HP-It's Not Paranoia If They Really Are Out to Get You

by calihiker

Abused children do not blindly trust adults/other authority figures. They often develop a non-delusional form of paranoia just to minimize their exposure to additional pain/suffering. They are weary of potential saviors, especially if "the system" has failed them. Imagine a less trusting Harry enters the wizarding world, one w/a confidant. Assumes Marauders graduated in '75.

4. Chapter 4: Righting Some Wrongs

A/N: Still not mine. Thank you, JKR for a great sandbox.

A/N I apologize for the formatting problems. I THINK everything is good for Chapters 4, 6, and 7 at this point. Please let me know if there are still problems. I will likely not respond for 10 or so hours.

Chapter 4: Righting Some Wrongs

Friday, 2 August 1991

When Harry awoke at 6:00 the next morning, the bank draft was waiting for him in his box as was a note from Amelia telling him that she would be there 7:15 promptly. Harry quickly wrote a note to both Andi and Chase telling them that he would not be at the dojo before 9:00.

After he showered and dressed, Harry went downstairs and started preparing breakfast for everyone.

Petunia was the first one downstairs. Harry handed her a cup of tea as soon as she got to the kitchen.

"Aunt Petunia, both of us have suffered some illegal acts of wizards. The Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for Britain will arrive here in about forty-five minutes to discuss everything with us.

"For now, know that my parents arranged for my living arrangements with a list of nearly 20 different families and that my placement here is illegal and explicitly against their will. They NEVER should have placed me here. Mum and dad were very clear in their wills. The person who used force to place me here did so because he would be then control the Potter estate: he has devastated it.

"However, he was unable to touch one of the vaults that my parents created for themselves and their friends. They used the money in the vault to mess around. That means that it did not have very much money in it at all.

"I was able to convince Account Manager Dragonflame to let me give you £ 1,000 from that fund to reimburse some of your expenses for me over the years. It is not much, but it is the best that I can do at this time.

"However, except for school related purchases, I will not be able to get any more of the funds released until the investigation is complete, the ministry appoints a guardian consistent with my parents' wills, and that person can identify how much money to compensate you.

"Please gather receipts for anything you have spent on me. They should reimburse you for any legitimate documented expenses, I think. Do not worry about food expenses. I will insist that they provide at least £20 per week, if it is available. At the very least, you will not have to pay back this £ 1,000.

"I know that you never wanted me here. But I also realize that you took me in when you did not have to, you kept me sheltered, you let me excel in school, and you let me work and train with Sensei Chase. For that, I am grateful. My life could have been much worse. In fact, I believe the person who placed me here wanted my life to be much worse. So, with all my heart, thank you."

Harry then slid the bank draft across the table to her.

Petunia sniffed, looking at the high-quality document that practically screamed money in modern society.

"Thank you, Harry. It is not the amount that is important but rather the recognition associated with it. I appreciate this. Vernon should as well."

"I am not so sure about that, especially with what I expect this meeting will reveal to him."

Throughout their conversation, Harry had continued cooking. He now had platters of bacon, scrambled eggs, ham, and fresh cut fruit sitting on the table.

Vernon and Dudley made their way down to the kitchen and took their seats at ten to seven.

Petunia addressed them and said, "The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement will be here in about 20 minutes. She has some information to give us and we all need to be there."

As she said this, she slid the check over to Vernon who looked at it, huffed, and said, "About bloody time you pay your way."

Harry glared at him. "You dare say that to me when you stopped your monthly payment on this house 127 months ago? Do you really want to face an audit to see if you actually did spend £ 743 and change on me each month?"

Vernon paled considerably.

"What is he talking about, Vernon?"

"It's nothing, Petunia. Obviously, his bank made an error."

Harry scoffed. "Goblins do not make mistakes with money."

Suddenly, Petunia registered something he had said earlier, "Account Manager Dragonflame?"

"Exactly. They execute entire families for messing with the money of another."

Vernon suddenly managed to look even paler. Harry did not feel the need to tell Vernon that he meant goblin families.

The four of them sat in silence for the next twelve minutes before the doorbell rang.

Harry rose from his seat and opened the door to admit Amelia Bones. He led her to the kitchen and said, "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, Dudley, this is Madam Amelia Bones, Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for Great Britain. Madam Bones, meet the Dursley family."

As they were exchanging greetings (rather gruff on Vernon's part), Harry prepared and served a cup of tea to Amelia.

"Aunt Petunia, I invited Director Bones here to help explain what has happened since Hagrid arrived at the hut on the rock."

"We know what happened. Hagrid convinced us that you were going to Hogwarts and then you left the next morning with him and have been acting strangely since then."

Amelia looked at Harry and said, "Your exemption for that spell is still in place."

"Thank you." Turning to the Dursleys, Harry said, "The three of you were memory charmed. I would like to remove the memory charms placed on you so that you can remember the actual events."

Dudley asked, "Does it hurt?"

Amelia answered, "No, Mr. Dursley, it generally does not hurt. However, you may notice some confusion as you try to reinsert the forgotten memories into place. The more memories someone made you forget, the longer that will take. As a caveat: if many memories were erased or overwritten, you may have a headache."

"I'd like to do it mum."

"Absolutely not! I forbid either of you doing any of that mumbo-jumbo on my son!"

Petunia cut Vernon's rant off and said, "I'll go first."

Harry took out Dumbledore's wand and cast finite incantatem on Petunia.

She almost immediately put her hands in her head and started moaning.

"That freak gave Dudley a tail!

"We told that bloody bastard no! All three of us did! And he still took Harry away.

"What does co go tay mean?

"Oh, my head hurts." Petunia then put her head down on the table. Harry ran to the sink and ran cold water on a clean dishcloth before bringing it back and holding it against Petunia's forehead.

Amelia answered her question. "Cogo te is the compulsion charm. A wizard can use the spell to force someone to do something. Depending on the relative strength of the compeller and the person compelled, the compelled can fight and can break the compulsion down over time. However, a non-magical person would have no protection against it.

"Do you know what he compelled you to do or say?"

"No. I just remember now that he said it to me several times going all the way back to when Lily started at that blasted school and I lost my sister."

"Amelia, would it cause Aunt Petunia any harm if I cancelled the compulsion charms as well?"

Amelia thought for a minute and then said, "No. It would likely increase her headache and confusion, though."

Petunia groaned but said, "Please, Harry, remove the compulsions as well. We both thought he was perverted. What if he compelled me to do things like that? Please!" She started to hyperventilate.

Wandlessly, Harry cast a calming charm (tranquillā) on her, knowing it would not be very strong. Harry then pointed the wand and cast another finite incantatem, this time intending to end any compulsion charms on Petunia.

Since Petunia's mind was already thinking about when she first met Dumbledore and wondering if he had compelled her to do sexual things, the first compulsion to break related to the time when Lily first went to Hogwarts.

Petunia broke down sobbing. "He compelled me to hate magic and to hate Lily, to believe that she and her magic caused every problem in my life. He destroyed my relationship with my sister."

Tentatively, Harry stepped up to her, pulled her into a gentle hug, and said, "I am sorry that happened to you."

Dudley stepped in front of his mother and got Harry's attention. "I want to remember, too."

Harry cast a very general finite incantatem on Dudley fully intending to undo any spell work that Dumbledore had done on his cousin.

The spell reversed magic cast on Dudley one charm at a time going backwards. Dudley roared in anger as he remembered getting a pig's tail. "That giant freak was trying to turn me into an actual pig!"

Vernon growled at Harry, "BOY! Make me remember too. I want to know what you freaks did to my precious Dudley!"

Harry pointed the wand at Vernon and cast again, this time cancelling out any magic performed by Dumbledore on Vernon no matter what the reason.

He then cast upon Petunia again.

All three Dursleys were in agony. Harry refreshed the cloth for his aunt and got one each for Dudley and Vernon, wandlessly casting frigesco on all three cloths so they would remain cold for hours.

"All three of you should go upstairs and rest for the day. The last spells I cast removed any and all magic that Dumbledore has cast at any of the three of you."

Amelia spoke, "Before you go, each of you should drink this. It will help with the pain." She then handed over a potions vial.

The lack of Dursley complaints was a sure sign of just how horrid they were feeling right then.

