nubsauce13: My sister said: "I would be more than happy to take you up on your offer? How does having a Beta work? Send a PM to my brother (Corruptmonk). Thanks!
Elementh: Yes, my sister is currently on a roll. I just finished editing this chapter and she is already working on Chapter 6. Amazing, isn't it? (Grumbling about the power of YOUTH)
DukunSihir: My sister said: "Yes, Hedwig will be around a lot. I also love Harry having a phoenix familiar *grin* Yes, this will be an Independent Harry but not a manipulative Dumbledore. I love Dumbledore but there will be a confrontation with Harry later." (Corruptmonk is grumbling about birds and girls...phah)
RebeliousOne: According to my sister, canon will still be followed since she loves the plot. The only difference will be how Harry will be AU in all of it. So in other words, Harry will be enjoying his Hogwarts while doing what needs to be done.
messerpadfootforever: My sister said: "Thank you! *kiss kiss kiss*" (Corruptmonk smacks sister on the head for kissing a stranger)
dementor999: My sister said: "no pairings for now. If there's one then it will definitely not be Ginny or Hermione." (Corruptmonk grumbling at being tagged as a secretary...gives sister an evil eye while writing chapter 6 on her laptop)
Winged Seer Wolf: Thanks for the warning.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Harry Potter: Shadow Sorcerer
Chapter 04: Potter Manor
Harry woke up the next morning in a happy mood. His first shopping trip in Magical Britain went off without a hitch. His happy mood wasn't even dented when he remembered that he needed to sort through all his purchases and placing them in their respective areas in his new trunk.
He looked around his renovated attic before finally deciding that it was time to leave and find a place to call his own. Since he was already considered an adult in the Magical World, he could live on his own without any worries of anyone getting in the way.
If he needed a new home the first logical choice would be to ask Griphook if the Potters owned any. He was quite sure that there should be a house or two somewhere since he read in a book that most pureblood wizarding families tend to have a family manor somewhere as an ancestral home. He decided to send Hedwig to his account manager later for a complete listings of any properties that he and his families owned.
He stretched a bit before getting out of bed, wanting to get the day started. His beloved familiar was sleeping peacefully on her perch at the foot of his bed. He smiled at the sight before turning towards his staff. He decided last night to let the staff revert to its natural form when in private. He remembered Ollivander's advice to spend a lot of time with his new focus to let the bond complete and settle. It might be a good idea to practice a few spells with his staff to get the feel of it, as well as speeding the bonding process with the constant use of magic.
A noise from the 'living room' caught his attention. He craned his neck to see beyond the sofa but he still couldn't see what was making the noise. Grumbling, he stood up and walked over to the living room to see Flippy busy arranging his newly bought wardrobe inside his trunk. He smiled at the hardworking house elf.
"Good morning, Flippy. Working hard I see." greeted Harry as he flopped down on the sofa opposite of the elf, interested on what his little friend was doing.
"Good morning, Master Harry Potter sir. I is fixing your clothes since it was just in your trunk getting wrinkles." replied Flippy in his excited, squeaky voice.
"Great work. Flippy. Why don't you rest a bit and join me for a bite of breakfast." Harry suggested to the elf. It wasn't good to let the little guy work without getting some food in his stomach. He was hungry himself and eating with company was better than eating alone.
"Oh, I would love to, great Master Harry Potter sir." Harry tried to ignore the long name the elf insisted on addressing him. "I already have breakfast at the table ready for you. I'm not sure if you like tea or hot chocolate so Flippy have both at the ready."
"That's alright Flippy. I prefer tea for breakfast and hot chocolate before going to bed, and juice for lunch, especially fresh fruits. " said Harry as he pushed himself off the couch and walked over to the dining table where he saw a plate with his favorites – pancakes with butter, tea, bacon, sausages, and cheese omelets. He drooled at the sight. "This looks great Flippy. You're an excellent cook judging from last night's dinner."
It was the first time Harry saw an elf blush and found it very amusing. He sat on his usual chair and tucked in while Flippy shyly took the chair beside his master as he was ordered to for every meal. His new master was weird that way.
For Harry, it was a nice breakfast session. Both he and Flippy enjoyed the food while they traded questions and answers about house elves, what kind of food Harry likes to eat, daily habits, elf bonds, and so on. Flippy also asked Harry regarding his wants and needs so he could anticipate them in the future. It was an enlightening conversation for the both of them.
After breakfast, Flippy cleaned the dishes magically and shooed Harry off the living room. Harry wanted to help the little guy sort through his purchases but the elf adamantly refused. Sighing, Harry walked over to his study table and pulled out a parchment and quill, starting a letter to Griphook to jumpstart his search for a home.
Griphook was currently enjoying a quiet morning sipping Firewhiskey as he pondered on the improvement of his station in the Goblin Nation. Thanks to the young Lord Potter's acceptance of his title, the Potter and Gryffindor vaults were once again in circulation, earning both him and Harry quite a lot of money from both new and old investments. The addition of the Ravenclaw vault was a surprise for him but a welcome one. Thanks to the House being activated for the first time in 300 years, Griphook was enjoying the station of being the richest Goblin Account Manager in all of Gringotts worldwide.
