to have reached their destination. The cart slowed down to a stop and the goblin ushered them out.
Harry looked up at the large onyx door that was seamlessly integrated with the rough, stone walls surrounding it. Without thinking about whether he should maybe keep his hands to himself, he placed his palm on the inky black door. There was a sudden, sharp stab coming from the door and Harry yelped in surprise at the pain. He jerked his hand back quickly, but when he looked at it there were no wounds or marks.
"Key please." The surly goblin sneered and seemed disappointed for some reason. He held out his hand for the key, completely ignoring the young man's pain.
"What the bloody hell was that?!" Harry burst out, hand still throbbing.
"That was the wards on the door testing your blood and accepting it." The cart driver said.
"And what would have happened if it didn't?" Harry hesitantly asked with a frown.
The goblin gave a malicious smile full of sharp teeth. "Nothing nice." Without further chitchat, the goblin inserted the key into a keyhole that Harry had been certain wasn't there earlier.
He figured that he probably didn't want to know what happened to those whose blood was rejected. But in the future he'd best keep his hands to himself. You'd think he'd have learned that by now.
The key was turned and removed. The onyx door rushed out and down like a waterfall of thick, black, smoke, going between their feet before it dissolved. The vault now stood open and Harry moved inside once he'd gotten his key back. A misty barrier formed behind him where the door had once been. He could see the blurry shapes of Death and the goblin outside but no sounds entered. Maybe it was because only he was of Peverell blood? He'd have to ask Gerrard to see if he should start panicking.
He looked around himself. The vault was large and cavernous, much larger than he'd expected. He had also anticipated mountains of gold, but luckily the goblins had placed it all into crates with Gringotts' logo on them. Some were open, but most of them were closed and stacked on top of each other. Going by the amount supposed to be there, he suspected that the crates were bigger on the inside. Since he was already standing next to the crates, he shoved a good amount of Galleons inside his money pouch. He didn't bother counting them, simply pushing the coins into the open pouch. He didn't know how much a wizarding tent cost, but he expected it to be expensive. Not to mention the price of an elf. However, he still didn't know where to find one of those. Did you just buy them in a shop? Maybe his mother would know.
Harry walked further in and summoned Gerrard. Since he had been the last Peverell in the vault, he hoped he could function as a guide.
Gerrard blinked and looked around the vault. His eyes settled on the many crates of gold and his eyes widened. "They've made good use of the gold I left in the vault before my death I see."
Harry grinned wryly. "Yes. You should have seen my shock when I found out. Ragnok said there are over five million Galleons."
The spirit choked on empty air. "You jest!?"
"Nope!" Harry cheerfully exclaimed, popping the p. He grinned widely. "This vault is loaded. Anyway, I called you for two reasons actually. First is the barrier on the door." He gestured to the silvery mist. "Is that normal or should I start screaming bloody murder?" He cocked an eyebrow.
Gerrard rolled his eyes. "It is perfectly normal, yes. You must have brought the key with you inside the vault. The barrier appears when that happens. It is to give the client some privacy while in their vault. I'm not sure if it is a feature that's there for all Gringotts vaults, but it has been in effect here for as long as I can remember."
"Oh, that's a relief. So I just walk out when I'm done yeah?" Harry received a nod in confirmation. "Good good. So, over to the second thing I called you for. Would you mind showing me the way to the books?" Harry gleefully rubbed his hands together. He had become a bit of a bookworm lately.
Seeing as Gerrard didn't have anything better to do, he was dead after all, he complied. The two of them chatted amicably while walking around the large vault. Harry found a few items here and there that he picked up and stuffed into his satchel so he could get a better look at them later.
The books he'd been after had all been packed into enlarged trunks that would protect them from ageing and other environmental damages. Instead of collecting just a few books, he shrunk the entire lot and placed the miniature trunks into his bag. He felt excited about going through them later. Then it hit him, most, if not all of them, was going to be in languages he didn't know yet. Such as Latin, ancient Greek, Old English and Middle English… He groaned.
"Do you think Death will be willing to hold my hand for a few hours each day so I can read these books?" He asked Gerrard jokingly... sort of... not really.
Gerrard looked outraged and horrified at the mere suggestion.