After the Dursleys made it upstairs, Amelia told Harry, "It seems that Madam Marchbanks, Lord Ogden, Lord Nott, and Lord Greengrass all sent out letters to other members of the Wizengamot early this morning. All four recommended that their peers let you clear out the memory charms.

"Madam Marchbanks would like for you to come in to the Wizengamot chambers to remove memory charms for other Wizengamot officials that ask you to. I am going to ask that you clear out any compulsion charms on me as well. I will make sure we have healers on hand to look over people.

"Madam Marchbanks already postponed the resumption of the meeting to Monday at noon."

"Okay. Please let her know that I will be available at noon today for one hour and, if you would like, I will come in again at noon for an hour on both Saturday and Sunday. Will Mr. Black be okay until Monday?"

"Yes. Sirius Black is fine. He is in a secure part of the facilities that only myself and those I grant access to can enter. Right now, two healers and four aurors that I had swear oaths of loyalty and confidentiality to me about this matter are taking care of him. He will be fine until Monday.

"Thank you, Harry, for agreeing to help again and for volunteering your time. I know this must be difficulty for you. You may floo directly to my office when you when you arrive. My floo address is 'Director's Office, DMLE' and the password is 'Justice and Service.' I will see you a little before noon."

"Before you go, Amelia, I have a question for you."

"What do you need, Harry?"

"What do I do about my guardian situation?"

"What do you want to do?"

"I think I would like to live with Sensei Chase. I do not know if I can do that, though. What if the trial proves Sirius Black is innocent? Or what if Alice Longbottom recovers if that treatment works? The wills named you and Andi as guardians as well and I know that Sensei was only one of fourteen names.

"How would that work?"

Amelia sighed and said, "Harry, this is not an easy question. One difficulty is that the will also lists both Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape as possible guardians and both do exactly what Dumbledore tells them to do.

"However, I will investigate the other names as well. That both the goblins and I have already declared that Bryton Chase has already been a suitable guardian under the restrictions of Dumbledore's illegal placement should go a long way towards Wizarding Child Protective Services granting your request.

"We just need to be quiet in doing this so that Minister Fudge does not involve himself or his cronies in the decision. I will investigate this and get back to you this evening, if that is acceptable."

"Thank you, Amelia. Have a good day."

"Before I go, do not think that I did not recognize you casting wandless magic. That is a gray area. Technically, at this age, you should not be able to cast any intentional magic. However, you were very specific about what you did, so I think that you can. Let us count this as an unofficial warning, shall we say?"

Without waiting for an answer, Amelia apparated away back to the ministry knowing the day would be long and also in fear about how many and what compulsions were on her from Dumbledore's manipulations.

After Amelia left, Harry made his way to the dojo to find that both Chase and Remus were there waiting for him.

Both greeted him, "Good morning."

"Good morning, Sensei. I hope you had a restful night. Remus, it is nice to see you. What brought you here so early this morning?"

"Byrton mentioned to me that you declined your position at Hogwarts yesterday."

"I hope you are not going to try to talk me into placing myself under that manipulative bastard's thumb."

"No, absolutely not! However, the first Friday after August first is the deadline to submit your documentation of alternative arrangements."

"Oh, I see. I think Professor McGonagall started to tell me about that, but Dumbledore interfered. Obviously, I have not had a chance to think that far ahead with everything that is going on. What do the two of you suggest?"

Chase said, "Remus and I were just discussing this. It is unlikely the Dursleys would let you train at their place. Unfortunately, the dojo is in use too much for us to be able to give you the necessary training here.

"Both Remus and I are willing to work with you. However, I would have to give up some of my classes at the dojo and would have a hard time making ends meet. Remus faces a similar problem.

"As we see it, the issues are (1) where to train you and (2) how to arrange it so that we can still make a living."

"I have an idea of how to pay you. I could withdraw 200 G from my trust vaults, melt them down, and convert them to pounds. That would give us over £ 60,000 to work with. If I paid you each £ 500 per week, the 100 G would be enough to last just over a year."

"Harry, that is way too much. This will be part time work for both of us. £ 15 per hour is a very respectable salary for a tutor. There is no way I will be tutoring you 30 plus hours per week."

Remus snorted. "I could turn £ 15 in to 3 G. 3 G per hour is a very high wage in the wizarding world."

Harry smiled and said, "Great. I agree to your compromise proposal. £ 15 per hour for each of you."

Both men sighed realizing they had been had.

Remus muttered, "Cheeky little brat, just like his father."

Harry smiled at them and said, "I also have some options for places that we could use to study."

Harry pulled out his bank statement and showed the list of properties to both men.

Remus said, "I would prefer we not use any Black properties just yet. Merlin only knows what nasty surprises might be waiting at each of them. I feel bad that Sirius was sentenced to life with the dementors before he could have a positive impact on his family.

"Hopefully, he will get a fair trial and can put this behind him."

Remus shook his head, looked over the parchment that Harry had produced, and said, "Getting back to the point at hand, Lily's Pad in Cambridge is an ideal location. Your father had that property warded as much as legally permissible in a non-magical area and then added several 'family wards' that were definitely not-legal. You could cast magic there and no one at the ministry would ever detect it.

"Your mother was brilliant and continued to study after graduating at Hogwarts. At the Winston College of Magic at Cambridge University, she earned her charms mastery as well as Potions Journeywoman Level III and Enchanting Journeywoman Level II certificates.

"Lily was a stickler for the rule that everything had its place and that her projects should not be mixed or they risked cross contamination. She had separate work areas for her charms work; for potions, her ingredient preparation, her potion brewing, and her potion storage; and, for her enchanting, her transfiguration work, her runes work, her arithmancy work; and then the room where combined the different parts. Her place was also located on the top floor of the building. As both your parents were stargazers, she had a rather nice telescope mounted up there along with a large greenhouse that she used to raise many of her own potion ingredients."

Chase commented, "Your mother was like that in school as well. She found an unused classroom and divided it up into sections for each class she was taking. Her argument was that if each of the subjects Hogwarts offered took place well separated from the others, there was no reason that we should not take a similar initiative in our own studies.

"Off and on, she studied with a good twenty to thirty people. After the first person made a mistake, none of us every violated her rule about contaminating one area with activities from another. It was the easiest way to ensure that she booted you from her study groups forever.

"Her setup for her advanced studies sounds ideal. This says it is unplottable though. How do we get there?"

Harry sent off a quick note to Dragonflame who responded almost immediately to tell him that Harry could pick up the portkey in his office any time that morning. He also suggested Harry just try to floo there.

Chuckling at their oversight, the three lined up at the floo.

Remus told Harry, "You will need to go first by yourself. When you get there, go to the main study. Behind Lily's desk, you will see a picture of Lily, James, Charlus, and Dorea taken the day before your parents' wedding. Prick your finger with one of your blades and let a drop of your blood fall onto the frame. It will then open for you. Inside, you will find a ward book and a quill.

"Open the ward book. I would suggest that, for now, you remove access to anyone other than Bryton, Amelia, Augusta, Neville, Andi, Nymphadora, Ted, or myself. If the wards will not let any of us in, you will need to write our full names: Bryton Adam Chase and Remus John Lupin. If you remove anyone now, you can always add back later if you so desire. But for now, I think a motto of 'Security First' is a good idea."

"Okay. I can do that."

When Harry opened the book, he saw that the wards admitted quite a few people that he either did not like or did not know who they were. He quickly wrote down Chase's name and then crossed out Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, and Peter Pettigrew. He hesitantly crossed out Sirius's name. At least Sirius was his sworn godfather and could not actually hurt him.

It physically hurt him seeing his parents, grandparents, and great uncle's names with a bloodred line through them indicating that they were dead.

Fortunately, the wards already accepted Remus Lupin; Augusta, Neville, Frank, and Alice Longbottom; Amelia and Susan Bones; and Andi, Ted, and Nymphadora Tonks. Regretfully, Harry crossed off Frank and Alice, but he decided to leave Susan in place in case Amelia ever needed to bring her along. After pausing to think for a bit, he decided to hold off adding the names Dragonflame, Dragonbite, and Dragonfang. He still was not sure that he could trust them. Hell, he was feeling overwhelmed with the names that were on the lists already.

Harry took a couple of minutes to try to get his panic under control. He was safe here. Sensei was helping him.

Harry then returned the book to the safe, closed the safe, and turned around. He found a small, elderly being patiently waiting for him with, he thought, her head bowed.

