Disclaimer: As much as I wish it, I do not own Harry Potter, nor any and all of its subsidiaries as owned by J.K Rowling, Warner Bros etc. All characters, and so far all places, belong to J.K Rowling. Only the ongoing plot of this story is mine, and I do not make, nor wish to make, any money from this story.
AN: 'Italics' = Ali's private thoughts.
~"Gobbledygook"~
Two o'clock that afternoon found Ali sitting in Ragnok's office wondering just how much more this meeting was going to change her life. After the required greetings were exchanged Ragnok broke the silence by remarking, "I must say, you are looking much improved from the earlier hours of this morning Lady Potter. You seemed, well, suffice to say, a little under the weather. I understand that what I'm about to say steps outside the bounds of propriety, but might I suggest you consider visiting a healer? I'd offer you the services of ours, but needless to say a Goblin in vastly different to a Witch."
Ali had tensed slightly when he mentioned a healer and shot a defensive yet curious glare towards Ragnok. 'How on earth did he know?' thought Ali rather frantically. Ragnok held up a placating hand and simply explained, "A Goblin has a vastly superior sense of smell to a human."
Slightly placated she conceded that that was probably a good idea. Merlin knows how much damage has been inflicted upon her body over the years. "That is probably a good idea Ragnok. Thank you. And yes, I'm feeling much improved since this morning. It's a wonder what a bit of sleep and some food can do for one's spirits."
Ragnok gave a slight chuckle and cleared his throat, "Yes well, we ought to get on. In regards to your Inheritance Test and the questions you had regarding it, I believe the last thing we have to discuss is your Magical Guardian and the implications surrounding that? Unless of course you've come up with further questions?" At Ali's shake of her head in denial of further questions, Ragnok continued. "Albus Dumbledore was named your Magical Guardian upon the sealing of your Parents will by the Wizengamot."
"Their Will was sealed? Why on earth would their Will be sealed? Does that mean I may not have had to go to the Dursley's?" At the conclusion of Ali's little outburst she shot a sheepish look at Ragnok, "Apologies Ragnok for interrupting you."
"Thank you. As I was saying, your Parents' Will was sealed on the 2nd November 1981. Dumbledore claimed to have followed your Parents instructions exactly in regards to your placement and cited your continued safety from rogue Death Eaters as reason to seal the Will. Whether this is true or not, I do not know. The Bank tried to fight the sealing of the Will, but against the Wizengamot and Dumbledore, there was almost no chance of success and as you know, we failed. We have a copy, but we can't unseal it until the Wizengamot orders it unsealed, or, until their Heir orders it read upon their coming of age or emancipation. Now, a Magical Guardian is tasked with ensuring their charge's physical, emotional and financial wellbeing as well as their education in their station in life. As you did not live with him prior to Hogwarts, he was obligated to check up on your progress regularly. He was to inform you of your standing in the Wizarding World, particularly in regards to your Peerage and the duties and responsibilities that that entails. The list goes on but that gives you the basic idea. Unfortunately, it would seem he failed in at least one of these aspects."
Ragnok raised an eyebrow at Ali's snort of disbelief. "I would say he failed at all those requirements. I had no idea the Wizarding World existed until I was handed my Hogwarts letter by Hagrid. He certainly never checked up on me in the years prior to that. And as you know, I knew nothing of my Peerage let alone any duties or responsibilities that come with it. Anyway, please continue Ragnok."
"As your Magical Guardian, Dumbledore is entitled to payment for such a service, he authorised the maximum amount of G2,000 to be paid monthly to him from the Potter Accounts. That's a total of G320,000 since November 1981. If we can prove that he did not meet the requirements of his Magical Guardianship, then we can fight to have at least some of the money returned."
"This is going to be an absolute mess isn't it? I have a very bad feeling that it's only going to get worse."
"Probably. Frankly I think it's already a mess. Moving on however, I believe our next step is to have your Parents Will read. I believe I'm right in saying that you wish to wrest as much control over your life from Dumbledore's hands as possible?
"If it keeps me from ever returning to the Dursley's then definitely, but I'm not of age for another year and I highly doubt the Wizengamot will unseal it. The Ministry isn't all that fond of me for some reason."
