Chapter 3 – How to play dumb and make a knut
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Albus Dumbledore was renowned to be the great savior and to have the wisdom of the ages. Albus did a dumb thing in his anger of loosing his guardianship over Harry Potter. If he had though things through he would have come to the conclusion of letting sleeping Goblins lay. However being the Great Albus Dumbledore he knew that all official Goblin documents could be recalled and without anyone having the will Dumbledore would remain Harry's guardian. He had already removed all traces of the Will at the Ministry. "Ragnok I demand the recall of the Potter will! It was in the Potter vault and now it is no longer there!"
"We will insure that it is recalled if it was listed as part of the Potter vault. As guardian only you should have have access to those vaults. We will contact you shortly on our findings."
While Dumbledore was stomping away appearing to be important the director of the bank just ground his teeth. Dumbledore always demanded and treated the Goblins like trash. The only difference was he did not try and kill or injure as many wizards would do if they had half a chance. The information and recalling could have been done in a few minutes but the worst the wizard's attitude the longer things took at Gringotts.
"Griphook, recall the Potter will and do a complete inventory of the Potter vaults. I want both on my desk today."
/Scene Break/
Late in the afternoon in the Directors office gutteral screams could be heard along with an axe laying seige to the furniture. Director Ragnok had found that irreplaceable books were missing from the Potter vaults along with a sizable amount of Galleons. The only person who could have taken these things was Albus Dumbledore who was never the guardian according to the will. The problem with this was that Gringotts reputation was now on the line and Gringotts would be held liable at the Wizengemott. The wizards always sided with other wizards.
/Scene Break/
I was having fun in Slytherin. Malfoy was irate and got Avery and Nott plus a number of other idiots to help me into a long stay in the Hospital wing. They all got out the next day as my magic reacted poorly to being attacked. Snape was playing blind to all the attacks and that didn't even cover his blindness in Potion class when it came to me. I was verbally assaulted by Snape in his class but the other Slytherin and Gryffindor students were also trying to cause me problems. Whether it was junk tossed towards my cauldron or just a foot to trip me, I was having fun. The two major players were Malfoy in Slytherin and Ron Weasley in Gryffindor.
I could not believe…but then again I was supposed to be a child as were the other students. The childish attempt to hurt me and that was what it was, hurt/injure me and it was all laughable. While I could raise all kinds of hell by retaliating my brain was full of adult information and yes I was above such childlessness. While they were throwing flubber worms or other junk at my cauldron I was doing my potion and delving into what was called my magical being and something was strange. A simple shield or repelling charm protected my potion but I was currently looking at my core which drove me to the library to understand what I was finding.
That's where I found Daphne Greengrass and Hermione Granger. These were two of the most irritating things that I had ever imagined. They both were trying for the top of the academic heap of Hogwarts and found my knowledge irritating, at least to start with. I will give them the credit in directing me to the right books and that is no mean feat for first years. The books were of minimal help. The books they found did let me understand that my core was just a little unusual and to be left alone. All I could see was my core loved Hogwarts and all the magic it had absorbed, condensed and expanded while storing all this magic. While it seemed to have stabilized I was not about to touch or mess with what the books said was the normal operation in a very powerful core. The problem I found out later was this was aactualy a reserve or over-flow core, I was the main core. I was a very powerful store of magic and compared to my reserve core was like comparing a pop-pistol to an atomic weapon. I just hoped that I never went off.
/Scene Break/
"Hermione what are you doing here at the Slytherin table?" Daphne asked.
"The rules state that it is permissible to visit and dine at other tables as long as it is not a welcoming feast or other special feasts established by Hogwarts, ."
"Well put it down between me and Daphne before you get cursed." I stated.
"I wanted to discuss what Flitwick's charm last class has in common with summoning charms in general."
"Why is that of such immediate importance Hermione?" I asked.
"If you haven't noticed that Neville is receiving special tutoring from the Headmaster if not then you are a bit slow. I will not allow this favoritism to jeopardizing my top academic status at Hogwarts." Hermione asserted.