"Yeah, maybe not. He'd just use the opportunity to play with my hair, the creepy sod. " Harry muttered, causing Gerrard to look near to fainting, could dead people faint?
"You should not speak so disrespectfully about Lord Death!" Gerrard scolded him.
Harry just stared blandly back. "You do realise that he is outside that barrier, dressed as a woman and pretending to be my mother, yeah?" He gestured towards the entrance with his thumb. "Perks of being his so-called Master I suppose. " he shrugged.
Gerrard opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, not a single word coming out.
"Sooo, do you know where the wands are? I saw some on the inventory." Harry asked, looking around the mishmash of items. It reminded him a little of the Room of Hidden Things back at Hogwarts. Cabinets filled with trinkets, furniture in all shapes and sizes, trunks with old clothes, and so on. It was like stepping back in time, and it made him realise how little wizards had really changed since the middle ages.
Gerrard was still lost for words, probably having a bit of an existential crisis. So instead of answering he walked in a different direction. Harry followed, figuring maybe he was taking him to the wands. He hoped one of them would work for him. He needed it for his Peverell persona. He didn't want people to know that his ring was essentially a wand. It was either that or them thinking he was a master of wandless magic, which would cause a LOT more problems than an alternative magical focus.
They walked past a rack of fancy weapons that Harry thought were pretty cool, but he'd never use. When did you need a mace in this day and age? The answer was probably never.
"Is that a...human skull?" Harry hesitated as he stopped next to a wooden bookcase with skulls of various sizes placed on one of the shelves.
"Hm? Oh yes, that one belonged to my mother." Gerrard absentmindedly replied, as if there was nothing odd about keeping a human skull on a shelf.
"As in, that is your mother, or that she owned it?" Harry asked dubiously, wondering whether he actually wanted to know the answer.
He got a strange look from the spirit, which frankly, Harry didn't think he deserved. He wasn't the one who kept human remains on display.
"It was my mother, yes. She wanted me to keep her skull so I could easier communicate with her after her death." Gerrard spoke as if that was a completely natural thing to do.
Harry looked at him with wide eyes before inching away from the shelf and it's morbid contents. "Er… right. Nifty that. So, wands?"
"This way." Gerrard said and continued walking.
When he finally stopped, they stood in front of a large display case filled with mounted wands. There was a plaque under each wand with the name of their original owner, as well as a date of birth and death. On some there was even a mention of the wood and core type.
Harry spotted Gerrards name and studied the wand above it. It was a dark wood with a simple but sturdy handle. It wasn't the most extravagant when it came to looks, but it was attractive in its simplicity.
"Alder wood with a core of Dragon heartstring." Gerrard spoke softly. He looked at the core with nostalgia and longing. "It served me well during my life."
Harry hesitated before asking. "Do you mind if I try it? I don't have to, there are plenty of others to choose from."
The spirit seemed to collect himself and shook his head. "No, go ahead. It would be an honour for it to be in use again. However, I don't think it will be the right wand for you."
Harry grasped the handle of the wand and immediately felt that it wasn't the one for him. It reminded him of one of the Snatcher's wands they'd acquired while on the run in his previous life. He might be able to use it, but never well.
"No, you're right." He placed it back on the rack and looked through the rest, searching for familiar woods or names. "Any suggestions?"
Gerrard looked at the wands on display and pointed to a light, honey brown wand that had the name Richard Peverell, attached to it. "Try that one, it belonged to my grandfather. It is made of fir, although I am uncertain of its core."
Harry did as he was told and picked up the fir wand. Unlike Gerrard's wand, this one felt much better. He tried levitating one of the pewter goblets standing on a table next to the display case. The goblet easily floated in the air. It worked well for him, however, he could feel that there was some resistance, and he had to channel more magic than what he had to with the Elder Wand or his old holly wand.
"You should try the original wand of my brother Antioch." A voice said from behind, making Harry lose his concentration and causing the goblet to fall with a loud clang onto the rock floor. He whipped around and aimed the wand at the intruder, curse at the tip of his tongue.
"Ignotus!" Harry hissed, "I nearly cursed you!" He lowered the fir wand and rubbed the side of his face. "What is it with you and mum sneaking up behind me all the time?"
