Chapter Five
Harry and Dante eventually wound up staying at the Leaky Cauldron; they had chosen it because they wanted to stay in a place that had strong ties to the Wizarding World in order to make their investigations easier.
As soon as they were in the privacy of their room (room 12) Harry used a block sound power while Dante used his holo-tome to place a call to Guggenheim. Since Chairman Metz was incapacitated the task of running the Huntik Council fell on the shoulders of the shoulders of his number two who just so happened to be Guggenheim
"Hello Dante, to what do I owe the pleasure?" The man answered
"Hi Guggenheim. I need you to call a meeting of the Huntik Council, it's urgent." Dante said
"In order to do that I need know what it's about" Guggenheim responded
"It's a long story" Harry said before Dante could "and it's better if we only go over it once, just call the council…please"
Guggenheim sighed, he knew Dante would never have bothered him unless it was very important "fine, but it had better be good"
About ten minutes later the other seven members arrived
"All right now what is so important?" Nasher asked impatiently
"What if I told you that witches and wizards actually exist?" Dante asked
"I'd say that you've gone crazy Dante" Momax responded
"He's not crazy!" Harry protested "It's true! Look at these" Harry then grabbed a copy of the Daily Prophet, a wizarding newspaper
"Harry, where did you get that?" Dante asked him
"It was lying on top of the trashcan I didn't think anyone else wanted it so I took it." Harry said
"Perhaps my eyes are deceiving me but it looks like the pictures are moving" Teien said
"Nope, your eyes are right the pictures are moving they're magic."Harry told the Asian woman
"I suppose you'd better tell us how all this came about Dante" Guggenheim said
"Well, I suppose it starts with when I adopted young Harry here. I found him living with his aunt and uncle and they didn't treat him very well so I decided to adopt him. Early this morning an old British man named Albus Dumbledore came to my door." Dante then proceeded to tell the Council everything that Dumbledore had told them as well as their encounter with the Organization on their way to the Floo Station
"I knew that Dumbledore had seen our titans, so I tried to Simple Mind him but it didn't work, he knew that I was trying to mess with his mind and told me to stop it"
There were gasps from several members of the Council, it was a known fact that Simple Mind didn't work well on Seekers but anyone else should have been fair game. Also normally even Seekers wouldn't necessarily KNOW that someone was trying to mess with their mind not unless they had heard the Seeker use their power
"We then went back to my place and I had to tell him a few things" Dante began, he knew that he was going to get in trouble over this but by this point, he was used to being in trouble
"Exactly what things did you tell this Dumbledork?" Nasher demanded
"It's DumbleDORE actually" Dante said "and I told him that titans were creatures from another world and that certain individuals had the ability to bond with them like Harry and me"
Once again the Council spoke unison but this time instead of gasps they all exclaimed in their native languages "YOU SAID WHAT?!"
Without waiting for a response several of them continued
"Dante, what were you thinking?" Teien asked
"We've been hiding for over a thousand years and you go and blow it in five minutes" Nasher scolded
Only Guggenheim remained silent
Things went on like this for some time until Guggenheim spoke "Did you say anything about the Foundation?"
Dante shook his head
"No, all I said was that there were small groups of us scattered all over the world and that the bonds between titans and seekers were highly complicated and hard to put into words."
For a moment no one spoke and then Guggenheim declared
"What's done is done, the question is can we trust Dumbledore to keep what he knows to himself?"
"I believe so, Guggenheim. Remember if Dumbledore exposes us we can expose wizards in return and Dumbledore knows that. The wizarding world wants to stay hidden from mundane society as much as we do, he'll keep his mouth shut."
"Hmm, I see its MAD" Guggenheim said
"MAD?" Harry asked
"It's a military acronym M-A-D, Mutually Assured Destruction" Dante explained
Harry nodded in understanding
"So now what do we do with this information?" Teien asked
"What CAN we do, it's not like we have a whole lot to go on" Nasher responded
"I can help" Harry said "I am going to Hogwarts anyway; I'll be learning all about the wizarding world, I can relay that information back to you."
For a moment no one spoke and then Guggenheim said "You've never been on a solo mission before, we won't be able to send help if something goes wrong this COULD be some sort of trap... are you sure you're up for it, lad?"
Harry nodded "Sure I am, besides its just school, how dangerous could it be?"
"I don't like it" Teien protested "he's only a child!"
