Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or other works that may be familiar in the story. I only own the idea and the words that go into making the story.

Crusade

Chapter 3

Present Day, night time at Granger residence

The three listeners, Hermione's parents and Harry were wide eyed at the narration. Dan and Emma knew the bigotry and the discrimination that Hermione was forced to face at Hogwarts but they did not know that neither the ministry nor Dumbledore were doing anything to stamp it out. In some instances, it seemed to them that Hogwarts staff was actually encouraging the discrimination. Was this an effort to discourage the others to leave the magical world and help the pure-blood population land the cushy jobs?

The two adults realized that Hermione was quick to notice this attitude and making her own plans to leave the magical world. This angered them, after all they paid a hefty amount as Hogwarts tuition, and still their daughter was unable to gain any benefit. However, it also increased their pride in Hermione; she was able to gauge the situation and take a mature decision. They were going to do everything in their power to help Hermione out.

Harry, meanwhile, was fuming. He knew that the magical world was not an equitable place; the witches and wizards he knew told him that. They were mostly muggle-born or half-blood people who could not find good jobs in the wizarding world and so returned to the muggle world. They felt that most of the jobs were hereditary and it was difficult to break such a trend.

What Hermione was saying that the two major pillars of the wizarding world, education and employment were corrupted enough that the pure-bloods were getting the major advantages. The discrimination he heard about was not passive, but actively propagated. This was against all modern laws and acceptability of polite society.

Even though the muggle government knew about the magical world, they were sorely lacking in the details of what was happening in that world. Yes, they had a few spies in the Ministry of Magic, but they were unable to influence the law makers. They needed someone to be able to change the way the everyday witches and wizards were thinking. It needed a very loud and very public revealing of dirty laundry for the magical world to change.

For any coup to be successful and long lasting, public opinion had to be with them.

With Hermione inside Hogwarts, they would have an inside source of not just news, but also the direction the winds were blowing. Not to mention they could get to know the latest crop of disgruntled witches and wizards. Hermione could talk to the student population and try to get them on the side of the muggle government if their plans were to succeed. That would be a coup of monumental proportions. Harry knew that any change would not work or succeed without the majority of the population backing it and what better than the students who would influence the future.

Harry would have to talk to Hermione and get her to meet with his superiors. If it works out, then they could actually put their planning into motion and now that Lord Voldemort was most likely alive again, they have the right atmosphere to bring change; but they have to hurry.

His musings were cut short by Hermione. After her retelling of her life at Hogwarts, Hermione was feeling a little winded. It was more about the trauma of all the injustice happening in the wizarding world put together like that which caused Hermione to feel terrible rather than the story telling itself. Now that she felt a little lighter after revealing everything to her parents, Hermione focused on Harry.

"Did you know I was a witch when you met my parents? Was that why you wanted to befriend me at the party?" Hermione asked with a little accusation in her voice.

Harry exhaled loudly; he hoped that his explanation would satisfy Hermione. "No Hermione. I came to your parents as part of my dental care requirement through NHS. During the course of my interactions they did tell me about their daughter studying in a boarding school in Scotland. I had no idea at that time that it was Hogwarts."

"At that time…?" Emma interrupted, a little intrigued at Harry's words.

"Yes… at that time…," Harry smiled, "When I met you though, I knew that you were a witch."

"How so?" Hermione questioned totally confused.

Harry ducked his head to hide his blush, "My magic called out to you."

"What?" Hermione sputtered while her mother nearly screamed out the same thing.

Dan meanwhile was in a state of near panic, his vision clouded by his imagination of Hermione running away on a motorbike with Harry. His little girl was not growing up, he refused to accept that. "What do you mean?" he finally managed, swallowing his irrational fear.

"Every witch and wizard have an aura. It is an unconscious projection of their true personality. As no two personalities are exactly the same, no two auras are the same. Every magical human can be trained to recognize such auras while other magical species do it naturally." Harry took a deep breath, here things get a bit complicated and a little surreal. "When two people are compatible enough … when their personalities are a close match, their magic seems to interact or what I would like to say, call to each other."

"How do you recognize that?" Emma asked.

Harry looked at Hermione, "In my case, even though I met you for the first time, I felt as if I could trust you with my deepest secrets. I did not want to part with you that night. If I had less self-control, I might have abducted you."