He fell out of his chair when a burst of white flame appeared in front of him revealing a white phoenix. After being awed at the rare sight of seeing such a rare creature appear in his office, he noticed a letter clutched in its talons. He was quite sure that it was addressed to him since a phoenix will only deliver the letter of its master to the correct recipient without any room for error. So this phoenix belonged to someone he knew. Interesting.
He took the letter from the phoenix and read; ignoring the phoenix perched on the back of the chair in front of him.
Dear Griphook,
I hope my phoenix familiar didn't surprise you. Her name's Hedwig and we bonded yesterday in the back room of Magical Menagerie. Edward Moonfang was surprised that the egg was a rare white phoenix. I guess I don't do normal huh?
Anyway, you told me to send you an owl but Hedwig disagreed in buying one since she can deliver the letter much better than an owl ever could. I guess she's proud of herself as my familiar and didn't want other animal to share my affection. Weird wot?
To the point, you can send everything you need to me through Hedwig. She's more than happy to help. I'm not sure if she'll answer your call but I told her to listen just in case and she agreed. If she doesn't respond to your call then I'm sure that you can get your hands on an owl.
Anyway, I would like to see a list of properties that I own. I'm getting tired of living in an attic here in Privet Drive even if I did give it an overhaul using magic. I guess I really wanted to have a home to call my own since I never had one to begin with.
I'll read through everything you planned to send me and we can schedule a meeting afterwards if you want to discuss matters you find important.
That's all for now,
Harry
PS. I hate my very long name. Just address me as Harry in letter. It's easier to read that way.
Griphook sighed. It was just his luck to get a smart-ass kid to be the Lord of three Most Ancient and Noble Houses. However, he could never deny the fact that the young Potter was powerful, very powerful. With the right training, his skills and power could easily surpass those of Dumbledore and Voldemort. He was confident, however, that Harry will surpass them in the soonest possible time since the boy was quite intelligent, frighteningly so.
Sighing again, he eyed the phoenix who he swore was looking at him with amusement. Damn it. Even his familiar has the same attitude as him.
Annoyed, he conjured a large box and placed heaps of documents, books, ledgers, and other information concerning the 3 vaults from his drawer. He was the only account manager in Gringotts who had the foresight to enchant his table with an expanded space. All the needed documents were safely stored therein without having to go down the vaults just to retrieve them for their patrons.
There. That should take the boy a few months, hopefully a year, to read through all of them and avoid bothering him so he could relax and enjoy his new station in life; and of course, do some smart investing on the side to increase their coffers.
With a vindictive gleam in his eyes, he shrunk the large box to the size of a matchbox before penning a letter to the young lord before sealing it and handing it to the phoenix along with the shrunken box. The phoenix leveled him another amused gaze before giving out a happy trill as if enjoying the joke that's about to happen, grabbed the box on the table and flamed out towards its master.
Harry James Potter, Lord of three Most Ancient and Noble Houses was glaring at the large box on the dining table filled to the brim with documents, books, and other items related to his accounts in Gringotts. He grinned at first when he saw the matchbox Hedwig was carrying in her talons when she flamed in, thinking that it wouldn't take long in going through everything before relaxing down with his newly-bought books.
However, the grin was short-lived upon reading Griphook's letter. He growled in distaste when the goblin practically ordered him to review everything inside the box pertaining to his accounts since he should have learned it already if his parents were still alive or if his magical guardian acted accordingly. Coincidentally, the letter was charmed to trigger the box's enchantment reverting it back to its original size which was quite large. He winced if the box had an expanded space charm to hold more paperwork.
Sighing, he lifted the lid off the box and his eyes bugged out at the amount of papers inside. Yes, he was right. It definitely had an expanded space charm. The books and ledgers were quite thick and could take weeks, if not months, to read through.
Sneaky, devious, annoying goblin. One of Harry's eyes twitched in annoyance.
Not seeing any other option, Harry reached into the box and pulled out a ledger with the word "Properties" on the front. If he wanted to find the perfect home then he might as well start reading through the junk and get it over with.
It took a while but Harry was able to find the perfect home to settle down in. Ever since he saw the name of the property, he immediately fell in love with it.
Potter Manor
The Ancestral home of the Potters.
His new home.
He immediately penned a letter to Griphook requesting for a method of travel to Potter Manor. According to the ledger, the ancient wards were activated when Voldemort attacked his grandparents during a Summer Ball held in the property. With his grandparents killed no thanks to an assassin hired by the Dark Lord to get the job done while he provided the decoy, the property was magically forced into lockdown and only a particularly portkey secreted away in the Potter Family Vault can get him there.
Even his father wasn't able to find the portkey which was the reason why he and his mother settled down in Godric's Hollow.
With this information in mind, he immediately scheduled an appointment with Griphook to visit his Family Vault to search for the elusive portkey of Potter Manor.
It took a week for Griphook to set the schedule for their treasure hunting expedition with Hedwig and Flippy inside the Potter Family Vault. According to Griphook, he needed to check the items in the vault that was listed in the ledgers he gave him a week back. One of these items was the elusive portkey. If he wanted to live in Potter Manor then Harry needed to find it first.
Harry knew that it was a ploy of the goblin to get Harry to read his family's holdings and it was a dirty trick on the goblin's part to hold the scheduling of the visit to the vault as a hostage to force him to do so.
