Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does! I do however, own this here story's plot!
Hey guys! Okay, so I've uploaded this chapter before with the title Summer Vacation Part I, but I've renamed it to Bonding Weekend Part I. Also, I've had some comments / messages on how no one could read this chapter even though it has been uploaded for quite some time, so i've already had it uploaded again and hopefully, it works this time! If there's anything wrong, don't be afraid to comment or review if there's anything wrong! Thanks and enjoy! (:
Chapter 9
Bonding Weekend Part I
"So we're off to Diagon Alley correct?"
"No, we're going to the land of the treacle tart fairies. Yes you idiot. Where else did you expect us to be going?"
"Treacle Tart fairies?!" Harry cried excitedly, bolting up from his seat. "I want to meet some!" The dark haired teen was now blooming with excitement, happiness radiating from his body when he realized something like a fairy for his favorite sweet, the Treacle Tart, existed.
"No Harry. There's no such thing as Treacle Tart fairies." Hermione said, pulling the now depressed Gryffindor by the arm, drawing him back into his seat.
"Oh. I wanted treacle tarts…" Harry murmured, a frown on his face.
"Maybe later mate." Ron said, clapping Harry on the back. Currently the Golden Trio was sitting besides Harry, leaving no room for his Slytherin boyfriend to be near the Gryffindor, which agitated the blond teen to no end when he saw Hermione and Ron smirking at him when Harry wasn't looking.
"Well, I thought we would end up shopping in Paris you know. After all, we are amongst a group of purebreds."
The group was currently deciding on where to go for the day. They had gotten up due to a rude awakening call from Lucius and Severus – Lucius mostly because he was unable to sleep in the same room as the animagus any longer.
In fact, he had demanded that Sirius sleep on the floor in front of the fireplace, far far away from him. The ex-Gryffindor only looked at him with an amused expression before he strode towards the ex-Slytherin's bed. With wide eyes and a clenched jaw, Lucius watched Sirius take a low bow before plopping his body onto his silky sheets. Agitated at the action, the blond shot several hexes towards the man, only to find that his spells were easily deflected.
Sirius raised his head to give Lucius a smirk. "Is that the best you can do? Really Lucius, your handiwork needs a bit more work doesn't it?"
Sneering at the dark haired man, Lucius snapped his wrist several more times, sending more hexes, jinxes and curses at his target. Sirius just lazily deflected them all, covering his mouth with his free hand as a fake and over dramatic yawn escaped from him. Raising an eyebrow, Sirius seemed to be silently challenging Lucius.
Well, if it's a duel you want, it's a duel you will get. Lucius thought, his silver orbs flashing in rage.
And although the rooms were sound proof, several heads popped out of their own rooms as they felt tremors from the battlefield. Smoke seeped through the slight gap underneath the doorway before the door opened. Sirius stumbled out coughing and hacking whilst his clothes were ash black and smoking as if it had been set alight by fire.
"Are you okay Sirius?"
"Never better Ron. Don't worry. Just a little game Lucius and I were playing." Sirius replied, coughing and waving his hand in front of his face to erase the smoke fumes.
"SIRIUS BLACK!" a voice roared from within the room before Sirius looked at them with giddy excitement.
"Oh my love has called for me. I must return." He said, walking back into the room and shutting the door behind him.
Several crashes, explosions were heard and even more smoke appeared. Slowly everyone retreated back into his or her rooms, silently praying for the animagus's– the blond's wrath was infamous and was truly notable even amongst the teens. They could only hope that they don't incur Lucius's wrath upon themselves.
It's better that it's Sirius than I. They all thought.
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"So are we finally ready?" Ron grumbled as his patience began to wear thin from waiting over an hour for everyone to get ready. He really didn't get why it took the Slytherins so long to prepare to leave – all you had to do was brush up, pick some clothes, throw it on and walk to the foyer. It barely took thirty minutes to do yet the Slytherins somehow had taken even longer and had yet to arrive!
"Yes yes icky Ronnikins. Why are you so grumpy? We're having a nice little vacation together you know. Lighten up." Fred said, throwing his arm around his younger brother's shoulder.
"Maybe he's grumpy that he wouldn't be spending as much time with Harry because Draco's entered the picture." George replied, throwing his arm on Ron's unoccupied shoulder.
"Did someone say that Ron was jealous?" Ginny asked, as she walked down the stairs and towards the foyer.
"Yes, yes we did." The twins chorused, laughing as Ron furiously brushed their arms off of him.
"Now now Ron. There's nothing to be jealous about." Hermione chastised. "Sure Harry will be around Draco and Draco will be around us, but we're all in this together. So don't be so down."
Ron grumbled once more before looking at what everyone was wearing. The Slytherins hadn't arrived yet, but the Gryffindors were all arriving at the foyer, awaiting the Slytherins' presence that the purebloods believed should be held as the utmost top priority with their clean and presentable state.
"Oh we're all here?" Neville asked, spotting the Gryffindors.
The teen was wearing a teal collared short sleeve shirt with a left breast pocket included. He also wore a beige colored khaki short with sneakers.
"You know about sneakers Neville?" Hermione asked, looking at the teen's choice of footwear.
"Dean was talking all about it so I thought I'd give it a shot." The Gryffindor replied. "It's actually really comfortable. I can see why he loves them." He said, giving his foot a small twist right and left.
The twins circled the Gryffindor, nodding at his choice of wardrobe. The Weasley twins wore the same outfit, as usual. They wore the same colored shirt, same colored pants and had on the same type of shoes. They were currently wearing a plaid woven button down shirt with tan cargo shorts and blue suede shoes.
Everything about them was similar; it was hard to tell the difference between the two, but Harry knew who was who.
Ron, however, was wearing a red t-shirt that matched his hair color and had on deep blue colored shorts with casual footwear.
Hermione wore yellow colored spaghetti strap tank top with pink flower petals pattern. She also had on a floral skirt with yellow gladiator sandals with a small pink flower on top and a woven bracelet. Her hair was braided and tied up into a bun. Her makeup even consisted of yellow and pink colors – yellow eye shadow with pink blush and pink lipstick. Overall, she looked ready for the summer sun.
