Hope you enjoy!

'Well clearly that isn't the end of the story, you wouldn't have made such a fuss about not telling me this story earlier if that was all there was to it, so come on, let me have it.' Winston laughed at this comment and continued 'Unfortunately I cannot tell you the rest of the story for I am bound by oath and enhancements to tell you no more than what I have.' 'So who can tell me?'

'Walter Potter of course!'

'What do you mean? He doesn't have a portrait, I have met them all.'

'In fact he does have a portrait Harry! It is just hidden. As I said, I am under a charm that only allows me to reveal so much. As I have already told you the relics found during this War could have changed the world and so the secret of them has been carefully hidden, as has the knowledge of Walter's involvement in it. When he returned from the Crusades he set about ensuring that the knowledge of the relics stayed hidden as did the Potter involvement in protecting them. The knowledge of this story has been carefully handed down over the generations and kept secret through complex charms and oaths that stop the information from leaking out. Walter will ask you to take such an oath, if you decide to talk to him.'

Harry watched Winston intently throughout his answer and couldn't help but feel enticed by the story and was looking forward to meeting Walter. 'Okay, so where is he. How do I find him?' Winston smiled broadly again before replying 'Go over to the fire place and kneel down by the right hand side and look to where it meets the wall, what do you see?' 'Nothing' 'Exactly! A Fidelius Charm is on it. So come back to my portrait, take me off the wall.' Harry followed the instructions carefully 'Great, now if you look closely at the top left corner of the frame you can see the Potter symbol, take the ring and press it against it.' As Harry did this a small compartment popped out that held a piece of paper.

The entrance to the Potter Keep is found on the fireplace in the Potter study

After reading the secret and putting both it and Winston back where they needed to be he walked back to the fireplace to now see a small lever. He reached out and pushed down on the lever, as he did a small noise alerted behind him. He turned and saw a small basin had appeared underneath Winston's portrait. 'What do I need to do?' 'Three drops of blood Harry. Only someone with Potter blood can enter the keep.' Harry took a letter opener from the desk and pricked his finger causing a few drops of blood to fall into the basin. The blood and Basin suddenly glowed bright and suddenly the wall on which Winston hung suddenly opened to reveal a long dark hallway. 'Off you go Harry, I will see you when you get back!'

Harry tried to see down the corridor but it was far too dark, just inside was an unlit torch so Harry grabbed it and used the fire in the study to light it. As he began walking down the corridor he saw many other torches and so he carefully lit each one as he walked. After walking for quite some time harry finally came upon an entrance way. When he walked in he was shocked at what he saw. The best way he could describe it was a medieval version of the study in Potter Manor. On top of the desk were scattered paper showing various maps, writings and runes, to the corner near the fireplace sat a large wizard's chest, leaning against it was a long broadsword with a golden handle a deep red ruby embedded in the hilt, the blade was covered in ancient runes and despite how long it had been sitting there it was still gleaming in the fire light, behind that was a shield typical of 12th century Knights, a flat straight top while the sides curved down to a point, proudly displayed on it was the Potter crest, the Griffin standing tall and proud with one of its front legs in the air and it's head turning to look behind it. On the opposite side of the room stood a dummy wearing a suit of armour, the robes again displaying the proud House of Potter and next to it was a large bookcase with many more books to read.

And behind the desk hung a large portrait displaying a knight standing proudly, and was watching Harry carefully. A serious expression fixed on his face. It was clear this was a man you would not have crossed if he was still alive.

'Welcome Harry.' He began in a deep voice. 'I have been looking forward to meeting you.'

Harry merely nodded, wary of this new development.

'How is it that you know who I am?' Harry asked, already guessing the answer.

'Winston.' He stated firmly. 'He is charmed to be able to communicate with me. It was decided many years ago that in the case of a catastrophe to befall the Potter family the entrance to my study needed to be kept secure. When a new Lord Potter was announced he or she would take ownership of the study in Potter Manor and the previous Lord Potter would have his or her portrait hung in the study with the secrets to the entrance and Relics hidden inside them. Behind my portrait is another hidden doorway that would have led you up to the main bedroom of Potter Castle over 300 years ago. When the decision to abandon the Castle for the Manor House was made the pathway you just traversed was dug in order to keep my study as it is. Now, come and take a seat, Winston filled me on what he told you and so I am here to tell you the rest.'