"A coincidence I'm sure." Ignotus replied.
"Rude is what it is." Harry muttered.
Ignotus ignored him. "And besides, cursing me would only have resulted in you destroying your own property." He lifted an eyebrow in amusement.
Harry glared at him. "Yeah, yeah. You said something about your brother's wand?"
"Yes." Ignotus walked closer to the display and looked at the many wands until he found the right one. He pointed towards a light, caramel coloured wand with runic markings engraved into the handle. It looked like it had darkened with age. "Elder wood with a core of dragon heartstring. A Welsh Green to be precise. Give it a go."
Harry didn't see why not, so he reached for the old wand. But as soon as his fingers wrapped around the handle, the wood started smoking and splintering. The ring on his left hand burned indignantly, sending jolts of pain up his arm. Harry immediately let go of Antioch's wand, letting it clatter on the ground. By the end of it, the wand was entirely unrecognisable and beyond repair.
"What the hell?!" Harry looked with wide eyes at the Peverell ring that was thrumming with satisfaction.
The spirits were quietly looking on at the scene unfolding, equal expressions of shock on their faces. "I don't think the Hallows liked the competition of another wand made of elder." Ignotus weakly said.
Harry opened and closed his mouth dumbly. The Hallows had incinerated a wand just because it was also made of elder wood? He felt speechless. It luckily hadn't behaved like that with Gerrard's alder wand, so that meant it was probably safe for him to use anything that wasn't made of elder wood. Who would have thought that a wand could be jealous?
Ignotus cleared his throat. "Well, that was...less than ideal, no wands made of elder then." He and Gerrard discussed between themselves before pointing out three more wands they felt might be suitable for Harry.
The first wand was made from walnut. It was long and thin, with minimal decorations and carvings. The rich, dark colour and smooth finish more than made up for its simplicity. Gerrard said that it was a wand that had belonged to his uncle, and that its core was a Barghest heartstring.
The second was a more robust, medium brown wand made from pine wood. It was simple but still handsome, and had a core of unicorn hair. The wand had belonged to Iolanthe Potter née Peverell, Ignotus' granddaughter.
The third was a pitch black wand made from ebony wood. It was beautiful and sleek, with fine carvings of snakes in a Celtic knotwork pattern curling around the middle of the handle. It held a core of crushed basilisk fangs and Ignotus explained that it had belonged to Anatolios Peverell, the son of a Greek woman who married a Peverell. She had brought with her the parseltongue ability and passed it on to her son. Unfortunately the gift had gotten lost through the generations, and it wasn't until Harry was conceived that it reappeared within their family line.
Harry tried the walnut wand first. Like with the fir wand it was easy to use, in fact it was a much better fit. It didn't make his magic sing like the Elder Wand or his old holly wand, but it was a decent enough choice. He placed it down onto the nearest table before moving on to the next wand, figuring it was best to try them all before making his selection.
The second wand he immediately knew was wrong for him. He wasn't sure if it was the wood or the unicorn hair, but it was not compatible at all. It felt icy in his hand so he quickly placed it back in the display case. He shook out his right hand afterwards to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling.
The ebony was last, and by then Harry had almost settled on choosing the walnut wand. But then he picked up the ebony wand and it was incredible! He thought the holly wand had been compatible, but that was nothing in comparison to this. It wasn't connected to him in the same way as the Elder Wand, nothing would ever be, but the wand sent warm tingles up his arm as it shot out green and gold sparks. "This," Harry said breathlessly. "This is my wand."
"I expected as much." Ignotus said with a thoughtful hum. "Ebony wands usually select wizards or witches who are not afraid to be themselves and will stand firmly against outside pressure. This, combined with your past history with Slytherin's basilisk, and your parseltongue ability, is probably what made it choose you. It will serve you well I think."
He looked down at his clothes and realised that he was wearing pocketless robes and had nowhere to place his wand. "Er…where do wizards keep their wands when wearing robes?" He asked, feeling exceedingly dumb. He'd lived as a wizard for six years in his first life and the thought had never struck him before.
Ignotus did indeed look at him like he was a hopeless imbecile. Gerrard on the other hand merely seemed baffled.
"And where, pray tell, were you keeping your wand before you acquired your ring?" Ignotus asked, severely unimpressed.