With no other choice, Harry breezed through the paperwork in the box and finally finished the ledger in 3 days of non-stop reading. Thankfully, he loves to read so it was easy to go through the nonsense without breaking down and his Occlumency helped a lot for this project.
He did, however, discover that his Family Vault wasn't only restricted to money. In fact, all heirlooms were in there – a millennium worth of items that would take months to sort out.
Their objective – find an unknown item that serves as the portkey to Potter Manor
Finding a needle in a haystack was easier compared to what he was about to go through.
But Harry was determined to get this done…no matter what.
Harry, Hedwig, and Flippy were facing the huge vaulted doors of the Potter Family Vault with Griphook grinning by the entrance.
"Are you ready for your first day of 'treasure hunting'?" asked Griphook with an evil glint in his eyes.
Harry nodded, clutching his staff in his right hand, determined to find that blasted portkey no matter how long it takes.
Flippy was rubbing his hands in glee. He was tasked by his master to look for an unknown portkey. However, he didn't tell good Flippy NOT to CLEAN the place in the process. Flippy was determined to clean the vault no matter how long it takes.
Hedwig just thrilled a song to keep everyone calm though the phoenix was a bit hesitant to search for something they had no idea what amidst a pile of…junk. She did remember her master packing a lot of fruits and sweets inside his trunk so she immediately volunteered to join them despite the hours of work ahead of her. Hedwig was determined to steal the sweet goodness no matter how long it takes.
Griphook gleefully opened the door to the Potter Family Vault and ushering the trio in. He happily gave the young lord a trunk filled with food and drinks for a month. He was determined to get the young Potter Lord out of the way while he started investing – no matter how long it takes.
Harry and Flippy were resting in one of the corners of the huge Potter Family Vault where the furniture was located. Flippy was kind enough to clean up a bed, dining table, and some ancient dishes that they could use to dine in. Couches were also cleaned up for them to rest and relax on.
It was hell trying to sort through the money, heirlooms, and junks to find a portkey. What made the problem worst was the lack of information on what the portkey actually looked like.
However, this project had been a learning experience for one Harry James Potter.
He mastered his Mage Sense after forcing his magic to work for him to look for the elusive portkey. He learned how to channel magic to his eyes to see the magic surrounding the various objects in the huge room the size of a football field.
Harry discovered that each spell has its own signature, more like a fixed design on how it enveloped an object to produce a specific result. His scanning ability also improved by leaps and bounds with every use as he strained it to the maximum to locate anything in the vault that produced even a pinch of magic.
He worked in tandem with his beloved house elf; while Harry search for portkeys, Flippy was in charge of checking the ledger to determine their location. He told the elf to tag them before setting them aside in a cabinet for later use.
They found a total of 85 portkeys to various locations around the globe. Most of them were reusable portkeys to famous tourists destinations – both muggle and magical. Harry decided to take note of them just in case he wanted to travel the world in the future. The rest of the portkeys were to properties that he owned. Some no longer existed but a plot of land while others were being rented out. One of the portkeys even had a farm for a destination and Harry was curious as to what the farm was producing.
The search became an impromptu house cleaning session thanks to Flippy's insistence that it would be easier to find something if everything was properly sorted.
Sighing, he sent Hedwig to Griphook with a letter asking for more food since they were consuming it at a rapid pace thanks to work out they were getting inside the vault.
Unknown to Harry, Griphook was more than happy to comply with the young Lord's wishes since it was one workload taken off his hands. Sneaky goblin.
After a group planning session which involves Flippy and Hedwig, the group decided to re-arrange the whole vault for easy access. From the looks of it, the previous Potters were slobs who loved to just store their heirlooms without thinking of organization. It seems that his ancestor would just take the cart down to the vault and just throw whatever they wanted stored into a pile with no thought of fixing the place up. It was maddening for the young Lord.
The group of treasure hunters who now became the cleaning crew decided to tackle the problem one by one.
All the moneys were placed in one corner of the room, no longer haphazardly strewn on the floor with the rest of the junk. Thanks to the judicious use of high-powered Transfiguration courtesy of his staff, Harry was able to create a gigantic coin bank commonly used in casinos to easily bring the needed coins. It took 2 weeks for this project to finish but in the end, they were able to transfigure huge coin banks for Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. A press of a button is all it needed to get the desired money not that he needed it since he had his pouch, card, and drafts.
The large amount of magic used forced Harry to send Flippy out to buy a lot of Pepper-Up Potions so he could continue working without needed to rest.
In the third week involved the total organization of all literary works inside the Potter Family Vault. This was one chore Harry loved to do since he got to read some of them, increasing his spell repertoire and theory of magic that would help him greatly when he attends Hogwarts. Aside from being slobs, Harry admitted that his family was an avid collector of books. There were around 4,000 or so tomes in the vault alone with subjects ranging from simple Transfiguration to complex rituals to call down a lightning bolt to fry up their enemies.
There were bookshelves available but it wasn't enough to hold everything. Harry sent Hedwig to a furniture shop in Diagon Alley and ordered 100 book shelves to be shrunk and placed on a small box for easy transport. With the promise of a bonus, the furniture shop owner finished the order in a record-breaking time of 2 hours. It was a good thing Harry knew how to motivate workers to produce results faster even if he had to spend more money to get it done.
