Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Yaayyy! 300 reviews and I loved and valued every single one of them! Thank you so much to everyone who is supporting me!
I did get a lot of helpful answers to my question last time so thank you to everyone who commented on that. I'll consider from now on that everyone who don't like PMs will have blocked the function and I'll try to reply to most of my reviews :)
Now for the guests:
autumngold: We won't see what is happening in the Rebel camp for quite a while, I'm afraid, but we can indeed imagine that Moody was furious and you'll see what will happen with Neville in a couple of chapters. On the question of Draco describing how he felt, I hadn't thought to include it before you sent me this review, but it's a good idea and I will put it somewhere, but quite later. Harry and Draco will have a heart-to-heart at some point in the future and this will be part of it. You'll know then that it's your review that put that information there ;)
Guest: I'm afraid my point with this chapter was to precisely not buy Harry leather pants. Harry didn't just have a 'sexual awakening', or isn't trying to express anything through new looks, or really doesn't have other criteria for clothes than being functional for combat. So, no leather pants for the moment. Maybe later, as a surprise for Voldie? Hehe. We'll see :P
FanFictionLover: always so enthusiastic, as I can see. It's really nice for me to read that, even if I do think that you are a wee little bit exaggerating in your admiration for this story and for my talent as an author ^^' And yes, I do have trouble imagining Voldemort with anybody else than Harry now as well. I blame the awesome fanfics I've read with this pairing, hehe.
Visitor: Thank you very much! I see that the rattle has caught the imagination of a couple of readers, it's so funny :P
Warning: No leather pants and no new fantastic magical familiar for Harry
Chapter 18: 26th of July: Return to Diagon Alley
A few days passed without any other visits from the Dark Lord. A new routine was set up in the Manor to accommodate me. I hadn't asked for such changes, but it seemed like the three Malfoys all took it upon themselves to spend some time with me. The Malfoy heir, Draco, was particularly keen on dragging me outside for Quidditch games when the weather was favourable. It suited me just fine, since I loved flying and never had had an opportunity to do so on good-quality brooms. The experience was exhilarating and Draco, although he was spoilt and a bit of whiny, had a wicked sense of humour and a competitive streak of a mile long. It made the games even more interesting and I had ended up rolling in the grass in tears of laughter more times in the last few days than in my entire life.
Madam Malfoy, or Narcissa, as she insisted I call her, had also invested a considerable amount of her time dragging me to a parlour and sipping tea with me, making small conversations. She seemed like a cold person and rarely smiled, but I could remember her anguish and distress from the night I arrived with Draco, and I knew that this frosty veneer was a mask that she presented to the rest of the world. She even seemed to be warming up to me, going as far as to pat my head a bit condescendingly the day before when I headed to bed.
Minister Malfoy, even if he was a very busy man, often took a few hours in the evening to discuss his work, his projects and his ambitions for the Ministry. We had fascinating conversations on the changes of the 'new' regime and the man was a rich well of information on Wizarding culture and history. Our conversations were eye-opening for me since the Rebels had kept a lot of issues away from my ears throughout the years. I was grateful for the time Lucius gave me and the latter seemed strangely relaxed now in my presence. I supposed that, with time, they were all gradually taking down their public masks as they became more comfortable with me.
.
On the morning of the 26th, Narcissa, Draco and I went to Gringotts to open my vaults and record my will. It was good to be back to Diagon Alley after so long. The shops and little merchants hadn't changed a lot since the last time I came here. The only difference I could perceive was the presence of two Aurors patrolling up and down the road, looking bored and chatting from time to time with the shop-owners.
When we arrived in front of Gringotts, I had to swallow nervously. I had heard all sorts of stories back at the village about the Goblins' ruthlessness. We never tried to fool them to get access to our money. Sirius said that everyone who went to Hogwarts could only remember one thing of their History of Magic classes, and that was the bloody wars between Goblins and Wizards. That apparently was enough to make the Rebels fear the consequences of trying to fool them or steal from them. Personally, I always thought that those History of Magic classes sounded like they were gearing the Wizarding population for racism and prejudice against the Goblins. But, then again, I had never actually met any of them or took a History of Magic class, so who was I to judge?
Therefore, it was with slight apprehension and a determination to be flawlessly polite and respectful that I entered the bank. Funnily enough for someone who grew up practically in a slum, I was well educated in terms of manners and customs of the different species and cultures. Sirius always told me that this part of his Black upbringing might actually be useful to me if I ever needed to be an asylum-seeker in the aftermath of my Duel. After all, it was quite unlikely that Voldemort's administration would let his killer just settle into a peaceful life as a lobster fisherman without trying to throwing him in jail or sentence him to death before (not that I wanted to become a fisherman, it was just a random example).