"Nor I." Ragnok chuckled, "Nevertheless, you can unseal the Will as you were emancipated on the 31st October 1994 at the start of the Triwizard Tournament." At Ali's confused look, he continued, "The rules of that particular tournament stated that you could only compete if you were of age. Dumbledore, as your Magical Guardian could have refused your entry, instead, by allowing you to compete he gave his tacit approval of your coming of age. His position as your Magical Guardian and Chief Warlock gave this 'motion', if you like, legal standing. The accompanying agreement from two Heads of a Ministry Department, as well as the Minister of Magic himself, along with the agreement of the other two Heads of School, provided said 'motion' with legal approval without needing to be presented to the Wizengamot. Without the above approvals, the Goblet of Fire would not have allowed your participation as you would have been deemed underage which would have violated the rules. Does that make sense?"
Ali sat there stunned, she had been an adult in the eyes of the law for almost 2 years. "I could have escaped the Dursley's years ago, I could have spent more time with Sirius. No! Stopping that train of thought now!' Shaking herself out of her thoughts she returned her attention to Ragnok. "Yes, Ragnok, that makes perfect sense. Now, how do I go about unsealing my Parents' Will?"
Ragnok pulled out a large yellowing envelope. Written on the front was 'The Last Will and Testament of Lord James Charlus Potter', on the back the envelope was sealed with, what Ali assumed was the Potter Family Crest. "Lady Potter, please place a drop of your blood on the middle of the crest and say, 'I, Alexandria Lillian Potter, daughter and heir to Lord James Charlus Potter do hereby demand his last words and wishes be spoken. So I have sworn, so mote it be!' whilst holding your hand against the envelope."
Ali took a trembling breath and picked up the envelope and placed it face down on the desk in her front of her. She took the dagger she'd used earlier, shaking slightly as she did so and pressed the point against her fingertip, in no time at all a bead of blood had collected on her finger. She stood up, placed the drop of blood on the seal, and placed her hand flat over it, then she repeated Ragnok's words. "I, Alexandria Lillian Potter, daughter and heir to Lord James Charlus Potter do hereby demand his last words and wishes be spoken. So I have sworn, so mote it be!" As soon as she finished speaking the envelope began emitting a warm yellow glow and Ali felt a strange, yet welcome sensation travel through and around her as the envelope, or the magics surrounding the envelope, tested her claims. Once it stopped Ali looked up at Ragnok with an enquiring eye and he gestured for her to retake her seat. The envelope floated up off the desk, and for the second time in her life, that she could remember, Ali heard her Father's voice.
"I, Lord James Charlus Potter, being of sound body and mind do hereby declare this to be my Last Will and Testament. As Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, I leave the entirety of the House of Potter, and all monies, assets, responsibilities and duties that entails, to my Daughter and Heir, Alexandria Lillian Potter; to be held in trust by my wife, Lady Lily Anne Potter (née Evans). Should my wife pass away alongside me, the House of Potter is to be held in trust and proxy by Heir Sirius Orion Black, Godfather and Blood-Adopted Father of my Daughter.
To my darling wife, Lady Lily Anne Potter, I know we expect to go together, but if by some miracle you survive me, I leave the House of Potter in your capable hands until Ali comes of age. I know financially, you'll never want for anything. Unfortunately, there isn't much more I can give you, aside from an undying declaration of my love. Live your life Lily-Flower. Raise our beautiful girl. Make sure she laughs, plays pranks and if you even think of preventing her from playing Quidditch at the earliest opportunity I'll come back from the dead and charm all your clothes permanently orange! Love you Lily-Flower.
To Sirius Orion Black, you're rich already so I'm not giving you any of my money, instead I'm giving you my copy of the Marauder Handbook. Needless to say, it's far better than yours and it'll give you some ideas on keeping the boys away from my little girl, it also has the address of a Muggle Convent that you can send her to should she get too beautiful.
To Remus John Lupin, I leave you one hundred thousand Galleons. Get some clothes Moony, and stop moping! Sirius, and Lily I pray, is going to need your help raising my little Ali. Make sure she's a little Marauderess, has a nice ring to it don't you think? Oh, and forget about your furry little problem and find some woman to settle down with, being alone doesn't suit you Moony.
To Peter Pettigrew, I leave you one hundred thousand Galleons. However, if I was killed by Voldemort then I rescind that. Peter was our Secret Keeper, and if Voldemort killed me then it can only be by Peter revealing our location. Should this be the case, then I hope you burn in the deepest pits of hell Peter!