Shocked, he asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Misty. I serve as the head house elf of the Potter family. You are Harry James Potter, the next Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. Will you accept the Potter elves as your own?"

"Hold on a minute, please. I need to get some advice."

Harry went back to the fireplace in the entryway. There, he lit a match and started a small fire before throwing a little bit of floo powder into the flames and calling out "Chase Dojo."

Instead of entering the fireplace, Harry knelt down and stuck his face through. Both Remus and Chase were in his line of sight, so he called out, "Hey guys! You can come through now, but I think I might need Aunt Andi's advice. Could you floo call her and give her the instructions for getting here? Her name is already on the list."

Surprising Harry, Andi was the first to step out of the fire.

"What do you need, Harry?"

He quietly exclaimed, "Misty!"

Misty popped in just as Chase and Remus were stepping from the floo.

Remus immediately recognized Misty, knelt down before her and gave her a hug.

"It is good to see you, again, Misty. How are you doing?"

Misty started sobbing, "Why is Master Harry unwilling to accept us to his leadership?"

Andi responded, "This is the first time Harry has ever faced anything like this. He needed advice so he did not mess it up. That is why he asked for me. He is not shunning you. He is trying to learn first and then will decided what to do."

Misty stopped crying, sat down on the stone floor and watched.

"It sounds like she and the others are slaves! I do not want to own slaves."

"It is not that simple, Harry. Your family has bonded with these elves and their families for generations. They require a source of independent magic to remain stable. I would guess that Misty here helped in raising you, your father, and your grandfather."

"Yes, I did. Mistress Lily sent me away when I was not able to pop out with the two of you or just you alone. After that, I could no longer find you.

"I lived with the other elves still at Potter farms. From the wild magic of the grounds and the beasts there, most of us were able to survive. But several of us are growing week and likely will not last this upcoming year unless we bond again."

Harry turned to Andi, "Aunt Andi, what do I do? I am not comfortable with slavery, but I do not want them to die."

Andy turned to Misty and asked, "What freedoms do you have that other elves do not have?"

"Mistress Lily taught me to read and write, to do basic maths, and to help with potion brewing.

"With her permission, I taught all the other Potter elves to read, write, and do basic maths. She also ensured that each of us that wanted to could go spend time with related other to learn their trades and, if those elves thought they saw a better practice, we should bring it to her attention." Misty smiled and continued, "The only time one of us came back and suggested a more rigorous punishment system, Mistress Lily was furious and said that she would never harm any elf under her protection like that and that she did not want any elf to suggest worse ways to punish themselves ever again."

"Of the remaining ten elves that take care of the rest of the Potter properties, three specialized in potions ingredient harvesting and preparation; three specialized in different families of magical creatures; two specialized in plant agriculture; and the last specialized in animal agriculture.

"We have tried to continue doing our jobs after the family died out and we could not find you. I negotiated with a squib run store to provide food from the farms. I also negotiated with the apothecary that Mistress Lily had sold ingredients and potions to.

"I did not do very well with the apothecary and had to punish myself. However, he did agree to pay me a third of what he paid Mistress Lily. We keep the gold in the hidden rooms."

Harry asked, "What hidden store rooms?"

"I cannot tell you until you rebind us to the Potter family and to you specifically."

Harry sighed, looked at Andi, and said, "What do I do? Most definitely, I do not want them to die."

Andi conjured a parchment and quill and wrote for several minutes before handing it over to Harry. "Make any edits that you feel are necessary."

Harry read the parchment and added two changes before he followed the instructions on what to do.

"Misty the house elf, please come before me."

Misty practically ran to Harry and knelt before him.

He sighed and said, "Please, stand, Misty."

Shaking, she stood but kept her head down.

Harry then pulled out his wand and tapped her on both shoulders and finally on her head as he read, "I, Harry James Potter, Acting Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter and Acting Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black accept you, Misty the elf, as my Head Elf for House Potter, as part of my family, and as friend from this day forward. So long as you continue to look after my family interests, you shall draw the necessary power from me, my properties, and from wild magic so that you can carry out your duties to the best of your ability. So I say, so mote it be."

A pale green outline covered Misty, who was now looking at Harry with bulging eyes and tears. She then said, "I, the house elf known as Misty, accept Master Harry James Potter, Acting Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, as my master, family, and friend."

After she finished, the room lit up with a golden light. When the light faded away, Misty was still standing there, but looked to have gained several inches in height and to be about half the age that she had been before.

"My old bones have not felt this good in years! Thank you, Master."

She immediately snapped her fingers and a small table with a full, fresh serving of tea appeared in front of Harry and his guests.

"Thank you, Misty. Are the hidden rooms here?"

"No, sir. Your family hid all the rooms on the grounds where Potter Manor used to stand."

"In that case, please, get back to doing what you feel is appropriate. In no case are you to punish yourself. If I deem you deserve punishment, I will do so by restricting you from certain activities that you enjoy. In this family, no one shall physically, sexually, or emotionally abuse you in anyway."

After Misty popped away, Andi, said, "That was truly awe inspiring, Harry. I have never seen a ritual done like that. If I had an elf of my own, I would re-bind them immediately with that same ritual.

"I apologize, but I must take my leave, Harry. I have appointments this morning that I cannot miss."

"Of course, Aunt Andi. Thank you for your help. Have a good day."

A brief tour of the place revealed that it was rather large for a single person.

"Your mother made use of her knowledge of expansion runes. Let me show you the roof."

A small owl tower with two tiny telescopes sitting on top of it and a large greenhouse appeared to occupy most of the roof. However, when they climbed to the top of the owl tower, they found that his mother had greatly expanded the roof as well. The two telescopes that looked like they were handheld ones from below were rather large.

Remus explained to Harry, "At Hogwarts, all the students use a collapsing telescope that can magnify the sky up to about 40-fold. However, their best resolution is only around 15-fold. Lily's smaller telescope can magnify the sky by over 250-fold, but works best if you are trying to use it at 100-fold. Her larger telescope can magnify up to 350-fold. Its optimal is viewing is at 150-fold. To use the higher magnifications, Lily had a camera set-up that you put into the slot for the view piece. She could set the camera to take an exposure that lasted anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Some of her pictures were amazing.

"Of course, these are both non-magical telescopes, so no one in the wizarding world cares about what they reveal."

Chase scoffed. "Their loss. Some of her pictures were absolutely amazing…especially the long exposure, time lapsed photographs that she developed with wizarding film so you could see the motion through the night…" After a brief pause, he continued, "Even after she graduated, Lily sent pictures and things like that back to those at Hogwarts to help them be their best. I was lucky enough that she considered me a close enough friend to send her pictures too." For a few moments, Chase lost himself in memories. "Your mother was a wonderful person, Harry. I think she would be very proud of you if she could be here today."

Chase looked at his watch and said, "Okay. It is just past 11:00. Harry, you should arrive in Amelia's office by 11:50 at the latest. Let's finish looking through the rooms and see what is needed here for us to get started."

The three wandered through the various rooms with Harry taking notes in his padfolio. By 11:30, the three had agreed that Lily's Pad provided adequate facilities for DADA (Remus had forgotten that James had insisted in a dueling chamber), Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, Astronomy, History, Etiquette, Politics, and Investment Portfolio Management. They found a ballroom that looked like an enchanted forest and decided to include Ballroom Dancing as a class, if they could find a teacher. These were most of the standard classes that an Heir to a Most Ancient and Noble House would take during their first two years at Hogwarts along with several others that would be introduced later or that were outside the curriculum. However, Remus assured Harry that they could visit the Potter Manor grounds for flying lessons and for introduction to magical creatures.

Harry added, "Do not forget that Theodore Tonks wanted me to come to his office for a few hours each week to learn more about the laws of both worlds and to continue to develop my writing and debate skills."

Chase agreed and said, "I had forgotten about that. Thank you for the reminder. However, already your schedule is VERY Full."

They also agreed that Harry could continuing studying runes, arithmancy, and non-magical studies (Harry refused to call it muggle studies) whenever he felt he could fit it into his studies.

The difficulty would be that Harry was going to continue his non-magical education as well.

Harry's GCSE scores had come while he was hiding out with the Dursleys. He was disappointed that he had not scored as high as he would have liked in several of the subjects.

As he had expected, Harry scored As in English Language, English Literature, Business Studies, Latin, Mathematics, and Physical Education. However, he had only achieved a B in French, a C in Biological Sciences, and a D in Chemistry.

