Series: Choosing a Darker Path
Book 1: Beginnings
Chapter 4: Diagon Alley
Author's Notes:
Ç Denotes the use of parseltongue Ç
Alright a little longer chapter for the delay with the last chapter. I will warn everyone that this one is a little dialogue heavy and is mostly setup. I tried to flush out things to the degree I felt they should be flushed out.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes)
As the oppressive feeling subsided, I found myself on Charing Cross Road in London. It seemed my magic had been quite literal in my request as I could see the road sign just in front of me. Well at least I was still in one piece. I am still warry about using teleportation. Perhaps I shouldn't be though. For all I knew, it might be pretty common in the wizarding world. My lack of knowledge on such a vital part of my heritage is a grave concern that must be dealt with. But first, to find this Diagon Alley Petunia spoke of.
Ç Master, I do not like your teleportation magic. It is not a pleasant experience Ç Amicus hissed in my ear.
Ç Well neither do I particularly, but I didn't want to walk to London. I don't suppose you know where we are going? Ç I responded.
Ç No master, I do not. My knowledge is limited in scope. I have some innate knowledge of my abilities and those of creatures like me, but that is it. I did not even know the human word for it until the woman mentioned it. Ç Amicus said.
Ç I'm surprised you caught any of my conversation with my lovely aunt at all. You seemed utterly uninterested with learning my language. Ç I commented dryly to him.
Ç Yes well, I do learn some things master. Also, I am still firm on my position that human languages are less elegant. They don't express nearly what my kind's tongue can. Ç He said with what could be best described as an all-mighty sort of tone. "I will concede that I learned the language as best I could because I knew I would be able to serve you better master."
Ç Naturally Ç I said sarcastically. Honestly, you would think Amicus was the greatest of all creatures with his superior speak. Though now that I think about it, that is exactly what he thinks. Well he certainly is the deadliest and he is my pet. Well shit, now he has me doing it too. I will honestly need to keep that in check. As I looked up from our short conversation I did notice something odd. As my eyes roamed over the dimly lit street I took in the buildings. While most were fairly typical, one definitely caught my attention. It looked more run down then the others. It wasn't in a state of disrepair per say, but It definitely didn't look as new as anything around it. Looking to the sign on the door, it read "The Leaky Cauldron". Well how cliché is that? I suppose that could be a name for a pub. I shrugged and began to cross the street towards the building. I suppose it is as good a place to start as any.
As I entered the building, it was like walking back in time. The woodwork gave everything a rustic feel and the dim light that illuminated everything flickered in intensity telling me that clearly it was lit by fire. I could see several booths and tables. The place was pretty sparsely populated, odd. I would think a pub would pick up in the evening hours but it seemed that this wasn't really the case. I suppose I should ask for directions. I knew I would need to act the dumb child here. Not one that doesn't know anything, but one that is simply lost. It would be a little risky but I needed to have some sort of assistance until I could get my own bearings. I looked toward the counter where a man was cleaning a glass. The man appeared to be rather haggard in appearance. I would judge him to be in his late 70s at the least. He had no hair which only made his elongated walnut-like head more prominent. As I approached him he looked up and gave me a toothless smile.
"Well hello there young lad. What can I do for you?" he asked me. He seemed nice enough and would likely believe my story. I gave him a shy smile and tried to act my actual age, a difficult feat for me considering how advanced I was.
"Well Mister…" I started
"Tom, please my boy, you will make me feel old" he said beaming at me.
"Ah…ok, well Tom. I was wondering if you would be able to help me get to Diagon Alley. You see I was with my parents and I just got this idea to go see the non-magical people. I may have kind of left my parents and well I kind of got a little lost" I told him trying to appear embarrassed.
"Oh, your poor boy. I am sure your parents are worried. That wasn't a very smart thing to do but well getting you back to the alley shouldn't be too much trouble, should it?" he asked rhetorically. "I assume you and your parents must have been finishing some last-minute shopping for the day. I know that it seems safe in the alley even at night, but you need to understand that the muggle world isn't always as safe at night. But I am sure your parents have told you that. Well are you going need help finding them one I let you back into the alley?" He asked as he started walking towards the back, seemingly expecting me to follow him. As I trailed after him I gave him a quick shake of my head.
"Oh no sir…I mean Tom. We are to meet at the bank if we get separated while shopping" I replied with childlike confidence.
"Oh, well that shouldn't be too difficult then, should it? Gringotts is a tad bit larger than the rest of the buildings." He offhandedly commented and opened a door on the back wall. As I followed him, I found myself in a small stone courtyard that was quite spartan save for a solitary rubbish bin. Tom strode towards an old-fashioned looking brick wall and pulled out what I could best describe as a long, crocked stick. I did notice that unlike a stick picked up off the ground, this one seemed to be polished and looked as though it had some markings in it, curious. He proceeded to tap the stick on one of the bricks. I took note of the particular brick he used and decided to risk something.
"Tom usually I see my parents just tap on the brick, is that all it takes? I mean if figured I couldn't just use my finger?" I said with some actual trepidation in my voice instead of the fake voice I was using before.
"As opposed to a wand you mean? Well you obviously can't have one yet since you are too young and while yes you can use your finger if you put a bit of magic into the tip, that isn't something you will learn until you are at Hogwarts. That sort of focusing isn't taught till later years either." Well good thing I already know how to focus my magic then. By the way he makes it, I imagine that most wizarding children aren't capable of the kind of magic I can do. Well it is good to know that I will be even good for a wizard.
"Well thanks again Tom. You really helped me out there" I said cheerfully. But just before I was about to run off he called out to me.