Just to clarify before I continue, Sirius Black was not our Secret Keeper. He, and Lily and I agreed, felt that he was too obvious a choice and we feared the Death Eaters and Voldemort would show no hesitation in torturing him to reveal the secret. Thus we switched Secret Keepers to Peter. Albus Dumbledore can attest to this as he cast the Fidelius.
To Minerva McGonagall, I leave you ten thousand Galleons for the Transfiguration Department, and an apology for any headaches I caused you in school, and I suppose any future headaches my little Ali will probably cause you. She's a little hellfire. Oh, I almost forgot, I also leave you the finest Scotch Whiskey in the Family cellar, as well as a vial of Hangover Draught for the morning after. You're the best Minnie!
To Albus Dumbledore, I leave you with a lifetime's supply of your favourite lemon drops. Hope you enjoy them old man. Thank you for all you've done for us.
I think that's me done for bequests, I could go on all day listing every person I've ever met but well, that's a bit excessive even for me, so I'll simply say that to everyone I ever met, I love you, unless you were a death eater or Voldie himself of course.
Moving on, custody of my daughter will be given to the following people.
Lady Lily Anne Potter (née Evans)
Heir Sirius Orion Black
Lady Alice Longbottom (née Smith)
Minerva McGonagall
Lady Amelia Bones
Should the above people be unavailable, Alexandria is to be placed up for adoption with a Magical Family.
Under no circumstances is Alexandria to be placed in the custody of Lily's Muggle sister, Petunia and her Husband, Vernon Dursley. She preferably will never meet these people. They are vile, magic-hating Muggles and I will not have my daughter exposed to that.
Now, Ali, my beautiful baby girl. I thought the day I married your mother was the best day of my life, never had I been prouder or more blessed than I was that day. That was up until the day I held you in my arms, and as much as I love your mother, the love I have for you swallowed it whole. You're my everything baby girl. You're the one good thing I did in my life. I hope I died for you, there's no other way I'd want to go. But, if that is the case, please don't ever blame yourself, if given an option I'd die for you every time. Please be happy my little Marauderess, smile, laugh, have fun, play on the Quidditch team, and sneak dates behind your mother or Sirius's back. Be free. If Voldemort is still a problem when you're reading this, remember, some stupid crack pot may have said it can only be you that can kill him, but that does not mean you have to do it alone, it does not mean you have to do it at all. In fact I'd much rather you got the hell off this island and went to live in Tahiti or something. I think we might own a bungalow in Hawaii actually. Anyway, know that I love you darling, and I'm so proud of you, whatever decisions you make in your life, know that will always be true. Good luck my darling. I'll always be watching over you.
And that concludes the Last Will and Testament of Lord James Charlus Potter. Witnessed by Lady Lily Anne Potter (née Evans) and Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, (Order of Merlin 1st Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwamp of the International Confederation of Wizards, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Leader of the Order of the Phoenix,) on this day, the 14th September 1981."
And Ali sobbed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, 'That was my Dad, Merlin he loved me, and he's so funny, was so funny. People always say, but it's one thing to be told and another to experience. Merlin I miss him; I so wish I knew him. But that, that…' "That Fucker!" she screamed, "He knew! He knew Sirius was innocent and he sent him to Azkaban anyway. Two! Two of those people are still alive, well three if you count Lady Longbottom, and surely if she was my Godmother I'd have been given to her and then to Neville's Gran once they were incapacitated. God, I could have had a Godbrother. I could have grown goddammit! I could have had friends, gone to a magical school, known all about my heritage and never had a thrashing once in my Merlin forsaken life. Never known what it means to be starved, worked like a house elf, dammit I never would have been raped! I am going to kill that manipulative old goat fucker. I am going to hang him from the rafters with his own beard. I'm going to force so many of those bloody lemon drops down his throat that he'll choke on them. Better yet I'll stuff them full of a poison and hold his mouth shut!" Her rant was suddenly interrupted when Ali found herself flat on her back with two consecutive calming draughts being forced down her throat.