"Look, I know I only did so well in my GCSEs because Sensei taught me meditation and occlumency, which made it easier for me to study, learn, and recall information. Nevertheless, I am three years ahead in school right now. I am sure that if I explain things to my school, they will agree to let me stay an extra year or two so long as I pay for full tuition rate for those two years. I will need to take more GCSEs, too. I need a second science and an appropriate social science. Hopefully I can earn a high grade in Astronomy."

Remus asked, "How big of a difference would you taking two fewer classes make?"

"Well, last year, I dedicate Sunday to my magical studies, dedicated six hours per week to martial arts, dedicated another twelve hours per week to physical fitness, and then spent approximately 42 hours per week on my classwork. The rest of the time I spent awake was showering, laundry, eating, getting from place to place, doing chores for my family, practicing my magic, and working for Sensei and others to pay for my lessons."

"What are your plans for this year?"

"Screw the Dursleys. There are three bedrooms here. If Sensei becomes my legal guardian, I can live with him at his place or he can live here with me."

Chase looked at him. "Do you want me to be your legal guardian? Even though your parents had others listed ahead of me?"

"I know you. I trust you. I do not trust easily. I am a bit overwhelmed with everyone and am having a hard time believing that everything I am encountering is real. I know it is too good to be true. I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. I KNOW it is coming, I can sense it. I just have no idea of how to prepare for it.

"This place is my safe haven yet so many people already know about it can come here." Harry was starting to choke up over his emotions and began hyperventilating.

Remus addressed him, "Oh, Harry. You have been hiding it so well. I did not realize. I do not think any of us have. You must tell us what you are feeling before it becomes too overwhelming for you."

Chase countered, "No. I should have noticed and pushed back against the others. Harry has not met many people in his life where it is safe for him to show weakness. Nearly every time he has, Harry has suffered greatly for it. He does not have to tell any of us anything about his feelings. When he feels comfortable enough with us, he will. Remus, you should take it as a compliment that Harry is breaking down with you here: it shows that he trusts you more than almost anyone else he has met. It took over two years before I could stop guessing at what was going through his mind as he would start to tell me.

Chase then spent the next ten minutes helping Harry to calm down and realize he was safe. Seeing how severe Harry's panic attacks could be, Remus swore an oath on his magic that he and his wolf would protect Harry from harm to the best of his ability, which further increased Harry's trust of him. Remus had only intended to swear that he would protect Harry. However, the wolf had nearly come out because it was so forceful that it should also protect pack. Although none of them realized it at the time, it meant that Harry would never be in danger around Mooney or Remus regardless of the level of the moon.

When Harry had finally calmed down, Chase stated, "I apologize, Harry. I was so pleased that things finally seemed to be turning around for you that I did not step back to see it from your perspective.

"Sirius is not in any position to take over your custody right now. Neither is Alice. I believe I can convince Andi and Amelia that you should stay with me until you have truly gotten to know everyone better than you currently do. Involving them in your education would give each of them a chance both to get to know you better and to keep an eye on our relationship. It will also let you get to know them better.

"I am not saying that I am unwilling to become your guardian. I would be happy to do so. However, I have always been honest with you. Right now, I recommend that you do not make a permanent decision. Too many things are up in the air. Let your emotions settle and give the others a chance. I am not saying that you must let them in all at once or even that you must let all them in at all. I am just saying, 'give them a chance.' I know your history, but I really do believe that there are some good things coming your way soon if you are willing to open yourself up to them."

"I know. I am trying to keep an open mind. I spoke with Amelia about it this morning as well. She is going to do some discrete research and let me know what she finds out."

Seeing that it was approaching noon, Remus left them while Chase and Harry got ready for the Wizengamot.

Harry arrived with Chase in Amelia's office right at 11:50. The three made their way to the Wizengamot chamber.

As soon as they entered and saw the gathered crowd, Amelia said, "Madam Marchbanks, I discovered some rather bothersome news this morning. Dumbledore has made extensive use of compulsion charms on Acting Lord Potter's family. Luckily, Acting Lord Potter can remove them now that he has mastered Dumbledore's former wand. However, he removed them from his family just before 8:00 this morning and the entire family is still in bed trying to recover."

Amelia paused before adding, "Dumbledore compelled Lily's sister to hate her and to blame her for all her problems in the world. He did this when Lily was eleven years old. I fear his plans have plans.

"When I end my shift this afternoon, I intend to ask Acting Lord Potter to remove any other magic that Dumbledore may have cast on me."

Several of the Wizengamot members present gasped as the implications that anyone, let alone Dumbledore, could compromise the Director of the DMLE floated through their minds.

Fudge was also present and added in, "Acting Lord Potter, if you are willing, I would ask that you also do the same for me. Many of the memory charms are still running together for me. However, I can tell that on at least four separate occasions Dumbledore cast a confundus on me. Who is to say that he did not also cast compulsion charms at the same time."

"First, I appreciate everyone here addressing me with the appropriate title. However, this is a relatively informal setting. So, to make things easier, please address me as Heir Potter. In the setting of formal meetings, please revert to the formal title. It just seems like an unnecessary hurdle for a conversation like this outside of a formal meeting."

He then looked around and asked, "Or am I being too informal by requesting that?"

Greengrass addressed him first, "No, Heir Potter. I think that is appropriate and is appreciated on my part at least. I believe it would have been inappropriate if you had asked us to call you simply Mr. Potter or, worse, by your given name."

Nott agreed, "Yes. That would have belittled the respect we have shown you. That is not to say that you cannot get to know various members better and request they call you by given name in even less formal sittings.

"Sometimes you will hear us address each other by just our last names. This is usually not meant as a sign of disrespect. However, as your ascension to our ranks is only just recent, I believe that forgoing a title would also be inappropriate. Make sure people actually respect you for the title before you let them drop it completely. After all, this is not Hogwarts."

Most of the two dozen Wizengamot members that were present were nodding and mumbling agreement in Harry's direction.

"Thank you, both for the feedback and suggestions. I appreciate the information as well as the intent with which it was given and am open to further suggestions in the future."

Harry thought he heard Ogden mumbling in the back row, "Great Merlin! At this rate he will be running the entire show by the time he turns seventeen."

Amelia then explained to the assembled members that they had healers on hand to help each member recover from their experience. The four healers then set up twelve beds to help people with their recovery.

Most of the Wizengamot members asked Harry to remove only that the memory charms. However, Ogden asked that Harry remove all magic that Dumbledore had cast on him.

Walden McNair commented to Silas Selwyn, "It is ironic that a half-blood managed to take Dumbledore's wand and win its allegiance. While I would be much more comfortable if an adult cast the charm, even though it is such a simple charm, I realize that without the wand's allegiance, there is no chance that any of us could overcome Dumbledore's magical strength. I am amazed that a mere boy is able to do so. I just hope our Lord does not punish us too badly for this when he returns."

"I agree. Though, I think our Lord would probably appreciate that we were able to get rid of the manipulations by the old man.

"Did you hear that Ogden had memory charms going back to when he and Dumbledore were students together?"

"How the bloody hell powerful is Potter's spawn?"

"I do not know. However, I am going to follow Ogden's lead and have all of Dumbledore's magic removed from me."

"If you are willing to reverse the roles tomorrow, you do that today. After the healers clear you to leave, I will make sure you get home safely."

"Thank you, my friend."

By 1:15, Harry told the assembled members, "I am sorry. I need to take a break. Removing all the magic he had cast on one of you is much more draining than just the memory charms. Madam Marchbanks and Madam Bones, I will cast on both of you this evening before you retire for the night. However, I do not feel so well."

Marchbanks cut across him. "Nonsense, Heir Potter. We should have had the healers checking on your status. At age eleven, children do not typically cast much magic. You have cast hundreds of spells in the last twenty-four hours. I apologize to you for not thinking of this sooner.

Harry did not correct her on her presumption that he did not cast much magic.

~-~-~ flashback ~-~-~

Chase had caught Harry summoning something when he was six and had worked with him to be able to do a wandless summoning charm whenever he wanted. Harry could reliably summon his daggers from over fifteen meters with no problems. He was able to summon some of the heavier weapons as well. However, the heavier weapons had to be much closer.

Harry continued to practice his wandless summoning at least five days a week and used it daily while cooking and doing chores for the Dursleys.

