Disclaimer: Insert standard 'do not own Harry Potter' disclaimer here.
Slytherins Secret
AN: Om nom nom, tasty reviews, thanks! Also my workplace is currently a construction site and apparently I'm not allowed in for a week, so you don't get an announcement about this moving to a weekly schedule.
Chapter seven
"How are you feeling Harry, no sensitivity?" Madam Pomfrey asked, casting various detection spells on the area outside of Harry's supposed range. When the results all came back negative she smiled, who knows what that man will come up with but I think we're safe for the moment. Unfortunately, I've still got to be careful since he can read the poor boy's thoughts, but discussions beyond those he wants are safe enough, without tipping my hand entirely. Thankfully he is now convinced that legilimency would be dangerous any time this month; I don't know what caused it, but the poor boy's mind was apparently a chaotic mess when, he tried to read him about the Chamber.
"Nope, I am kinda hungry though." He replied part of his attention of the feeling of her spell casting; I hope I can learn to tell the difference between the types of magic at least.
"Pinny, could you come to the infirmary please?" Madam Pomfrey called and was rewarded with a pop.
"What can Pinny do for you Ms Healey Pomy Ma'am?" The little elf asked eagerly.
"Could you bring Harry some lunch from the approved list and tea for me please Pinny." The Healer replied, unfazed by her ever growing elf name.
"Pinny will be rights back." Said the elf disappearing for a minute then reappearing with a lunch similar to the food Dobby had brought the previous night. "Is you needing anything else?"
"No, thank you Pinny, you may go" Madam Pomfrey replied, fusing and settling Harry comfortably with the tray of food on his lab, as she perched on the foot of the bed. "Tuck in then Harry dear."
"Umm can I ask a question first?"
"Of course dear" please don't ask anything I can't answer, don't ask something that I can't let the Headmaster find out about.
"Well, I was reading the Creatures book, and the bit on Kneazles and Kneazle cross breeds, and there's a woman who used to babysit me, who had very odd cats, that she insisted were Maine Coons, Ms Arabella Figg, is she a witch?" This was the reason Harry had become so engrossed in the book, he had actually recognised the cat used as an example of a half Kneazle, Ms Figg's prized show cat, Mcavity.
Madam Pomfrey drew in a shocked breath, now that was not a question she had been expecting! "Arabella is alive? She's sort of a witch, medical complications from a curse during a pregnancy mean she was legally reclassified as a squib, we thought she had been killed or killed herself! She went to school with the Dowager Longbottom, and you say she lives near you?"
"Yes, she moved in when I was very little and used to babysit me when the Dursleys wanted to do something fun like a holiday or birthdays." Harry was definitely feeling betrayed, he had almost liked Ms Figg, but all that time she was feeding him stale cake and making him look at muggle photos of her cats, she had known who he was! She had known his past, known about magic and known about the Dursleys' relentless hatred of him and had said and done nothing, not one thing.
"Oh Harry dear" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed coming over to him and putting an arm over his shoulders supportively as he fiercely wiped his eyes refusing to cry again.
"She-she knew!" Harry managed to say through a throat tight with unspent tears "She must have known everything, how I was treated, the lies they told everyone and about my magic, why didn't she tell me, or tell someone? I thought she was nice, if a little crazy, what did I ever do to her?" he was rapidly losing the war against tears for the second time that day.
She passed him a hanky and started gently rubbing his back, "I don't think we will ever know Harry, she might just be wilfully blind to the worst of it. There are many ways in our world to compel a person to do something, or act in a certain way, in this case I believe that Ms Figg owes a life debt to Dumbledore, that would allow him control over her if it were repaid with vassalage. There might be compulsions keyed to you that prevented people noticing you, these could have been entirely for your protection. If Dumbledore keyed a compulsion to you that caused people to forget you when out of sight it would prevent word spreading when you met withes and wizards out and about, but who knows how that compulsion would translate to the muggles or to a squib? We have to keep an open mind, at least some of his actions were intended for good, perhaps she was asked to watch you but the specifics meant she could not inform you of your heritage, take the time to find the truth before throwing a potential ally away." Pomfery might have been a Hufflepuff at school, but it was mostly her half-blood status that had decided her against Slytherin.
Harry hiccupped and took a sip of water, "thanks, you're right there are lots of potential explanations, it's just when I saw that photo I so desperately hoped I was wrong…"
"Alright I'm going to give you a few minutes to yourself to calm down whilst you eat that lunch, then I'll be back Harry." Madam Pomfrey left and put up a silencing ward around her office where she ranted for several minutes about the way this web of good intentions, and lazy neglect, was affecting one of her favourite students. When she was done she drank her tea and took a mild calming draught, regretting the circumstances that prevented her from giving Harry one, but she needed to maintain her equilibrium for his sake.