Ginny was a blood red strapless romper, with a black belt tied around the waist. She wore silver flats that had a little bow on the top. Her hair was tied into a French braid. Her makeup was light colored though her lips were a dark hue. Overall, she looked like a shy girl who was ready to party.
"You are not going out dressed like that!" Ron scowled, looking at his younger sister's attire. There was no way she was allowed to dress in such short lengthen clothing.
"You can't decide what I wear and what I don't." Ginny shot back. "Girls have to look good no matter where they go."
"Well, if you dress like that, you aren't going anywhere." Ron retorted.
"I'll tell Mom about this." The youngest redhead threatened.
"Go ahead. I'll tell her what you were wearing at the time of this argument." Ron smirked in reply to Ginny's narrowed glare.
"Don't worry, don't worry. Just let Ginny do what she wants. She's old enough to make her own choices." Hermione said, breaking the tension between the two siblings.
"Hermione's right. Just let Ginny do as she pleases. We'll watch out for her, won't we Forge?"
"Right you are Gred."
"Oh there you all are."
The Gryffindors turned to see Remus walk towards them wearing a long sleeved V-neck shirt with dress pants and dress shoes.
"Remus, it's going to be stifling outside. Why are you wearing such long length clothing."
Remus smiled at Ron while the others looked towards the redhead deadpanned. Really, how could the Gryffindor not know? Was he really that dense? The changes during the full moon affected Remus greatly. The man was probably trying to cover up the scars that were left over from those changes. They all sighed. Ron was really oblivious to everything unless the situation was food related.
"Ah, so the commoners have arrived."
Again all heads turned to see the Slytherins walk towards them one by one. Although it was hot outside, the Slytherins were all wearing long pants.
First to arrive was Crabbe, followed by Goyle. The former was sporting a collared shirt like Neville was, though it was a dark blue color. He was also wearing dark green dress pants with dress shoes. Goyle, on the other hand was wearing a dark green t-shirt with black dress pants and dress shoes.
Then came the second tallest Slytherin of the group. Blaise was wearing a lavender V-neck long sleeve shirt with black slacks accompanied with a black belt and black dress shoes. The shirt really brought out the olive-skinned teen's eyes; the slight smirk even complimented the mysterious air around the Slytherin.
Up next was Crystal. Today, she had blue highlights with her hair tied up into double buns. Her accessories were all of Slytherin emblems or her house emblems. She wore a grey sleeveless lace tie-front button down top with silver colored ripped Bermuda shorts. Ending her outfit was turquoise colored skimmer shoes, light green eye shadow, lipstick and a light colored blush.
Pansy followed soon after. The Slytherin teen was wearing a Slytherin green lace cropped cami covered by a white sheer bouclé sweater. She also sported a high-waisted button fly dark wash denim shorty shorts. Her footwear consisted of a dark red crochet slip-on. Her accessories included a gold necklace with her name imprinted and a silver bezel-set diamond bracelet.
"So where is Draco and Harry?" Hermione asked, noticing the absence of the newly formed couple.
"Oh we're here." A couple of hushed voices were heard before someone stepped out.
Draco walked in first without Harry beside him. The blond Slytherin was surprisingly wearing a tucked pink long sleeve woven button down shirt, with its sleeve rolled up towards his elbows – beige colored pants accompanied the blond's outfit. He also had on a white low top lace up skate shoes, which Harry insisted would look good with his outfit, and so he had put it on to see a smile appear on his Gryffindor boyfriend's face.
"Where's Harry?" Ginny asked.
Draco cleared his throat. "I, Draco Malfoy – "
"Oh hurry it up! We haven't got all day." Ron interrupted, grumbling about the length of time Slytherins took to get ready. Draco nearly narrowed his eyes in a glare, but waved off the redhead's comment.
"I, Draco Malfoy," he began once more, "present the new Mister Harry James Potter." And Harry stepped out.
Wearing a skin tight sea green short sleeve popover, the colors from the shirt brought out the color in Harry's eyes, making it seem more vibrant than usual as well as accentuating the Gryffindor's upper body figure. As for the Gryffindor's lower body figure, Harry was wearing a slim and black dress pants. He also wore black boat shoes, which no doubt Draco had told him to wear in exchange for wearing the skate shoes. And for once, Draco had managed to tame the dark haired teen's hair – fixing it into a layered and side swept bang hairstyle that was parted to the right, covering Harry's lightning bolt scar.
"H-How do I look?" Harry asked, fidgeting under the hard stares of his fellow classmates.
"Well, if you lose the glasses, it would make your look better." Goyle answered.
"O-Oh."
"Maybe you could fix your eyesight later? Though, those glasses do make you look smarter." Blaise commented.
"Are you saying I look dumb without them?" Harry joked. Draco stepped up beside Harry as if to defend his boyfriend from any certain unwanted comments from the group.
"I'm sure Blaise didn't mean that." Crabbe replied seriously.
"I was just kidding. No need to be so serious." Harry said, rolling his eyes at Draco's actions and Crabbe's stiff answer.
"Well, who else are we waiting for?"
"There's still Severus, Lucius and Sirius left. Those three will probably take more time to get ready. Sirius needs to have his glamour on after all."
"Oh, you forgot to include Egidio, Macaire, Alandair and Tesia." Harry reminded.
"Right, I forgot. Those four will be joining us as well."
"Where's Luna?"
"Here I am!"
The blonde Ravenclaw skipped in wearing a white bare back lacey dress with white flats. At the back of those flats was a pair of small white wings. Luna had her hair down, soft and flowing, with a white bow clipped to the side of her head. Her necklace had the word Angel imprinted in cursive print between a pair of wings.
"If that doesn't hint at anything, I don't know what will." Alandair grumbled, as he walked towards the group, instantly noticing the Ravenclaw's attire.
"Shouldn't you guys be in glamour form as well?" Hermione asked.
"I suppose we should." Tesia trailed off looking towards Egidio. The guardian nodded his head and all four guardians walked towards several columns – one for each of them. Walking behind them from one side to the other, their appearances changed after stepping out into the open.