Harry's cheeks heated up. "Back pocket mostly." He muttered. Ignotus wasn't the first to point out what a bad idea that was. He remembered Moody's mention of him blowing his own arse cheek off one day.
"Oh for-!" Ignotus exclaimed, stopping halfway to take a deep breath. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Is there a wand holster in here somewhere?" He asked Gerrard.
The other spirit nodded and pointed to one of the cabinets a few feet away from the wands. "They should be in the second drawer…"
Ignotus fastened his eyes on Harry and pointed to the very same cabinet. "You will go over there and select a holster. And if I ever find out that you have not properly taken care of your wand, I will haunt you for the next century. " the old Peverell said sternly.
Harry walked to the cabinet with his tail between his legs. "It's not my fault nobody ever told me." He mumbled, feeling sullen and knowing that Ignotus would make real of his threat somehow if he didn't take better care of his wands.
"You should have asked." Ignotus drawled, not feeling the slightest sorry for his young protégé.
"Well I'm asking now." Harry snarked back. He opened the drawer and looked at the so-called holsters with confusion. He'd expected something like a tube the length of your forearm, instead they were small, oval boxes made out of differently coloured Dragonhide. They almost looked like wristwatches entirely made out of hide, Harry thought. He picked up one that was black and eyed Ignotus in confusion. "How does it work?"
"Fasten it to the wrist on your wand-arm with the holster facing down."
Harry did as he was told and fastened the buckle on top of his right wrist. As soon as he'd done this, the buckle merged with the hide and resized to fit his wrist like a second skin. He barely even noticed it was there.
"Now you hold the butt of your wand against the tip of the holster." Ignotus instructed and pointed to where he wanted Harry to place the wand.
Harry pressed the handle of the ebony wand against the holster, and to his shock it was sucked inside. He looked at the inconspicuous little device with wide eyes. "How do I get it out again?"
"There are two ways. The first is to press here and here at the same time." Ignotus pointed to the two little symbols etched on both sides of the oval wand holster. "The second is to send a small burst of magic into the holster. This is the preferred method as it will give you access to your wand the fastest. Try it a few times."
Harry pressed a finger against each symbol, and sure enough, the wand popped out. He could see what Ignotus meant about this not being the preferred method though. It was almost clumsy the way he had to pull the handle of the wand out with his left hand and then transfer it to his right. In a life or death situation he'd be cut down before he even got the wand halfway out.
He hoped the second way would be better. He returned the wand to the holster and focused on sending a small tendril of energy down his wrist and into the holster. As soon as the magic connected, the ebony wand shot out of the holster and straight into his hand. Harry's eyes widened with surprise. "Well that's handy." He said.
"When you get home I'll teach you how to tune it to yourself, that way it cannot forcibly be removed from your body." Ignotus proclaimed.
ΔΟΙ ~~
Before leaving the vault, Harry had summoned his mother to ask where he could get a house-elf. She told him that the only place she knew of was through the House-Elf Placement Agency in Carkitt market. The downside to going there, however, was that he needed to register the elf with the ministry. And considering that getting an elf as Harry potter was out of the question, and that he didn't have his Peverell identity set up yet, that meant he had to go through more illegal routes.
His mother suggested speaking to Regulus Black, as he had been one of the more pleasant people she knew that was from a Dark family and also had joined the Death Eaters. He would most likely know where Harry needed to go.
"I'd forgotten about Regulus…" Harry mentioned. "He was the one who found the Horcrux locket originally, you know. Died for it rather gruesomely I'd imagine." Harry shivered as he thought about the cave infested with Inferi. He forced the bile that threatened it's way up his throat, down again. It was a memory he'd rather not remember, just imagining the horrible end Regulus must have met there… he didn't want to think about it.
"From what I gathered he was a good kid who got dealt unlucky cards." Lily sighed. "Talk to him, I'm sure he'll appreciate the company even if he doesn't have the answers you seek." His mother smiled softly.
"I will. Harry promised.
His mother left and Harry looked at the shimmering barrier that covered the vaults entrance. It still seemed extremely suspicious, but Ignotus had insisted it would be safe. He had no other option if he wanted to leave. Harry took a deep breath and walked through the mist.
