Chapter 4
True Friends and Loved Ones
Philius Lovegood, Luna and Harry had caught the 13:00 Surrey train to central London, they waited in a muggle café in Victoria train station with a hot cup of tea, all were dressed in muggle clothing and looking smart. "Harry, Luna, Mister Lovegood!" Hermione called out as she spotted them and waved madly. Hermione looked like she was practically glowing with excitement as she hugged them all. "Woah, Hermione, you look great?" And she truly did, Hermione Granger looked like she had just come from a high-end fashion show. She was wearing a pencil dress, just above the knee, pink in colour with a skinny black belt, she had pair of black heels, quarter inch and a flowery scarf wrapped softly around her slender tanned neck. Harry noticed she wore a heart locket and gulped, never since the yule ball, had he seen her looking so happy and glowing and beautiful since that night. "I recognise that look" Harry put his hand on her shoulder "You are in love with someone?" It was a rhetorical question, but Harry was curious as Hermione nodded, grinning widely. Harry grinned back at her "I won't ask who but is this person a wizard or muggle."
"He is a wizard, Harry and he has asked to court me in the proper way, I'm so happy, I could burst!" Luna couldn't help but be happy for Hermione, her happiness was paramount to the way Luna felt about Harry, Luna Lovegood had loved Harry since her fourth year.
"Well, when do I get to give him the brotherly warnings, then?" Harry grinned wickedly.
Hermione smacked him on the arm as she smiled "When I am ready for you to meet him, I have to finish school first, NEWT Year and all that."
"Anyway, shall we get this show on the road?" Hermione asked. All three nodded. Hermione had a weightless bag on her person and had put one of her father's suits inside the weightless bag for the young man she most definitely considered her brother. Harry had filled out a bit but in muscles, not fat. "Harry?" Harry looked up from his Tolkien Novel and took notice. "I have booked you a budget hotel room. One of those travel-lodges and it is near here so you can get changed after a good shower. It is under the name of Harrison Evans, now also, this is the Polyjuice with my cousin's hair in. I want us to get to Gringotts and intercept Dumbledore in plenty of time. This is a calming draught for all four of us, I have one last warning, if we see the headmaster at Gringotts trying to claim a share of your inheritance, do not, whatever you do, look into his eyes. Look down, avoid eye contact, pretend to read or chat to each other. Dumbledore has illegally been raping the minds of those over the age of thirteen. You know that eye-twinkle he does, that is when he is just about to attack your mind. Are we all clear on this?" The other three nodded.
The day continued and rolled on until, 14:30. A young man with brown wavy short hair, smartly dressed in a ruby coloured dress shirt, freshly pressed black trousers, black casual leather shoes and surrounded by his friends emerged from the small budget hotel and made their way to an old pub that was rather dingy and dusty but on the inside was rather clean. Harry tapped the bricks in the pattern he had seen before and then the three youngsters and the one adult were making their way to Gringotts. Harry/Edward was aware that he was not being stared at or not having his privacy invaded by countless interview requests or photographers taking his picture without permission. As they reached the Foyer of Gringotts, they spotted Dumbledore out of nowhere and promptly told the Goblin Guardians why they were visiting. "Ha-Cousin Edward, Relax, here, calming draught!" Hermione hissed as she pushed the small flask in his hands.
"Hello, miss granger, all ready for your newt year, I presume?" Hermione froze and turned around at the murdering bastard's voice. "Yes, Professor" Hermione would not look up and then Luna saved the day "Hermione, a Niffler, just made off with your grandma's gold watch!" Dumbledore, had his wand out and he summoned the Niffler to him and tickled the black vole-like creature until it coughed up Hermione's prized watch. Hermione caught the watch and still refused to look the old manipulative git in the eye. "Have you seen Harry by any chance, Miss Granger?"
That was it, Hermione looked up and Dumbledore entered her mind quickly, looking across surface thoughts. 'Worry for Harry, Worried about Exams and the amount of studying' Hermione built a wall around her deeper research thoughts as she squeezed her eyes shut. Dumbledore was thrown out of her mind and across the Foyer Floor.
"How dare you!" Hermione screeched as she held out her wand. Dumbledore sat up thinking 'What!'
"Cousin, what did this old flunky do to you?" A very clever Harry/Edward asked with a frown. "Ugh! I feel so violated!" Hermione shouted as tears fell down her cheeks. The human security guards of the bank hurried towards the distraught young lady and quickly got her a glass of water. The centurions guarding the gates pointed their sharp pikes at Dumbledore and made him move backwards. Grip-hook, the potter accounts manager hurried towards the group and ushered them to a private room whilst the old manipulative wizard was removed immediately. But he produced a letter shouting out that he was here to represent his ward 'Harry Potter' at the will reading.
Grip-Hook stopped the guards and ushered the wizard into another small room and told the old git to hand over the letter proving that Harry was his ward. The old wizard did as the head goblin requested and as Grip-Hook glared at him, he suddenly realised his goose was cooked. "Do you know the penalty for forgery and fraud and line theft, Headmaster Dumbledore?" Grip-Hook hissed "If not, then you are in for a rude awakening!" The Potter accounts manager pointed his sharp nailed finger at Dumbledore. "This is a forged signature, Dumbledore, your signature!"
Grip-Hook called the centurion goblins in and asked his comrades to remove the manipulative old git from the bank.
"You can't do this to me! Harry Potter has a destiny to defeat Voldemort! I must be the one to guide him to do this!"
Grip-Hook's eyes widened as he realised something. "Stupefy!" Grip-Hook waved his hand over Dumbledore who was now unconscious. He looked, deeply into, Dumbledore's mind with no effort expended and found several memories that sickened him to his core. Grip-Hook hissed at the one of the centurions to grab him seven small flasks as he drew out the memories one by one. "Centurion! Get hold of the department of magical law enforcement to put this old fool in a ministry cell, immediately!" Grip-Hook looked down at the flasks in his hand and decided to read Harry's Parent's will, first. The memories could be witnessed after.
A/N: A-oh, I love a Cliffy, what will those memories reveal? Read and review and no flaming please. Just honest constructive criticism.