Ragnok was becoming more and more concerned as he watched the young Lady pace, gesticulating wildly and ranting incoherently. When he felt the magic in the room rising and the walls begin to shake, he decided that was enough. He tackled his wealthiest customer to the floor and force fed her two calming draughts. After she coughed and spluttered a little, Ragnok finally felt her swallow and the potions take effect, just in time for two of the Security Goblins to come rushing into the office, ~"What in King's name is going on in here Master Goblin Ragnok?"~ Ragnok lifted himself up the floor, held a hand out to placate the Security Goblins, whilst extending the other to aid Lady Potter up off the floor, once he deposited her in her seat he turned to the two Goblins who were looking remarkably anxious at his show of chivalry. ~"Calm my friends. It was just a little case of accidental magic. Happens to the best of us, she may be legally emancipated, but that does not make her an adult by magic, her core is still stabilising and she received some very distressing news. Fear not my friends, she will of course be paying for the damage. Now, please leave us."~ As the door closed he returned to his desk, called a tea service and placed a cup before the Lady Potter, he then sat down and waited as patiently as a Goblin can for the Lady Potter to put herself together.
Ali sat there trying to work her way through her muddy, calming draught laced thoughts, as she did so, she realised her magic had got away from her. Upon returning to the current dimension she looked around her, noticed the cracks in the walls, the books thrown all over the room and the contents of the desk joining them, she gasped, "Merlin, I am so sorry Ragnok, I wasn't expecting that sort of news. Please take all funds needed for repairs from my vaults."
Ragnok looked at her, the picture of contrition and chuckled. "Fear not my Lady, the cost of repairs has already been taken from your vault, though I thank you for your permission regardless."
Ali made a sort of half chuckle half sob kind of sound and lapsed back into silence, thinking deeply. Fifteen or so minutes later, she broke it. "I am going to ruin him, I'm going to get him fired from every office he holds, I'm going to make the public turn on him. And then I'm going to kill him, or send him to Azkaban, suppose it depends on whether I can restrain myself. Tell me Ragnok, with my Father's Will, does that make restoring the funds he effectively stole easier?"
Looking into the Avada coloured eyes that promised ruin and damnation, Ragnok was very glad that he was not Albus Dumbledore, nor come to think of it, Sharpnik, Dumbledore's account manager. If Ragnok was a betting man, which he was, he'd bet his life savings that Dumbledore was in for a world of hurt. "Yes, Lady Potter it does, he had no claim to you based upon your Father's Will. All we'd need to do is prove that to the Wizengamot and then we'd be free to restore the funds should they exist in his vault. If not, he'd be remanded to the Goblin mines to pay off the outstanding balance. Would you like me to move ahead on this course?"
"No, definitely not, not yet at least. I'd like you to start compiling evidence. I've a feeling this is a far wider reaching web than it originally appears, and the last thing I want to do is tip him off that I know. I'm 99% certain that he was the one to place the mail ward upon me, after all, two conversations and we've already uncovered at least a part of his corruption, and I can't believe that a man capable of hoodwinking the entire Wizengamot into sealing my Parents' Will would not have made contingency plans for exactly this circumstance. Is there any way you can find out what he did with the money he took from my accounts and is he still receiving those funds given I was emancipated?"
"Yes, that would be a wiser course of action, after all, he didn't just gain money from becoming your Magical Guardian, but also your rights to the Wizengamot, he has been voting, in your stead since November 1981, it's one of the reasons he's retained the position of Chief Warlock; he holds too many votes to displace him. The Potter vote is worth 3, given that he knows of the relationship between you and Sirius Orion Black, he may well have the Black vote too which is another 3. Whilst his 'Guardianship' of you ended on 31st October 1994, it is not that difficult to sweep that alert under the rug and continue on. And yes, this means all his votes using the Potter, and possibly Black seats are illegal, and gives you recourse to overturn them should you so choose. As to your question, no, all funds were stopped upon your emancipation, Gringotts is rather more stringent and thorough than the Ministry. As to discovering how he spent the money taken from your vaults, I will do my best, but I cannot promise anything. There are two laws governing the operation of our Bank, one is 'We do not tolerate theft', and the second, 'We keep all our clients activities confidential.' This creates quite a conflict for Sharpnik, the Dumbledore Account Manager, but as I say, I'll do my best. Now, are you ready to hear your Mother's Will? If so, simply repeat the same procedure."
Ali sat silently for a few minutes, preparing herself for what was to come. She then picked up the second envelope and repeated the same actions to open her Mother's Will, and finally the wondrous sound of her Mother's voice reached her ears.