I looked at the massive doors and saw my first Goblins standing guard beside them. They were indeed...striking and a bit intimidating. They sneered at us, despite the status and obvious wealth of those who accompanied me. I answered by tipping my head slightly forward in a gesture of respect. The one on the left frowned at me while the right one lifted a bushy eyebrow. They didn't say or do anything else as we passed them.
Inside, the bank was more magnificent and richly decorated than anything else I'd seen before. An enormous chandelier was floating in the center of the room, flooding it with its bright light and illuminating every corner. Tellers were spread in two rows facing each other and lines of witches and wizards were waiting to be served.
Narcissa and Draco went to the first one at the right, passing in front of everyone else who was waiting. It made me a bit uncomfortable, but I still followed them, keeping my mouth shut. Perhaps this was a rule of the Bank that they served certain key people before the rest of the population.
I watched the people waiting in the line that we had just overtaken. They looked like they wanted to protest at our behaviour, but had kept their mouth shut when they recognised Narcissa and Draco.
Our teller looked quite old and important. He looked at my hosts with a slight sneer before turning his gaze on me. I saw a flash of recognition pass through his eyes when he glanced up to my scar. I lifted a hand to flatten my hair on my forehead in what I hoped was a discreet movement. Narcissa gave a letter from her husband saying that my vaults were to be unfrozen.
It struck me as a bit unprofessional that she could just carry the Minister's permission in her pocket and deliver it herself. From what I knew of it, Lucius hadn't consulted with anybody else before unfreezing my vaults. The Dark Lord had requested it, so it was done. Perhaps there was a paperwork trail somewhere, but it had been done too fast for such a procedure... Yet again, what did I know of normal delays and procedures? I felt out of balance and uncomfortable with anything relating to governance and banking. I had grown up my whole life in an isolated village of activists and had just recently decided that they had the wrong idea. Did the outside world have the right one? Did they have better answers to the questions the Rebels were asking? I had no idea.
The Goblin took the letter and read through it. He called "Griphook!" and a Goblin apparently named Griphook came to stand next to him. The teller produced a key and gave it to me.
"Take Mister Potter to his vaults. They were unfrozen."
He turned to me. "And you, you don't get to withdraw more than a fifty Galleons per month and we will be tracking your transactions to make sure that you don't transfer money to foreign bank accounts that could potentially belong to Rebels. "
Fifty Galleons? That's a lot of money! But...if I'm exonerated, shouldn't I have access to everything? I thought.
As if he heard me, he answered categorically: "An exoneration isn't the same thing as a clean slate for us."
He dismissed us with a brisk wave of his hand. I looked at Narcissa and Draco to see if this was a normal behaviour. They didn't seem shocked by it, but they were watching my reactions closely, trying to determine if I was angry at the restrictions, undoubtedly. I wasn't. I would only negotiate with Lucius to have full access of my vaults after the Duel if I was still alive. I would need my money then. For the moment, fifty Galleons per month was more than enough for everything I could possibly buy.
We followed Griphook to strange carts that looked like they belonged to a Muggle attraction park, minus the belts to keep the visitors secure. While the carts were speeding down, I tried to keep my balance without having a grip on anything. It was a bit tricky and I overcompensated for certain turns a few times, but it was an interesting exercise. Draco looked at me like I was crazy. Narcissa and him both had a hand gripping the side of the cart firmly, but they were outwardly calm and composed, of course.
When we arrived at my vault, I used my new key to open the door. The vast cavern was nearly empty. A small pile of gold stood in the middle of it.
Surely that wasn't all I had? Sirius had told me I had more than that. I turned to Griphook, who promptly explained:
"This is your trust vault and the only one to which you have access before you turn seventeen. As you can see, it's fairly depleted. That's the only thing we managed to save when we froze the vault. The Rebels took the rest to finance their activities. They would have taken from your other vaults as well, but they didn't have access to them either before you reached your maturity."
I breathed in and out slowly, closing my eyes. I didn't know what to think of this. On one hand, we really didn't have a lot of money at the village and I was glad that they used my money to keep us alive...on the other, how much of it was used for our survival, and how much went to shady transactions, bribes for favours and whatnot?