Returning she again picked up the conversation "so we have a possible reason for the way all the signs of neglect that you give off are ignored, if there is a ward meant to protect you that is malfunctioning it could do virtually anything to muggles, if it is still present it might even be affecting some of the teachers here."
Receiving Harry's nod of agreement she continued "the other big question, for me anyway, is how the Dursleys are getting away with treating you as they do, no wizard's legal guardian ought to be physically capable of mistreating their ward."
"Really? Why is that?" Harry questioned.
"A duly appointed legal guardian must sign a guardianship contract before they receive custody of the child, or any financial benefits, I just don't understand how they are able to do what they have done, it is a binding magical contract. " Madam Pomfrey looked very confused, though if Albus thinks they have signed then it might explain some of his arrogance about Harry's home life.
"That doesn't make sense, why would they have agreed to sign something like that, when would they have done so? They hate magic, and they didn't want me so I can't see them agreeing…."
"Yes and you said that your Aunt found you on the doorstep with just a letter?" Pomfery queried.
"Uhuh, I think she would have mentioned it if any more 'freaks' had been around since then." Harry responded thoughtfully.
"So either she is only you legal guardian in the muggle world, with nobody having ever used the proper procedures for placing an orphan or somebody might have included the forms with the original letter but never checked if they were signed. Your relatives never mentioned receiving a maintenance allowance for you?" she asked.
"No, they have always claimed that I was a freeloader and just dumped on them out of the blue." Harry replied sadly.
"We will have to check, I think we can go through Gringotts to get this sorted, either they sign the forms, and believe me the descriptions of fair and equitable treatment are exhaustive, or they refuse and you have grounds to demand your parents will be opened, to find your true legal guardians. " Madam Pomfrey suggested with a smile.
Harry grinned "so either they sign something which gives them money, but forces them to act like reasonable human beings towards me, or I get new guardians who will have to agree to a similar contract? Wicked!"
"Indeed Mr Potter, shall we try and write an appropriate letter for Gringotts?"
"Yes please," Harry responded still grinning from ear to ear.
They worked for some time, checking various reference books before deciding on the following…
Gringotts Bank
Inheritance and accounts
Potter Estate?
To whomever is responsible for the Potter accounts and legal issues,
I Harry James Potter apologise for the lack of correspondence on my part, I was informed only yesterday that my estate may be larger than the vault I have been using since my eleventh birthday (which coincides with my becoming aware of the existence on magic). If I have caused inconvenience or offered a slight due to my inexperience I apologise, if I have failed to respond to any official correspondence please note that I have never received any.
I need to know who my legal guardians are in both the muggle and magical world, I have recently learned of guardianship contracts and am puzzled as the muggles who are supposedly my guardians could not possibly act as they do if they had signed one. I have never been approached by a magical guardian and with my various school based escapades and my recent introduction to this world that suggests I have none. If I have no other guardians and if the child maintenance stipend from the Potter estate is large enough, the muggles that I live with may be willing to sign a contract, but it will take careful planning and execution.
Separate to this issue, if Gringotts contracts such a service, could you provide a quote for the harvesting of a 60ft Basilisk considered mine by right of conquest?
If you have a way of communicating that will bypass any mail wards, without alerting the caster, I would be willing to pay a reasonable fee.
Sincerely Harry James Potter
(Heir to the ancient and Noble house of Potter)
May you gold flow and you enemies decrease.
"Think that will do?" Harry asked the Healer as he put down his quill and admired his penmanship.
"A credible effort indeed Mr Potter and unlike the last two drafts, I can actually read it!" she smiled warmly letting him know that her words were without malice.
"Ok then, I need to send this secretly…" Harry thought about the fact that his owl always seemed to turn up exactly when he needed her ,and, his mind still filled with images of the beautiful bird, decided to try calling her as he would Dobby. ~Hedwig~ he called, only the words seemed to come out in a wavering hoot, as his partially activated abilities kicked in.
Madam Pomfrey stared at him in confusion for a long moment then Hedwig flew in through the open window and her jaw dropped "Harry, were you trying to call her just then?" she asked.
~Hello Girl, thank you for coming I need you to take something to the Goblins for me, oh dammnit how do I turn this off…~ "Hello Hedwig, good girl . Uh yeah I was Madam Pomfrey, I did not know I could do that." He finished the sentence, converting back to English by focusing his thoughts on humans rather than owls, well at least I know how to activate my beast-speech now, he thought wryly.
"Harry dear, has that ever happened to you before?" Pomfrey questioned.
"No, she's been able to understand me for ages, but I don't think I've ever accidentally hooted, mind you if I was in the Owlery or at the Dursleys' I wouldn't have noticed, I never do when its snakes I'm talking to. What does this mean, is it like Parseltoungue?" Harry presented an innocent confused face.