"Lad you didn't think you were going to be able to pull a fast one on Tom did ya? I mean with the way you are dressed what is going on here is obvious" he said sternly. Shit, this isn't good. Perhaps my acting isn't as good as I thought. "You planned the whole excursion didn't you? You probably told your parents you were just trying out the muggle fashion." He said suddenly a grin appearing on his face. "I will commend you too, you must have done your research. Usually, we are complete rubbish at imitating the muggle styles." He gave me a little wink. "Don't worry lad, your secrets safe with me. I was your age once and a little harmless scheming never did a child too much wrong." He gave a little laugh.
"Well you caught me. Thanks for not telling anyone though" I said with a genuine grin. This man wasn't too bad and he wasn't as thick as I originally thought he was. I mean he got my intentions wrong but with his limited information it wasn't a bad conclusion to draw. I realized that the entrance way had parted magically it seemed and I was now presented with Diagon Alley it was quite a stark contrast to the Leaky Cauldron. The area still had an old-fashioned feel about it, what with its winding cobblestone pavement lined by gas powered lamps, it's structures being primarily made of brick, stone, or wood, old fashioned tempered style glass windows, etc. It was hard to keep my expression the same. But it was important that Tom not think that I wasn't expecting the sights in front of me. I turned to Tom and politely said goodbye. He walked back towards the pub and as I stepped through the archway I noticed the bricks collapse back into a wall behind me.
I began to walk down the street and noticed shops claiming to sell a variety of magical items: potions, strange sounding objects which if I had to guess I would say they were probably used in those potions being sold, enchantments, spices, and even a shop that sold a wand like Tom the barkeep had. I also noticed a variety of shops that seemed to sell more mundane items such as clothing, food, drinks, luggage trunks, writing supplies and a fair amount of pet shops. While I would have liked to explore these shops, and see what was on offer, I needed to get to the bank to pull out some funds that my parents had left me. Dumbledore had been giving the Dursleys 2000 quid a month, so the amount my parents left me must no doubt be quite substantial. Either that or my money was nearly depleted. Though he did make it sound like it would pay for my school supplies as well so I doubted that it would nearly gone two years before I even started school. In any case, many of the shops were already closed anyway due to the time of night. I would need to find some hostel somewhere that wouldn't ask questions about a 9-year-old staying by himself. A difficult prospect in a modern country. But based on first impressions of the wizarding world, they seem to be a close knit and old-fashioned sort of community. Thus, they may not deem a child staying by themselves too strange. The barkeep didn't seem nearly as alarmed as I thought he would be about me being on my own at least while in the confines of Diagon Alley. Only time would tell I suppose.
After a few minutes walking, I arrived at Gringotts. I could see why Tom had said it would be hard to miss. While most of the buildings were made of brick or wood and were at best three stories tall, this building was monolithic by comparison. It had to be at least ten stories tall and was made of solid marble. It had huge pillars that served as support and I could see two enormous bronze doors at the end of a white marble staircase. As impressive as the building was, the two creatures standing vigil as guards were what really caught my attention. They were odd, to say the least. They were short in stature and had long ears as well as sharp hook noses. Their skin was sallow and pale, yet each did have a slightly different shade. The one on the left had more of a green tinge while the one on the right contrasted that with more of a yellowish hue. Both wore uniforms of scarlet and gold and had what presumably was the bank's crest on their chests. They also were wielding spears and had an expression that I could best describe as complete and utter boredom. I could sympathize, standing out there all day must not have been the most glorious job at the bank.
I began to climb the stairs and kept my eyes forward and simply gave each of them a curt nod. I was surprised when I got a perplexed expression from them. I simply acted as if I hadn't noticed and waited for them to pull the doors open for me. I soon entered an antechamber that had two identical doors held open this time across from me. No doubt this was a measure meant to trap someone should the bank need to stop them. I looked up and noticed a gilded engraving above the second set of doors.
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
Well I definitely held some respect for the owners of this bank now. The creatures out front were small but they were menacing and the poem made their policy on thieves quite clear. They were not worried; the poem was meant to be a challenge. It dared someone to try to steal from them and suffer the consequences. Now if the poem was more than empty words, which I have no doubt this is the case, I am sure my money is safe. I began to walk down the polished marble floor and after exiting the next set of doors, flanked by yet more of those creatures, I entered a long grand hall. Lining the sides of the hall were large heavy wooden countertops. Behind them perched on stools more of the strange creatures were examining various gems, weighting what liked like gold, silver, bronze and some other precious metal I couldn't identify from this distance, helping customers, exchanging what was clearly pounds for some sort of coins, etc. It seemed as though the creatures actually ran the bank in truth instead of just guarding it, interesting. I could see a few people milling about near the far counter. It seemed that there weren't too many customers this late into the evening. Good, it should be all the easier to remain unnoticed. Thankfully I could see that one of them was also wearing non-magical type clothing, I suppose the term Tom used was muggle. That must be how they refer to non-magical people. I walked purposely forward and queued up for the next available teller.
"Next" a shrill creature called up. It was lucky that I was the last customer and it seemed no one else had entered behind me. That was fortunate. I am sure he would ask my name and I don't need everyone blabbing that they heard Harry Potter was at Gringotts. Discretion was key until I was able to get a better handle on things. I stepped forward and the creature looked down at me with a slight sneer on his face.
"And what can I do for you?" he asked tartly.
"Hello, I need to speak to someone about my account" I informed him. I figured my best tactic with this one was to keep it short and to the point. He seemed to not be the type who liked to doddle. In fact, he was quite rude, if I was being honest. But I couldn't take every slight as a personal insult. At least not yet.
"Name" he growled out.
"Harry Potter" I replied simply. Ha, that got his attention. His eyes bugged out and they seemed to unconsciously float to my forehead. Ah, but of course, he was looking for the scar.
"My hair is covering it up at the moment. Though I would rather you simply get to business instead of ogling at my person" I said in a short tone. The creature seemed to get a hold of himself and gave me a curt nod. He seemed to shift his demeanor to one of slightly less hostility. Well at least I was making some progress with him.
