Chapter 04
Pain… it was all he… they knew at the moment.
"Wh--- ---pened – him?!"
"We ---- kn--! ---- --- locked up a-- -ay!"
"GIV- -- - REASON DURS---!"
Harry opened his eyes slowly, painfully. The constant pressure on his brain was almost unbearable, much more so than Voldemort's possession not too long ago. And still… he felt a foreign presence in his mind.
He looked around and noticed that he was tucked under his bed. It looked to be night time, if the darkness outside was anything to say for it. Looking the other way, Harry was surprised to see Mad-Eye Moody and Tonks having a yelling match with his Uncle Vernon. Moody even had his wand pointed at Vernon's throat, and the look on his face promised nothing but pain.
"What did we say at the train station you ruddy fat effin' muggle?" he snarled, brandishing his wand dangerously. "Do you have a bloody effin' death wish?!"
"I will not be spoken to in -"
"Oh go roll around in mud, yeh berkin' idiot," Moody muttered, and with a wand, Vernon was transfigured into a great big pig. Pig-Vernon squealed in horror and stumbled away from Moody, his huge fat body barely making it out of the doorway.
"Hagrid tried that when we first met," Harry said, catching the attention of the ex-auror and auror. "Of course, Dudley only got a tail. You're pretty good at transfiguring aren't you Professor Moody? What with turning Malfoy into a ferret last year and now this? Cheers!"
Harry's boyish smile did nothing to defuse Tonks' worry and she was on him in an instant.
"Are you alright?" she cried. "We didn't hear anything for three days, and Mad-Eye said to come here and see why and then we saw the bars and found your stuff locked in the cupboard and the cupboard had this ratty old mattress and I wondered if you were actually forced to live there when you were little and then that fat muggle came into the room and we got so mad -"
"Enough!" Mad-Eye bellowed. A whimper could be heard from Dudley's room. "Potter, what the bleeding hell is going on here?"
Wow, I'm surprised she still had breath to go on, a familiar voice echoed in Harry's mind. And he turned that fat guy into a pig! That's so cool!
"Er…" Er…
"Harry?" Tonks asked, holding him at arms' length. "Are you okay?"
Harry shrugged, ignoring the voice in his head at the moment. "I guess. I mean, yeah, Vernon did lock me in my room again, but Aunt Petunia actually fed me this time. Haven't been out since I got back though."
Mad-Eye's face twisted in an ugly sneer. "Accio pig!" he muttered, and pig-Vernon's squeals could be heard as he traveled through the house. He landed with a great BOOM in front of the group and with a flick of his wand, Vernon was back in human form, looking disheveled and puce in the face.
"How dare you!" he roared, leaping to his feat and making the foundation of the house shake yet again. "I will take this up with your law enforcement!"
"We are the law enforcement piggie," Tonks shot back, flashing her auror badge. "So shut up, sit down and don't say another word."
"You dumb shit," Harry's mouth moved on its own. Harry's eyes widened and his hands flew to cover his mouth. Luckily, the others interpreted this as Harry's shock at cursing his uncle.
Oops. I think.
Tashaneri, is that you? Harry thought.
I guess so. Wow your mind is so jumbly! I can hardly make sense of things here!
Ignoring the verbal battle between the adults, Harry frowned. What d'you mean?
Wellllll. You know what a library looks like right?
Yes. A bunch of books stacked on shelves.
He felt something like happiness bubble within him. Yes! Tashaneri exclaimed happily. Ah, that explained the feeling. Don't forget that the books are neatly organized and arranged. Now, I see my mind and I see yours and your 'memories' I guess aren't very well organized like mine.
Is that bad? Harry wondered. Perhaps this was why he failed so badly at Occlumency. Of course, Harry still held out that Snape was a terrible teacher.
Tashaneri gave a mental shrug. I dunno. It wouldn't hurt to let me organize it, would it? It's weird. I have no body, but in your mind I can sort of move things around with my own. It's hard to explain.
Kind of like a computer? Harry asked. Dudley had gotten the new Windows 95 and Harry had watched him move a pointer around on the screen before he was herded into his room. Y'know, like moving the pictures around with that pointer thingie?
Yeah, that's close enough. Since I'm here to stay, would you like me to do that?
Sure, if it helps me out, then I'm not complaining!