It took another week to create a list of all the books and organized them according to categories. Harry decided to turn it into a project that required research – to create a self-updating list of books in the vault, as well as a method of taking it out without having to visit Gringotts. Shelves were arranged and labeled according to subjects. It was at this point in time that Harry learned to cast the Preservation Charm since the books his family owned were both old and rare, possibly the only copy in the entire Wizarding Britain.
The fifth week was solely focused on the various documents inside boxes that littered the floor of the vault. Harry created a partition in another corner of the vault and filled it with filing cabinets to safely hold the documents. Of course, these were protected by a Preservation Charm as well.
Harry noticed that most of the documents were IOU's from wizarding families who owed the Potter family a lot of money. Judging from the date, amount, and interest rates; Harry may become the richest Lord in all of Britain if he decided to cash it all in. The thought made Harry giddy and decided to share this little information with Griphook later since he was sure that the greedy goblin didn't know about them since the documents were NOT recorded in the ledgers of the Potter Family.
The sixth week was focused on furniture and fixtures that was owned by a member of the Potter family or another. Harry was subjected to looking through a lot of antique items that would fetch a tidy sum in the muggle world, not that he needed the money.
Eventually, he and Flippy decided to create another partition to store them in. Due to the lack of space, they eventually decided to shrink some of the furniture and store in large cabinets they have leftover. Of course, the more comfortable, modern furniture were laid out for them to use during their stay. They also placed the Wizarding portraits in this section of the vault since Harry used his free time either in the library reading or happily holding a conversation with his ancestors. He promised them a place in Potter Manor since it was boring staying in the vaults.
The seventh and eight week were spent categorizing the armors, weapons, and family heirlooms, and stored in their own respective sections. Harry decided to learn how to use a weapon, just in case, since there were plenty of them in the Potter Armory that he found fascinating. He did, however, decide to look for katas on staff weapons since his own staff was nigh indestructible.
After two long months or eight weeks worth of cleaning, the vault looked pristine and organized. However, they still hadn't found the portkey.
Harry was currently cursing up a storm as the portraits were starting at him – some in amusement while others were worried that the boy had finally snapped.
"Damn it! Where in the world is that portkey!" shouted Harry. Flippy and Hedwig were hiding behind one of the more sturdy furniture since Harry was releasing waves upon waves of magic that threatened to ruin their hard work in the vault if he didn't get a hold of himself. Even Hedwig's calming song didn't faze the boy.
Since he was holding his staff as he ranted and raved, the waves the young Potter Lord was emitting were stronger. Thankfully, the vault was secured by Goblin magic that can easily survive an atomic bomb at point blank range.
"What are you looking for lad? It is unbecoming for a Potter to curse." chastised the portrait of his great, great, grandfather Aurelius Potter.
"I'm looking for the portkey to Potter Manor, great-granddad. My grandparents hid the portkey when the manor was attacked by Voldemort, forcing it to go into lockdown after their deaths." replied Harry as he plopped down on the couch in front of the portrait; mentally, physically, and magically drained from his hour-long tirade.
"Hmmmm did you try the Potter Family Ring. It is an all-around portkey to all the properties you know. It was made that way." Aurelius suggested to his grandson.
Harry looked at him blankly until his brain registered what the portrait said. He lifted his hand in front of his face and stared at the Potter Ring. He closed his eyes to improve his focus, covered the ring with his magic, and sensed the enchantments upon it.
Durability...check.
Blood Detection...check.
Minor Protection and Defensive Enchantments...check and check.
Portkey...
Harry's eyes snapped open when he realized that the Potter Ring on his hand was a multi-way reusable portkey.
Realizing that what he was looking for was practically in his grasp. He started cursing again with renewed vigor causing Flippy to pop out of the vault with Hedwig flaming after him.
Harry stayed one more day inside the vault after discovering the portkey to peruse the items inside that he could bring with him for study. Despite being a 10-year old, Harry James Potter was a studious boy who just loved to learn new things, things that were too advanced for someone his age to learn or even know about.
Of course, the first target of his obsession was books. He didn't bother to bring them all since he didn't have enough space in his trunk. However, he did bring a few that he found useful, like books on Warding, Enchanting, Advanced Charms, Advanced Transfiguration, and a rare copy of Moste Potente Potions co-authored by one of his ancestors.
His next target was the filing cabinet that contained the IOUs. He gathered up the documents and bound them together into a thick book for easy access. He made sure that the documents can be removed with ease using a muggle device called a ring binder.
Now that he had everything, Harry sent Hedwig to Griphook to inform him that he was ready to leave the vault.
Harry was currently sitting in front of a very happy Griphook after telling the goblin what he did in the vault. He already sent Flippy home to pack everything and undo the transfiguration on the items so his relatives won't flip when they discover the 'renovations' he made during his stay.
"So let me get this straight, it took you relatively two months to organize EVERYTHING in the Potter Family Vault?" asked an incredulous Griphook.
Harry nodded and conjured a piece of parchment with a snap of his fingers. He gave it to Griphook who curiously took it.