"My I presume you have your key" he asked.
"You may not presume that" I said. "I unfortunately have not been in the wizarding world for some time and I seem to have never been given any key. However, I am sure a fine establishment such as this can accommodate my lack of key by identifying me with something else" I said in a tone that implied I was getting impatient.
"Your face is young, yet you talk as if much older" he contemplated seemingly to himself. "Good then I shouldn't have to dumb things down for you. You are correct, we do have ways of identifying you without the key. It will cost you a fee however" at this he gave me a toothy smile.
"Would it be too much to ask you to withdraw the funds from my account once my identify is verified?" I asked him.
"That could be arranged, assuming you are whom you claim to be" he replied simply. He then proceeded to draw a silver dagger from his tunic and pulled what appeared to be parchment from the desk. It was similar to what Dumbledore had written his letter to Petunia on. However, this parchment contained some sort of symbols on it etched in a stylized ink. "Prick the end of your finger with the blade and simply allow three drops of your blood to fall upon the parchment" he instructed me. "It will display your full name if you are in our records, which you will be if you have an account with us."
I took the offered knife and pressed it firmly into my palm. It took quite a bit of force. Damn my thick skin due to Amicus. Speaking of Amicus, he had been rather quiet. He seemed content to just sleep the journey away wrapped around me. If only he was a little lighter. Thankfully he was out of sight for the moment. I don't need them thinking I am trying to sick a magical snake on them. After the requisite number of blood drops had fallen onto the parchment, I pulled the dagger from my palm. My accelerated healing took care of the cut almost instantly. The creature gave me a somewhat quizzical look when he seemed to see my skin heal. Perceptive little bugger, isn't he? I handed the knife and parchment back to him. He placed the knife back into whatever pocket he had pulled it from and laid the parchment upon the counter.
I watched with some interest as the symbols glowed gold and the blood droplets on the page began to thin out and form the words: "Harry James Potter". I looked up at the creature expectantly and tapped my foot. It seemed the portrayal of a very inconvenienced customer got me what I wanted with him so I continued to play to that notion.
"It seems that you are indeed Harry Potter" he said, almost disappointed. Perhaps they were going to cart me off as an imposter if I had not been who I said I was. Perhaps I would ask at a later time what they do with people who try to illegally access other's funds. "Griphook" he shouted out in a voice that was louder than I thought he would be capable of producing. A slightly shorter and younger creature appeared from one of the alcoves behind another part of the counter. I could see he was moving with some haste and that he wanted to please the other creature whom had given him the command. Clearly the one at the desk was a higher rank.
"The Potter account manager is still here is he not?" the older creature asked Griphook.
"Yes sir. He does not leave until about 8:00PM typically" Griphook replied in a slightly higher pitched tone.
"Good. Take Mr. Potter here to his office and inform him that his client wishes to discuss the current state of the accounts with him" He commanded Griphook. Griphook gave the other creature a bow and motioned for me to follow him. Alright, I could finally get some answers. We proceeded through a door off to the left and found ourselves in a well-lit corridor. Griphook didn't seem to want to make any conversation so I didn't engage him. We soon arrived at a heavy oak door which Griphook gave a few quick ponds of his small fist.
"It opens" a muffled voice called from within. Griphook opened the door and motioned for me to enter. He said something in a language I couldn't identify and then bowed out of the room. In front of me was a very elderly creature. It seemed as they aged their teeth yellowed considerably as when he gave me a small smile as he stood up I could see what honestly were quite disgusting piss yellow sharp chompers. He was a little taller than Griphook and his fingers seemed to be twice as long. He had greenish-yellow nails that seemed to be filed to a deadly edge. As I gave a quick look around his office, I could see that it was quite richly decorated. A large red throw rug covered most of the black marble floor. The dominating feature was a heavy mahogany desk that was flanked by an overly sized plush red chair one side and two slightly more reasonable sized comfortable looking red chairs on the other. The office was lit by candle sconces in the walls which gave somewhat of a homely feel to it. The creature gave me a speculative look before beginning to speak in a deep voice.
"Griphook informs me that you need to speak to me about the status of the Potter accounts. Am I correct Mr. Potter?" he asked.
"That's right' I said in a neutral tone, as I wasn't sure what was the best tactic to take with him.
"Well please have a seat then. My name is Ragnok, I am your account manager here at Gringotts. Let me please welcome you back to the wizarding world Mr. Potter. Both on behalf of myself and the rest of the Goblin Nation. Let your vault never empty and your gold ever flow." He proceeded to give me a small bow of his head as I sat in the chair on the left. So, these creatures were goblins then. Well they fit the description from folklore and stories, I suppose. Since magic was real and I was now seeing something straight out of a fairytale, it got me to wonder how many of those old tales had some truth to them. It was food for thought at any rate.
"Thank you for your most gracious welcome. I confess I do not know much about the Goblin Nation nor the wizarding world for that matter. As you have correctly surmised, I have not been here for some time." I said politely. I decided to go with a formal and polite mask for Ragnok. He had shown me some respect and seemed to be trying to give a more formal method of conversation. Hopefully, this would work best. He gave me a small nod of his head, accepting my explanation.
"A pity that Mr. Potter, truly. But it is of no consequence, you are here now and seem to be taking an interest in your finances. I must confess that I would have expected someone to accompany you here for such important business" he said, the unasked question clear. Time to tread lightly.
"My caregivers are not of magical descent and have no interest in our world. I am the last of my true family as far as I am aware and despite my young age I figure that the sooner I begin to look to my financial future the better." I told him. I was surprised that he actually gave me a genuine smile at that.