When Harry had previously complained about the practice, Chase told him, "Your mother figured out that most of us could do this spell wandlessly as it is the most common accidental magic performed. She made sure that each and every one of us could summon at least our wand from across a room.

"It took a lot of time and effort on our parts. However, we all noticed that our magical cores grew greatly during that time.

"Your core is a muscle. The more you use it, the more it builds. You just need to ensure that you give it a rest every now and then.

"However, you have not yet trained your magic to respond to a wand. That means it is easier for you to cast the wandless magic and learn what that feels like."

For the past three years, Chase had Harry attempting to cast wandlessly several various spells: aberto, accio, alohomora, arania exumai, arresto momentum, avifors, avenseguim, avis, aguamenti, brackium emendo, cantis, circumrota, cistem aperio, colloportus, colovaria, defodio, deprimo, depulso, descendo, diffindo, dimuendo, duro, engorgio, entomorphis, episkey, epoximise, evanesce, evanesco, expelliarmus, expulso, ferula, finite incantatem, flagrate, flipendo, flipendo duo, frigesco, fumos, furnunculus, geminio, glacius, glisseo, herbifors, herbivicus, homenum revelio, illegibilus, immobulus, impedimenta, impervius, incarcerous, incendio, inflatus, langlock, lapifors, levicorpus, liberacorpus, locomotor, locomotor mortis, locomotor wibbly, lumos, lumos duo, lumos maxima, lumos solem, melofors, meteolojinx, meteolojinx recanto, mimblewimble, mobiliarbus, mobilcorpus, molliare, muffliato, multicorfors, nebulus, nox, oculus reparo, obscuro, oppungo, orbis, pack, papyrus reparo, petrificus totalus, piertotum locomotor, pullus, protego, quietus, reducio, reductor, reparifors. Reverte. Relashio, rennervate, reparifarge, reparo, revelio, rictusempra, salvio hexia, scourgify, silencio, specialis revelio, spongify, stupefy, surgito, tarantallegra, tergeo, titilando, tranquilla, ventus, vermiculus, vulera sanentur, waddiwasi, and windgardium leviosa wandlessly as well.

Harry had managed to cast each of the spells wandlessly at least once. The only ones he could do consistently were lumos, nox, geminio, aquamenti, brackium emendo, episkey, cantis, accio, depulso, diffindo, diminuendo, engorgio, evanesco, frigesco, homenum revelio, illegibilus, impedimenta, incendio, langlock, mimblewimble, muffliato, nebulus, finite incantatem, oculus reparo, pack, and tranquilla.

Harry was slowly making progress with the others. He used and practiced most of them when he and Chase would have "battles" in the dojo after hours. Harry could use any spell he could cast wandlessly…and better yet if he could cast it wordlessly. He could also use all his hand-to-hand combat skills, but no weapons. His goal was not to defeat Chase, but to last for 15 minutes without Chase cornering him and making him submit. The one time he succeeded, he had accidentally head-butted and knocked Chase out. It took Harry over 15 minutes to get rennervate to work again.

~-~-~ end flashback ~-~-~

One of the healers came over and examined Harry.

"You are suffering from a mild case of magical exhaustion. I do not want you to cast any more spells for at least the next twenty-four hours. After that, you are to limit yourself to treating only three people per hour.

"One of us will inspect you every hour to make sure that you do not overexert yourself again."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"I am sorry Heir Potter. Where are my manners? I am Healer Emma Jones and serve as the head of the DMLE's emergency medical response team."

"I am pleased to meet you, Healer Jones."

As the group began to break up, Chase approached Madam Marchbanks.

"Madam Marchbanks, are you still the Head of the Wizarding Examination Authority?"

"Yes, I am."

"Is your department still in charge of processing the applications for private tutoring?"

"Yes. Are you planning on setting up tutoring for Heir Potter? Today is the deadline, you know."

"Yes, we are. We have a dedicated facility for Harry's training and we have two tutors who are willing to work with him. We are trying to find a few others."

"I see. Who do you have so far?"

"I will teach Harry Magical Theory, Transfiguration, Herbology, and Potions. Remus Lupin will teach him Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, History of Magic, and Charms. Remus will not teach Harry the day leading up to the full moon or for the five days after the full moon.

"What other subjects do you wish him to have?"

"Estate Management, etiquette, politics, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, Ballroom Dancing, and Runes.

"If we can find someone to teach one or more of the core courses, I will continue his instruction in arithmancy and runes. Remus plans to take him on fieldtrips to the grounds of Potter Manor to introduce him to magical creatures and flying."

Harry jumped into the conversation and said, "I am planning on learning Estate Management with my Account Managers. Dragonbite is a new account manager that I gave control over one of my smaller trust funds. The idea was that the two of us could learn together as we managed that account."

Marchbanks said, "I will get you the necessary parchment-work. If Gringotts signs off on permitting one of their own to train you, we will classify that goblin as a suitable tutor."

"Oh, I am sure that will be no problem. Princess Ragnup already authorized Dragonbite to work with me in that capacity and she assigned Dragonfang to teach me how to navigate Goblin society."

"I will also need to visit the facilities to verify that they are suitable for your instruction."

"I will add you to the wards tonight. The floo address is Lily's Pad."

"I should be free by 6:30 tonight. Try to find some additional instructors. All will need to be present tonight to sign the parchment-work. It is not absolutely necessary that you have them in place by today. However, the parchment required to add additional tutors after the deadline is more extensive than the parchment work to establish your independent studies originally."

Marchbanks then summoned the parchment-work that Gringotts would need to complete and gave it to Harry. "If I remember correctly, it has been over seventy-five years since the last person to formally have a goblin tutor. That was your grandfather Charlus. I created this form specifically for him to use. It seems fitting that his grandson be the next person to use it."

After making their farewells, Amelia let Chase and Harry leave via her floo. Before they flooed out, Harry invited her to stop by Lily's Pad at 6:30 that evening.

During a brief stop at the dojo, Chase contacted Augusta, Andi, and Remus and requested they all meet in front of Gringotts at 3:30 to discuss Harry's schooling. Augusta would bring Neville along. Andi wanted Nymphadora to come along as well. Harry asked her to also bring her husband.

"I will as Ted. Nymphadora only got an acceptable on her NEWT for Potions. She had an outstanding for the theoretical knowledge. However, she sneezed into her potion and ruined it at just over the halfway point in the brewing process for her exam. She plans to spend this year studying to retake the exam so that she can join the Auror Academy. She might be interested in teaching you potions, Harry."

At 2:15, Harry and Chase arrived at Gringotts. Fortunately, the lobby of the bank was nearly empty and Harry saw that Dragonbite was free.

He approached the teller, bowed at the waist and said, "Greetings Account Manager Dragonbite. May we speak about my account?"

"Of course, Friend Potter. Right this way."

Dragonbite lead them down a short hallway to a room with a small sign that read, "Trainee Account Manager Dragonbite."

The room was larger inside than it would have appeared from the closeness of the doors in the hallways. Inside was a large desk that faced two comfortable looking chairs. Bookcases lined the walls, although most of them were empty at that time. A small, rectangular conference table capable of seating six people occupied most of the rest of the room.

"Thank you, again, Friend Potter for this opportunity. Because of your title of Friend, Princess Ragnup gave me an Apprentice Account Manager's office so that the furniture would not be displeasing to you. I hope this is satisfactory."

"This is a very comfortable setting, Account Manager Dragonbite. However, while we are meeting like this, please call me Harry."

"Thank you, Harry. You may drop my honorific as well. What can I help you with today?"

"I have declined my offer to attend Hogwarts and am registering for private tutors. The deadline to register is today. I would like to ask you to be my tutor of record for estate management. I also wish to ask Dragonfang to be one of my tutors for physical fitness."

"Physical fitnesss? Dragonfang is to teach you to be a warrior."

"Oh, I understand that. However, I think the Ministry of Magic might have a problem with me having a formal tutor to teach me to fight as a goblin would. Physical fitness is more politically acceptable even though the training will still be the same."

"Let me invite my youngest son here. I should also call my father. I am not sure if he can sign off on this or if we would need to take it up to Princess Ragnup."

Ten minutes later, Chase and Harry were sitting around the conference table with the three goblins. Harry sat at one end of the table while Dragonflame sat at the other.