Dan stiffened at hearing that. Harry's words came very close to what he thought earlier. If he was surprised at the young man's description, he was shocked when Hermione blurted out her own feelings.

"Is that why I wanted to snog the day lights out of you?" Then she promptly buried her face in her hands to conceal the bright blush that erupted on her face.

Hermione's mother was stunned at that declaration. She knew that Hermione was a fairly rational person and was not prone to girlish fantasies. Hearing her proclamation was truly shocking. Her interactions with Harry showed her that he was shy and introverted even, and Hermione was the same. For both of them to feel comfortable with each other was a big step but to have such thoughts on their first meeting was something incredible. Maybe there was something to this 'magic calling to each other'.

To say that Harry was shocked was an understatement. He felt like he could spend a lifetime with Hermione; it was love at first sight for him. For Hermione to feel the same way too was a blessing. He could not stop his feelings to show on his face. He also could not stop the laughter that was bubbling forth; he felt as if a weight was lifted off him and it was funny too.

Hermione's parents also joined in his mirth at the expense of their daughter and Hermione joined in reluctantly. Mainly because Harry was not offended.

When the laughter subsided, Hermione asked, "When you said 'calling to you' do you mean like a bond?"

Harry chuckled ruefully at that. "Bonds are a myth Hermione, nothing more. The most you can expect is a sense of where your partner is if you have a very close and deep abiding love for him. Then there is a maternal instinct of a mother for her child, that's it. No magically getting married without your notice out of the blue." He finished with a mischievous grin.

Hermione swatted his arm and wiped her brow theatrically, "That's good to hear. I would like to know you better before I commit myself."

Dan cleared his throat clearly uncomfortable with the talk, "About that. Can you tell us why you did not attend Hogwarts like Hermione here? And what is with the official secrets act that you mentioned."

The three Grangers were interested to know Harry's story but it was getting too late. "Why don't I come early tomorrow and we can talk about it."

Emma seconded that notion and demanded that he appear for breakfast. With that settled, Harry apparated out to get some sleep for the night.

Harry's story…

The Dursleys at Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, were quite normal thank you very much. It was their nephew, Harry Potter, that was freakish.

Oh! Harry knew that he was not normal. The turning his teacher's wig blue, the vanishing from the playground and appearing on the school's roof, the talking to snakes, and surviving on the meagre rations that his relatives fed him. Oh, yes, he was not normal in any sense of the world.

At the same time, Harry also knew that he was not a freak as his aunt and uncle claimed. He was fairly intelligent and that led him to riffle through many books where he learnt terms like telekinesis, meta physics, mind control, and illusions. They were not freakish ways but probably for his 'normal' relatives they were.

So, Harry decided that he was not normal but there were others like him too. It was only a matter of time before he got out from under his aunt and uncle's thumb and explore the world. In the meantime, if he was to show his intelligence by scoring lower than his dumb cousin, it was no big deal for Harry Potter.

When the giant of a man came to collect him and introduce a whole new world to him, for the first time in his life, Harry felt as if he was home. Entering the magical world, he knew that he belonged here.

That euphoria did not last long for Harry. When Hagrid produced a key for his vault, Harry was a little angered. According to his uncle, financial matters were sacrosanct and should not be in control of others. That someone had the key to his vault and probably knew his financial situation was one thing, it could have been a measure of security, but it was difficult to imagine that the same person did not know about his treatment at the hands of his relatives and still left him to suffer. That did not sit well with Harry.

Meeting a professor who stuttered enough that students could not understand him. The knowledge that one of the professors was a ghost and talked nothing but Goblin rebellions. What was he getting into?

Then there was the bombshell that the wizard who killed his parents and tried to kill him was still alive out there. It did not take a genius to figure out that his life would be in danger from the time Harry entered the magical world. What about the dark lord's followers? They were free too. Harry scoffed at the justice system; witches and wizards under suspicion were freed without a trial. Harry was not gullible enough to think that the followers of 'You-Know-Who' would leave him alone and not try to eliminate him given a chance.

Then again, what about the name 'Boy-Who-Lived' and 'You-Know-Who'? Harry did not want to be a celebrity and it seemed that magical world was adamant on making him one. It hurt Harry to think that the populace of the magical world forgot about his parents and whenever someone gawked at him, Harry bristled at the obliviousness of the populace and his own feelings at thought of losing his parents to gain the fame.