" And in my other vaults? I know I don't have access to them yet, but are they as empty as this one?
-The Potter Family Vault was left fairly untouched since the Potters died a few years before the Dark Lord's victory. The Black Vaults, however, were severely depleted between the 31st of October 1981 and a few days after the 3rd of April 1984, Victory Day, when they were frozen."
At these words, Narcissa Malfoy née Black shrieked in outrage.
"What! But the Blacks were one of the richest families in Britain!
-Waging a war and a rebellion have always been expansive endeavours, " replied Griphook, pragmatic.
Narcissa sniffed disdainfully. I lifted an eyebrow at her, surprised by her obvious reaction and then turned back to what remained of my money, sighting. There were only a few days before my birthday, after all, and this was more than enough to last until then, despite the Malfoys' plan for my new wardrobe.
They had apparently declared that my rags were unsuitable for their palace and that I should be dressed in something befitting my status. They didn't mention what this status was. Future dueller and potential killer of the Dark Lord? Official opposition to the Regime? Guests of the Malfoy? I didn't really care, but I could understand why they would be ashamed of being seen with someone who clearly looked poor. In the past days, Draco had lent me some of his old clothes, but they were ill-fitting. Draco was a bit taller than I was (weren't they all?) and less muscled, so they clung in certain places and were too long in others.
I took out a money bag and filled it as much as I could. Half of the pile was gone. I shrugged internally and turned back to the others to signal that I was done. When we went back up, we were directed to the Heritage department where I submitted the will I had prepared. I had done some changes on it since I left the Rebels.
Neville was scratched off my will with a flourish. I still couldn't believe that the one time he had enough guts to stand up for something, it was to prevent me to leave the village. Instead, I had left the contents of my Potter vaults to Moony.
Remus Lupin was one of my parents' best friends and he was my favourite uncle when he was still at the village. He left when I was about ten years old, however, because he didn't agree with the Rebels anymore. At the time, I didn't really understand why he was leaving me, but I had heard enough of shouted quarrels between Sirius and him to know that they had a lot of disagreements. I hadn't heard of the man since then, but I was confident that in this new regime of equality between wizards and werewolves, he would be safe and happy somewhere. I left the Potter vaults to him because they would have a special meaning to him, as opposed to anyone else who would just see them as a big pile of money.
.
This settled, Draco nearly dragged me to the clothing store. On the outside, he had his normal poise and public mask, but I had begun to know him enough to notice his small twitches and eager movements.
The next few hours were torture of the most boring kind. I just stood there doing nothing while they draped fabrics of various colours and materials on me. The whole process was punctuated by various comments of how this particular colour brought out my eyes, or how this particular fabric made me look mysterious or fetching. I personally didn't care. Sirius had tried to instil in me a sense of style and a taste for clothes that would make me project certain messages in the right circumstances, but that was one lesson that had entered in one ear and left immediately in the other. Draco looked like he took it very seriously, though. A bit too seriously, in my opinion. But I wasn't about to complain when someone did a tedious task for me and would make me look respectable without requiring me to do any effort.
So the hours passed slowly and I stood there like scarecrow in the middle of a field of fabrics and colours.
When we were done, at last, I moved to pay for the clothes, but Narcissa stopped me. She placed a hand on my arm and whispered to me "For saving Draco." as she paid. I was a bit embarrassed. I hadn't saved her son for her to repay me with clothes, after all. However, in the past few days, I had gotten a sense that the Malfoy family took debts very seriously. I supposed that if it helped them feel less guilty when their Lord killed me, I could endure the preferential treatment.
.
When we stepped out of the clothing shop, I glanced at the colourful joke shop a bit higher up the Alley. I told Draco and Narcissa that I'd just go in there quickly and that they should wait for me outside. They looked a bit hesitant to leave me alone, but they didn't want to enter the shop unless they were forced to, so they nodded their agreement and told me to be quick about it.
I hurried in, swiftly dodging the prank trap on the doorstep like last time and looking rapidly around. I just wanted to find the Ear display and leave my money on it without giving the twins enough time to notice me.
I had just spotted the display, which had moved slightly since I was there the last time, when one of the twins in another expensive looking suit came up to me. He eyed me up and down (I was in some of my new clothes) before bursting in laughter. I frowned at him, wondering what was so funny. I looked down at my new clothes and didn't see anything that warranted such a laugh.
The red hair came closer and slapped my shoulder.
"Don't worry, don't worry! You look like the perfect proper Pureblood. I just didn't expect a stuck-up heir to be able to dodge that prank trap."