After reviewing the documents, Dragonflame said, "I cannot sign these. However, as Princess Ragnup has already ordered this training to take place, I am comfortable asking her to sign the documents."

Dragonflame then wrote a brief note and sent it to Princess Ragnup's scheduler.

Almost immediately, a note returned stating, "Princess Ragnup was meeting with Prince Ragnok. Both are on their way now and should be there shortly."

Both Dragonfang and Dragonbite looked like they were having panic attacks, especially Dragonfang who had never even seen the prince or princess up close before.

Dragonflame, on the other hand, was calm. He stood and walked to the bookcase directly behind his seat and traced his finger along the wood while muttering in Gobbledygook.

The room extended another ten feet. The conference table extended an additional seven feet and gained an extra four chairs.

Dragonflame then moved his belongings to the third seat on Harry's left., He seated Dragonbite in the chair to his right and Dragonfang directly across from him. That left Harry sitting at the other end of the table with Chase on his right and the seat on his left empty. That would leave the prince to sit at the other end of the table with the princess on his right and, if he brought anyone else, that person to sit on his left or to the princess' right.

While Dragonflame was working, Harry had asked Dragonbite to withdraw 9,700 G from of his Potter Trust Vault, 5,900 G from his father's personal vault, 500 G his Potter Investment Vault, 19,800 G from his Black Trust Vault, 2,350 G from the Memorial Donation Trust Fund, 2,000 G from his mother's personal vault, 1,368 G from the Marauders' Honor Vault, 186 G from Peter Pettigrew's Personal Marauder's Vault, and 1,400 G from the Marjorie Simpson Trust Fund.

Since Dragonbite was still also a teller, he was able to do so and handed Harry the money in nine clearly labeled endless bags. As his appointed account manager for one of the vaults, he waived the teller's fee for his preferred client.

After Dragonflame finished, Harry asked him if he could invest 10% of the Black Family Vault in the gold market. With Dragonflame's permission, Harry then asked Dragonbite for a bag with 40,169 G from that vault.

Dragonbite had just finished delivering the tenth bag when there was a knock on the door.

After he received a nod from his father, Dragonbite called out, "Enter!"

Six guards took up positions around the room while the remaining three guards took up defensive positions in the hallway. As the guards were entering, all five of the prior occupants of the room stood.

Prince Ragnok entered the room followed by Princess Ragnup, who was followed by Bloodblade.

The three goblins bowed as was the goblin standard. Both Harry and Chase bowed as they would to Queen Elizabeth II, though not quite as deeply.

Prince Ragnok took his seat at the head of the table and Princess Ragnup sat directly to his right.

"Trainee Heir Harry Potter, I would like to formally welcome you as Friend of the Goblin Nation. While Princess Ragnup was able to grant you this status for all banking related issues, my recognition extends that to all military matters and to the craftsmen.

"King Ragnog plans to meet with you in the future. Should he grant you the title, all goblins throughout the world would recognize your title."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"I understand that Princess Ragnup assigned Assistant Manager-in-Training Dragonbite to tutor you in managing your estate with Dragonflame overseeing that education. She also assigned young Dragonfang to teach you goblin customs and military readiness. Is this correct?"

"Yes, Your Highness, I believe so. Although, for the paperwork, I am asking that his subject be physical fitness so as not to alarm anyone within the Ministry."

Both Ragnok and Ragnup nodded at the suggestion. "An astute decision. We concur."

"The Princess was able to assign Dragonfang to that role because his next training rotation will be warding vaults and not a military role.

"I am assigning Bloodblade to oversee your training. Bloodblade spoke highly of you and, as a commander in our military, he will have insights that young Dragonfang has not yet had the time to learn."

Dragonfang looked crestfallen at that: to be able to train a Friend of the Nation was a big honor for himself and his clan. Now it sounded like Bloodblade would get all the credit for that training.

"Do not misunderstand me, Dragonfang. You are still Friend Potter's official tutor. Bloodblade will step in for those matters that you have not yet experienced such as meeting with King Ragnog or the Council of Elders, treaty negotiations, and international goblin diplomacy."

Dragonfang nodded his head in understanding and then said, "Please forgive me for my moment of doubt, Your Majesty. In my youthful arrogance, I forgot that you and esteemed Commander Bloodblade are obviously aware of much more than I."

Prince Ragnok merely nodded his head.

Turning to Harry, he continued, "As I understand it, there is ministry parchment to be completed?"

"That is correct, Your Majesty."

Harry passed over the forms. As the prince read them, he got a wicked smile on his face.

He then started writing and personally completed the forms. After he signed the forms, he handed them to Princess Ragnup who skimmed over them, nodded her head, and signed. Dragonflame followed suit. After he signed, he passed the forms over to Bloodblade. After signing, Bloodblade passed the forms to Dragonbite. Finally, Dragonfang signed the forms.

When Dragonfang passed the forms to Harry, his face readily showed surprise and shock at what the goblins had put down on parchment.

Officially, Prince Ragnok and Princess Ragnup were listed as master tutors for Harry. Bloodblade was listed as a senior tutor responsible for international politics, comparative governments, and royal etiquette. Dragonfang was listed under him as a tutor responsible for Gobbledygook, goblin etiquette, physical fitness, history of the Goblin Nation, and introduction to goblin society. Dragonflame was listed as a senior tutor responsible for international finance, property management, and Gringotts banking customs. Dragonbite was listed as a tutor responsible for account and estate management, Gobbledygook, goblin etiquette, and non-magical banking and investment.

Before Harry signed, he passed the document to Chase. Chase read over the document and then signed it as Harry's Master Tutor before sliding the parchment and the bloodquill over to Harry.

Harry then signed the document as well, hating the feeling of the bloodquill.

After Harry's signature, the document flashed. There were now the original and six copies of the document, each of which contained the stamp "Filed with the WEA, Friday 2 August 1991, 3:21 PM."

"Thank you, Your Highnesses. I appreciate all that you have done for me and I am looking forward to learning more about your society. I truly hope this is the beginning of a long and prosperous friendship for all us."

"You are most welcome, Friend Potter."

The prince then rose and walked over to one of the bookcases and muttered something in Gobbledygook. A box appeared on the shelf while a second one appeared on Dragonbite's desk.

"I believe you already have a mailbox like this from the Wizarding Post Office down the street. This box is a secure Gringotts box. The six goblins who have agreed to tutor you each have their own box. If you place mail in your box, it will automatically go to whichever of the six of us to whom you have addressed the mail. If the mail is for someone else, it will go to Dragonbite's box. He will then forward it to the appropriate party."

"Thank you again, Your Majesty."

Before letting Harry leave, Dragonflame said, "You should expect to receive the portkeys for your properties tonight. I will also be sending you muggle documents that will let you move more freely in the non-magical world."

"Thank you, Dragonflame."

Harry and Chase were a few minutes late for their meeting with the others on the steps of Gringotts.

Harry apologized profusely.

When Andromeda started chiding him about how serious of a breach of etiquette that was, Chase stopped her asking, "Pardon me, Andi, but if you had gone in to see just your account manager and suddenly found yourself in a meeting with Prince Ragnok and Princess Ragnup, would you interrupt them to tell them that you had a prior engagement?"

Andromeda thought she had learned appropriate etiquette for every situation. That one, however, left her stunned. It was something that just did not happen in their society. She was certain that, before the will reading, she did not know anyone who had met with any goblin royalty. She was also certain that a snub of that magnitude could be disastrous for the unique relationship that Harry was already cultivating with the goblins.

Most considered the matter resolved when Augusta chimed in, "If any member of the goblin royalty wanted to meet with me, they would have my full attention for as long as they wanted, regardless of whom I would have been snubbing. Even Cuthbert Mockridge has not met with the goblin royalty. He is excited about Dumbledore's trial because it will be the first time he has even seen any of the members of the royal family.

"As members of the Wizengamot, each of us has a duty to that body to hear the goblins out.

"If it is not too personal, why did they want to meet with you?"

"They wanted to be tutors for me."

Nymphadora snorted. "That is funny, Harry. What did they really want?"

Chase passed around his duplicate of the original document. "No, he is telling the truth. On Wednesday, Princess Ragnup had agreed that a bank teller that Harry had selected to be his account manager for one of his smaller accounts and that teller's son who had just finished his first military rotation would serve as tutors for Harry.