"You speak quite elegantly for your age, young wizard. I whole heartedly approve of your keen interest. After all, we goblins make financial planning a key part of our own children's life. After all, it is never too early to start growing ones financial aptitude. Well to business then." As he finished speaking he snapped his fingers and a stack of file folders appeared on the desk. Well good to know he has magical abilities as well. I wonder if all goblins do or just some, as with humans. The folders contained many separate crisp sheets of parchment within. Ragnok then drew another parchment from his desk with similar markings as the identification sheet I had to use in the lobby. He shifted a few things around to form what most have been his ideal workflow and then looked to me again.
"Now Mr. Potter. You are obviously the heir of the Potter household. However, you have yet to claim that status officially. Before we worry about that, there are other considerations to ponder on. You will find Mr. Potter that I am a man of efficiency and if you will indulge me, I would like to conclude as many of the pending business matters in one session as possible. It may take some of your no doubt valuable time but I believe it best in this circumstance." At my nod of approval, he continued. "As I have said, you will clearly be the heir of the Potter household, but you may be an heir to other households as well. There are not many wizards as compared to the muggle population. Thus, many of the families have interconnected bloodlines. Dual heirship is not all that uncommon. I also know for a fact you are the beneficiary of other accounts, due to your unique status. It is my desire that you take an inheritance test so that we may deal with all of your holdings and other interests in the immediacy. Everything will automatically be compiled in one nice neat spot for s. I will do you a curtesy and offer this test to you without the usual associated fee. Think of it as a gesture of good faith between burgeoning partners with a common goal of making the most profit possible." He finished giving me a bit of a smirk.
"Forgive me, I don't want to stereotype you" I said carefully. "Would it be too forward to presume that most goblins in your profession would not be so generous" I gave him a small tile of my head. This seemed to earn an actual chuckle from him. That sound was a little off putting. It honestly had more in line with a garbage disposal than an actual noise of an organic being.
"Well I am glad you are following so closely. A future raven at Hogwarts, eh? Or perhaps a snake? It is of no matter. Your forward assumption is not as forward as you think. A stereotype would require the statement to be untrue in actual circumstance. So what I am getting at is that you are correct. Goblins are known for many things, Mr. Potter. Generous offers are not typically one of them." I was unsure what he was referring to when he said raven or snake, they must have some significance to the schooling at Hogwarts. I felt even more sure of a desire to research everything I could about this world so I did not feel so ignorant with off-handed comments like these. However, I had a feeling this was some sort of test put on by Ragnok. Instead of taking the bait I simply shrugged my solders in a sign of indifference. I would neither admit a weakness or proclaim an undeserved strength. If he expected more from me, he would be disappointed. Disappointment seemed to be the farthest thing from his expression however.
"Ah, well that answers my question then" he said vaguely. "Is that a yes then to the inheritance test?" he asked.
"Your logic is sound so yes I will take your test. I want as much information as possible. I have years of catching up to do after all" I replied.
"Too true, Mr. Potter. Well as you can imagine this will involve a sample of your blood. Many of our detections do. Blood is a powerful magical carrier. Three drops will suffice." He then proceeded to move the parchment over to me and pulled a similar silver dagger from his formal jacket just as the teller had pulled from his black tunic which seemed to be a uniform for non-management employees. I grabbed the knife from him and repeated the process of slicing my palm to provide the blood for the test. This time instead of simply showing surprise at my rapid healing, Ragnok actually commented on it.
"How exactly did you just do that, if I may be so bold as to ask?" he questioned me.
"I heal quite rapidly. It is…." I trailed of for a moment as I contemplated what to do. I decided to ask a question instead. "Mr. Ragnok…."
"Just Ragnok is fine Mr. Potter." He cut me off.
"Alright Ragnok, you can refer to me as Harry then. I have a question for you before I explain further about your inquiry." I told him. He gave me a gesture indicating that I should ask away. "I trust that the meetings we have are confidential? You would not divulge any information I speak to you to anyone else." I asked him.
"Of course, Harry. I am bound to your family to keep your confidence when it comes to financial matters. As far as other information goes, so long as it isn't something illegal, I would not have any reason to share it. Besides, I am under no obligation to tell anyone anything even if it were illegal. Just that such interactions would come out if I were to be put under a truth spell or potion." He explained.
"Good. However, while I am sure your word is your bond, I will inform you that if any what I am about to tell you leaves this room, you will find yourself out of, if I do say so myself, a very lucrative customer" I said to him in a tone that showed certainty that was somewhat fake. I had inferred that I was quite wealthy but I could still be wrong on that. He gave me a toothy grin.
"Oh, I would expect nothing less Harry. You aren't half bad for a wizard." He said with another guttural chuckle.
"I am not sure if I should take offense or be flattered" I said sarcastically.
"To each their own" he quipped. "So, your healing abilities?" he questioned.
"Yes those. Well you see I have a bonded magical creature that provides me with some enhancements" I explained carefully.
"You are quite young to have a bonded familiar, typically the earliest that is seen is Hogwarts age" he said with some interest. "Where is he or she at this moment?" he asked. Ah so they had a specific word for it. It must be something that wizards typically do.
"He is here. He is of course sleeping, it is what he does best to be honest. He likes the warmth that my body heat provides. I do not however leave him away from me for very long. He doesn't take too kindly from not being able to be near in case he is needed. He is quite protective if he wants to be" I explained.
"May I see him?" Ragnok asked. "The test will still take a few minutes to finish."
"I suppose so" I replied. Ç Amicus, stop being lazy and come out here. I have someone for you to meet Ç I hissed to the snake. I felt Amicus begin to stir but I was distracted by the gasp of breath taken by Ragnok.
"You are a Parselmouth!" he exclaimed. His eyes had now taken on a glint of intrigue and he was visibly shaking with excitement.
"You must forgive me Ragnok, I am unfamiliar with the term" I informed him.
"Of course, of course. Let me explain. A Parselmouth is a person who can speak Parseltongue, the language of serpents. It is an exceedingly rare gift and is generally seen as an ability possessed by wizards of the darker inclination" He finished. He now took on a calculating look. He was waiting for my reaction to this information.