Egidio thought of the first key thing that his glamour should have: the ability to blend into the crowd, though he might've gotten some of the facts wrong when he created his glamour. From his towering height of around seven feet, Egidio was now about six feet five, donning slightly less muscles. His hair was shortened and darkened to a more brownish black color with no highlights. His eyes changed color from blue to dark brown and his wings instantly vanished. He wore some plain robes, but overall even though his appearance was slightly less attractive of any sort of audience, it was still handsome with its own appeal.
Like Egidio, Alandair decided to try to direct less attention towards himself whilst he had his glamour on and so he took his time thinking of his glamour. Alandair's wings had also disappeared once he had stepped out from behind his own column. His height of six foot eight had diminished only slightly to six foot five – unlike Egidio's large seven inch gap. His hair color had not changed one bit, though he was missing his blue highlights. His face, as well as his arm, had lost its scar due to the present glamour. And his eye color had changed to a dark blue. Similarly to the first guardian, Alandair's glamour included plain wizarding robes.
Unlike the first two guardians, Macaire's glamour stood out like a sore thumb. His glamour would surely catch the eyes of many onlookers, thereby making his lover jealous, or so he hoped would happen. His height stayed as it was – six foot five, the same as Alandair's glamour's height. Though his glamour did hide his full body length and luscious silvery white hair, he had changed its color to match the Malfoys' hair color, as well as changing its length to reach his torso. He could pass off as being a distant cousin of theirs if anyone were to ask Macaire about the hair color – though the personality would be a complete 360 if compared to the Malfoys' stoic behavior. Evening out his body form, he was left with a slim but strong toned body – a chiseled chin, sharp nose, small mouth with pouty lips, strikingly green eyes, and a piercing on one ear. A sharp contrast to those boring wizarding robes the first two had created, he had a tight black V-neck long sleeve with black skinny pants and dress shoes. Overall, his glamour looked smoking hot and everyone had to agree, and flee when Alandair caught them all making googly eyes at his lover. His wings had disappeared, only to reappear in the form of the necklace hanging from his neck. Satisfied with his appearance, Macaire stepped out from behind his column.
Tesia decided to go with an ambiguous glamoured appearance – looking neither a female nor a male, though she told the group that her glamour was indeed a female. With a short length hairstyle and a side bang to boot, the chestnut colored hairstyle, with dark brown highlights, covered the left eye of her glamour, but it was certain to the group that they were able to see flashes of bright hazel eyes staring at them once Tesia turned to look at them. Wearing slightly baggier clothes in her glamour's six foot height compared to her usual six foot four, Tesia was happy to be out and about with her glamour on, rather than having to stay in the shadows like Egidio had ordered them to be. Instead of a winged necklace, she had winged earrings.
"All set?" Harry asked.
The guardians nodded their reply before a calm silence drifted into the room.
"So where's Severus, Lucius and Sirius?"
"I'm here. Don't you worry your little heads about it." Came a cool reply as the potions master met up with the group. As usual, he was wearing black robes and clothing.
"Don't you ever change into something else? It's quite depressing to be around someone who never smiles nor ever wears anything besides the color black." Harry sniffed at his uncle.
The teens chuckled at the Gryffindor's blatant comment before they stiffened when they felt the potions master turn to glare at them all.
"I'm quite happy with what I'm wearing. I don't think there's a need to change my attire." Came his reply. "You may be my nephew, but I won't tolerate such comments, even from you."
Harry walked around Snape with a thinking face on – one that did not bode well for Draco, seeing as how the Slytherin noticed the Gryffindor's small sly smirk.
"Very well Severus. You have won this round." Harry said, applauding slowly.
Snape felt the shimmer of magic trickling over his body before he narrowed his gaze at his nephew who was trying to look innocent.
"What did you do?"
"Just cast a little spell on your clothing is all. I hope you are fine with it Severus. After all, once you step out of the manor, your clothing will change into something that's weather approved."
"I think I'll just stay indoors."
"You can't. I need a blood relative with me while I'm at Gringotts." Harry said, shooting down Severus's idea.
While the Head of Slytherin had a calm exterior, he was internally struggling between two options – either staying and leaving Harry alone to read his parents' will without any protection from Dumbledore or his goons or stay indoors where he could be safe from peering eyes and get reprimanded by Lily if she ever were to reappear again before them. Eyeing the smirk on his nephew, he internally sighed before nodding his head to go out with the group.
"Where's Tom?" Hermione piped up.
"I've been here all along Miss Granger." A voice answered from the shadows before the Dark Lord slipped into the foyer.
"Oh, are you going looking like that?" the brunette asked.
Tom raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with my glamour?"
His glamour was about six feet two in height. His chestnut brown hair was cut short with a few bangs framing his face. Having brown eyes, a sharp nose and chin – Tom looked like an aristocrat, though everyone was pretty sure he would be able to act like one. He was dressed in all black, a color that he was very comfortable with – not to mention that he thought suited his Dark Lord image.
"No, I just – well, I knew you were going to wear dark colors, but come on! Liven up a bit!" she chastised as she patted Tom's black colored robes.
"I refuse to 'lighten up' as you put it. We're only spending a couple of hours out in the open. I'm more comfortable like this."
"Okay then." The Gryffindor shrugged her shoulders before walking towards the girls of the group and starting a conversation with them.
"Father? Are you coming yet?" Draco called.
"Yes, yes. I'll – Good God Sirius! What are you – No! Stay away f—Incendio!"
A loud yell echoed through the hallways before Lucius appeared seconds later.
"What happened father?"
"Black was being an idiot, that's what happened. So, I thought I'd whip him into shape."
The elder blond smirked when Sirius stepped into the foyer in his glamour and literally smoking and charred robes.
"Thanks a lot Lucius," he hissed, "Now I've got to remake my glamour's clothing." The animagus was not amused.
"You should've thought of that before you decided to harass me."
"Harass you? No. I prefer to call it a refitting of your clothes."
"Are you implying that I am fat?" The elder blond growled.
"No, that's not what I meant. I just – I mean," Sirius looked to his godson for help but received a shrug.
"I'm not getting into that fight." Was the answer to his pleading gaze.
"We'll talk about this later," Lucius hissed, "but for now, we best be leaving."