"That's the map of an organized Potter Family Vault. As you can see, we sorted everything in their specific sections. Money is now in their respective banks, book are arranged and categorized in shelves, documents are in filing cabinets, armors and swords are in one section cleaned by Flippy, and…the jewels and small heirlooms are in trunks in another section. I think that's it." said Harry as he listed down everything he did down in the vault proud of his accomplishment. "Oh, the furniture and fixtures are in a cabinet below the portraits. All are shrunk for easy storage."
Griphook nodded and placed the map in a drawer for safekeeping.
"The Potter Family Ring is a portkey according to your ancestor's portrait?" asked the curious goblin. He didn't know that the Potter ring was a portkey. It wasn't unheard of but he didn't know that the Potter did that.
"Yes." Harry replied with a nod followed by a disgruntled grunt. "I just need to channel my magic through it and say my destination and the password which great-granddad gave me."
"I see." Griphook agreed. It was ingenious to turn the family ring into a portkey since only those of blood can wear them. For safety reasons, it was the ultimate defense for such a personal portkey. "I also noticed this book I am not familiar with." asked the goblin as he patted the thick ring bound book.
"Actually, I found them while I was cleaning the boxes. Flippy and I sorted through them and found out that all of them are IOUs." said Harry with a grin.
"IOUs?" asked a confused Griphook. What in Ragnok's name was an IOU?
"Oh. It's a Muggle term of 'I Owe You'. It's like an on the spot contract saying that you owe someone something with terms of payments or something." explained Harry before patting the book. "This book contains all the IOUs down in the vault. It seems that a majority of the wizarding families owe House Potter a lot of money."
Griphooks eyes widened at the discovery. He immediately took the book and scanned the IOUs inside. His smile grew wider and wider after checking a few pages then looked at Harry with a sinister grin.
"This is an amazing discovery. Lord Potter. We can use this as leverage in the future if things hit the fan, so to speak."
"Oh? Do tell." asked Harry while raising an eyebrow.
"Most of the families listed in these…IOUs…are from Dark Families, specifically those in service the Dark Lord and pleaded Imperius just to avoid Azkaban. The Malfoys, Notts, Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle, Lestrange, and a whole lot more. Even the family of Minister Fudge owes you money. An amazing find indeed. We can definitely use these in the future." explained Griphook with a sinister grin slowly being mimicked by Harry as he realized the importance of the IOUs aside from its monetary value.
"Interesting. I guess I'll leave those up to you since I'm not that well-versed in finance, economy and blackmail to know what you're thinking. However, there are few things that I wanted to ask you." At the goblin's nod, he continued. "I was wondering why none of my parent's things are down in the vault. I'm sure that the house in Godric Hollow is still intact. If it's still standing, is there any way for us to go there and get the important items out?"
"Hmmmmm interesting question. I know that the house in Godric's Hollow is still standing but it's been warded to make sure that it isn't looted by treasure hunters or by your fans." Harry shuddered at this. "I can schedule a team of goblins to go to your home in Godric's Hollow and break down the wards keeping the place protected and bring all the salvageable items down to your vault. The team will also put the wards back up to safeguard the place. Is that to your liking?"
Harry nodded. "Yes please Griphook. That would be much appreciated. How long do you think it would take for them to get this done?"
Griphook scratched his chin. "I would say 2 weeks, Lord Potter, possibly more depending on the nature of the wards."
"A 30 percent additional bonus if they can get it done in one week." countered the Potter Lord.
"Done!" Griphook agreed immediately. He might not like the lad's childishness but the kid definitely knew how the world works. Money can speed up any process after all.
"Well Griphook, if that's all then I will be leaving for Potter Manor now. Can I portkey from here?" asked Harry as he stood up from the couch, eager to be off.
Griphook nodded.
"It is usually frowned upon to use any forms of Wizard Travel to and from Gringotts but since you're in my office, I'll make an exception for you. My only request is that you travel out from here but don't enter Gringotts without going through a teller. Its impolite." he chided the young Lord after he saw the grin Harry was sporting upon the mention of being allowed to use his unique form of travel in and out of the bank. The goblin didn't want the boy to just appear in his office without him getting ready for it. He might suffer a heart attack if that happened and goblins don't get heart problems...ever.
Harry nodded.
"Thanks Griphook. If you'll excuse me, I have a Potter Manor to explore." He turned to Hedwig who was perched on his shoulder. "Do you want to portkey with me or follow me after?" he asked his familiar since he knew that Hedwig prefers her own brand of transportation compared to the ones wizards use.
"I'll fly around master. It's been a while since I stretched my wings. I'll meet you afterwards." said Hedwig before launching herself to the air and flame traveled out of the office.
Harry murmured the password while channeling a bit of magic to his family ring before feeling a tug in his navel as he was portkeyed towards Potter Manor.
Harry was able to catch himself when he arrived at a relatively secluded clearing surrounded by a thick forests. He shook his head and vowed to avoid portkey travel in the future. There was something about being yanked from your gut and literally thrown from place to place that didn't appeal to him.
He looked around and saw nothing of the fabled Potter Manor but he did sense a large amount of magic in the air even if he couldn't see it. However, he did see a large rock, around 5-feet tall, with the Potter crest on it. Deciding to follow his instinct, he walked over to the stone and conjured a plain athame before slicing his palm open. He placed his bloodied palm over crest and felt the pulse of power coming from the stone.