His first trip to Diagon Alley was indeed … magical, but Harry was uncomfortable with the encounter. He needed information, and Hagrid was of no help to him as any question that Harry had was answered by a quick "I don't know Harry, you need not worry." Or "That's why you are going to Hogwarts, to learn new things."

The few books Harry bought under the watchful eye of Hagrid did not tell him anything about the pulse of the magical world. On one hand, he was very excited to explore and learn about the new world where he knew he belonged, on the other hand, the talk of dark lords, the undercurrent of discrimination, isolationistic tendencies, made Harry wary of stepping into the wizarding world.

He needed information, information that Hagrid and the books were not willing to give him.

A few days later Harry went to visit Diagon Alley again. His relatives were surprisingly accommodating to his request not to disturb him, probably fearing retaliation by the giant of a man who was very friendly with him. The book about magical methods of transportation gave him the knowledge about a Knight Bus, transportation for the stranded witch or wizard, which he made use of. He thought about visiting the bookstore for more books or maybe even the newspaper section if they had one, but then again, the newspapers may be controlled by the ministry. That left very little sources for Harry but the first one he would go to would be Gringotts.

As soon as he entered the bank, Harry made a beeline for the first free teller he could see. Sketching a shallow bow, Harry addressed the goblin with a hint of respect in his tone. "Sir, I do not know who to address my questions to, but I am in need of some information and Gringotts was the first place I came to."

The goblin looked at the boy before him shrewdly. He knew who the boy was, every goblin knew who he was the moment he stepped into the bank, but he was still surprised that Harry Potter felt the need to approach the goblins for information.

Still, he could not divulge any information that freely. "… and why did you not seek the wizarding companion who took you to buy your supplies?"

Harry sighed, he did not want to insult the witches and wizards of the magical world, but there was still a polite way of putting his views across. "The companion who showed me around Diagon Alley did not answer any of my questions. He did not tell me much about my parents too."

The goblin teller peered down at him. He could really sympathize with the boy before him. It seemed that everyone except Harry Potter knew the history of Harry and the other Potters. That was not something to be proud of for a young boy.

Making a decision, the goblin answered, "Very well, I need your key to confirm that you are Harry Potter."

Harry sighed, "I am sorry sir," he sketched a bow again, "I do not have the key, Hagrid took it back with him."

That was wrong on many accounts according to goblin law, but wizarding law allows that a guardian may keep the key. However, the law gets a little muddy when the last member of a family is concerned. If it was a prominent family like the Potters, it was better to err on the side of caution than not. Deciding to leave the decision to the overseer of the Potter accounts, the goblin teller closed his station and motioned Harry to follow him. The walk was not too long before they stopped at an ornate door that held a plaque denoting that the goblin, Grimclaw, inside was the keeper of Black and Potter accounts.

The goblin who sat in that office seemed older to Harry but at the same time the underlying steel could also be seen. As soon as the two entered the office, Grimclaw and the goblin that escorted him to the current office were in a serious discussion. Harry was tempted to fidget under their occasional glances, which to him were more like a glare, but he held himself straight and presented a confident face.

After what was a few minutes, the goblin teller left the office leaving Harry to the tender mercies of Grimclaw. The elder goblin motioned Harry to sit and asked to relate his upbringing until now.

Harry was uncomfortable telling others about his home life, but if the goblin was the keeper of his accounts, he was sure that lying to him would not be beneficial. So he told him about the neglect and about what happened after Hagrid retrieved him and what he learnt subsequently.

Grimclaw was a very patient listener and made appropriate notes. Finally, Harry finished his tale and was exhausted. However, at the same time he felt lighter as if a large burden was removed from his chest. He did not realize it before but the phrase 'A problem shared is a problem halved' did indeed seem to be true.

The goblin's face was impassive but he was having a massive internal struggle. In the strictest sense of law, what Dumbledore did was not wrong. He was after all the magical guardian to Harry Potter and so had control over the boy's finances. The problem though was that Dumbledore named himself the boy's guardian. James and Lily Potter did not give him the authority. In a way, the headmaster usurped the authority and now it seems that Harry Potter's magical guardian did not prepare the boy to face the wizarding world and the immense heritage left by the Potters before him.