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All heads turned to look at the large group that strode through the streets of Diagon Alley. Most of them held gobsmacked expressions when they saw Harry Potter within the Slytherin group, along with the rest of his Gryffindor friends no less. Eyes couldn't have widened even further when they saw Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy trailing behind the group of teens, along with several people they did not recognize. Whispers burst forth when the group passed each person – as if they didn't know everyone was talking about them.
Tom, on the other hand, hoped this news would get out and reach the ears of one Albus Percival Dumbledore. He couldn't wait to hear the news, and hopefully experience, the look on the old coot's face when he saw that Harry Potter, the Golden Boy, was no longer willing to do as he says.
Sighs of adoration, no doubt from all the female population, erupted once they had a look at Sirius's glamour. With a dashing smile, twinkling eyes that sparkled with amusement, Sirius seemed to be exuberant in having to be able to be outdoors. Smiling at everything and everyone, he didn't seem to notice the small glare Lucius keeps sending him once every few minutes – but Tom and Severus noticed, silently and inwardly laughing at the elder blond.
Although the whispers were mostly about the newly formed Slytherin-Gryffindor grouping, there were also whispers about the people no one could recognize – meaning Sirius's glamour, Tom's glamour and the four Guardians. Macaire was looking around at everything with glowing fascination while Alandair was trying to reign in his lover's curiosity by keeping a grip on his hand. Tesia strode besides Egidio as they walked behind the group in silence, taking in everything and everyone just in case something were to happen.
"Now, where are we going to go first?" Harry asked, stopping in the middle of the streets.
"Well, I don't think anyone would like a blockade first of all, so why don't we just head on down to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour."
"Really Ron? Is food all you can think of?" Ginny scolded.
"Hey! I'm just throwing around ideas here. Besides, Harry has to go to Gringotts remember? We might as well be someplace where he would be able to find us once he's done doing his own business."
"How about we take you all on a tour of our shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?" The twins chimed.
"Good, a place where it's crowded enough so no one would be able to notice a couple of more people entering." Hermione said.
"Well, I for one am not going into a building filled with teenagers." Tom spat.
"But you're with us." Draco said, raising an eyebrow.
"That's completely different. I can at least stand you all." Tom said, defending his earlier comment.
"Well, to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes it is then! We'll see you later Harry." Neville said, as the teens left Harry alone with the adults.
"Don't worry about Harry, the men will be able to take care of him, won't you all?" Luna asked, eyeing the five men that lingered behind.
"Of course." Sirius said, clearing his throat.
Luna motioned for the Guardians to leave with a dip of her head before she skipped off to follow the group that had cut through the crowd. The Guardians looked at one another before Egidio made a move to leave.
"Well Harry, let's go shall we?" Remus asked.
Nodding his head, the small group walked towards the towering building before entering and heading towards the goblin that was sitting at the other end, opposite of the entrance. And, like always, the goblins paid no attention to the entering customers – always occupied with their work at hand.
"Um, hello there." Harry greeted, looking up at the goblin sitting at the desk before him.
Harry felt a total déjà vu moment when he saw the goblin pause in its writing, slowly put down its feathered pen and slowly inch its way to look over its desk at the Gryffindor.
"May I help you?"
Still not over the little moment, Snape stepped in to answer for his nephew. "Yes, Mister Harry James Potter would like to read his parents' wills, if you may."
Sitting back down into its seat, the goblin motioned for another to assist the small group.
"Griphook! Fancy meeting you again!" Harry exclaimed.
"You… know… this goblin?" Remus asked.
"Yes! He was the goblin who took Hagrid and I down to my vault during my first year at Hogwarts. I'd never forget him."
"It is an honor to be remembered by a wizard like you, Mister Harry Potter. Not all wand-holding humans appreciate the work of us goblins or any magical creatures." Griphook sneered, subtly glancing at the blond within the group.
Looking down at the goblin disdainfully, the blond sniffed and wrinkled his nose as if he had smelled something bad. Noticing the rising tension between the two, Sirius quickly stepped in.
"Hey now, let's get down to business shall we? We have a schedule to keep, if you don't mind us rushing Griphook." He laughed awkwardly.
Tom stood in the back amused at the scene before him. Like Lucius, he of course believed wizards were the best among the magical society. For some creature like the goblin to believe anything – well, he could just laugh at the audacity.
Griphook grumbled something underneath his breath and begrudgingly led the small group through a door behind the Head Goblin.
"Please enter the room. I'll be in there shortly." Griphook said before leaving the vicinities of the hall.
The small group made themselves comfortable, waiting for the goblin to return.
"Nervous pup?"
"A bit."
"There's no need to be nervous. We're just here for a will reading."
"I don't see a point in making this seem like a business function."
"Is that so?"
"Severus, would you calm them down?"
"I have no power over them. Whatever it is they wish to do, they shall do and figure out themselves."
Harry watched with an amused expression before Griphook entered the room and took a seat at the desk before them.
"Before we begin, if you are not a blood relative or a guardian of Mister Potter's, I must ask you to leave."
Lucius and Remus looked at each other before getting up.
"It's alright Harry. I'll be outside. Just think of me like a body guard of sorts." Remus said, seeing his cub turn around at the sound of his chair scraping against the floor.
"But he'll be announced at the reading!" Harry replied, standing up to grasp Remus's sleeve.
"He will be here for the public reading. This is only the private reading for family members." Griphook answered.
Reluctantly, Harry released his grip on the werewolf's sleeve before sinking down into his seat.
"That's alright cub. I'll be here when everyone else is here as well. Besides, I think I'd like to hear the will once rather than twice." Remus said, trying to lighten the mood.
"I, for one, have some business to attend. We shall regroup at the entrance of Gringotts when we've finished our errands." Lucius replied, walking out of the room with Remus following behind.
"Sir, are you a blood relative or guardian of Mister Potter's?"
"Yes I am." Snape replied. "Very well, state your name and sign here."
"Severus Tobias Snape." The potions master replied before placing his signature down onto the scroll. The signature glowed a bright golden color before lines began to etch themselves above his name, showing the goblin that he had been born from the House of Prince.