"Well that is certainly interesting. Well based on your description, yes I believe I am a Parselmouth" I said simply. This was clearly not the response he was expecting. However, he seemed pleased by it nonetheless. By this point Amicus had completely uncoiled himself from my body and was lazily draped around my shoulders. He was looking at Ragnok with trepidation, as if assessing if he was a threat to me or not. I would point out that he probably should have checked long ago, but I had told him to remain unseen so it was my fault really. Now that I knew wizards having familiars was common enough for it not to be too shocking, I wouldn't be hiding him away any longer. I didn't need to tell people how powerful the bond was between us. If Ragnok was worried about Amicus, he gave no comment. Instead he smirked and began to speak.
"And Harry the label of possessing what many consider a dark ability doesn't bother you?" he said in a sing-song type of voice. If he thinks people thinking my nature was darker than normal bothers me, then he clearly hasn't assessed my attitude yet. I suppose there was ample time for us to asses one another as we continued this meeting and likely many more later.
"Why should it?" I asked him. "People may think what they wish. Perhaps they are correct, perhaps not. It is of no consequence to me. I do not concern myself with the opinions of the masses. My actions and my nature are mine alone and I shall not shape myself to fit their pre-conceived notions of me. Sure, I will put up a mask or two where necessary, but I will not pretend to be something I am not if it does not give me any real gain. I could pretend to be a goody too shoes." At his look of confusion, I elaborated. "A muggle expression, it means utterly good, but It is typically a derogatory descriptor for someone who goes against their self-interest to do the 'right' or 'moral' thing, never willing to explore the other side" I explained. He gave a quick nod and had a look of understanding on his face. "As I was saying, I could be that and possibly enamor myself to fools who want to worship me, but I would give up the ability to be myself. I believe freedom of expression and value in oneself is important and I will not allow weak minded imbeciles to take that from me" finishing my little rant.
"Harry, I must say that I can respect your opinion" he began. "It is honestly quite a mature sentiment to have. Most people try to please others, even to the point of their own detriment. You may have noticed that we goblins take a more brunt approach in most circumstances. If you have displeased us, you will generally know it. While there is a time for subterfuge and subtlety. Sometimes the best approach is the true one, even if others disapprove. But we have spoken on this long enough. Back to your familiar. He is obviously a magical serpent. Do you know what kind he is?" He asked.
"I do not" I admitted. It would probably be a good idea to find out so that I could understand all of his properties and be sure that I knew how big he was going to get. At the current rate, my body would break from his girth.
"I confess I am no expert in magical creatures" he explained. "But perhaps you should pick up a book on magical serpents and compare him to the ones listed until you find a match" Ragnok suggested. "I will say that he is quite a sight, whatever his species."
Ç Master, I have decided I like this one Ç Amicus said simply.
Ç You would like him just because he complimented you Ç I told what I now knew to be my familiar. I tried to lace the hissing with sarcasm but I am unsure if it translated properly. Whether I had succeeded or not was unclear because Amicus didn't comment on it.
"Well, Harry it appears this discussion will have to continue another time as the test has completed. And I must say the results do speak volumes. At least now I can see where your Parseltongue ability comes from. Though the nature of how such a connection exists is a mystery. The test isn't able to determine such things I am afraid" he said with a little disappointment evident.
"Oh, please do tell" I told him. Instead of elaborating, he simply gave me the parchment he had been scanning over. The length was quite surprising and it did indeed speak volumes about my wealth. That was for sure.
Client Inheritance and Vault Ownership Test
Client Full Name: Harry James Potter
Father: James Charles Potter (Pureblood)
Mother: Lilly Jane Potter Née Evans (Muggleborn)
Godfather: Sirius Orion Black (Pureblood)
Godmother: Alice Celia Longbottom Née McKinnon (Pureblood)
Client Blood Status: Half-Blood
Client Titles:
The Ancient and Most Honorable House of Potter – Heir | Right of Blood (Last of Line)
The Ancient and Most Nobile House of Black – Heir | Named by Lord Sirius Black
The Archaic and Most Nobile House of Slytherin – Heir | Magical Connection (Nature Unknown)
Vault Ownership (Ordered by Depth – Ascending):
Vault Number/Name Contents Total Value
Vault 9 – Slytherin Family Vault (Restricted Sp. Cr.) Unknown Unknown
Vault 52 – Black Family Vault (Heir Access Sp. Cr.) Heirlooms, Currency 5.64 million galleons
Vault 68 – Potter Family Vault (Full Access Sp. Cr.) Heirlooms, Currency 8.84 million galleons
Vault 687 – Potter School Trust Vault (Full Access) Currency 25,000 galleons
Vault 711 – Sirius Black Personal Vault (Heir Access) Currency 278,384 galleons
Other Consolidated Vaults – Bequeathed (Full Access) Liquidated 3.3 million galleons
Special Note: Consolidated bequeathments have been merged with Potter family vault for your convince.
Total Unrestricted Asset Value 15.07 million galleons
Properties (Unapprised) Unordered:
Name Location
Godric's Hollow Cottage Number 18 Church Street, Godric's Hollow, England
Black Ancestral Town House Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London, England
Potter Ancestral Manor Number 4 Burren Way, Clare County, Ireland
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Partial Ownership) Unplottable
Bound Creatures:
8 House Elves (Potter Family) – Potter Ancestral Manor
5 Hippogryphs (Potter Family) – Potter Ancestral Manor
2 Thestrals (Potter Family) – Potter Ancestral Manor
1 House Elf (Black Family) – Black Ancestral Town House
As I finished reading the parchment, I wasn't sure what to think. It seemed I was far wealthier than I could have imagined. Well I now had my answer about who my godfather was, Sirius Orion Black. It would be ideal to get some official guardianship other than the Dursleys. I needed to find out what happened to him.