For the goblin kind, children were really a gift, a very precious gift of magic. Goblins lived very long lives, even up to a thousand years. To keep the population under control, not every goblin couple is blessed with children and so whoever may have been the parents, all goblin children are considered sacred. To see that the same could not be said of wizarding children and the way that the adults treated them was sad. Moreover, the Potters were always treated with respect by the goblins due to their rich heritage and to see the decline of a family with such a rich heritage did not sit with the elder goblin.

Grimclaw decided to do something unorthodox, that would also have a benefit of poking his tongue at the bigwigs of the wizarding world while helping the child in front of him.

"You are a very curious case Mr. Potter," Grimclaw began. "For one you are the 'Boy-Who-Lived' and dubbed as a national hero. Therefore, everyone and their grandmother wanted a piece of you."

Harry was thunderstruck. 'National hero' he seethed. Did they not have the concept of privacy? Should they not ask him if he wanted to revere him as a hero? Did they not see his sadness for losing his parents? Apparently, no one cared.

Grimclaw felt the change in emotions, now to stroke them more, "You are also the last Potter and with the vast amount of money you will inherit, the one who controls you would have access to that wealth. So, of course, you were to be manipulated."

Harry thought that the shocks were over for the day, but it seemed to him that they were just beginning. The goblin continued, "The chief warlock sealed your parents' will stating war time conditions. He got the decision ratified by the wizengamot and so nothing could be done."

"Who is the chief warlock?" Harry looked at the goblin shrewdly. He felt as if he was being given information so that he could prompt the goblin to answer them. Harry was impressed, Grimclaw was probably bound by some treaty not to disclose information but as his accounts keeper, he was honour bound to answer questions.

"Albus Dumbledore," Grimclaw stated and then volunteered, "He is also the Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards."

Harry groaned at that. Too much power in one man's hands. He remembered his uncle always saying that one man should not have too much power since they can corrupt the system. Harry felt as if Albus Dumbledore had done just that. He remembered his aunt's words that Dumbledore dumped him on their doorstep without even their knowledge.

"How can I get the wills unsealed?"

Grimclaw peered at him, "Only the head of house Potter or a magical guardian can do that."

Harry nodded his head, he kind of figured that. "I cannot claim the head of house status until 17. Who is my magical guardian?"

The goblin knew that what was coming next was going to be tricky, "Your magical guardian as named by your parents was Sirius Black, but Albus Dumbledore named himself after the wills were sealed."

Harry was reeling. "Sirius Black?" he nearly shouted. "… but he was supposed to have betrayed my parents."

The goblin shook his head, "After you were born, your parents named him as your godfather. Once that was done, Sirius came to Gringotts, made his will and named you his heir. Why would someone who wanted to have your parents killed name you his heir?"

'Yep,' Harry thought, 'That would make no sense'.

"Wait! Godfather?" he exclaimed. Seeing Grimclaw's nod, he continued, "Why was this not brought up at his trial?"

Grimclaw was getting upset now, "As far as we know, Mr. Black never had a trial. We made enquiries and provided information that he was your godfather and so could not have betrayed your parents. But our words were not heeded and Mr. Black was left to rot in Azkaban."

Harry was also getting angry at the injustice of it all. Unless some new evidence came to light, his godfather was to rot in that hell hole. It seemed to him that many people had vested interest in his life and were controlling events.

Grimclaw continued, "Now that everyone who bore the name Black is dead, Sirius Black is the head of house Black. You are now not only as the heir of House Potter but also that of House Black."

'Keeps getting better and better.' Harry thought.

"Who could have been the heir of House Black if I was not named in Sirius' will?"

"Mr. Draco Malfoy, heir to House Malfoy."

Harry shook his head ruefully. Now he understood. Not only did the headmaster wanted to control him, but one of the death eaters also had a vested interest in him and there was nothing he could do about it. He knew from his studies that the head of House Malfoy, Lucius, was pardoned without due process of law. His claim of being under the 'imperius curse' was accepted by the Minister of Magic, probably after a large amount of gold being exchanged.

Now, knowing that Lord Voldemort was not actually dead, it made a lot of sense to Harry. Malfoy was probably the second in command of all the death eaters and knew or at least suspected that his master was not really dead. With the lull and a false sense of peace in the wizarding world, Malfoy was probably laying the ground work for total dominance once his master returned. Getting control of finances was one thing, but if he could get the 'Boy-Who-Lived' also under his thumb that would be a coup of enormous proportions.