"Sirius Black." The animagus replied before copying the potions master. The scroll the Marauder had signed did the same as well, showing Griphook that Sirius had been born from the House of Black.
"Very well." Griphook said, confirming the documents before pulling a new one out. "Mister Potter, if you will."
"Harry James Potter." The Gryffindor replied, before signing his name and watching the process repeat once more.
"Now Mister Potter, if you would please drip a drop of blood onto the Familia orbis."
"What?"
"He wants you to prick your finger and give a drop of blood onto the Family's orb." Snape said exasperated. "Really Harry, we need to get you brushed up on your Latin."
"Well excuse me for not having such an educated childhood." The green eyed boy grumbled before he did as he was told.
Severus had felt guilty when those words had left his mouth; he felt even more so when he heard Harry's reply. So he decided he deserved the death glare animagus was now sporting.
Sirius sent a glare at the potions master, reminding him that the cause of Harry's insecurity was deeply rooted from the family that was supposed to give him love and cherish him, but had not done so at all.
The two turned back to watch Harry's droplet of blood enter the orb like it had not made any contact at all with the surface before dissipating into the mist.
"This is the last will and testament of Mister James Potter and Lady Lily Potter née Evans." Griphook replied, before tapping the orb.
Soon, an image flickered above the orb, revealing the parents Harry had never been happier to see.
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"I, James Potter, being of heart, sound and mind, hereby relieve my possessions to the following people…" The image of his father smiling at him brought a watery smile to the Gryffindor's face, not including the choked up animagus that was sitting behind him.
"To my best mate Sirius Orion Black, I leave you with 1,000,000 galleons. And this includes the no take back rule." Here, James grinned with glee. "Take this as my thanks for taking care of Harry, always being there for me and always being there for the gang and Lily. I also leave with you, the Potter mansion on the Wiltshire property."
Harry heard his godfather take a large gasping breath, before no noise were heard.
"To my second best mate Remus J. Lupin, I leave you with 1,000,000 galleons. Like I previously stated for Sirius's portion, no take backs." James turned to the head before scowling at something replying, "No I'm not a kid. I'm a Marauder!"
Harry and Sirius snickered while Snape rolled his eyes.
"Right, continuing from Remus. I leave you the Potter mansion where we had a nice little graduation party. I'm sure you'll love it – that and your furry little problem would enjoy the great and extensive outdoors and greenery."
"Onward! To Peter Pettigrew, I leave you with nothing. If Lily and I are dead, it means that you've sold us out. And I know you know whom you sold us out to. Mark my words, if I ever get my hands on you in the afterlife, I'll make you pay."
"To Albus Dumbledore, I leave you with nothing as well. You should know what you did wrong." At this comment, a glare as cold as the Arctic, sent shivers through the individuals' body – they could even say the temperature in the room had dropped several degrees.
"Now, moving on. To Severus Snape, yes you. You Severus!" James explained with his finger pointing.
Harry turned to see a flabbergasted looking Potions Master.
"I leave you with 1,000,000 galleons. I don't know what else to say. And, I heard the truth from Lily. I really wished I could've apologized to you in person. I hoped that we could've been a great family. But, all I can say now, is that I hope you can forgive me for my tricks, my tomfoolery, and my acts against your person. I apologize greatly for harming you in any way. I do wish that you will find it in yourself to forgive me, but I will understand if you cannot. My monetary distribution to you does not, in any way, mean to seem as a bribe to earn your forgiveness. I am really extremely grateful, from the bottom of my heart. I am thankful that you've been with Lily through thick and thin and I explained everything to her about that fight you had with her back at Hogwarts. She understands and she has forgiven you. I can only hope that you have found it in you to forgive yourself. It isn't time to live in the past anymore Severus. Time to look for a better and brighter future. I hope you can also take care of Harry as well, but mind his Marauder-like traits. He gets it from me."
James hissed in displeasure as a hand swung out of nowhere and hit him upside the head. Grumbling to himself, he turned to glare to the side before righting himself.
"Now, I better finish off my will. To my son, Harry James Potter, I leave you the rest of the Potter inheritance, the rest of the Potter properties located," James cupped his hands to his mouth," in a secret place. You'll have to ask Griphook for the keys. Other than that, you are now the Potter heir."
"Now, if anything were to happen to either Lily or me, Harry's guardianship should rest in the hands of these following people in this order:
Sirius Orion Black
Remus J. Lupin
Severus Snape
Alice Longbottom
Minerva McGonagall
Under no circumstances is Harry to be handed over to the Dursleys. Vernon always loathed magic, and I'm sure he'll come up with some way to make Petunia do the same. Even if she is Lily's older sister, no offense love…" James said turning to the side once more.
" Also, before I forget, Sirius Orion Black will be Harry James Potter's godfather. So I say, so mote it be. And lastly, Harry, my son, know that your mother and I love you very much. We will always continue to do so, and we'll find a way to be there for you, one way or another. We'll always be right here for you."
After his speech, James was shoved away by a pair of arms before the loud crashing and cluttering of materials were heard in the background.
"Oops, sorry James."
"It's alright. Go on, I've had my fun."
"I, Lily Evans, being of heart, sound and mind, hereby relieve my possessions of the Evans family to the following people: " The glowing smile on Lily's face warmed the hearts of the individuals listening to the will.
"To Severus Snape, I leave you 1,000,000 galleons, and I hope that you now know the truth about us. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard it. To think that we were siblings and Albus had been hiding that all along from us." Lily said, looking heartbroken.
"Onto other matters," she replied, fixing herself, "I hope you know that I've long since forgiven you for our fight back at Hogwarts. I know that you only said it out of anger, and for me to hold a grudge on that for such a long time - it wasn't fair of me. Although, you know, it was a bit your fault." Lily said, crossing her arms over her chest, only to break out into a smile.
"But anyway, I hope that things will never ever come between us anymore. Know that you have my love and wishes Severus. You've always been there for me, and I really don't know how to repay you for your kindness."
Harry saw, or rather heard, the ruffling of robes before they settled down.
"To Sirius Orion Black, I leave 1,000,000 galleons as well. I really hope you don't make Harry into a Marauder." She said exasperatedly. "He's got enough of a little trickster streak in him already, don't make it bigger."