I lifted an eyebrow at him.
"Me? A stuck-up heir? I think you're confusing me with my friend Draco who's waiting outside. He's the one who picked the clothes, anyway.
-Right, right." His smile widened impossibly. "Welcome then, I'm one half of the famous and gorgeous Weasley twins, Fred."
I frowned at him.
"I thought your names were Forge and Gred?" The words came out of my mouth before I could think of the implication of my words.
"Ha! He knows us! George! Come here! A friend of the Fancy Ferret knows of Forge and Gred!"
His twin came up to us as fast as he could.
"Hi" he said a bit breathlessly. " I don't remember ever seeing you here. I'm George, also known as Forge, or Gred, or awesome twin number one."
"Hey," protested Fred, " I'm awesome twin number one, you're number two..."
The two bickered a bit together. In the meanwhile, I was wondering how I would get out of this situation. Quite clearly, my original plan to just leave the place quickly without being noticed hadn't worked. I watched the twins' antics distractedly while wondering how to present this. Should I confess to stealing? Should I tell them it was a donation? A gift of two Galleons didn't seem credible.
I cleared my throat, getting their attention. They looked at me expectantly, with good-natured smiles on their faces. I just didn't have the heart to lie to them.
"Ehm...listen. A couple of years ago, I really needed something of your shop and didn't have the money for it. And I..." I exhaled noisily, gathering my courage. "I just took it, I'm sorry. But I promised myself that I would repay you as soon as I had some gold, and now I just got some so...here you go." I blurted, forcing two Galleons on the hand of Fred, who was the closest to me. I was about to turn away and leave the shop when a hand on my shoulder stopped me.
I turned around, face flaming and quite ashamed. The twins were looking at me in very serious faces.
" How did you do it without tripping the anti-theft wards?
-Er, they were already tripped that day because the Rebels had just attacked the Alley..." Surprise and understanding dawned on their faces at the same time.
"It was you...
-That tripped...
-The prank trap...
-And dodge it...
-That day.
-Were you also...
-The invisible man who saved the little boy?
-And who destroyed the Rebel wards?"
I nodded, looking to the side for a moment before turning back to them. They were watching me with barely veiled curiosity.
-You used our products to do some good then, right?" asked George.
"I don't really know if you can call it good, but I did use it to protect innocents as best I could..." and to satisfy my morbid curiosity about the Dark Lord.
The twins exchanged a long look. Then Fred gripped my hand and put the two Galleons I had given them back in it. I looked at him uncomprehendingly.
"As far as we are concerned, you don't owe us anything. You repaid us that day when you protected Diagon Alley.
-What? But I have the money now; I finally can pay. I want to pay!"
They shook their heads in concert. Fred sighed and said:
"Ah, the hard life of a hero...
"Being showered with gifts and not even wanting them." completed George.
"Generous...
-Courageous...
-Adventurous...
-Anonymous...
-Audacious...
-Do you think we could charm Galleons to sing in the honour of the Invisible hero?" suggested George.
"Ohhh, then we could have all types of songs and it would be some type of "collect all the Chocolate Frogs cards" concept, except that they wouldn't be pictures, they'd be songs about notorious people?
-Or notorious events? Then we could get parents to buy them for their kids because they would be educational as well!"
- Maybe they could also turn the skin of everyone else but their owner's in various colours? " Fred exclaimed.
By now, I was looking outside trying to see if the Malfoys were still there waiting for me. I really had to go. I told as much to the twins, who looked devastated at my hasty departure.
"Come back to steal from us whenever you want!" They shouted at my back too loudly for my taste. I felt myself flush in embarrassment. When I reached the Malfoys, they lifted an eyebrow at the same time (What was it with powerful people and their eyebrows? They were contaminating me with that habit) and I shook my head, not wanting to answer questions about what happened in there.
.
o0o0o
When we returned at the Manor, Lucius had already come back from his day at the office. He smiled slightly when he saw the amount of bags we were carrying and the exasperated look on my face.
"The Dark Lord hates shopping as well." he revealed casually.
That comment brought me out of my tiredness quite swiftly.
"The Dark Lord goes shopping?" I exclaimed, unable to hide my surprise.
I had this absurd image of the regal man strolling about in a Muggle shop idly looking for new red contacts lenses or searching for a new cape, trying it on in front of mirrors and twirling around to check its effect. 'Hum, not intimidating enough, I'll take the dark blue one that looks like it was splashed with blood. Yes, that one shall do,' proclaimed my imaginary Voldemort.