"I'm sure you can imagine this is a lot to handle" I told Ragnok. "While I obviously would like to discuss everything that I own. I need to ask you something first. I pointed to the 'Godfather' line of the parchment. This man, Sirius Black, it says here that he is my godfather. Based on my Aunt's descriptions of things that isn't really a religious title in the wizarding world but is instead one of responsibility. She said that I should have gone to him. He was my father's best friend. Where is he at this current moment and why would I not be living with him instead of my relatives?" I asked. Ragnok hesitated for a moment before shaking his head as if coming to a decision.
"Lord Black currently resides in Azkaban Prison. He was put there on 13 counts of murder of muggles and for the betrayal of your parents. It is said he revealed their location to the Dark Lord and was therefore responsible for their deaths." He said. His face showed that he seemed genuinely sorry. But something didn't add up right away for me.
"If what you say is true, then why did Lord Black name me his heir?" I asked him.
"That is a good question. One moment please." Ragnok snapped his fingers and another folder with parchment appeared. He dug through several sheets and then began to read one in particular. After a few moments he looked up, a calculating expression on his face.
"According to the account notes left by the Black estate manager, it appears Lord Black named you his heir on July 31st, 1981. That would have been your first birthday and only a short while before that faithful October night. I would have said that Lord Black just hadn't had time to remove you as heir before being incarcerated if he had made you his heir when he became your godfather. But with it being so close to his supposed betrayal it seems quite odd he would make you his heir if he knew you would be dead. I could make discrete inquiries to find out more about this, but we will need to table it for now."
"Yes, please do" I informed him.
"Apparently, I also have a godmother. Would she have the same responsibility as my Godfather?" I asked him.
"Yes she would. However, Lady Longbottom is currently a resident of the Perminant Ward at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries due to severe spell damage. She would be unable to take care of you" he informed me.
"Well it seems everyone that was supposed to take care of me is either dead or incapacitated, just my luck" I said a little bitterly. Sometimes it was hard to control my emotions, no matter what I tried.
"I apologize Ragnok, let us get off the subject for now. Could we discuss my inheratence test?" I asked him.
"Of course. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have" Ragnok replied.
"Alright then" allowing myself to think about anything else than the worst parts of my life. This part was at least good, there were silver linings to most things. I looked at the parchment and began to speak. "Well, I see several Sp. Cr. as well as certain levels of access for each account. Do you think you could explain that to me?" I asked him as I pointed out the areas of the parchment I was referring to. Ragnok looked over the sheet for a moment and then began to explain.
"Sp. Cr. stands for special circumstances. It is on each of these accounts because of unique situation where the access is different than it normally would be. If you look at the Slytherin vault for example, it has an access level of restricted. This means you cannot access anything within it and cannot even visit it. The reason is because of restrictions placed on it by the current Lord of the house of Slytherin, whom is not as of yet deceased. You are the magical heir so if he changed these restrictions or were to die the circumstances would change and thus access restrictions would change with them. There are two levels of meaningful access that an heir can have, full and heir access. What this means depends upon the instructions left with each family's account." He paused to ensure that I understood what he meant. I gave him a nod and he continued to move down the chart.
"The Black Family vault is giving you heir access. This is not normal for the Blacks, typically the heirs are given a trust vault similar to that of the Potters. Any items the head of the family wish the heir to have would be placed there. However, since the current Lord Black is incarcerated, you are the acting Lord. This doesn't mean you can claim the title nor does it mean that you can fully access the vault without restriction. The reason for this is that the Black Lordship cannot be claimed by anyone who has not reached their magical majority, that is 17 years of age, unless they are last of line. Heir restrictions on the Black Vault are….." he trailed off as he shuffled with some papers in what I now could tell was the Black Family file. "Ah here it is" he continued. "The heir may withdraw a maximum of 50,000 galleons worth of heirloom, currency, artifact, etc. per month. This restriction may be waived if the amount being withdrawn is needed for a special occasion. This determination is at the discretion of the current Lord of the household or if he is indisposed, then the account manager" Ragnok read.
So, I could remove 50,000 galleons per month. Speaking of which what the hell is a galleon. "Ragnok what exactly is a galleon. I surmised it is the currency used in the wizarding world but I have no context for how much money that actually is" I explained.
"Last I checked the exchange rate, which was just yesterday, a galleon is worth 4.93 pounds sterling. The galleon is also subdivided into two other forms of currency that is used in the wizarding world. You have a silver sickle, which is worth 0.05882 galleons and the bronze knut which is worth 0.002028 galleons. This equates to 17 sickles to a galleon and 493 knuts to a galleon. Also, there are 29 knuts to 1 sickle." As Ragnok finished his explanation, I honestly wanted to bang my head on the desk. That has got to be one of the most needlessly complicated currency system I have ever heard of. It seemed like everything else it was archaic and thus didn't have any standardized and easily divisible pieces. As I looked at it objectively, I could see one thing that made way too much sense.
"Who created this wonderful currency system" I asked him, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Ragnok gave me a toothy smile and I could tell that I had been right.
"Why we of the Goblin Nation assisted the wizards of course" he replied clearly proud of their accomplishment.
"And let me take a shot in the dark and say that it is so complex so that you can get the most money out of people getting lost in the numbers" I said in a deadpan voice.
"You catch on quick, don't you?" he said with clear humor in his voice. I gave a sign and simply told him that it was getting late and I would like to move on. He gave me a smirk and continued on.