"Do you have a better idea? We NEED more information" Uffizi countered
The council began to argue after a while Harry couldn't stand it anymore
"ENOUGH!" he shouted "I want to go to Hogwarts and Dante already gave me his permission. So I AM going, with or without your approval." And then he stormed off furiously
"Insolent brat" One council member muttered darkly
Guggenheim however just chuckled "I see he takes after his father"
Dante grinned; he remembered he had told the Council to take a hike more than once.
"Dante…did you really tell him that he could go?" Guggenheim asked
Dante nodded "He's a good kid and a skilled Seeker already, he'll be fine. Besides this is very important to him…he wants to learn more about his past."
For a moment no one spoke and then Guggenheim said "all right, here's what we're going to do. Harry will go to the school-"
Teien opened her mouth but before she could voice her objection Guggenheim continued
"BUT he will take his holotome and keep in contact, he will report at least once a week and if we think it's getting too dangerous for him, we pull him out" then he turned to his fellow council members…agreed?"
"One thing, Guggenheim" Dante interjected "I don't think it's necessary or practical to call a full council session each week just to hear Harry's report, how about he reports to me when he can do so without being overheard and I will send a recording of it to each of you on your holotomes?"
"That seems like a reasonable suggestion" Guggenheim agreed and then once again he turned to his fellow Council members "so all in favor?"He and six others raised their hands and then even though Guggenheim knew that the ayes had won out of formality he asked "all opposed?"
Teien and one the councilman who had called Harry an insolent brat raised their hands
"Okay, the vote being 7 in favor and two opposed, it's agreed" Guggenheim announced and then he turned back to the holotome "Dante, tell Harry that he can go to Hogwarts with the Council's blessing PROVIDED that he remembers to check in with you at least once a week."
Dante nodded
"Any other business?" Guggenheim asked
No one spoke
"Going once…going twice…gone, session's over" Guggenheim said and then he ended the call
Dante then went to go find Harry. He found his adopted son outside leaning against the wall
When Harry noticed Dante he asked "is the Council usually that bad?"
"No, normally they're worse." Dante said. Don't get him wrong, he liked Guggenheim and Metz had been his mentor almost a father figure in many ways even so dealing with the Foundation Council was always a real pain in the butt. Dante preferred being out in the field…although quite frankly he was getting a bit old for it.
"Well you'll be happy to know that they've decided to let you go." Dante began
"I don't NEED their permission" Harry said
"Harry…you really should listen to the Council members, they are all experience and capable Seekers" Dante chided
"You mean they're a bunch of old stiffs" Harry countered
"Harry" Dante scolded sternly
"What, it's not like you ALWAYS do whatever the council says" Harry said
"First of all, I didn't say you had to always do what they say, I said you had to LISTEN there is a difference and usually I do, do what they say…where do you think we get our missions from?"
"I thought they just came from Guggenheim" Harry said somewhat hesitantly
Dante shook his head "No, the Council as a whole debates and votes on them…Guggenheim then informs the field teams of their missions, that's his job as acting Chairman."
"I guess the Council is more important than I thought" Harry said after a moment
"That's partially my fault" Dante admitted "I haven't told you as much about them as I probably should have…I'm not exactly a big fan of authority figures."
"Really I never would have guessed" Harry replied sarcastically
"Anyway, the Council has decided that you can go to school but they want you to report every week."
"What?" Harry asked "You mean I have to listen to that every single week?"
Dante shook his head "No, you'll give your reports to me and I will pass them along."
"Oh, that's better."
Dante then checked his watch and saw that it was a quarter till four
"Come on; let's go back to Gringotts" Dante said "I want to ask the goblins a few questions WITHOUT the old man around"
"Ok, can we ride in the carts some more?" Harry asked hopefully
Dante smiled slightly, it was nice to see Harry acting like the child that he was every now and then
"We'll see" he answered
When the pair arrived at Gringotts they spoke to the same teller that they had meet earlier
"I thought you might be coming back, what can I do for you this time?" he asked
"We'd like to meet with the goblin in charge of the Potter vaults, if that's possible" Dante requested politely
"Of course, he'll be with shortly" the teller replied
A few minutes later, another goblin came into the room where Harry and Dante were waiting and gestured for them to follow him. Once they were in his office he said
"Greetings, I am Talongrip, manager for the Potter accounts, its' nice to finally meet you heir Potter"
"Heir Potter?" Harry asked
"Yes, as the only son of the Late Lord Potter you are heir to the title therefore your proper title is Heir Potter. Didn't your magical guardian teach you about that?" Talongrip asked
"No, I didn't even know I HAD a magical guardian until today." Harry said
"Hmm, if you like you could petition for a change in guardianship." Talongrip said
"What would I have to do?" Harry asked
"Well, first you would have to fill out a form stating that your current magical guardian has been negligent in his duties and then the ministry would schedule a hearing in front of the Head of the Wizarding Child Services Office during which both you and your guardian would be able to argue your respective cases and then the judge decides whether or not you stay with your current guardian. Also if you don't list an alternative guardian on your compliant form, the ministry will assign one to you."