"To Remus J. Lupin, I leave 1,000,000 galleons as well. I hope that you can become one with your furry problem. Remember, you don't run away from problems, you embrace them and face them head on." She said smiling.
"To Peter Pettigrew, I leave you with nothing. Absolutely nothing. Do you know what you've put my family through?! If I get my hands on you, you'll wish you'd never been born. I will wring you with my bare –" she hissed, her hands slowly closing in a dangerous grip.
"Alright Lily, I think he gets it." James interrupted, jumping in front of his wife.
A few chuckles escaped into the room at Lily's immanent anger that was bristling just below the surface.
"Right, anyway continuing on." She said, waving James off to the side.
"To Albus Dumbledore, I leave you with nothing. You may be the headmaster at Hogwarts, but mark my words, with what you're doing, I hope someone makes you step down from that pedestal you seem to hold yourself up upon. No way in Merlin am I leaving you with anything with the way you've acted towards us." She growled, emerald eyes blazing.
"Now, to Minerva McGonagall, I leave 1,000,000 galleons, to thank you for the tutelage, you help from the kindness of your heart and for everything you've done for us."
"To my son, my darling boy Harry James Potter. I leave you with the rest of the Evans inheritance and declare you the Evans heir – make sure you use it wisely. Know that your father and I have and always will love you. If you ever find yourself unsure of your decisions, you only have to look deep within yourself and you will know."
"If anything were to happen to James and I, Harry will be put under the care of the following people and the following order:
Sirius Orion Black
Remus J. Lupin
Severus Snape
Alice Longbottom
Minerva McGonagall
Under no way in magical law, should Harry be handed off to my sister. I may love her, but I'm sure as Merlin that I do not love that prat of a husband. Like James has recently announced, I deem Sirius Orion Black, worthy of becoming Harry's godfather. Though I'm sure he knew it when he was there for Harry's birth."
"Anything else to add James? Before we finish this off?"
"Oh yes, Harry, be careful of who you trust. As you've heard from our wills, you shouldn't trust Dumbledore. I don't know what crazy and absurd idea he has concocted, but you must trust yourself and your closest friends and family. We'll always be there for you when you most need it, but when you need help, you must learn to open yourself to others. You should not shoulder all this responsibility by yourself. Look around you, there's family, friends and people who love you for you. Be proud of that son, and never forget it."
"I, James Potter," "and I, Lily Evans," "Hereby declare our son Harry James Potter, to be legally emancipated on his sixteenth birthday. Happy birthday darling."
With that, the final will and testament of James Potter and Lily Potter had finished.
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Griphook stayed silent, letting the words of the dead wash over the living, giving the individuals time to absorb the new information.
"Griphook, is there anything else I must know?" Harry whispered.
"Yes, Mister Potter. There are several Lordships you must claim. "
Harry wiped the few stray tears from his eyes before stepping up to the desk.
"Mister Harry Potter, here are the following Lordships you must claim. The Lord of the House of Potter, the Lord of the House of Evans, the Lord of the House of Perverall, the Lord of the House of Gryffindor…"
"Don't tell me, I have more Lordships to claim."
"Well…" Griphook turned to look at past the emerald-eyed boy, towards Sirius.
"It's fine, he can claim it. Though the things I've written will be put into effect once he's become sixteen, as I legally emancipate him as well. He will be the Black heir."
"You also have the Lord of the House of Black title to claim Mister Potter."
"Sirius! You can't be serious!"
Snape sat in silence, pondering what it was that had gotten Harry so flustered at being named the Black heir rather than hearing that he was going to be the heir of Gryffindor.
"No, no Harry. I believe in what you hope to accomplish. I know what it is that I've put down on the line, or rather, what I've given up. But know that I've righted every wrong in my family and the Grimmauld Place residence is now yours to use. Tonks and Andromeda will be reinstated into the Black family and all monetary distributions will occur once you've become sixteen."
Harry's eyes watered with unshed tears before he launched himself at his godfather.
Clearing his throat, Severus motioned to the goblin in the room when Harry turned to look at him.
"You still have some business to finish. You can save the tears for later Harry."
"You're right Uncle Sev." He said sniffling.
"Sorry about the emotional breakdown Griphook."
"That's alright Mister Potter. I can only hope to understand what you were going through all this time. Now, if you sign here and place a drop of blood on the documents, you will be able to claim Lordship to the houses. Also, you will be able to view your merged accounts. I strongly recommend this, because there's something you must see." Griphook said, handing the scroll over to the Gryffindor.
Signing his name on the required designated locations and pricking his finger to seal off the documents to unwanted eyes, Harry returned the dimming – just recently glowing – document to the goblin.
"Now, here are the vaults' acquired monetary values, including the possessions and trinkets from the past Lords and Ladies of the houses. Now, if you see here, from the Potter vault, Mister Albus Dumbledore has been frequently removing money, by the pound, and distributing them towards several other vaults. Here he has distributed it to the Weasley vault –"
Harry froze when he heard what Griphook had just said. Dumbledore had paid the Weasleys? What was going on?!
"Harry, before you make an assumption, please allow Griphook to finish the survey."
Swallowing the lump that was slowly forming in his throat, Harry nodded and motioned to Griphook to continue.
"As I was saying, Dumbledore had distributed money to the Weasley vault, to the Dursleys' vault, to the Grangers' vault, for the Order's use, and last but not least, to his own vault. Now, I know what this seems, but here's what the numbers are being calculated as."
The goblin pulled out another scroll before revealing it to the three individuals.
"The Weasleys had declined the money, the Grangers have declined the money, a Petunia Dursley had declined the money, though her husband Vernon Dursley has accepted it – so right here is where the Dursleys' account has been split apart. As you can see here, the money has only been traced to Vernon Dudley's vault in the muggle world. Other than that, the use of your money has been placed in Dumbledore's hands, meaning within his vault and for his usage to keep the Order going."
A wave of relief washed over Harry as his knees buckled and he sank into his chair. The Weasleys and Hermione weren't bought out to become friends with him. They did so willingly. And they've treated him like family, been with him through thick and thin. Harry was so relieved; he started laughing to himself before wiping off the tears that threatened to fall, if he were to hear that the Weasleys and Hermione had not been really his friend.