"Well...He allows preselected masters crafters and artisans to show him their merchandise all at the same time. Then he picks the first few things that catch his eye and waves them off. As far as I know, the only type of shopping he genuinely enjoys is searching for obscure books for his research in second-hand shops and in small bookstores in remote locations around the world. He likens it to treasure hunting.
-He's quite passionate about his magical research, then? It's not the first time I heard you refer to it."
Somehow, the image I had had for most of my life of a permanently angry Dark Lord frightening the Wizarding World into submission didn't fit at all with the intense man I had met a few days before. I supposed it was quite normal that he should be better known for his duelling prowess than for his amazing discoveries in various fields of Magic. It went to show how much magical strength was important for gaining respect of the Wizarding population. It also showed that the man was as intelligent and creative as he was powerful and imposing.
The weight of my Task was suddenly unbearable. How was I, a poor boy who would barely be an adult, with nary a feat to my name (I didn't count my supposed resistance to a Killing curse as an exploit since I didn't do anything consciously for that), supposed to kill him? To murder someone who was bringing so much to this society...
Yes, not everything was perfect in this government, but he was making so many things better. The only thing I could say for my defense is that I felt compelled to actively seek for a speedy conclusion to my 'Destiny'.
.
I heard Lucius clear his throat and it snapped out of my depressing thoughts. He was looking at me closely, his head cocked slightly to the side and his eyes narrowed.
"You know, the Prophecy isn't well-known outside of the Death Eaters and the Rebellion. Should you not carry it out, I have no doubt that you would be able to live a quiet and comfortable life out of the public eye without suffering any condemnation from the rest of the population."
I snorted, disbelieving.
"As if your Lord is going to let me go peacefully...
-Has he ever told you that he planned to seek you out and kill you?
-No, but..."
Lucius interrupted me, shaking his head.
"You don't know him. I wonder how you can play with your life so carelessly. Every decision you took concerning him was based on preconceived notions you had of the man. I suggest that you get to know him a bit better. You might be surprised by what you will discover. He isn't the blood-crazed sadist he used to be."
I felt my eyebrows lift high on my forehead and my eyes widen in disbelief. I was shocked to the core by what Lucius had said, partly because he echoed some of what the Dark Lord himself had declared in our previous conversation and partly because it just went to reinforce the doubts I already had about my 'Task' and the Duel.
Had I painted myself in a dangerous corner uselessly?
.
I saw Lucius turn briskly on his heels and walk away from me. At the village, people always spoke derogatorily of Minister Malfoy. They said he was vain, cold-blooded, narcissistic, brutal, biased and unfair. I had seen in the past days that, if he could be all of that, he was also a loyal and hard-working man, a caring husband and father, an intelligent and strategic mind and overall a very dedicated and talented Minister. Was the fact that he wasn't elected by a fair vote enough to justify wanting to replace him by someone who would probably do a worse job than him?
Why should it be up to me, a sixteen years old boy, to make or break the new regime?
Left alone with my thoughts, I had no answers to my endless questions. I could see that I hadn't changed so much in the past few years, however. "Why does it have to be me?" was still my most frequent complaint in life...
.
o0o0o
In a flat in Diagon Alley, just above their store, two twins were conferring seriously, sitting at their living room table with a bottle of Firewhiskey.
"Well, Gred," said one.
"Well, Forge," answered the other.
"Do you think he was the one they talked to us about?
-I hope not, because I liked him...
-Me too, I did. I felt like we could have been friends, had things gone differently." confessed Forge, slouching slightly in his chair.
"We knew there were gonna be sacrifices to make..." started Gred.
-For the future we want to achieve. I know." Forge completed, sighing.
-Do you regret it?" asked Gred. Forge shook his head.
-There's no turning back now."
The two twins looked at each other before nodding resolutely.
"For Charlie." said one, solemnly.
"For Charlie, may his soul return to Magic where he belongs," answered the other.
They lifted their glass at the same time and emptied it in one go in honour of the dead.
Anddd, the plot thickens. The last bit of this chapter was added at the request of one of my reviewers. I hope this will satisfy you for the moment, although it's a bit different than what you asked for. ^^
I hope you all liked my version of shopping ;) I might have built a bit of false anticipation there, ouhh, naughty me. Haha!
Next chapter will have some duelling between Harry and the Malfoys!
Thank you in advance for reviewing and for telling me what you think of this!