Harry grimaced he wasn't sure that he liked that last bit
"Is there a statue of limitations or anything like that?" Dante asked
"A what?" the goblin asked
"A statue of limitations, it's a limit on the length of time between when the neglect in this case occurred and when the complaint is filed" Dante explained
"No, not at all, the only thing is that you must file the suit before you reach the age of seventeen because then you will be an adult and no longer need a magical guardian." Talongrip answered
"Then why don't we hold off on that for now, I'm not too keen on the idea of the ministry choosing who my guardian is." Harry said
"Very well" Talongrip agreed "Now what can I help you with today?"
"I know that Harry can't legally access the Potter families' main vault but would it be possible for us to get an inventory of the contents, just to make sure that everything is in order?" Dante asked
"That depends, given the nature of our previous conversation I think it is safe to assume that you are not the child's magical guardian so the question I have to ask you is are you his muggle guardian?" Talongrip responded and then he handed Dante a vial of clear liquid "Before you answer that question, drink this. This vial contains veritaserum, the most powerful truth potion in the world, that way I know you aren't lying to me."
Dante wordlessly took the vial and downed it in one gulp
"Now I ask you again, are you Harry Potter's muggle guardian
"Yes" Dante said although technically Dante was a Seeker and therefore not a muggle he WAS legally Harry's guardian in the muggle world.
"I adopted him when he was five" Dante elaborated tonelessly
"Very good" Talongrip said and then he handed Dante another vial, this one containing the antidote to the veritaserum.
"Then yes it is possible for me to show you that. By law, I can only give Mr. Potter this information if his guardian is present; the law never says that the MAGICAL guardian must be present. Therefore Mr. Potter first I need to write your name with this quill in order to confirm your identity. I would have done it earlier but you asked me to explain what I meant by calling you heir Potter." He then handed Harry a blood red quill and a piece of parchment
Before Harry could begin writing the goblin spoke again "That is a blood quill, yes it writes in your own blood." Seeing the locks of shock and horror on their faces he added "these quills are legal only under special circumstances, mainly the signing of documents where it is imperative to be sure that the signature is NOT forged like wills for example. All I need you to do is write your name on this parchment, this quill is enchanted so it won't hurt. If the Ink turns black then you are Harry Potter if it doesn't than you are not Harry Potter."
Wordlessly Harry wrote his name on the paper. When he was finished the ink shined red for a brief second before turning black
"Very good, you are Heir Potter" Talongrip said, not that he'd expected any other result but still protocol had to be observed "Now wait right here, I will be with the information you requested."
A few minutes later, Talongrip returned and placed a paper on his desk so that Harry and Dante could both look at it
Potter Family Vault
Total Monetary Assets 57,645,989 galleons
Assorted Relics and Artifacts
Harry's eyes bulged when he saw that number "This can't be right" he muttered
"Yes, the Potters are a very old and wealthy family, the third wealthiest family in the Wizarding world in fact, only the Blacks and the Malfoys are richer. You also have several investments which you see here" Talongrip then pointed at the next several lines
Investments
The Daily Prophet (15%)
Quality Qudditch Supplies (35%)
Zonko's Joke Shop (20%)
Flourish and Blotts (15%)
Harry was surprised to see that there were a couple muggle companies on the list
Hershey Chocolate (7%)
Toyota (9%)
"These investments have not changed since your parents died." Talongrip said "Most families chose to manage their own but if you like, I can manage the accounts on your behalf."