"Now wait a minute you mean your second position to my top academic status." Daphne huffed.
"Now ladies I don't wish to referee but your observation Hermione is correct as I have notice special assistance being given to Longbottom." I had slipped in to watch Dumbledore and Snape a few times in my spirit form. I was not impressed by the spells or Longbottom's execution of the spells.
"I think this has something to do with the third-floor restriction. Ron and Longbottom are trying to drag me into finding out what is on that third-floor." Hermione huffed.
"Hermione are you that stupid to be dragged into something that smells of dangers that are being orchestrated by adults?" Daphne asked.
"It seems someone wants use of your intelligence. Tell you what, let me nose around and see what plots and plans are being directed." I really didn't want to get involved but academics always had to put their noses into areas where they could lose said noses. I also knew from Minerva that there were traps being laid by the teachers on that floor.
Two nights later I slipped in spirit form to the third floor and what a circus someone had laid out. Three headed dogs, and other stupid traps to protect a stupid stone. I lifted the stone from the mirror and headed to my bed. The stone was a surprise in that is was red and heart-shaped but small, small enough you could swallow it with not much problems.
While in my physical form I needed sleep but in my spirit form sleep was just not something to bother with. I slipped to my cupboard under the stairs and put the stone under the flimsy mattress of the cot that I use to call my bed. Sooner or later someone would miss the stone and I didn't want it to be found in Hogwarts. I 'faded' back to Hogwarts to see what further mischief I could get into,
/Scene Break/
A while later Hermione called for a meeting in the library after she got out of the hospital. "Harry you were right I should have told the idiot to jump off the astronomy tower. God what idiots."
"Well just don't rants tell us what happened?" Daphne asked.
"Well Neville and Ron talked me into saving the philosophers stone from Snape who was stealing it for Voldemort. Jerks!
"Yes jerks but what happened?" I asked.
"Neville has been hyped up to believe he is the savior of the world and this was something he had to do. Ron is just off in my opinion like he could gain something over this like fame or money. Anyway he does a phony collapse in the chess set fight and Neville heads off to face whatever dragging me along. Quirrel cursed me the minute we entered the last room. Harry they only wanted me there for my brains, if I got killed it was just too bad."
Rumor had it that Dumbledore had pulled Longbottom butt out after a massive duel where Quirrel was killed. In other words no one knew anything.
"I hate to say this but you two best believe that Dumbledore is up to something and you and I and the rest of the school are just pawns in his game. We die, oh so sorry, next game, next players." While I had listened in on alot of conversations it is difficult to figure out what..."Severus, do you have the potion?" After Snape hand over a vial he says..."That should get your desired results." Dumbledore puts the vial in his pocket and Snape leaves the office. What did all that mean? Did Dumbldore have a headache or was he planing on poisoning the flying instructor?
"So what do we do? Daphne asked.
"Simple, don't get involved, don't help the jerks and we should all keep our heads down. We have years here at Hogwarts and I think if we don't watch out we are going to be involved in more that one plot or scheme." I had overheard many conversations while in spirit form along with things Minerva had told me, it was shaping up to be a mess.
/Scene Break/
Christmas break was fantastic, Minerva demanded my staying with her while she let me do whatever I wanted as long as I asked first for permission Hermione invited me and Daphne to her place as she had a heated swimming pool. We three ended up through most of the break at Hermione's pool.
Now with two females who wanted to be the top students at Hogwarts I ended up studying along with them. Although a lot of the study was at the pool and the material was just a repeat of the knowledge I already had, I still had fun being around strange people called girls. My only work was with Minerva and her insistence that I learn transfiguration as a second language. Still it wasn't that hard being physical me.
What was hard was being a spirit. There were time that I was drawn as a spirit to I guess you could call a spirit land where time did not exist. There was a land of peace and music and other land that was for introspective thinking. I was called and I tried to not do anything expects to enjoy these lands which I could never explain. One land gave me some thoughts or maybe looks into the future but they were all confusing and not clear. Another land made me react and I hope it did not do something to the time fabric somewhere. All along I had floated and enjoyed but this last one was a land of violence or a dream of violence that caused me to put up a shield on a house elf that was being beaten most horribly, I was instantly returned to my physical form and my normal land of residency.
