Harry didn't know what was happening, but what he did know is that he had never felt anything like it before. With the other titles he had felt a warm rush of, what he had guessed was magic, flow through him. He had felt surrounded by it, inside and out. It didn't hurt but it was definitely a type of pressure that left you feeling like you had just been squeezed or what he might think a really firm hug might feel like, not that he had had many hugs until his dad came along. He did know that it had taken his breath from him, almost like when Dudley and his friends would knock him around.
This, well, this felt like something was searching. He felt like the magic was studying him and trying to figure out if he was worthy of the title. It didn't hurt exactly; it was more of a prickling sensation like when your foot or leg goes to sleep, and you just want to scratch at or smack at it to get rid of the weird feeling when it starts to wake back up. This feeling continued to increase almost as if something were getting closer or maybe it was just the magic building up to something.
Harry wasn't sure if he should be afraid, or maybe if he should be doing something. He turned to look at his dad when he realized he was now alone in a room he had never seen before. He gasped as he whirled around. "Dad…?" he whispered.
"Your father cannot come here young man," said a voice directly behind him. Upon hearing the voice his spine stiffened and he slowly turned around. Standing in front of him was an older man, even older than his dad if he had to guess. He was tall, very broad, with dark brown hair that fell to his shoulders, bright green eyes, with a well-kept beard, and atop his head sat what he would guess is a crown.
The man was dressed in very nice clothes, with black slacks, knee-high soft-looking boots, and a green shirt that matched his eyes. There was a large belt around his waist that had a bird of some sort emblazoned on the buckle, and what appeared to be a sword strapped on the side. His cloak was an inky black with silver trim that hugged his arms and flowed down nearly touching the ground. The crown on his head was of a silvery-looking color, it was very simple in design but to Harry, it seemed to suit the man.
"Are you done staring young man?" the man asked, lifting a single brow as if to emphasize his question.
Harry blushed and looked down at the floor "I'm sorry Sir".
"There is no reason to be sorry young man, I am sure you have many questions," the man said. "Please join me in sitting down so that we may converse more comfortably".
Harry looked up as the man turned and walked over to some chairs that Harry was sure hadn't been there before. But looking around at the room he was in, he had to guess that magic had something to do with it as he was sure that was how he ended up here. He hadn't felt anything like what his dad had done to get him and Harry to the bank, but he was sure there must be more ways to travel using magic. Once the man took a seat Harry walked over to the other chair and slowly perched on the edge, looking down at the knee of his trousers as he picked at a loose thread.
"Now I would prefer if you looked at me as we are conversing, and I would like to know your name before we begin," said the man.
Harry looked up quickly at the firm tone of voice and the slight command in it "my name is Harry" he nervously replied.
That single eyebrow rose once more as the man stared at Harry "and is that the only name you have, or have you just not been taught how to introduce yourself?"
Harry's eyes grew wide as he realized he must have made some mistake, he thought quickly before hesitantly saying "I'm sorry Sir, my name is Harrison James Potter-Snape".
The man sighed, "well at least it is good that you know your entire name, however, do you not know from whom you are descended? Do you have no heirships or titles to claim?"
"Oh! Am-, umm am I supposed to also include those when I introduce myself? That would be a lot to say each time" Harry stammered out.
"I see you have not been provided the education you were owed as a titled young man. You are well-spoken for someone of the age of 8 or 9, but you should already know how to introduce yourself to someone of peerage at this age" the man replied. "Now, as to how you should introduce yourself, you should state your full name and any heirships or titles you currently possess" instructed the man.
Harry gaped at the man for a moment before stating "I turned eleven last month… Sir".
The man eyed Harry, looking more closely at this appearance, "then am I to assume you are either sickly or an orphan?"
"I'm not sick! And I thought I was an orphan, but it turns out I have a dad! Well, I have two dads but the other one was killed when I was a baby" rushed out Harry, eyes growing wide as he quickly tacked on "Sir".
"Hmm, we will come back to that, but now I would like you to introduce yourself properly" the man stated firmly.