But wait, what about Aunt Petunia? Why had she declined the money from Dumbledore? Didn't she hate him? She loathed the very essence of magic, his very existence put a scowl on her face.
Noting this to himself, he promised to go visit his aunt before the summer ended. He needed to set things straight and try to get some of his blood related family back, if not for his sake, for his mother's.
"We can reclaim the money and tack an interest rate fee on if you wish Mister Potter."
"I would like that." He murmured, smiling up at the goblin.
"Very well, now could you sign this once more and then we'll have everything put together for you."
Harry quickly scrawled his signature onto the parchment before handing it back to the goblin.
"Griphook, my father mentioned properties that I would be owning?"
"Ah yes, here are the keys." The goblin replied, pulling a ring full of keys out from his pocket.
"Would you like for us to clean up your property for you? I'm sure it has been collecting dust for awhile, considering most of the titles you've claimed have been in a long line of pureblood wizards."
"Yes, whatever fee it may be, please take it from my vault. I trust in your work." Harry said, standing up.
"Is there anything else I can help you with Mister Potter?"
"Oh yes, I really don't want to carry pockets full of jingling galleons. I was wondering if there was something I could use in exchange…?"
"Of course Mister Potter. Here are three sacks – one for galleons, one for sickles and one for knuts. They are individually linked to the vaults assigned to said money. If you ever need any money, just reach into the pouch and grab as much as you need. However, if you could prick your finger and put a drop of blood within each other, then it would start working only for you. No one else would be able to be linked in because after the blood has been started, only your magical signature would open the link between your vaults."
"Isn't that sort of difficult to carry? It doesn't feel safe at all…" Harry muttered.
"If you think that this would inconvenience you, here is a card for Gringotts. Here is another one for the muggle world should you need the urge to exchange wizarding money to muggle money. It's instant and you should not hesitate to use it. Just sign some forms and off you go."
"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed as he signed several more documents before handing them off to Griphook. "Actually, could I have some galleons, sickles and knuts in hand? I feel better having some just in case."
"Of course Mister Potter. Let us go to your vault."
The small group followed after the goblin before being whisked away towards the entrance of Harry's vault.
"I'll have a key remade just for your use Mister Potter." The goblin said, when he saw that Harry had come up empty without his key.
"Would you? I'd really appreciate that. Does that mean my other key wouldn't work?"
"Of course. With a new key, there will be new wards. Don't worry."
The door to his vault opened and Harry could only stare before shaking out of his shocked state. Piles and piles of galleons, family possessions and the like filled his vault to the brim. He walked in to grab at least three sacks of gold before leaving.
"Could you separate the gold from the valuables?"
"Yes I can. I'll be doing it shortly after your departure."
With that, Griphook returned to the entrance of Gringotts with the group.
"Thank you for your assistance. I hope you have a nice day." Harry said, dipping into a slight bow.
Surprised at the sudden gesture, Griphook dipped into a bow as well before thanking the Gryffindor and letting them out and onto their way.
"Ah, Lucius there you are. Have you finished your business?"
"Yes, now we should be off to meet up with the others."
As the group stepped out of Gringotts Bank, Harry froze in his steps.
"What's wrong cub?"
"Wait… I claimed the title of Lord of the House of Gryffindor?!"
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"Boys, would you stop staring at that stupid broomstick? It's been, what, ten minutes already?"
Sharp gasps resonated through the male portion of the group when they heard that comment leave Pansy 's mouth.
"Stupid?"
"This broomstick is brilliant that's what it is!"
"Do you not know what this is?"
"Oh please, it's just a regular broomstick for which you use during Quidditch. Besides, no matter what type of broomstick you have, you won't be able to outfly Harry. He's got a Firebolt remember?"
Ginny cleared her throat before stepping away from Pansy.
"That is not just any regular broomstick. It's the Galaxy 01. Rumor has it that it flies just as brilliant as the Firebolt. But, who would know. It just came out this season. No one really has any in stock. I bet it's just a model for the upcoming school semester."
"Ginevra Weasley! You're supposed to be on my side!" Pansy huffed, crossing her arms.
"Sorry there Pans. But when you've got a Quidditch streak in you, it's a tad hard to break out of." Blaise said, as he leaned against Ginny.
Huffing, Pansy walked away, drawing the rest of the group with her.
"We better go, we're about close to the twins' shop." Hermione said, pulling Ron away from the window.
The rest of the males grumbled their dissatisfaction before allowing Ron to lead them the rest of the way.
"Come on guys. It's over here." Ron called out, as he motioned to the rest of the group towards his elder brothers' store.
"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"
"What's wrong with what it's called?"
"Nothing. I don't have any comment for it at all." Pansy replied as she walked into the store, only to be assaulted by noises of all kinds: whistles blowing, shrieks of laughter, nonsense chatter and whatnot.
"Ron… that sign…"
Ron's head snapped to the side before he hastily ran up to the window, trying to act all nonchalant about his sudden actions.
"It's alright, just head on in." he said weakly, as he pushed open the door, the group walking in at his gesture.
"Er… sir?" Ron was fidgeting badly underneath Tom's gaze as his arm held open the door to his elder brothers' store, a silent question hanging in the air.
"I'll stay out here and wait for you lot to finish." Tom replied.
Nodding his head, Ron entered the store, following the rest of the group.
"Your brothers built this store from the ground up?" Blaise asked as he looked around.
"Not quite mate."
"We had a little help…"
"From the Golden Boy himself…"
"But don't tell Harry we called him that."
"Fred! George!"
"'Ello. Welcome to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, where the best pranks and jokes of all kind have come from our brilliant and genius minds."
"So, who's the fresh meat?"
"Well, these are the Slytherin gang – you know, Draco's friends."
"Draco's friends eh?"
"What are you lot doing with them?"
"Is there a problem being together now that your Golden Boy is dating our Ice Prince?"
"Wow. We really need to catch up with the latest news." Fred murmured as he looked to the rest of the gang.
"We would, but we're busy with the shop as it is." George said. "Oh, and there's nothing wrong with Harry dating Draco. I mean, we sort of knew there was a spark between the two when we first saw them fighting, isn't that right Forge?"
