Not mine.

Grief, Deceptions, and Hope for Freedom

Part 7: The Second Morning

At six Harry woke to the flashing lights and trilling of his alarm. He reached up to slam the floating sphere, but missed and it floated to the top of the canopy. Harry grabbed his wand and shot lumos at it to deactivate it. He stumbled out of his bed, tripping on his shoes as he made his way to the bathroom. Neville was finishing dressing near the shower stall when Harry reached the sink. He was putting the paste on his toothbrush, when one of his million questions from last night bubbled out, "Neville, how much is tuition here?" In the mirror Harry saw Neville drop his tie and his jaw.

Harry turned around to face his friend, again relieved there were no portraits or sculptures in the bathroom. "What did I say wrong?"

Neville recovered quickly. "Nobody has told you half the things you are supposed to know, have they?"

Harry laughed darkly, "Some days I doubt that much."

Neville sat on the changing bench, "Tuition at Hogwarts is one of the hundred or so questions you aren't supposed to ever ask."

"Why?"

"Every family pays a different amount. If your family has more, you pay more, but also if your family has an old name you pay more than a muggleborn would."

"But I don't see how any old families would want their kids to go here at these rates." Harry shook his head, "I mean muggle university in America would be cheaper."

Neville got a confused look on his face, "American muggles pay less than three thousand galleons a year for university?"

Harry sat back on the lip of the sink. "You only pay three thousand?"

"Malfoy once claimed to pay five, but Gran said the top tuition is three."

"Why would I be paying ten thousand then?"

Neville shook his head slowly. "You can't. Anything above top tuition is a donation. And no one would donate that much. Who's in charge of your trust? Because it sounds like they are skimming."

"So there is no reason for that high of a cost?"

Realization of who was in charge of Harry's accounts dawned on Neville's face, "No. At that rate, Dumbledore or no, it looks like you are buying your grades."

"Or paying to replace DADA teachers who try to kill me. Thanks Neville. Could you not mention this to anybody? Ron would freak."

Neville nodded, "I think tonight I should answer some more questions for you."

Harry smiled, "That would be great! But we'd have to go by the lake or in another bathroom. All the portraits tell Dumbledore what's going on."

Neville's face darkened, "But then there was never any question... Right after dinner."

Harry nodded, and Neville picked up his tie and left Harry to his ablutions.

Harry grabbed the interlibrary loan book and the list of legal books he was to retrieve, leaving everything else in his trunk which he placed a locking and touching hex on. It was still only half six, but he didn't have much time left. He had been reading and studying, but after going through the parchments it was clear he didn't know the right things and would likely create a bigger mess without help. There were no adults he could trust to be loyal to him first. Neville might make a better source of information, he was a pureblood and his Gran apparently raised him the old-fashioned way. Plus Dumbledore wasn't on a first name basis with Neville that Harry could see.

While Ron and Hermione's intentions might be good, at this point he knew they were too close to Dumbledore to see the Headmaster's faults. Harry not only owned Privet Drive, he paid the taxes and a yearly stipend paid to them every October. Even though Harry was in school, the stipend had not decreased, though it was supposed to have been stopped the first time he entered his trust vault. At the same time Dumbledore received a thousand galleons every year since he was placed at Privet drive to monitor his Aunt. This amount doubled since he came to school, but according to the will was supposed to be to pay for his summers at Hogwarts and extra classes in Defense, Latin, and self-defense.

And it was quite obvious, that though the maximum amount of money was being taken, and then some – with the rigging of his tuition, that his parents' will was being violated in word and spirit. But Harry knew he couldn't let anyone know, until he had a lawyer and was out of Dumbledore's grasp. Confronting the Headmaster would only led to his obliviation, and Sirius had commented in a log at the bottom of the parchments that Sirius had been obliviated at least 3 times, and each time the copy of the will had disappeared. But Harry had an additional wrinkle, he had the power to declare himself a legal adult, and get the power to recover and assert his rights, but unless he was the minor ward of Sirius Black he couldn't petition for a new trial to clear his name.

He would need to read over the parchments again tonight. He mentally added a legal dictionary to his library list. As Harry reached the Great Hall, Neville was leaving with a muffin and glass of milk. They nodded at each other as they passed. Looking over the Hall, it appeared that Harry was the oldest student in the room, which seemed to confirm the rumors of parties in Hufflepuff, especially as even the first years from that house weren't present. Harry pulled out his book, and read as he ate.

Grabbing another piece of toast to soak up the last bits of egg yolk, Harry finished his breakfast. The Blood Wards book was a hard one, but even what he did read made it seem like there was no way that Privet Drive could be safe. With finals for the lower classes still yet to come, the library was open from dawn to midnight. Despite his longing for sunshine and fresh air, Harry skipped his walk by the lake and headed directly to the library.

AN: I'm figuring 1 galleon : 5 dollars American.