Still blushing slightly and feeling nervous over his outburst he quietly introduced himself "My name is Harrison James Potter-Snape, heir of Potter, heir of Prince, her of Peverell, heir of Slytherin, heir of Gryffindor, Crown Prince of Emrys, Sir".
The man stared at Harry for a moment "that is a long and interesting list. First, how exactly are you heir to both the Slytherin and Gryffindor lordships?"
Harry gulped slightly before answering "I didn't quite understand it all, but the inheritance test said that it was due to something called conquest. The goblins said they weren't sure how that worked because apparently, the bad man that killed my parents and tried to kill me had not claimed the title. Ragnock said he thought I might have met some criteria, but they wouldn't know until the audit had been finalized…" he trailed off as he saw the man's eyes narrow.
"And why would a man try to kill a child?" the man asked.
"I don't know, no one said. All I know is that a bad man came and killed my mum and my father James and then tried to kill me when I was about one year old, after that I was taken by a man my dad calls Albus and left on my Aunt Petunia's doorstep with a letter. I've lived with her and her husband and son for the last 10 years. My dad and I only just found out about each other today" Harry explained.
"And how exactly is it that your dad did not know of you until now?" enquired the man.
Harry lifted one shoulder and shook his head "he said he was never intimate with my mum and that she was really in love with my father and would never cheat. The goblins said there may be an answer in my parents' will, but it had never been read. That's why I was claiming my heirships because they needed that to be done so that I could have the will read".
"And why was the will not read when they died?" asked the man.
"Umm, the goblins said that that man Albus and the ministry had the will sealed at the, umm, I think they called it the solicitors' office?" Harry said, unsure of what exactly a solicitor was. "But they said they also had a copy at the bank but could not have it read without my guardian's permission or until I took up my heirship and requested it".
"I see. First, a solicitor is someone who handles the legal proceedings for a person or company. They represent the person or company in all legal matters to ensure the law is abided and to plead the person or company's case in front of a court in the case of a dispute or a possibly broken law" the man explained. "Second, why would this Albus or the ministry have your parents' will sealed?"
"I don't know who he is, just that my dad and the goblins mentioned him. I also don't know why the will was sealed, only that it was, and the goblins and my dad didn't look happy about it" replied Harry.
The man stared at Harry for a moment before nodding "alright, well, we should move on as we do not have a lot of time. This magic can only hold you in this place for so long and we have some important things to cover".
"Yes Sir" Harry acknowledged.
"First, my name is Aurelius Graham Peverell, Lord Peverell, Lord Gryffindor, and Lord Emrys the King of Magical Great Britain. Or at least I was when this magic was put in place to ensure the Crown would be passed on to someone in the future that was deserving of wearing it and all that comes with the mantle" introduced the King. "I am an old man that never fathered any children, and while blood adoption is an accepted thing the Crown cannot pass in that manner and so there was never any point in adopting a child only for them to not be chosen by the magic of the Crown. My wife, the Queen, and I felt it would be a disservice to any child we adopted, so we elected not to."
"I understand," said Harry "I don't think other children or even adults would be very nice to them if they didn't inherit the Crown".
"No, I do not imagine they would be" acknowledged the King. "My wife and I met with the Goblins as they are holders of ancient magic that we as humans will never be able to grasp. They were able to help design a ritual that would allow for the passing on of the magic of the Crown to a person that was found to be deserving by magic itself. And it seems as though you were chosen."
"But, how? I mean, I'm just Harry! Yesterday I was an orphan and today I have a dad and all of these titles and when I turn fifteen, I'll be the King!" Harry said with a slightly hysterical tinge to his voice.
The King held up a hand and made a slow-down motion, "be calm Harrison, as you are only just eleven you have four years to learn all that you need, and when you reach your first majority at age fifteen we will meet again so that I may impart some final knowledge to you that you cannot make use of until you hold the title of King. What you need to know is that the ritual called for a descendant of the Emrys line, but what most do not know is that Emrys isn't so much a line by blood, but by magic."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"As I mentioned we do not have a lot of time, what I will say is that the magical Emrys line began with the one known as Merlin. I would ask the Goblins, they can give you the full history of the Emrys line" stated the King.