There was a shimmer in the air as the protective wards recognized his claim on the property before revealing itself to its new Lord and Master.
(check out Alnwick Castle on Google to see what the castle looks like)
Harry was shocked at the now visible Potter Manor though a castle would have been more fitting to describe the place. The stone outcropping where he shed blood to allow him entrance morphed into a marble sculpture of a roaring lion with the Potter Crest on its chest, clearly protecting the iron-fence that served as the only entrance to the property.
He walked over to the gate which immediately swung inwards to grant him entry. Harry noticed that despite the lack of occupants, the lawn was well tended and the castle seems to gleam in the afternoon sun. He walked up the stairs to a large wooden door when a house-elf appeared in front of him.
"Greetings Master Potter! My name is Philip and I'm the head elf of Potter Manor. I have awaited your coming for a long time." said Philip the house-elf with a bow.
Harry schooled his feature to hide his shock at the unexpected appearance of the old elf.
"Greetings Philip. I'm sorry that I was late in coming since I just heard about Potter Manor after I've come into my inheritance. Will you be so kind to show me around?"
"Of course, Master Potter." agreed Philip before snapping his fingers which caused the heavy doors to swing open to reveal a well-lighted hallway which the house-elf explained to be the foyer and receiving room for the visitors. At the end of the hallway was a grand staircase leading to the next level.
The tour started from there. Aside from the foyer which doubled as a receiving center for the guests, Philip showed him the dining room that is mostly used for state functions that can easily house a hundred. He was introduced to the ballroom and the Potter Library which was in one of the towers starting from the ground floor up. It was 5 floors worth of books which made Harry drool at the sight.
The second floor of Potter Manor contained the guest rooms which numbered to around twenty, which Philip informed him were mostly reserved for the guests of the family. Each of the rooms was fully furnished and contained their own opulent bathrooms.
The third floor contained the Master's and five of the Family Bedrooms, as well as a public sitting room where the Lords and Ladies usually held court to host important discussions. There was also a hidden door behind a large tapestry of a griffin that serves as direct access to the Library. Harry swore to use it as many times as possible.
The fourth floor held the training room and the potions room, which according to Philip requires a thorough inventory since the items there were seriously outdated and requires floor also holds the Potter Armory, and a room full of antiques. Harry just looked at the latter with a little bit of disdain since he had too much exposure of antiques back in the Potter Family Vault.
The fifth floor was the parapet, which hosts a lush mini-garden perfect for relaxing, as well as an entrance to a tower that housed the Potter Owls. Philip informed him that the owls were still there since the Manor was visible to animals and the birds settled down and made it their home. New ones joined the family which made sure that Harry never ran out of messenger birds.
After the tour, Harry was led back to the third floor towards the Lord's Study adjacent to the Master Suite. It was a simple room devoid of any portraits which Harry planned to remedy later after a thorough inspection of the place. The study housed a large oaken table and a plush high-back chair. Philip informed him that the previous Lord Potters used the study when tackling important projects or family business that requires privacy. The elf also pointed out a secret panel where the wall can be opened to the Library. Harry, right there and then, immediately fell in love with secret doors and planned to ask Philip to reveal ALL the secrets of Potter Manor to him.
Harry sat on the Lord's chair and looked at the expectant Philip who seems to be awaiting orders…any orders.
"Philip, are you the only house elf here in Potter Manor?" asked a curious Harry.
Philip nodded sadly.
"Yes young master. The other elves died since the bond with the master and mistress was broken when they died. They lasted 5 years before they succumbed to the lack of magic. It is normal for unbound elves to seek new masters but the Potter Elves loved it here and would rather die in Potter Manor than having to seek new employments. They are buried on the grounds behind the Manor. I'm the only one left."
Harry was saddened at the revelation. The loyal elves could have been saved if his father found out the secrets of Potter Manor. Fighting back the tears threatening to escape, he reinforced his shields to control his emotions.
"Philip, do you mean you're unbound since you didn't follow the fate of your fellow elves?"
"No young master. Philip is bound to Potter Manor and the Manor's magic supplied me with enough to survive. The last Lord Potter immediately switched my bond over to the manor before he died to protect the place before the next Lord Potter takes up the mantle." explained the elf proudly.
"I see. Do you want to maintain the bond or do you want to transfer it over to me?"
Philip started jumping around, happy at being asked to bond with a new Lord Potter.
"I would be happy to bond with the new Lord Potter. Will young master be bonding with me now?" at Harry's nod, Philip walked around the table and touched Harry while murmuring an incantation that Harry wasn't familiar with. They both glowed for a bit until Harry felt the bond between master and elf settle inside his core. Philip was looking at him in awe and adoration. "Young master is a powerful sorcerer! Philip is happy to have a powerful master."
Harry smiled at the elf and patted him on the head.
"So Philip, I have a personal elf that catered to my needs for a few months now and I would have him join us here in Potter Manor. Do you require more elves? If yes, how many?"
"Oh yes young master. Potter Manor be needing more elves. Elves be plenty before the last Lord Potter died and I have been keeping everything clean on my own. I was weakening when you arrived and would only have a year or two before I follow the rest to sleep since the Manor wards could no longer sustain me."
Harry nodded until he realized what Philip said.