"Today, Prince Ragnok and Princess Ragnup added themselves as his formal tutors. They also added Senior Account Manager Dragonflame and Commander Bloodblade as formal tutors.

"All eight of us signed the parchment-work with a bloodquill and the document filed itself with the WEA. It is now official."

"Bloody hell!"

"Nymphadora! A proper young lady does not curse. But, yes, that is most impressive. Let us move to a more private setting to discuss this further."

Augusta previously had spoken with Andi and had reserved a private room at a nearby teashop.

Once the group had received their orders and dismissed the staff from the room, Augusta cast several privacy charms.

Once more, she took charge of the meeting.

"What subjects will Harry be taking?"

Remus responded with the full list of the subjects before adding, "at least those are the subjects that will be taught by humans."

Harry added, "I do not want to interrupt anyone's life. That is why I am looking for part-time tutors and paying £ 15 per hour, which translates into 3 G per hour."

Nymphadora whistled and then said, "I will gladly tutor Harry in potions on one condition."

Harry asked, "What is that?"

"That no one calls me Nymphadora. It is just Tonks. Got it?"

Neville laughed.

Harry smiled and said, "I can agree to that. But if Aunt Andi is also one of my tutors there is no way that I am going to tell her that she cannot call you by any name she wants to." In a stage whisper he added, "She's scary, you know?"

Augusta said, "With Neville leaving, I will have significantly more free time on my hands. I would be glad to help cover politics and etiquette. I will gladly take History of Magic and teach it the way it everyone should teach it." Her derision of the Hogwarts instructor was apparent on her face.

Andi nodded and added, "I could share the responsibilities for all three."

Ted Tonks joined them, asked what he had missed, and then said, "I could help in him law, debate, and traveling between the two worlds."

"Great. That eases up the loads on both Remus and me. Remus will be responsible for Defense, Astronomy, Charms, Flying, and Care of Magical Creatures. I will be responsible for Magical Theory, Transfiguration, Herbology, Arithmancy, and Runes."

Tonks added, "I can do the practical Herbology with Harry and, in a pinch, takeover defense, charms, or transfiguration."

Glancing at Remus, Andi added, "I can also take over Astronomy when necessary."

It was four-thirty when the party left the teashop. Everyone agreed to meet at Lily's Pad at 6:00 for dinner and to complete the paperwork.

Harry wrote to the Whinging Academy of Excellence. In the letter, he stated that he had just come into some major responsibilities due to the theft, fraud, and mismanagement of his family's estate. He further noted that he had been illegally placed with the Dursleys and would not be living with them anymore. Finally, he stated he would like to extend his education out over at least two additional years so that he had time to deal with these issues as they would likely affect not just his present but also his future.

He specifically requested that he only take six classes this year rather than the eight he had previously taken and that, if possible, his free periods were together and both either first thing in the morning or last thing in the afternoon. The specific classes he requested were Pre-Calculus, World Geography, Botany, World Literature, French Literature and Composition, and Finance.

He had stated that, "An e-mail response would be most appreciated."

In a joint venture with the Ministry of Education, any student who studied for a GCSE or an A-level in business studies would have their own e-mail account. Harry was able to check his e-mail regularly at Chase's dojo.

Chase apparated to the Academy and delivered the letter just before the end of the business day, which meant that the headmistress took it home with her as part of her work to do from home that weekend.

Harry ordered several pizzas and Chinese food from the restaurants across the street from the dojo. He and Chase returned to Lily's Pad. Chase cast some preservation charms on the food. The two then continued to look around.

At 6:00, everyone except Amelia met at Lily's Pad.

When Amelia arrived at 6:20, it was clear that she had had a long day. She greeted everyone at the table and then started serving herself Chinese food, much to the consternation of many of the others.

Seeing their looks, she said, "This is one of those foods that is unlike anything we have. However, I find it very enjoyable to eat."

Seeing how tired Amelia looked, Harry asked, "What else has happened?"

"Things are heating up in Diagon Alley. People are protesting our permitting the goblin trial of Dumbledore. Rioters vandalized several shops in the past hour and a half and six people are in St. Mungos for treatment. Everyone is on edge.

"But, enough about that. About your questions earlier, Harry, it turns out that only six of the fourteen names are in country: Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Hestia Jones, Emmeline Vance, Penny Smoothling, and Bryton. The eight remaining candidates moved out of the country, were dead, or were 'permanently incapacitated.'"

Chase looked up at that. "Penny is back?"

"Yes. She moved back just a few months ago. She has set up a mental health practice in Holyhead. Apparently, she has the qualifications to see both non-magical and magical patients."

"Penny is a good person, Harry. After you get to know her, you might want to see her on a regular basis to discuss your history and your feelings. She can help you further handle when everything seems too much."

Amelia added, "Unfortunately, McGonagall, Snape, Jones, and Vance are all firm believers that Dumbledore walks on water. Each of them is likely to battle a placement with Bryton."

As she was speaking, the floo had flared green and Madam Marchbanks stepped through.

"Good. It seems that you are already addressing the issue of Heir Potter's placement. What do the rest of you think?"

The consensus from everyone was that Harry should stay with Chase but that Augusta, Andi, Tonks, Amelia, and Neville should all see him on a regular basis and that they should introduce him to Smoothling. Everyone also agreed that this should be a placement conditioned on the status of Sirius Black and Alice Longbottom.

Marchbanks nodded in agreement. "That seems well thought out to me. I expect, however, that Dumbledore's faithful will have a problem with it. I will set an appointment with my old friend Katherine Brown in WCPS. I will have her summon all parties and then I will step in as the Acting Chief Witch and state that I support Heir Potter staying with Sensei Chase. I will let you know tonight the time of the meeting.

"Now, on to the matter that has brought me here tonight. I take it that this is the location that you intend to use for Harry's magical instruction."

"One of three places actually." Chase continued, "Some lessons will take place on the grounds formerly surrounding Potter Manor. Other lessons will likely take place in Gringotts."

Remus, Chase, and Harry gave her a tour of his mother's flat.

Marchbanks approved it as sufficient for most of the subjects.

"Formally, where will you teach him to fly and Care of Magical Creatures?"

Remus responded, "I will teach some of the CMC here. I can capture many creatures and bring them in a cage for examination. However, the majority of CMC and all flying lessons will be on the Potter Manor grounds, even if one of the others is substituting for me."

"Have you visited those grounds?"

"I have. The grounds are in much better shape than I expected. Charlus and Dorea Potter had fourteen elves that maintained both the manor and the grounds. Three of them died in the attack that resulted in the destruction of the manor. One is the head elf and visited Harry for a rebinding this morning. The remaining ten have been living off the wild magic of the plants and animals on the grounds. I am certain that some advanced herbology studies could also take place as I saw several plants that I did not recognize. However, herbology was never my strong suit."

Marchbanks nodded, "Yes, I expect your increased sense of smell may have hindered you there."

"Yes, apparently the wolf has allergies to pollen. I did not have any allergies before I was bitten."

"That leads to the next question. What safety protocols are you implementing here?"

"Starting the day preceding the rise of the full moon, I will leave and be absent for an entire week. On the nights of the full moon, I will run at the Potter Manor Grounds. Harry will have no lessons on those grounds starting from the day before the full moon and extending through the morning after the full moon ends."

Chase added, "We also intend to get an emergency portkey authorized to take Harry to St. Mungos should something ever go wrong."

Amelia said, "I will take care of that and provide one tomorrow."

Marchbanks then sat down at the table and completed the paperwork on the human staff members.

"I understand this schooling is part-time. How will Heir Potter spend the rest of his week?"

Harry answered, "Oh, I will be attending non-magical school nearly full time during the days Monday through Friday. My magical education will fit in around that schooling.

"For example, I will have my training with the goblins every morning at 5:00 AM and for two hours once a week during my regular school day. I believe the plans are that I will have Astronomy for three hours on Monday nights, Potions for three hours on Tuesday nights, Charms for three hours on Wednesday nights, Transfiguration for three hours on Thursday nights, and Defense for three hours on Friday nights.

"Saturday morning, I will have herbology except for those days when we need to harvest or plant under certain moonlight. Then, whichever class was supposed to take place that night will be on Saturday morning. Saturdays will also have an hour of etiquette, an hour of History of Magic, an hour of politics, an hour of Law, an hour of CMC, and an hour of flying. Sunday mornings, I will have an hour of magical theory, an hour of runes, and an hour of arithmancy.