Dante thought it over for a moment and then said "I think it best if you manage the accounts, provided that you send us a report every month"
"Of course, that's standard practice" Talongrip said
"I never got any mail from you though" Harry interjected
"I sent the reports to your magical guardian every month; I also asked him frequently what he wanted done regarding the investments. You will have to take the matter up with Dumbledore." Talongrip said
"Now then, the last bit is what I think you will be most interested in the withdrawals, just a note these are only the withdrawals that have occurred since your parents deaths" Talongrip added
10,000 galleons to Saint Mungos per year
"Saint Mungos is the only all magical hospital in Britain" Talongrip explained "the Potters have been major financial contributors since it was first established 1262 and they can always use donations"
Dante nodded accepting the explanation
100,000 galleons to the Order of the Phoenix per year
"What is the Order of the Phoenix?" Harry asked
"A quasi secret order formed by Albus Dumbledore during the last war. Your parents were big supporters of the order, and they set up an automatic transfer of funds to the account. No one ever told us to stop sending the payments so legally we had no choice but to continue it."
500 galleons per year to Vernon and Petunia Dursley (Note: these were converted to pounds and deposited in a muggle bank account)
"WHAT?" Harry yelled unable to stop himself. He remembered full well how often the Dursleys complained about how expensive it was for them to keep him. To find out they were being PAID to take care of him enraged him. He didn't know what the exchange rate for galleons to pounds was but he would have been willing to bet that they were being paid far more than what very little they did spend on him.
"Your parents set that up as well." Talongrip said "even in death, they wanted to be the ones to provide for you so they set up a special withdrawal that would go to whoever your guardian wound up being. The money was SUPPOSED to be used to pay for your food, clothing etc." He assumed from Harry's reaction to the news, the Dursleys had not treated him very well
"We were never told that your muggle guardian had changed so I will alter the withdrawal so that it will go to…what is your name sir?" Talongrip said
"Don't bother changing the withdrawal, just eliminate it" Dante said
"But Dante-"Harry protested. He would have been more than happy to give some of his money to Dante; he had more of than he could ever spend anyway
"No, Harry" Dante said sternly turning to his side so he was looking Harry directly in the eye "I will NOT take any money from you. I adopted you because I wanted to and continue to take care of you because I love you."
Harry looked at him…it was rare that Dante said things like that and a small part of Harry still found it hard to believe that anyone could love a worthless freak like him, despite Dante's best efforts to stamp that part out "Dante"
"Harry, I may not be your biological father but in my heart you are my son, I will NOT touch your money, period end of statement end of story."
Dante then turned back to the goblin and said "I don't suppose there is any way to get the money back?"
Talongrip shook his head "Since his parents set up the account and the automatic withdrawal, I am afraid my hands are tied but I CAN halt those payments and when you file your complaint you can demand repayment plus interest….it will be up to the ministry to decide whether or not to order your magical guardian to repay the money."
"Fine we'll do that once we've found a suitable replacement, for now just stop the payments to the Order of the Phoenix and the Dursleys immediately, but keep the one to Saint Mungos active." Dante said
"I'll take care of it" Talongrip said "Anything else?"
"I'd like to see my parents' will, do you have a copy?" Harry asked
Talongrip shook his head "I'm sorry I can't help you there. The Potter will was sealed years ago by order of the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamont I am afraid that you will have to wait until your majority to challenge that order and get the will unsealed."
"Very well" Dante said "I believe that's everything, unless you have something else"
Harry shook his head; he was feeling down and didn't even want to ride the carts again
"All right then" Dante stood and held out his hand to Talongrip "Nice to meet you Talongrip"
The goblin somewhat hesitantly shook it, shaking hands was not a thing goblins did. They knew it was a common gesture among wizards but few wizards would ever willingly touch a goblin if they didn't have too.
Then further increasing the goblins shook once he was done shaking Dante's hand, Harry offered his hand for Talongrip to shake too. Neither human realized that they had made the goblin uncomfortable, they simply said good bye and left.
Harry and Dante spent the few remaining days reading their books and roaming Diagon Alley. Harry also exchanged some letters with Draco, mostly asking him questions about things he had read in the books and what he knew about Hogwarts. Draco had been able to tell him a good bit, for example there were prefects, older students who could assign detentions to students who broke the rules, who the teachers were etc. One of the few things that Draco couldn't tell him was how they were sorted into their houses, apparently it was traditional for incoming first years to not know about it beforehand.
Finally, not soon enough for Harry though September 1st arrived and it was time to head to Kings' Cross station and the Hogwarts Express