"No dear, it's very rare though, there have been occasional reports of wizards speaking to animals, but most people believe them to be myth or a side effect of the animagus transformation, I'm sure McGonagall could talk to Mrs Norris if she really wanted. I think we might want to keep this to ourselves Harry."
"No arguments from me, I did not know I could do that, but I really hope I don't slip up, people talk about me enough as it is."
"Exactly dear, now let me just check her for tracking charms, if you would ask her to come over here?" She said stepping away from Harry.
Harry turned to speak to the owl, but with her usual intelligence she flew over to Madam Pomfrey and allowed the testing. When the results initially came up negative, she hooted once and held up her left leg, where a tiny ring could be seen, this time Madam Pomfrey found the charm and simply removed the ring. Upon receiving the all clear, the intelligent owl flew back to Harry and stuck out her leg.
"Thanks girl" he replied making to keep it to English then ~take this to Gringotts please, and see only the Potter accounts manager, nobody else, they might want you for a reply but make sure nobody sees if they do ok?~
~Off course fledgling, it is good that we can speak now, whilst I like the bacon thing you give me I must admit I am most partial to pilchards and had no idea how to communicate this~
Harry giggled ~Good to know your priorities, but yes Ma'am, have a good flight~
~wind to thy wings fledgling~ he heard as she ghosted back out of the window with the message in her talons.
Turning to Pomfey who had a stunned look on her face again Harry explained "she is going to make sure that only my account manager gets that, not some junior and she informs me that pilchards are a preferred snack to bacon." Harry giggled again at the gobsmacked face Pomfery was still making.
"Well then let's move on shall we? If we can't get this sorted before you go back, which we may not, I have several concerns and solutions to work on. The most pressing concern seems to be food, you appear to be repairing some of the malnutrition that I have seen, and have a higher metabolism than normal so this will be an issue."
Harry grimaced internally, he hadn't thought she'd notice, but this might be something he had to trust her with. "Madam Pomfrey, if I told you a secret that wasn't at all illegal could you keep it?" he questioned seriously.
"I believe so Harry, so long as it doesn't endanger anyone, and you wouldn't ask me to do that." She replied wondering what he was up to.
"Well then, um you know I couldn't get onto the platform at the start of the year, and I got a letter for underage magic use, which wasn't me, and of course the crazy bludger that tried to kill me?" Harry winced at the memory and rubbed his regrown arm.
"Not all of it, I'm afraid I am often out of the teacher gossip loop, but continue please."
"Well yeah, all of those were because of a house-elf belonging to Mr Malfoy that didn't want me to come to Hogwarts because of a 'great evil', anyway he was trying to help and he desperately wanted to be free, so I kinda freed him."
"You what?"
"I tricked Malfoy into giving him clothes, then bonded him as a Potter elf a few hours later, this was before you started helping me. My plan for the summer was to keep my head down as much as possible, but to find a way for Dobby to bring me food, he seems to be able to pop into my room, so I figured this year I could give him my luggage and he could maybe buy food in Diagon alley."
"Hummmmm good thinking, a house-elf loyal to you, is a great advantage, I'll have to consider it there must be ways to use this, you say he set of the magic detectors?"
"He did a hover charm trying to get me in trouble"
"Must have faked you signature, the trace only picks up wanded magic normally."
Harry grinned evilly "excellent".
"Alright the rest of my list will take time, I need to find what wards and trackers are present on you and that place, I know you relation to Petunia is supposed to keep you safe, but that means blood wards and they might not work now that you have so many substances in your bloodstream. We need to figure out how I am to see you if you recovery continues to be slow, it is probable that I will need you to perform magic regularly in order to assess your recovery. I need to come up with a way for you to contact me if you are in danger, and a way for you to escape, although Dobby might well cover both needs."
"Alright, I need to do a review of the last two years anyway, with the Heir of Slytherin stuff, and Hermione being petrified I don't think I've learned much this year, if I can practice it…."
"So there are benefits to this mess, well done for looking on the brightside. Incidentally, Harry, what bond did you use with your elf?"
"The old Potter one, I told him I wanted a bond that gave him allot of free will and didn't let him hurt himself and if the Potter one was good, we could use that."
"That's good, the Potter elves were always very strong and loyal, but most were killed along with your grandparents and the last was your parents personal elf, killed helping James on that awful night."
"Now I want you to nap for a bit, then you may read some more and get your dinner. Keep your personal elf a complete secret, he may well save you because nobody expects someone from the Muggle world to have an elf, so nobody would ward against them, even anti-apparition wards don't keep them out.
"Ok thanks Madam Pomfrey, I guess we are kinda hanging fire until Gringotts replies."
"Indeed, sleep well Mr Potter"
"Thanks "Harry replied rolling over and dropping off to sleep fairly rapidly, he really was surprisingly tired still.
AN: thoughts on potential animagus forms for Harry? won't be relevant for ages but I'd like to hear.