"What do you mean the wards are weakening?" he asked immediately. He knew that the defenses of Potter Manor was extensive. Meaning, it takes a lot of magic to power.
"The Potter Manor wards have been working at full power since it went into lockdown. It has been too long since it was given more power by a Lord Potter. Aside from powering the extensive wards protecting the manor, it also gave me magic to take care of things here." explained elf.
"Hmmmm…where is the ward room and how do I power it? Do I need to power the wards now or later?" Harry asked the elf since he wanted to make sure that the property is well protected from potential threats.
"The room that housed the Potter Ward Stone is in a secret room in the foyer." Harry mumbled about Potters and their love for secret rooms that Philip ignored. "I can take you there now or later. The Manor wards are still working at full power though the stone that held the magic be weakening already."
"I see. We can tackle the wards tomorrow." said Harry before calling for Flippy who appeared immediately beside Philip with a soft pop.
"Master Harry Potter sir called Flippy?" said the young elf with a bow before looking speculatively at Philip and nodding when he felt the bond to his master.
"Yes Flippy, before I will ask you to accompany Philip here to buy more elves for Potter Manor's upkeep, I want to ask if you're done with the attic back at Privet Drive?"
Flippy nodded and snapped his fingers causing his mother's trunk and his new 5-compartment trunk to appear beside him.
"Yes Master Harry Potter sir. I be undoing all the magic you used in the attic and put it back to normal. I also removed the charm on the entrance."
Harry smiled and gave the elf a nod of gratitude.
"Thank you Flippy. Now I want you to bring out Hedwig's food box and perch and place it in the Master's suite for her and let Philip help you sort the stuff in the trunk. Leave the books and potion ingredients for now and sort them later, just the clothes and my writing supplies. When you're done, I want you to go to the Elf Shoppe in Knockturn Alley and purchase as many elves the Manor might need. Ask Philip on what else is needed and get it done. Do you need me to give you money now for the elves?"
Philip and Flippy shook their heads though it was Philip who spoke first.
"No, young master. Since we are bonded to you, we can get the money directly from your vaults at Gringotts."
"Good, look for Griphook. I'm sure he'll be happy to help. Wait for a bit, I'll introduce you to Hedwig." said Harry before sending out a mental call to his familiar who immediately flamed into the room and perched at the back of Harry's chair before releasing a happy trill to the awe of the old Potter elf. "Philip, I would like to introduce you to Hedwig, my familiar. Hedwig, this is Philip, the Potter Manor head elf."
Hedwig looked at the awed Philip before trilling a note of acceptance.
"We'll that's done. Flippy, you will be my personal elf seeing to my and Hedwig's every needs. Philip, you will be in-charge of the entirety of Potter Manor and retain your position as head elf. When you buy the elves, bring them to me later when I arrive since I have some things I need to do over at my old home. I'll be taking my lunch here in the study Flippy when I arrive. Alright?"
Both elves nodded and popped out of the room leaving Harry and Hedwig alone.
Hedwig flamed into the attic of Privet Drive with Harry in tow to confront his relatives. He could have easily shadow traveled but his familiar just grabbed him then flamed out much to his amusement.
Looking around, Harry noticed that Flippy did a good job in cleaning up the attic since it was back to its normal self, dust included. Nodding, he walked out of the attic with Hedwig on his shoulders down to first floor where he knew that the Dursleys were relaxing if they're schedule was to be followed. Harry reached the first floor and saw Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley were watching the telly.
"Hello everyone." greeted Harry cheerfully.
The Dursleys were startled by the greeting, immediately turning their heads to see Harry standing there wearing his full regalia of wizarding robes, staff in hand with Hedwig perched regally on his shoulder.
Vernon saw this and immediately took action.
"What are you doing here boy? Go back to your room! And what in blazes are you wearing? I won't stand any of your fre…." He was silenced in mid-tirade by Harry who pointed his staff at him and released a silencing spell.
"Hello to you too Uncle Vernon." Harry said sweetly. He turned to his Aunt who was looking at him in horror. "Hello Aunt Petunia. Beautiful day isn't it?
"W-what did you do to Vernon?" she stuttered.
But before Harry could answer, Dudley roared, which sounded more like a squeak, and waddled over to him with a fist raised to strike. Harry saw this coming and raised an eyebrow before sending out a pulse of his Telekinetic powers which pushed Dudley off the floor towards the wall where he was stuck courtesy of a wandless sticking charm.
Harry nodded in satisfaction at his handiwork before looking back to his Aunt who was looking at him in fear.
"I only came here to tell you that I'm leaving for good. And before you say anything, I already know about magic, I know about my mother, I know about my world, and I know about my family. I already found the Potter family home and I'll be living there from now on."
"B-but you can't leave. He told us you need to stay here?" stuttered Petunia, fearing for her family but happy at the same time since his freakish nephew was declaring that he would be leaving her normal family for good.
Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Who told you what?" he asked before pointing his staff at an approaching Vernon, who despite being unable to speak, was intending to clobber him to the ground. Harry didn't give him a chance and promptly stunned him. Vernon crumbled to the floor like a broken puppet cut off from its strings.
Petunia took a deep breath while reining in her fear. She was afraid of this coming since she knew that her nephew would be manifesting his magic. She just didn't expect for it to be this soon, even before going to that...school of his.