"Alright, but if the line started with Merlin, then didn't he have children? Does that mean I am somehow related to him?" asked a slightly confused Harry.
"I do not believe Merlin ever had any children of his own, but I do know that the magic of the Emrys line has chosen certain people throughout the ages. The magic of that line chose my Great-great-great Grandfather, who was a Peverell by birth and the Crown chose him to be the next King when the current King and his son both died unexpectedly. The Crown passed down the line from father to son until it came to me and if I am not mistaken has not chosen another until you" explained the King.
Harry nodded in understanding.
"The ritual crafted by the Goblins was set to seek out a person that the Emrys line had chosen and that also carried the blood of the Peverell line. I asked that the magic choose a person that would be able to lead the Wizarding World to prosperity and whom the people of Magical Great Britain could trust. With the muggle population growing and more and more muggle-borns coming into our world it is imperative that the future King be able to ensure the protection of all magics people and creatures alike. Do you understand everything so far?"
"Yes Sir, I think I understand," said Harry. "The magic of the Crown is supposed to choose someone that the Emrys line chose and that comes from the Peverell line. Also, they are supposed to be someone that can protect the Wizarding World. Right?"
"Generally speaking, yes, you've got the basics. What you need to know now, is that you have claimed the title of heir Emrys, Crown Prince. Until you reach your first majority at the age of fifteen you will need to appoint a Regent to handle the day-to-day things. The Regent speaks for you and acts on your instructions. They will be required to meet with you on a bi-weekly basis to discuss business related to the running of the Kingdom of Magical Great Britain. They will meet with the Council of Lords and the International Confederation of Wizards on your behalf. You have the power to enact great change within the Wizarding World. Your word is law and your Regent your mouth until you are Crowned King" the King said as he studied Harry to make sure he was absorbing the information.
"The Goblins and my dad explained that a bit before I claimed the title. I have already chosen Ragnock to be my Regent and Proxy for all of my titles until I can claim them in full" smiled Harry. "Ragnock is the head manager for the Gringotts bank and said he'd need to have his son take over some of his duties as head, but he did accept. My dad said that Goblins aren't allowed to use wands and that the Ministry is very discriminatory towards creatures. I don't like that and told him that that would be one of the first things we change" stated Harry firmly.
The King smiles "I see you will be an impetus for change, that is good. One thing I have noticed over the last few years is that while the muggles are progressing, we as a people are not. More and more I hear of factions within magical society speaking of the purity of their blood. This troubles me as that is not how magic works. Magic is in everything; it is just that magic resides in some more than others. We as wizards have a magical core that allows us to use the magic that is in our bodies, squibs too have a core, they just cannot access the magic, while muggles do not have a core, even though a small amount of magic does reside within them."
"What's a squib?" asked Harry as he worked through the new information.
"A squib is someone born of magical parents that cannot, as I said, access their magic. There is no known cause for a child to be born a squib, but my advisors have heard some whispers that those factions that speak of purity are claiming that intermixing with muggles is what is causing the issue. I don't know that I believe that if that were true how do we then get muggle-borns?" the King shakes his head. "We do not have much time; I would suggest asking your dad or the Goblins about that as much may have changed since my time".
Harry nods and makes a mental note to ask about just those things.
"I don't have much else to impart, except that there will be items within the Emrys Gringotts vault that will aid you. Your account manager will need to take an oath of office and then will be able to order an audit of the vault and of the Emrys Castle. There will be journals and other items contained within that will have additional information that will be useful for you. Some of them you will only be able to access once you take on the mantle of King, but the ones you can will help to prepare you" the King pauses here as if thinking of something. "I do not believe there is any other information I can impart at this time; just look to the ones you trust to support and advise you and we will speak again when you reach your first majority and wear the Crown of Emrys."
With that, the King and the room vanished, and Harry fell into a comfortable sleep.