Harry moved over to the chair while searching the rest of the room. There were various other smaller chests and items in the room aside from the ones he had first observed including some books with a language on the front he did not recognise as well as small crystal ball that sat upon the fireplace covered in the same language on the books. Finally taking his seat Walter began to inform Harry on the key points of his story. Walter was not the storyteller that Winston was and preferred to focus on what he thought were the important points. Harry guessed that being a military leader meant he didn't have much time for small talk and went straight to the crux of the situation.

'Harry, there are three important things that you need to understand as my descendant in order to be able to fulfil the oath I swore.

Number 1. I was saved by a man called Sa'id al Saff'ar. He was the leader of a Medjai tribe of witches and wizards who were fighting in Saladin's army. Now while they fought for him their goals were not the same as him. They wanted to find and secure the relics, much like the Templars, and keep them out of the hands of those wanting to use them. They respected the Templars, however they felt that a muggle army would not be adequate protection for the relics if a magical army was to try and secure them. He nursed me back to health and showed me memories that had been collected from generations earlier that showed how these relics could be used to force submission on muggles and magic folk alike, as well as make the owner invincible. I saw that I had gotten the wrong idea about these relics and swore a blood oath bonding our families together for eternity. You may feel this was a tad extreme, however you are wrong. It was, and still is, necessary.

Number 2. The blood oath. The specifics are important as your involvement in it is not yet certain. Sa'id and I swore that our families would do all we could to ensure that the relics stayed hidden. The first part of that was keeping the knowledge of the relics a secret, I will ask you at the end of my explanation to take said oath. Secondly we swore that we would fight any and all that would seek to uncover the mystery of the relics with all the strength our families possesed. And finally, we swore to come to the others aid if the need arose due to our involvement in protecting the relics. We charmed that crystal ball you observed on the mantelpiece to allow either to alert the other that someone was seeking the relics and help was needed. It cannot be used for any other emergency that doesn't have to do with the relics. If that ball turns black then it is a sign that our help is needed. Now Harry, that may never happen in your lifetime, indeed it hasn't happened for many generations. However there are always those out there searching for the relics and one day someone will get close and the two families will need to work together to stop them.

And now number 3. These relics. I am sure you are curious to know what they are. Correct?' Harry nodded, getting more curious as this conversation went on. His mind racing about what the relics where and if Walter knew where they were hidden now. 'There are hundreds of famed magic relics whose stories have survived for millennia but only a few were found in Jerusalem during the crusades. These were the Burial Shroud of Christ, The Cup of Christ and The Seal of Solomon. The man known as Jesus Christ was in fact a powerful wizard who intended to do much good in the world and healed many diseases among the muggle population. He willingly went to his death at the hands of the Muggles because he couldn't bear to hurt them despite all the evil they were doing. His teachings on love and kindness were much needed in a dark world and was truly a magnificent wizard. However, his death was not the end, before he was captured he had created a shroud that had the ability to bring people back from the dead. He used it to heal Lazarus and instructed his followers to use it on him when he died. Despite not wanting to hurt the Muggles, he also felt his time wasn't finished with them. The Cup was another of his inventions, when filled with water or wine whoever drank from it would be healed of all their ailments. He was also in possession of the Seal of Solomon, a ring from the ancient Wizard King of Israel, that allowed the wearer to command demands and even talk to animals. All of these relics were used by Jesus to do good in the world, however after his death his name was used to slowly bring more pain to the world and his inventions were no longer used for the good they had been intended. Wizards started to use the Seal to command demons to help in their wars, rather than free people from possession. While the Cup and the Shroud were hoarded by the wealthy to keep their families strong and no longer allowed it to be used by the poor and destitute. The Roman emperors for a time used these relics as weapons to advance their army, however eventually they were stolen back by some witches and wizards who returned them to Jerusalem, hidden away from those who had corrupted the earlier message and intentions of the relics. Along with these relics found by the Templars were also writings by these same witches and wizards, they had heard of other relics being used by the Romans and others. They had begun to write down the names of relics believed to be in use, however they were not able to finish their work for reasons unknown and their writings were left incomplete. The relics listed in their writings include The Helm of Darkness, a helmet that was charmed to make the wearer completely invisible, the perfect weapon for a soldier. It was worn by the wizard Perseus to defeat Medusa a powerful witch who was unfortunately driven insane due to her rape. They had also mentioned Pandora's box, it had been used by the Romans to bring destruction onto their enemies lands before they conquered it. A horrible spell of pestilence was inside the box and could be directed towards any target. There were rumours of the Book of Thoth, an ancient Egyptian spell book that held long lost power and most interestingly rumours of the lost Library of Alexandria. It was told that the information on these relics could be found there. So you see, it was important for us to hide this information and protect the secret of the relics. Do you understand now Harry why I did what I did?'

