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The World Through Emerald Eyes

Chapter Six

Harrison gaped. "Excuse me?" Albus Dumbledore?

The goblin eyed him cautiously. "Is this incorrect?"

"It bloody well should be!" he exploded. "I've never met the man until today! I've spent the last ten years with the Dursleys in London. I was told that by default, Augusta Longbottom would be my guardian otherwise."

The Goblin hesitantly nodded. "I see nothing in the will saying to place you with Mr. Dumbledore, but also nothing about placing you with the Dursley family." He glanced at Harrison. "Who placed you there?"

Harrison scowled. "I was 'dropped' off there by Dumbledore in the middle of the night with only a letter. I don't know anything else."

"Well that is concerning," Metalbite murmured. He sighed. "As your magical guardian, Mr. Dumbledore would receive your account reports, but that he hasn't showed them to you isn't procedure. Unfortunately, as you are both underage and located in a home not mentioned in the will, we cannot have that changed to your muggle relatives. For that, you would need the Ministry's allowance or your magical guardian's permission."

Yeah, like that would happen.

"So, nothing." Harrison slumped back. "I don't want Dumbledore to have access to my vault. I mean, he even had my key!"

Metalbite tapped a nail on the table in thought for a moment. "As your guardian, he would hold your key, but because he is only a magical guardian and does not have full custody of you, he doesn't have certain rights. One of those is the right to your vaults."

Harrison bit his lip. That was a relief. "My muggle guardians adopted me," he began slowly. "In the muggle world, I'm Harrison Dursley legally and everything goes to them as my parents. They are also my blood aunt and uncle. That has no effect here at all?"

A grin came over the creature's features, twisting his face in a sickly way that had Harrison wincing. "While reports would continue to be sent to Mr. Dumbledore until either you are old enough to change that, the fact that you are blood related to your adoptive parents does offer a loophole."

Harrison leaned forward again, eager. "Yes?"

"The Dursleys would not have access to any of your vaults, but copies of the reports could also be sent to them as your muggle family. For that though, we would need to do a family report."

Harrison nodded immediately. "Sounds fine."

The goblin grinned. "A family report is not just information, Mr. Potter. He chuckle as he rose and moved to a desk across the room. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a long scroll of paper and a knife.

"What the hell?" he demanded before he could stop himself. He jumped up and stumbled back, staring at the knife.

The goblin laughed then, the sound harsh and kind of painful. "This, Mr. Potter, is how Gringotts will determine who is your family. Your blood will reveal your family lineage. As long as their names show up, they are technically able to receive reports with your permission."

"And I don't need to be seventeen to give permission?" he asked, still eyes the knife cautiously, but sitting down slowly.

He shook his head. "No. These are only copies. As long as your guardian doesn't verbally say they can't, anyone you want could get copies." He placed the scroll down and unrolled it. It was longer than Harrison had thought.

"How do you know he won't?" Harrison asked then, looking up at the creature.

Metalbite smirked then. "We don't like people who interfere with Gringotts business, Mr. Potter, and you seemed more than displeased with your situation. While we obey the laws, you as one of our customers, are our responsibility. As far as Gringotts is concerned, a notification lost in the mail isn't too much of a hassle I should think."

Harrison smiled. He was beginning to really like this bank. "So what am I supposed to do?" He took the knife by the hilt that Metalbite handed him and listened as he was told to prick his finger.

"Three drops at this end," he pointed to the part closest to Harrison, "and your family history will scroll up and out from there and fill the rest of the parchment." He nodded for Harrison to continue.

He winced then the knife nicked his finger, but it wasn't as bad as some of his injuries on the field from a rough game. Not even close. So it was easy to ignore the slight pain. He watched with fascination as the three drops hit the paper and disappeared completely.

Almost immediately, the name Harry James Potter appeared in blood on the bottom. Below that in a smaller print was Harrison Hawethorn Dursley in gold. When asked, Metalbite told him it was because it was a name he recognized himself as and was acknowledged by his magic.

Harrison closed his eyes then. Magic. His magic. Why did people have to talk about it as if it was a sentient thing? Why did people have to talk about it at all? But now that he was a part of this word, by choice or not, he didn't have a choice. Better get used to it now.

When he opened his eyes again, he was shocked to see the entire scroll filled in various colors all the way to the end. "How far did this go? Surely not all these people are related to me," he said.

"Not all of these names are people who are alive, Mr. Potter. The magic in your blood recognizes your relatives as far back as any size parchment may go until the beginning of your line."

Harrison stared at the paper, eyeing the length. Five feet is a long way to go when the names themselves were written relatively tiny. "What do the colors mean?"

Metalbite pointed back to his name. "Again, the gold is you as is red which is actually your blood." His finger followed the vertical gray line line from his name to the black names of Lily Evans and James Potter. "Black indicates death," he continued, "and the dotted line between them means they were married." He moved to the solid line off his mother's name and followed it to the brown name Petunia Dursley. "Brown means alive, but muggle."

Harrison mentally sighed. Why did that matter? Though he was glad just hearing his aunt was normal. It would have stopped his heart to hear she was magical. There was a dotted line between her name and Vernon Dursley. And between them was a vertical gray line that led to a brown Dudley Dursley.

Curiously, he looked up. "Why doesn't my mother have anyone attached to her, parent wise?"

"Because none of them are magical. Petunia Evans and her family show up only because your magic recognizes them as family. If you hadn't been related, they would have shown up, but without a line connecting them to you."

Harrison nodded slowly. Something caught his eyes then as the light made several things almost gleam. Blinking, Harrison moved around the table to get a closer look. "What do silver names mean?" The silver, much like the gold name Harrison, was especially bright, easy to differentiate between the gray lines that connected them.

For the first time, Harrison saw a soft smile from a goblin. "It means living, magical relatives. You have other family, Mr. Potter. Even if you didn't know it."

For whatever reason, it did surprise him to have other family. When he learned that his mom and dad were not his real parents, and that his real mom and dad had died, he had felt betrayed and alone. It had hurt at first and there had been a time when he was young that he resented the Dursleys. But it had passed quickly, mainly because he was a smart child and knew they loved him. He was happy with them and they took care of him. Though he never mentioned it, during that month so very long ago, he had cried himself to sleep wondering if there had been anyone else out there like him that wanted him.

He shook off the old memory sharply. He never thought of that dark month of his life. Mainly because he liked to pretend that he was as normal as the rest of the Dursleys.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few names in silver, but considering the sheer size of the family tree, it wasn't that unexpected. Some of the names were from extended family – family so far you wouldn't even think to invite them to a family reunion because no one would know who they were.

But still, several were closer than he knew.

I apologize. I realize that this was another long wait. If it makes it any better, I'm up to chapter nine on my laptop and I'm uploading this and the next chapter tonight.

Love you guys! Thanks for the support.