"I, Lady Lily Anne Potter (née Evans), being of sound body and mind do hereby declare this to be my Last Will and Testament.
My darling Ali, I give to you all my diaries, copies of my research and all my personal belongings beside that which I bequeath to others. I hope you'll forgive me for not bequeathing any of my personal finances to you, but given you're the Heir to the Potter Family and all that entails, I think you'll understand that there's little point in adding to it for you. You are my sun and stars, the light of my life. Nothing I've ever achieved shines a candle to the joy I feel when I look at you. I'm sorry to have left you my darling. I hope you've grown up happy, loved and cared for; but if not, know that you have always had your Mother's love. I am so proud of you sweetheart. Just the other day you had your first case of accidental magic, it seems you've taken a shine to my necklace. It took me hours for you to let go of it, though I suppose I can't blame you, diamonds and emeralds really are beautiful. You have good taste my little girl, diamonds and emeralds will go with everything, just so you know. Your father maintains that it was accidental magic; given the effort you went too to keep it on you, I don't know, seemed rather intentional to me, but what do I know? I'm no expert in Magical Theory as relates to Newborns. But either way, you made me so proud, as long as you don't become a kleptomaniac. Ali, I love you. You are my pride and joy. Go out into the world and be happy, whatever it takes. Just be happy. Know that I am always watching over you my love, and I will support you, whatever path you choose to follow. I love you Alexandria, now and forever.
Now, onto the bequests;
To Severus Tobias Snape. My dear Sev, I leave to you all my Potion research journals, as well as a letter of apology. I wronged you Severus, and I am so sorry. You are my dearest friend, my only brother, always, and whatever wrong you feel you perpetrated against me, I forgive you for. I know it was you who delivered the first half of the prophecy to Voldemort, but I forgive you. Whatever may happen to me, including my death, it was not your fault. In fact, it was mine. I was a stubborn, foolish idiot and I refused to listen to your apology and I really don't know why. I left you alone and for that I am so sorry. I am to blame for whatever came after, you needed me and I abandoned you. I'm so sorry. I hear you're teaching at Hogwarts these days, I really can't understand why, you hate people, especially children, and so I leave you with all I have as Lily Evans, one hundred and seventy thousand Galleons. Go complete your Mastery (yes, I've been keeping tabs on you), go open a shop, or apply to a research facility. Sell Spinner's End and just be happy Sev, please. I love you, with all my heart. Be happy.
To Alice Longbottom (née Smith). I leave to you my diary detailing our friendship at Hogwarts. Thank you Alice for taking a scared little girl and showing her the ways of this marvellous world that she suddenly found herself in. Please take care of my little girl, raise her with all the morals you know I value, make sure she's happy.
To Filius Flitwick. I leave to you all the journals detailing my charms research, there are a few things in there that I hope you might find interesting, publish them if you think they're worth that. I'd like to think I improved the world a little bit, even if it's only with a few spells. Finally, I just want to say thank you Professor, for mentoring and nurturing my talent. It has been a pleasure and an honour to know you.
Those are the only bequests I have, there are others, but I believe James has covered them already. Though I would like to reaffirm that if I die at the hand of Voldemort, then it was due to Peter Pettigrew as our Secret Keeper in the Fidelius Charm.
As to the custody of our daughter, the following people shall be given custody:-
Lord James Charlus Potter
Heir Sirius Orion Black
Lady Alice Longbottom (née Smith)
Minerva McGonagall
Lady Amelia Bones
Should the above people be unavailable, Alexandria is to be placed up for adoption with a Magical Family.
Under no circumstances is Alexandria to be placed in the custody of my Muggle sister, Petunia and her Husband, Vernon Dursley. She preferably will never meet these people. Petunia is horribly jealous of the Magical World and me, so I fear the way she'd treat my daughter. As for her Husband, he is a vile bully with a phobia of magic. He is a reprehensible character and I do not want my daughter to have anything to do with that hate.
And that concludes the Last Will and Testament of Lady Lily Anne Potter (née Evans.) Witnessed by Lord James Charlus Potter and Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, (Order of Merlin 1st Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwamp of the International Confederation of Wizards, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Leader of the Order of the Phoenix,) on this day, the 14th September 1981."
Ali sat silently, tears streaming down her face. The anger she felt earlier had dispersed, and all that was left was a deep, overwhelming sadness at all she'd lost.
AN: Thank you for reading and please review!