Harry had followed this story with great interest and was thinking deeply on all that he had been told. There was so much more to magic than he had been aware, the last three years of reading had already shown him that, but this was another huge revelation. As he thought on this information a question dawned on him, 'What of the Deathly Hallows? Are they not considered to be as powerful as the rest?' 'Ah, the Peverell brothers. I have been told of their story and how the rumour of their origins grew, the truth is much simpler. They had heard rumours of the relics after the crusades had ended. In their youth they had tried to find the relics themselves and our family had headed them off at every pass. Eventually they gave up and decided to make their own powerful relics, the wand, the stone and the cloak. Now all three were not what they intended and their powers were subpar. As I am assuming you know, the stone couldn't actually bring someone back from the dead, the wand wasn't truly unbeatable, as it's allegiance has changed thousands of times over the years, and the cloak doesn't make the wearer completely invisible. A simple revealing spell will alert someone to your presence… 'Magical eyes and maps also reveal the identity' Harry quickly cut in. 'Interesting' murmured Walter. 'You see? They may be powerful items but they all fell short of their goals. However their creations still became another myth that people spent their lives searching for. Our family came into possession of the coat when Ignotus Peverell's daughter fell in love with a Potter boy. She had inherited the cloak from her brother but had felt as we did that it was better to keep the information safe and hidden. Now, anymore questions?'

'Just one. What do you expect of me not that you have told me this whole story? Obviously there is the Oath I must swear, but I assume that is not the end of it?'

'Indeed it is not. First we shall swear the oath.'

For the next 5 minutes Walter took him through a complicated oath that fortunately did not need a wand to complete. Some blood and some runes were all that was needed. Harry could feel the oath take hold of his magic, a slightly uncomfortable experience. Once it was completed Walter continued.

'As the last remaining Potter this secret now falls to you. It is your job to guard the secret and ensure it is passed onto the next generation.' Seeing the look upon Harry's face Walter quickly shut him down. 'There will be another generation Harry! The Potter name cannot end here after so much. You are still young and have much to learn about life and love. One day the right woman will come across your path. And if not, marry for the bloodline, you have a duty to your house.' Harry thought about arguing but decided against it, he would never have to ever explain his decisions to Walter and so he figured it was best to let it slide. Instead he merely nodded along waiting for the next instruction. 'You must also train. If the need arises for you to defend the relics and stop those who seek them for their glory then you must be able to defend yourself and the relics.'

'I can handle myself. I did defeat the greatest Dark Lord of our time.' Harry responded, sounding much more like a child than he had hoped. Sure, he knew he wasn't at Dumbledore's level of ability but he was still a pretty good wizard, besides he hadn't used his wand in many years and wasn't interested in getting back into it anyway. While Walter's story was incredible and it did make sense to Harry why his family had protected the secret, he had no intention of getting involved. He would guard the secret and pass it on if and when the time came, but that would be the extent of his involvement. He had left adventure and war behind and had no desire to go back.

Unaware of Harry's internal decision Walter had continued '... of course I will instruct you on sword fighting, using a shield and the life, Winston and others can… Where are you going' Walter snapped at Harry who had stood and made his way to the exit. Harry turned at the doorway and spoke firmly to the portrait. 'I will keep this secret and pass it on when the time comes. But I will not fight your war.'

'It's not my war you fool! It's everyone's war, even yours! the world will…' But the rest wasn't heard by Harry who had already made his way out of the study and down the long tunnel. Harry was seething inside, he was tired of fighting other people's battles and had sworn to never do so again. He ignored Winston as he got back to the twin of the study he had just left and made his way to the cabin.

Now I know some of you will be annoyed at Harry here... but that's a little the point. He has built armour around himself and it has been years since he really connected with anyone else. He needs time.