"Alright, moving further down we can see the Potter Family Vault grants you full access. This is also a special circumstance case. You would normally only get heir access, but if you look higher up on the sheet you can see that you are the last of line. This causes special provisions to take effect, allowing you to manage all of the family's finances. However, due to restrictions imposed by the Ministry you cannot take the lordship until the minimum age of fourteen, even with the last of line clause in effect. Next, there is the Potter trust vault. This vault is a standard vault that lords typically setup for their heirs to deal with schooling and any possible post Hogwarts pursuits they may have before they start their career. The Potter trust vault is setup with a 25,000 galleon limit which is fully refilled upon the 1st of January of each year. Typically, this teaches the heir responsibility while also ensuring they have enough money. A lord may reduce or cut off the amount of money they are giving to their heir if they feel they are spending too much or if they think they are not living up to the family's ideals.
Moving right along your godfather's personal vault. He has not stipulated any specifics on heir withdraw limits. Probably didn't care one way or another. So the heir access is a technicality more than anything. There are no restrictions on your ability to withdraw money from this account. Are you still with me so far?" he asked. I was looking at Amicus and absent-mindedly stoking his scales. Ragnok must have thought I was drifting off into space. I most certainly was not, I was just considering and planning what I would be doing with my new-found wealth.
"Yes, please continue" I told him.
"Finally, we come to the bequeathed assets" he said with a grimace. "This has been a simply annoying amount of paperwork."
"Ok…I know I talk like someone who is much older than I am, but I still am 9 years old and to be honest I have never heard that word in my life" I said with clear displeasure in my tone. I hated not knowing things.
"Not a very common word to be fair" he offered in a conciliatory tone. "When someone bequeaths something to another individual it is just a fancy way of saying they are giving it to them" Ragnok explained. "However, the word is usually only used in the context of will making, as in who do you give your things to after you die. You are the ever-famous Boy Who Lived and you will not believe the numbers of witches and wizards who want to give the last of the fortunes to the great Harry Potter" he said with a sneer on his face. "No offence to you of course. It is just we Goblins find the idea of hero worship most displeasing."
"Well that makes two of us" I said with clear annoyance. "I imagine the loads of paperwork is because of the combining of vaults mentioned in the special note." I said giving him a well-educated guess.
"You are correct. So, I do hope our standard policy isn't displeasing to you and I have to now separate the vaults" he said with a tone that suggested just how much he loathed such an idea.
"No that will not be necessary. I would have requested it anyway. Assuming my vault is big enough to handle everything" I replied.
"For the currency, absolutely. The objects not nearly enough. However, since our standard policy with unspecified Bequeathments is to simply to sell any and all possessions that our appraisers don't consider significantly valuable, there is no concern on space as of yet. Of course, for a fee we can always expand the vault's expansion charms, but that requires an actual directive from the account holder" he said with a smirk, correctly interrupting my annoyance at all of the clever fees goblins seem so fond of.
"As you can see at the bottom you have 15.07 million galleons. This is approximately 80 million pounds for context. Though you are pretty smart, so I am sure you could do the math. You are quite a rich wizard Harry. Not the richest, but certainly the richest 9-year-old to be sure. Though there is always room for more profit" he said with what I swear was a twinkle in his eyes.
"Naturally" I smirked. "We can indeed talk about such things at a later date."
"Yes, now before we move on to the properties, I wanted to address something I have noticed as I examined your statements." Ragnok said.
"Oh, and what is that?" I inquired.
"Each month a payment is being made from the Potter family vault. It appears to be authorized by the executer of the Potter will. Unfortunately, the ministry says the will has been sealed by the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Albus Dumbledore." I was unsure what a Chief Warlock was or what the Wizengamot was but I intended to find out.
"I am aware of the payment you are speaking of. It is a payment to my guardians for taking care of me, the little that they actually do." I said hotly. "I highly doubt my parents had any such provision in their will, they were under the impression I would go to Sirius Black. Based on my Aunt Petunia's telling, he was their best friend and as I can see from the Black's finances he would need no such payment." At Ragnok's look of shock and furry I had to quickly continue.
"However, even if these transactions are illegal, you will allow them to continue" I said in a clear voice.
"I'm what…" he spluttered.
"You are going to let them continue" I reiterated. "You can change Gringotts records to reflect that you plan to dispute the original payments and add the payments under my authorization. We will go after Dumbledore for this at a later date, but I do not want to antagonize him yet. I do not have all the information I need to properly face him, yet." I explained. Ragnok gave me a piercing look. He seemed to be contemplating something. A few tense moments of silence stretched on before he decided to speak again.
"Alright Harry. I will respect your wishes for now. Let me make it clear however that the Goblin Nation does not abide thieves and we will get what is your back, this I promise to you" he said in the most serious tone he had used to this point. I gave him a curt nod and sighed deeply.
"Finally, we come to the properties. Now there are several here. Some may not be in the best state of repair, being neglected, but that is what house elves are for. They will need to officially bond with you in order to begin working again…." he began to quickly rattle off.
"Hold on, I did see that term on the sheet, but what exactly is a house elf?" I asked in a slightly exasperated tone.
"Right. Sorry. You really must educated yourself as soon as possible. House Elves are small creatures that have magical abilities and are bound in service to a wizard or more communally a wizarding family. They basically do your bidding, whatever it may be. Cooking, cleaning, shopping, and other odds and ends. In exchange, you provide them with excess magical energy. It extends their lives far beyond what they would normally live. It is a win-win sort of relationship. Over the years they seemed to have grown quite fond of service. We goblins do not use them due to cultural differences, but wizards have used them for some time" he rambled on.
"Alright, I saw there were quite a few for the Potter Manner, but only one for the Blacks' townhouse. Do you have any idea why that is?" I asked.
"Well the Blacks never had as many as the Potters due to the size difference in residences, but I believe the Blacks still had several, but as their numbers declined they must have decided it was not necessary anymore. It is odd though. Generally, it is my experience that multiple elves are used because of different skill sets, just as with human servants."
"Alright, I will probably head to the Black Town House after this. It is in London so it is somewhat convenient. Is that everything?" I asked him.