"On Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday afternoons, I will continue with my martial arts training. Sunday evenings will be my down time."

Marchbanks looked startled. "When exactly are you planning on doing your homework?"

"I read very rapidly and have a very high rate of recall. The two free periods I have each day during my regular school day should be sufficient for me to keep up in my reading for those classes. I typically study while I eat, so I will have time to study my magical subjects while I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I will also have about half an hour before each of my night classes to do any last-minute reading or preparation.

"What about essays?"

Remus answered this one. "Harry will have many essays in his non-magical education, so he will learn how to write appropriately. In fact, in the non-magical world, he has already tested to a higher writing standard than the wizarding world expects. However, unlike at Hogwarts, we will not be training multiple students. As such, we will use the Socratic method with Harry and quiz him orally during each of our classes. Any homework other than preparing for the lesson will focus on specific topics for which he needs remediation."

Harry added, "Also, I only sleep six hours a night. That will give me half an hour of extra study time immediately after the lessons so I can review any remedial topics assigned."

Harry then muttered, "Oh, bloody hell!"

"What's the matter, Harry?"

"I forgot Dumbledore charmed all my teachers. My headmistress is probably laughing at my request right now."

"Harry, why don't we go to her place as soon as you are finished here and you can remove Dumbledore's manipulations."

"Okay." In the moment, no one remembered that Harry was not supposed to practice magic until the following afternoon."

Marchbanks said, "Harry, thank you for being so honest and open with me tonight. I am leaving many of the details about your education out of the report. I did not need to know about and will not report your non-magical education. That is no one else's business but your own. I apologize for snooping. I was simply amazed by what you were proposing to do and wished to understand how you would do it.

"I do have a single concern: how will you meet witches and wizards your own age and around your age?"

Amelia answered, "Neville, Susan, and a few others are likely to join him some weekends when they can get away for family business. We will likely need to hold a winter ball this year because Harry has announced his lordships."

Chase added, "For that same reason, Harry will need to attend several other balls, where he is likely to interact with others his age or above."

"That sounds good. We are almost finished. I just need the signatures of the instructors next to the appropriate subjects.

"Sensei Chase, will you be continuing with Harry's meditation and occlumency lessons?"

Heads all around the room snapped up.

"Oh, please. It is obvious to me. His recall, his ability to study so little and still do well in class, his exceptional control over his emotions considering just how much of an upheaval these past few days have been…surely the rest of you must have at least suspected it!

"Do not worry, Harry. This is also a matter that will not be in your official record. However, I offer to personally test your skills whenever you like and, when you desire, provide you with the documentation that you are an occlumens. It may help you depending on what career choices you make."

Chase spoke up, "I told Harry that there were others who could access his mind and might break through his mental barriers. However, like Harry, I learned occlumency from a book. I do not have any knowledge or skill in legilimency. I would greatly appreciate it if you could test his mental work and offer him suggestions to improve. He has gone as far as I can take him."

"We will discuss this when things quiet down a bit. However, I see no problem in testing Harry and, if you would desire, testing you."

Once everyone had signed the documents, Marchbanks said, "By the way, these records are all public information. The clerk in my office already blabbed about the goblin tutoring when that form came in. She was ridiculing you for trying to submit a forged document in front of all who would listen."

Ted sighed. "We need to bring her up on charges of slander then."

"Why?"

Augusta responded instead, "Harry, Melissa Mercer is a world-class gossip. At least half of the ministry now has reason to say that they believe you falsify documents."

"Yes. When I smacked her down for the rumors she was spreading and then demonstrated that they were false, she did not run out to correct anyone's opinion."

"Bloody hell," Harry growled under his breath.

"It is okay, Harry. We do not have to seek major damages from her or to break her completely. We just need to make an example out of her and prove to the Wizengamot that you have not falsified the documents and that you will defend yourself from slander."

Once Marchbanks had all her signatures, she tried some of the remaining pizza.

Like most of the others, she had looked skeptical when she tried it. However, she found that she absolutely loved the taste. Chase had gotten cheese, pepperoni, ham, and vegetarian pizzas, each sliced into bite-sized pieces so everyone could explore and pick what they liked. Marchbanks was one of two that thought the plain cheese pizza was perfect.

While the others were cleaning up the pizza, Amelia apparated Harry to his headmistress' home.

Headmistress Robinson opened the door at Harry's knock with a confused look on her face.

"Mr. Potter, what are you doing at my home?"

Amelia stated, "Good evening. I am Amelia Bones, Director of a classified subdivision of MI6." She then held out a badge that convinced Robinson to let them into her house.

"I do not understand the meaning of this visit. Why would either Mr. Potter or I draw the attention of MI6? Why visit so late in the evening?"

"We recently discovered that there was a massive cover-up of the murders of Mr. Potter's parents. A high-ranking government official arranged the records to show an automobile accident the official cause of death. He also sent Mr. Potter's godfather to prison without trial and permanently incapacitated his godmother. He then improperly placed Mr. Potter with the Dursleys.

"Abusing his government authority, he then stole the funds from Mr. Potter's family accounts. He conspired with the bankers that he would keep 75% of the profits and permit them to have 25% of the profits from completely liquidating his parent's vaults."

"Oh, my. If I may know, how much are we talking about?"

"Mr. Potter's family collected rare books and documents. Some of them dated back to over 4,000 years ago. Most of the family wealth existed in those and other heirlooms. They kept most of their liquid assets in precious metals.

"At best guess, Mr. Potter's estate has lost over £ 10 million in precious metal assets and at least three times that amount from the heirloom vault."

Robinson turned to Harry and said, "This is what you wrote me about today?"

"Yes, Headmistress."

"So, your placement with the Dursleys was improper? How?"

Amelia continued, "This official used his authority to seal the Potters' wills. Mr. Potter's parents filed copies of their wills with a foreign nation at the time of their creation. When Mr. Potter turned eleven, he had a right to see them despite the seal in this nation. Some of those foreign nationals made sure Mr. Potter saw the documents. That was sufficient evidence for us to unseal the wills. We are now expediting the probate process.

"Both James and Lily Potter explicitly stated that under no circumstances was their son to be placed with Petunia Dursley or her husband's family."

"Do you remember my claims of abuse?"

Without hesitation, Robinson answered, "Of course, you always make up tales like that. You are a disgusting little liar and cannot be trusted. You live with a loving family who takes very good care of you."

When she finished that statement, Amelia Bones said, "I want you to think back on what you just said."

Robinson concentrated on the words and then gasped. "I would never speak to a child like that. I do not know what came over me!"

Harry said, "You are not the only one. Everyone who has ever suspected or reported me to the authorities for abuse says the exact same thing."

"This government official has access to materials that very few in the world can access. He used these materials to manipulate your mind. He is good enough at the manipulations to make it so that you do not even remember meeting him.

"We would like to give you the antidote tonight and help you restore your memories. You should know that this is not a pleasant experience. You will likely need to go to bed and may sleep in tomorrow morning as your brain tries to make sense of everything."

When Robinson gave her permission, Amelia nodded to Harry who pulled out the Elder Wand. He kept the wand close to his body so Robinson could not see it and then cast the spell to remove all Dumbledore's magic from the woman when she drank from a vial that Amelia had given her.

As the spell obviously began to work, Robinson started sobbing. "Oh, Mr. Potter! We have wronged you so much. You must think that we are all horrible people. I am so sorry! I cannot believe that man!"

Then she paused and looked up, "Wait a minute. He pointed a stick at me. And why was he dressed so funny?"

Amelia sighed and said, "Obliviate. You remember a man with a long white beard who called himself Albus Dumbledore forcing you to drink a liquid that then caused you to forget him and any abuse you suspected Harry had suffered. He used this potion to instruct you on what to say should anyone mention Harry Potter and abuse or should anyone ask you what your opinion of Mr. Potter truly was. You remember showing us to the door and then going up to your bed to sleep. Dormi."

Amelia then levitated Robinson up to her bedroom and tucked her in.

After the two left the house, Amelia sealed the door from the outside.

"I hate that we had to obliviate her."

"I understand, Harry. It is disgusting that Dumbledore has such low regard for the law that he blatantly violates the statute of secrecy. She should be fine by tomorrow. The potion I gave her was a mild headache draught that works even for people without access to magic. It is the same one I gave to your family."