"Right you are Gred."
"Now, let us show you around…"
The guardians were left standing in front of the door way as they watched the twin redheads lead the tour guide.
Fred stopped after a few feet and motioned for his brother to continue on with their friends.
"Would you like to join us?" he asked, turning to the last four individuals.
"It's alright. We'll be fine here. Thank you." Egidio answered.
Flashing a bright smile, Fred nodded his head before turning to join the rest of his group.
"What strange trinkets these are…" Macaire murmured as he walked around the podium filled with gadgets and widgets made by the Weasley twins. The guardian was currently circling the bright and colorful statuettes that would go off on a tandem around the shelf whenever he was in its vicinity. It made loud blaring noises that seem to disappear amongst the excited chattering of the customers within the store.
As he stood up, his eye caught another interesting object and he tore through the crowd with Alandair hot on his heels, frustration radiating from his every pore.
"Macaire, cease your wandering! We're supposed to be watching over the young ones, not floundering around like fish out of water." He hissed underneath his breath.
"You're being difficult." Macaire retorted. "It's rather suspicious to see a group of people just standing around and doing nothing. Why not integrate ourselves into the crowd and blend in?"
"It's rather difficult not to draw attention to ourselves when we're leagues above the crowd. So stop it with your 'blending in'."
"If you believe it to be difficult, then you can go and be a statue. I, for one, will learn the ways of the mortals – whether you like it or not." The guardian sniffed, glaring at his lover before turning his head away from him.
Alandair let out a sigh of exasperation before he followed Macaire silently – Macaire happily smiling all the way, knowing his lover wouldn't want to anger him in any way.
"Do you think it smart of them to be doing such things?" Tesia asked, as she stood besides Egidio.
"Let them have some fun. They know what their duties are. And you know Macaire is insufferable once he's found something that interests him."
"So you're saying your dear, dear cousin is insufferable?"
"That I did not say." Egidio said, shifting on his feet.
"But alas Egidio, that is what I heard. I wonder what Macaire's reaction would be." Tesia said, laughing as she removed herself from Egidio's presence and headed towards the other guardians.
Rubbing a hand across his face exasperated, Egidio continued to stand by, watching as customers entered and left the store. Oh how he wondered when they would be able to leave.
But then, he started to think. To what extent did their orders cover? Were they even supposed to show themselves so soon?
Frustrated with his thoughts, Egidio returned his gaze to the crowd, pushing all thoughts to the back of his mind.
Locating the group who were on the second flight, Egidio also kept his senses alert, in case Harry and the others were to return. He also had to keep an eye on Tom, who was trying hard not to seem interested in looking into the store.
Walking to the entrance, Egidio poked his head out.
"Are you sure you don't want to join us?"
Tom startled before realizing he had be caught and tried to respond nonchalantly.
"There's no need for toys. I've got all the power I need at the tip of my wand."
"It's entertaining. You might have some uses for the gadgets the twins have invented." Egidio said, trying to bribe him.
He could see the wizard internally fighting with himself before Tom walked up to him.
"Just a quick glance wouldn't hurt I suppose."
When his entire body was on the doormat, the same doormat that Egidio was standing on, his vision was suddenly covered in something white as something was poured over his head.
Coughing and hacking, he waved away the cloudy and dusty air around him. Turning his head a fraction, he noticed that Egidio was doing the same thing as well. They had both had white powder dumped upon them which, as soon as it had touched their person, flashed blinding neon lights, as if creating two mobile beacons within the store.
The customers who were near the entrance looked half amused, half in horror before erupting in laughter, only to have it stuck in their throats when they were thrown two cold death glares.
Huffing and puffing, Tom turned to look at Egidio, "This is all your fault."
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"So where are we heading to now pup?"
"Well, Ron said they would be going to the twins' shop. It's just down that road right there." Harry said, pointing to the ginormous head that stood out above the rest of the shops.
"Oh boy. I can tell they're already good pranksters in the making!" Sirius said all giddy like when he saw the sign outside their door.
"Yeah, I'm surprised Tom hasn't thrown a fit considering he was with them."
"I'd like to say that he had not seen the sign by the window."
"How could he miss it? It's huge!"
"Oh well, we just have to go see in and meet up with them then."
"I refuse to step foot in there. Who knows what they've got up their sleeve – much less in their shop." Lucius sniffed.
"Oh for Merlin's sake Lucius. Stop acting like a pureblood for once and enjoy life." Sirius said, casually draping his arm over the blonde's shoulder.
"Yeah! What Sirius said!" Harry chirped before he pushed the two into the shop, only to gasp in horror when the two individuals knocked against another duo and went sprawling all over the floor.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know anyone else would be in the doorway! Everyone knows the doorway's been tricked up by the twins." Harry floundered around with his apology.
"Instead of standing there all gobsmacked, would you kindly lend us a helping hand?" Growled Lucius, from beneath Sirius, which the animagus seemed to be enjoying.
Chuckling at the blonde's increasing annoyance, Lupin stepped in and pulled Sirius up while Snape gave Lucius a swift tug to get him on his feet.
"Tom! Egidio! What in the world are you doing down there?"
"We wouldn't have been down here if it weren't for you Harry." Tom hissed, glaring at the emerald eyed Gryffindor.
"Sorry." Harry replied weakly, before he helped the duo up.
"So where's the group?"
"Wandering about like buffoons, the lot they are."
"Oh! I see them! There they are!" Harry cried before he ran through the crowd.
"How about we go for a nice and relaxing lunch after this?" Remus offered as the group wandered away from the entrance.
"That would be delightful!" Macaire squealed from behind.
"Calm down. There's enough energy floating around without you having to add to it." Alandair replied.
"A lunch would be nice." Tesia mused when she came to stand beside Severus.
"Very well. Once the children have returned, we shall look for a place to dine."
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Hey guys! It's been so long! So, this chapter isn't much! But hopefully the next will! Also, it's become hard for me to weekly update, much less update every two weeks or have a monthly update. But stand strong! I'll try to work on it as much as possible!
Leave comments, messages, ratings, and etc. ~