"Not…quite. There is one more thing before I let you go." Ragnok said as he began to dig through the drawers of his desk. After a few moments, he pulled out two wooden boxes. One appeared to be made of a black stained oak while the other appeared to be possibly be redwood, or it was painted to resemble that, I wasn't exactly sure. He set them in front of me. It was at this point that I noticed the clasps holding both of them shut had some sort of design, possible a crest of some sort. The red box's crest appeared to have a Griffin on a field of red and gold with a shield bearing the name "Potter". Behind the shield was a sword and a wand in a cross pattern. The black Box's crest appeared to have a black bird highlighted in purple flames on a star field gripping a wand in its talons.
"As I am sure you can surmise, these boxes belong to the House of Potter and the House of Black" Ragnok said. "They contain the heir rings. I want you to put them on. Assuming you are deemed worthy by the family magics of each house, they will resize to fit your fingers. The rings offer a number of enchantments to protect you from minor spells and attempts to penetrate your mind. While it won't protect you to the extent Occlumency would, and won't offer the other benefits of an occluded mind, it will deter attacks and you will know when someone is trying Legilimency on you. Your familiar bond should work as your magic considers that a non-foreign presence. Each is also a portkey with a separate activation word that will take you to the ancestral home of each house. The activation words can be found engraved on the underside of the boxes' lids" Ragnok explained.
I touched the red box intending to open the clasp but raised my eyebrow when the claps opened automatically. At my look Ragnok explained that nay member of the family could open the boxes but only the rightful heir could claim the rings. I opened the box and saw the ring. I must say I was impressed. The ring was gold and had a large ruby set into it. The ruby seemed to have been perfectly cut in a way that allowed it to have raised sections which formed a duplicate of the crest on the box. As I turned the ring over in my hand I felt that it was warm to the touch and began to see writing emerge in glowing letters. It read: hostem vincere ultima mors est. I placed the ring on my left ring finger and felt a jolt of energy shoot up my arm. I could feel the warmth increase in intensity for a few moments and watched as a dazzling glow surrounded my entire body in gold. The fireworks seemed to die after a moment and the ring resized to fit my finger. The warm feeling from the ring died away and Ragnok simply nodded pleased. I looked on the engraving on the underside of the lid and noticed the word there: domum
I put my hand upon the next box and the clasp took a moment before opening, perhaps because I was simply named a black and was not one by blood. The ring inside was even more impressive than the potter ring. It appeared to be made of a black steel with an onyx set into it. The onyx was similarly cut allowing for the crest to be formed on the face of the ring. It even appeared as if the stars on the field of the crest glowed faintly on the ring. Upon picking the ring up I could feel in contrast to the Potter rings warmth, this was ice cold. It wasn't unpleasant though. I place the ring on my right ring finger and similar spark shot through me. I soon found that light seemed to not be able to shine upon my body and I was shrouded in darkness. Soon the ring resized to fit my finger and I gave Ragnok a satisfied smirk. Looking at the engraving in the box I could see the Black Family's activation word was purasanguinis.
"Well it seems that both rings have accept you, Heir Potter-Black." Ragnok said with clear amusement in his voice.
"Oh please don't call me that. Just keep it to Harry" I said with in an annoyed tone.
"As you wish Harry. However, you should know that purebloods whom are not famailiar with will address you by your title should they be aware of it. It is only proper after all. Perhaps you should pick up a book on wizarding customs to help you with such interactions" he suggested.
"Perhaps, it probably couldn't hurt" I said. Indeed, I would need to pick up a lot of books if I were to catch myself up on everything. "Speaking of purchasing. I would also like to make a withdraw from my account" I said, now remember the actual reason I came here in the first place.
"I anticipated your request" Ragnok said in a smug voice. "While you were dealing with the rings I sent a request to Griphook to go to the Potter Family Vault and extract 1,000 galleons for you. I also had him include a chunk of sickles and knuts for dealing with change or very inexpensive purchases. Total value amounts to approximately 1100 galleons." Of course for a fee we can throw in a proper money pouch. It has anti-theft charms on it so only you can carry it, it has feather-light charms, undetectable extension charms and will call forth the exact amount of money you specify with a voice command." Ragnok said, swiftly sliding into a salesmen's voice.
"Alright, alright fine. I will get the pouch. I was going to ask about how to carry the money anyway" I told him. Seemingly on cue, Griphook arrived with and placed a black leather pouch which had loops for a belt on the desk. As Griphook departed, Ragnok handed me the pouch and smirked.
"What I was sure I could sell you on the pouch" he said in mock offence.
"Oh but of course you did" I said sarcastically.
"Never you mind that, there is something else you should know about the heir rings. They can be used to purchase things through purchase orders. Simply stamp your seal into wax on one in a shop and they will send it here for payment processing" he explained.
"Well that will certainly make very large or complex purchases easier" I mused.
"Indeed, that is generally the use of that feature" he said.
"Alright. Thank you Ragnok. This has been most enlightening. I am sure I will return once I am more settled in the world. I would like to go over my investments and possibly look over the current interest numbers. But that can all wait for the moment. I would also like to speak with the Black account manager next time we meet." I told him as I stood up, stretching the ache from my body due to sitting for such an extended period in one position.
"Very well Harry. Just come to Gringotts to schedule a date for a sit-down. Please Include anything you would like to speak of and I will ensure all relevant information is available." He said by way of dismissal. I stood and gathered up Amicus. I gave Ragnok a nod and then said in a clear voice: "purasanguinis"
Author's Notes:
Well that is it for Chapter 4. Thank you all for reading and give me your thoughts. Your feedback is always appreciated. I would still like to get a beta reader to help me proofread and make sure story elements work, so if anyone is interested in doing such a thing, please message me.
So, what is next for Harry. How will he adapt to his new place in society? How will he react to meeting Draco for the first time? Find out in the next chapter: "A Whole New World".