Tashaneri giggled within Harry's mind. Oho, what's this She asked, pulling a memory of the Yule Ball up.
It showed Harry staring at Hermione as Viktor Krum led her down the aisle in the Great Hall. Harry even felt his younger self's awe at Hermione's beauty.
She's pretty, Tashaneri said mildly. Do you know her? Oh wait, she's your friend… Hermione.
Yeah, Harry thought with a mental gulp. What had just happened? She is.
"Harry?"
Harry jerked in his bed, coming back to the real world again.
Tonks was peering at him in worry while Moody kept Vernon at wand's length.
"You kinda zoned out there for a moment," she said worriedly, pressing her hand against his forehead. "And your face flushed terribly for a few seconds. What's up?"
"Er – nothing," Harry said, not wanting to reveal what he was thinking about. "Just some good memories I suppose."
Tonks winked saucily at him. "I bet," she laughed.
Harry was horrified. "What?" he sputtered. "No, that's not it I was – uh –dammit!"
Tonks laughed and waved Harry off as they turned their attention to Mad-Eye.
"Now you listen here you great fat sorry excuse of a human being," he growled, jabbing his wand into one of Vernon's four chins. "The blood protection that this place has is connected through Potter, and his blood. That means yer wife, and her great pudding of a son. Nowhere in that does it include you. That means – in my eyes – you are expendable."
Vernon's eyes bulged out.
"So do try to make yerself useful you fat oaf," Mad-Eye's face got very dark. "Or I'll be comin' back for you."
He turned away from Vernon, who – by all appearances – looked to have wet himself and looked at Harry. "We'll be comin' by every three days to check up on you," he announced. "I better see you out and about Potter."
"Yes sir," Harry said with a lopsided grin.
"Bye Harry!" Tonks said cheerfully, bounding out of the room with Mad-Eye. "Oh wait!"
There was a loud crash, and Tonks appeared into his room again, flat on her face. She was holding an envelope up in the air. "This is from Gringotts," he muffled voice said from the floor. "Dunno why they gave it to me, I thought Dumbledore would give it to you."
She gave him the letter, one last hug and departed with a sad look on her face. Not a minute later, Harry heard a wrenching noise and looked over to see the bars on his window twist themselves into oblivion. Thanks Mad-Eye.
Harry looked at the letter in his hands. It had been the first time he had ever gotten a letter from the wizarding bank.
What's a Gringotts? Tashaneri asked. Oh wait, never mind, I just saw it.
Harry ripped open the envelope and started to read the letter.
Harry James Potter
You are presence is required on Friday, July the Fifth for legal matters:
The will reading of Sirius Black, recently deceased.
We await an owl reply. If you cannot attend the reading, please notify Gringotts and we will assist you in choosing a representative
Gringotts Wizarding Bank
Daigon Alley
Harry's heart plummeted. Sirius' will. He's really dead, isn't he?
Judging from your memories, yes, Tashaneri replied. Feeling his sorrow, she hurriedly said, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-
It's okay, Harry sighed. Well, the reading is next week I suppose I should write a reply.
Walking over to his desk, Harry marveled at the open door of his room before taking out a piece of A4 paper and an old pencil. Since all of his supplies were locked downstairs, he had to make do.
To whom it may concern,
I am Harry James Potter replying to the letter concerning my godfather's will. I would very much like to attend, but I am not capable of getting myself to Daigon Alley at the moment. If I cannot somehow make it to the reading, I would like to appoint Griphook as my representative since I don't really trust any wizards or witches at the moment to handle my affairs.
Pardon me if this is rude or not, but why haven't I ever gotten a statement on my vault before? I don't know how Gringotts works, but muggle banks have monthly statements on accounts and I just wondered if maybe my mail was lost or not?
Sincerely,
Harry James Potter
Folding the letter up and sealing it with some old tape, Harry gave it to Hedwig, who took it in her beak.
"Take it to Gringotts Bank girl," he said stroking her feathers. "Don't stop for anyone, fly like the wind!"
With a nod, Hedwig alighted out the window and threw herself into the air with a purpose.
You'd think that a bank would tell you how much you have, Tashaneri commented.
I hope they answer me, Harry thought as he watched Hedwig's white form disappear into the sun.
The goblins would help Harry much more than he would expect.
Chapter 04
"P-----!"