"Albus Dumbledore left you here when you were a few months old. He stated in his letter that we needed to keep you here with us and give you a happy home so that some protection your mother gave you when she died will keep you and my family safe."
Harry fumed when he heard this. Letter? Happy Home? He needed to know what's going on and he needed to know now. He raised his staff and gathered in his magic for a spell.
"Accio Dumbledore's Letter" shouted Harry.
He heard a crash from upstairs before a folded letter zoomed towards him. He caught it in mid-air and leveled his aunt a glare. He waved his staff and conjured a couch for him to sit on and used his Telekinesis to push his aunt into a chair and practically hit her with a petrificus totalus to keep her in place as he read.
Harry saw that the letter was addressed specifically to his Aunt Petunia in a neat cursive script. He let go of his staff which just floated beside him with the emerald glowing in tune to Harry's ire. The young Potter Lord opened the letter and started to read.
Dear Petunia,
It is my regret to inform you that your sister, Lily Evans-Potter was murdered along with her husband, James. Only little Harry survived the attack and somehow defeated Voldemort.
I will leave Harry in your care to activate a powerful protection that will keep the entire family safe. This protection was created by Lily's sacrifice when she died after Voldemort came for the family in Godric's Hollow. The nature of the ward requires you to fully accept your nephew into your home. As long as Harry calls the place you live home then the wards will protect you.
The nature of the protection will end when Harry reaches his maturity at the age of 17.
Please give Harry a happy home to empower the wards. We will come for him when he reaches the right age to begin his education in magic.
Make sure that Harry doesn't leave Privet Drive to ensure that the protection remains active.
Sincerely,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards
Harry finished reading the letter and looked at his Aunt Petunia with tears in his eyes.
"Why?" he whispered the question plaguing his mind.
"Why what?" Petunia said grumpily. Despite being unable to move her body, she could still somewhat move her head and mouth so she was capable of speech.
"Why wasn't I treated like what the letter said? The letter said to give me a happy home. Why was I treated…like a slave! Like a freak!" Harry shouted the last part causing the house to shudder due to the magic bubbling around him.
Petunia mustered every bit of her courage despite the fear of seeing magic being performed in front of her and her beloved family.
"Why shouldn't we? We didn't want you in the first place? HE brought you here and forced you on us without even giving us a choice. I know you will eventually discover your freakishness like Lily did when she got that letter from the freak school." she saw the surprised look on Harry's face. "Yes. I know all about her school and her kind. My parents doted on her, saw her as the perfect daughter. Perfect Lily, the witch of the family. I hated her and her freakishness."
Petunia paused, a distracted look on her face like she was relieving some memories that plagued her. A small tear left her eye and down to her cheeks.
"I loved your mother once, we were close…inseparable. We were sisters, best friends. We shared everything. Our parents loved us equally. But that all changed when she got that letter. She started to become so excited in having...m-magic. My parents were proud of her. The only witch in the family. They doted on her. Me? I was ignored. Cast aside because Lily was suddenly the perfect daughter. But no, I saw her for what she really was and that Snape boy that used to play with us when we were young. Freaks! Since that day, I want nothing more to do with you lot." she finished her tirade with a vengeful relish as if she was aching to say those words for years now, with the opportunity only just presenting itself.
Harry was quiet as he listened to his only blood relative shout her hatred of him and his mother. He couldn't believe that such hatred was possible. His Telepathy immediately picked up images conjured by Petunia as she shouted at him. His emotions were whirling from anger, sadness, hate, to rage until he was able to clamp it down using his Occlumency. Hedwig thrilled a calming song that relaxed Harry but it was still there, below the surface waiting to come out. Tears were streaming down his face since he knew what will happen next. Steeling his resolve, he raised his head, tears flowing down, and looked at his Aunt's defiant face. Gone were her tears to be be replaced by hate. Hate over him. Hate over his mother. Hate over anything that involved magic.
"I see." whispered Harry. "Is that really how you feel, Aunt Petunia? For me to disappear forever?"
Petunia defiance melted for a bit, a moment's indecision before she was able to control herself. She met Harry's sad gaze without flinching and nodded, having no words to convey her feelings.
Harry nodded and sighed, waving his staff to undo all the magic he did in the house causing Dudley to crash down on the floor, Vernon to groan, and for Petunia to have control over her body.
"I understand. I apologize for everything, Aunt Petunia. From now on, I will no longer bother you and your family."
With those words, Harry could feel the wards surrounding Privet Drive flaring to life before slowly unraveling as the emotional bond that barely powered it disappeared. With a loud crack that shook the entire house, the protection of Number 4 Privet Drive disappeared along with Harry Potter as he was flamed out of the Dursleys by Hedwig who wanted to give her master the room he needed to heal his broken heart.
A silver clock stopped ticking in the Headmaster's office of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry before it fell on the floor, broken into little pieces as the magic that powered it disappeared and causing a small backlash due to the unraveling of the ward at Number 4 Privet Drive.
This happened without anyone noticing, ensuring that the falling of the wards protecting Harry Potter and the Dursleys remained a secret until it is discovered by a worried Albus Dumbledore.
Edited by Corruptmonk
May 24, 2012