Upon returning to a physical form I found that I had indeed changed things but what and how much I couldn't tell. What I did know is that I had a house elf called Dobby.
"Wys yous bees not rights?"
"I am what they call dead."
"Yous be the Great Harry Potter?"
"Yes Dobby."
"Then this bees alrights, weird but all rights."
/Scene Break/
Summer was approaching at a snails pace as I was ready to visit those special places Minerva had talked about. What I got was from the Headmaster, "Mr. Potter please report to my office after dinner."
After dinner I had Hermione take my books back to the dorm and I trudged to the Headmasters office. There I found Minerva, Snape, the Headmaster and a roly-poly red-headed woman. The first words out of the Headmaster's mouth told me there was double-dealing afoot.
"Ah Harry my boy as your magical guardian I have arranged for your summer as you cannot stay at Hogwarts."
I kept a straight face and expected Minerva to say something but she didn't. Remembering her instructions I just said nothing to anyone.
"Molly Weasley has offered to have you over for the summer vacation and I am sure you will have a fantastic time. Ron and the twins are some of her sons."
The woman rushed over and grabbed me in a bear-hug ment to crush my spine. She was telling me how great a time I would be having. Of that I was sure as she received an electrical shock which frizzled her hair and sent her reeling backwards. I remained silent.
"I am telling you Headmaster the boy is dangerous and needs to be expelled." Snape needed to change his material as it was getting old.
"Yes well Minerva why don't you escort Harry back to his dorm while we make arrangements for his trip to the Burrow."
Outside I asked, "Miss are you going to St Mungo for a check for memory charms again?"
"What are you talking about Mr. Potter?"
"You said it happened before and you did make plans for me over the summer hol's which you seemed to have forgotten. You of course remember that the Headmaster is not my Magical guardian?"
"You are quite mistaken Mr. Potter, you will enjoy your vacation at the Burrow, there is no Will to support your accusations."
I thought I would be ecstatic living with Ron who can't stand me and his two pranksters 'the twins'. All I have to do is find the silver lining in all this before I get crushed by the hug-ster Molly.
/Scene Break/
Summer break started by my being escorted to the train and being picked up by Molly Weasley at Kings Cross with her daughter. The girl remained silent the whole time but if her eyes said anything I was a chocolate sundae waiting to be eaten. The Knight Bus delivered us to the Burrow and I just shook my head, what a dump. Privet drive was a house even if I only had the cupboard.
"Now that we are all here and comfy Ron will show you Ron's room that you two will be bunking in and you can put you trunk away later."
"Ma, are you going to make me sleep in the same room with a Slyterin he will murder us all in our sleep."
"Now we will have none of that, show Harry your room and come back down. I am going to make something to eat and then you can show Harry the house and pond."
I dumped my trunk in his small room and headed down. Ron was grumbling the whole way. He lost interest in me about the time he saw the sandwiches and dove in with both hands cramming at an unbelievable rate.
It wasn't very long into the meal when Molly slipped in a request, "Harry since it's not safe for you to be seen in Diagon Alley I will be taking care of your shopping needs and the buying of your school supplies. The Headmaster forgot to give me your vault key so why don't you let me have it now?"
Merlin I hated this little boy act I was forced to use all the time, "Of course Mrs. Weasley, it's in my trunk so I'll just pop up and get it for you."
"That's kind of you Harry."
I got to Ron's room…"Dobby".
POP "Yes Harry Potter Sir".
"Dobby shrink that trunk and meet me in my cupboard in Privet Drive."
"Yes Harry Potter Sir".
POP and a 'fade' by me left Ron's room empty again.
/Scene Break/
"Harry Potter will not be living in this hole when there is a whole empty house for him."
"Empty House?"
"Yes Harry Potter Sir, this house is empty and from the feel it hasn't been lived in for a long time."
I had no idea where the Dursley's were but Dobby had the house cleaned and a super meal on the table. He was now my dinner guest and talking companion.