That begs the question, why did Dumbledore not oppose freeing death eaters and get the wizengamot to try every death eater? The chief warlock certainly had the power to do so. Then why did he not? Harry realized that the so called leader of light had a hidden agenda that certainly involved him, probably not to his benefit.

Unfortunately, Harry also realized that he could do nothing about it. It was a perfect Catch-22 situation. His guardian was trying to control him and he could not get away from under the control of the guardian till he was seventeen.

Harry sighed, "I can do nothing to get out of the situation, can I?" he asked with a sad smile.

Grimclaw confirmed that he could not.

"Can I at lease visit the main Potter vault?"

The goblin grinned showing a mouthful of pointed shark like teeth, "Now, that I can do."

Grimclaw explained that since he was the last Potter, Gringotts could give him the status of the Head of House Potter within its walls but nothing would be on paper as such events would be magically recorded at the Ministry. Harry could not officially claim the title as that would bring out the more obscure laws out into the open and put Harry under the spotlight which Grimclaw was sure Harry did not want at this time.

Grimclaw also told him that even though he could visit the main Potter vault, Harry was not allowed to take anything out, even money. The trust vault would be the only source of money for Harry and so he was unable to merge the two vaults like he initially wanted to. Instead of a new key, Harry was given a medallion.

"Any goblin who sees the medallion would bring you directly to me," Grimclaw said leading the way to the main Potter vault. He did not want anyone even in Gringotts to know about the special dispensation given to the heir of Potter and Black families. Though goblins were honorable, they were also notorious for sticking to the rules. Grimclaw felt that his actions, to the benefit of Harry Potter had a small element of uncertainty attached to it and that may be accused of as skirting the rules. That was the reason why, even though he was a high ranked account manager, he was the one to take his client to the main vault.

Reaching the main Potter vault, Grimclaw ran a finger along an intricate symbol etched into the cast iron door. The magic of the vault recognized the goblin as one authorized to open the door and allowed it to swing open.

Grimclaw turned to Harry, "Take as long as you want to inside. The door will not open to you or to any other goblin. When you want to leave the vault, activate the medallion by putting some of your magic into it and I will retrieve you.

Harry thanked the elder goblin profusely and saw him walking away.

The contents of the vault were arranged in two different groups. One side was covered completely with coins. Harry felt that if he was frugal enough, he need not work even a single day of his life and once he got control of the vault, judicious investments may actually increase his wealth. The knowledge of financial security gave him some sense of relief. He need not go to Hogwarts to learn enough to earn his bread; or rather he need not go to Hogwarts if he did not feel safe.

The other side of the vault was more interesting to Harry. It had rows and rows of books, journals, and assorted files. He began browsing the books and even though he could not take them out, just learning their names would be enough for Harry for now. If he found anything interesting, he could always buy that particular book at the bookstore.

His attention was captured by the journals though. They were diaries of a good number of previous heads of House Potter, including his grandfather Potter. Then there were the journals of his mother and father. While a few of them were about their experiences at Hogwarts, the others were their notes about transfiguration magic, and animagus transformation from his father. There was quite a bit on the political system at that time and his and his mother's speculation of the future. He talked about the changes that were needed to make the wizarding world more tolerant to muggle-borns and other sentient species.

His mother's notes were more about potions, runes and modifications of wand movements for some common charms. Harry cursed his luck; here was a gold mine of information but he could not use it to his benefit. Maybe he could ask Grimclaw if he could make copies of some of them to take outside the vault. It was a question he would be happy to ask as the elder goblin himself made the copies and allowed Harry to take them with him.

Altogether the journals gave him a good idea of Potter history. He ignored the growling of his stomach and dove into the knowledge they were offering with abandon.

Reading through the history of his family, Harry came to realize the enormous politicking his family was involved in. As the only surviving branch of Godric Gryffindor and purportedly of Merlin himself, the Potter family had great weight in making several laws and now Harry had the responsibility of the Potter family heritage. Added to the history, his own fame as the 'Boy-Who-Lived' added to the image and his political capital skyrocketed.

No wonder people were trying to get him under their thumb.

The vault also contained a self-updating tapestry of the Potter family and it held the sad truth of only one living Potter. In addition to that Harry also found a normal chart paper with a hand drawn family tree. He realized that it was not magical and probably made by his mother as he could trace the Evans family line.

Pursuing through the genealogy, one name caught his attention, 'Sarah Bringham!'