Chapter 22: Rescue and Inheritance

It wasn't long before they reached Platform 9 and 3/4 and the group had to separate for the summer. Hermione and Hallie hugged Harry and Ginny before going to find their parents while the couple had to find the Weasleys. Eventually, they found the family of redheads by the barrier with annoyed looks on their faces. When the family saw Harry and Ginny, they made their way to the couple, changing their expressions to happy ones.

"Ah, there you two are. We were wondering where you had gone when Ron said that he couldn't find you," Mrs Weasley said.

"We were just saying goodbye to our friends is all. There's no need to get worried," Harry responded.

"Oh well, as long as you're both safe. Now then Ginny, let's go home, alright? Bye Harry," Mrs Weasley said before grabbing Ginny's arm and taking her with them as they went through the barrier.

"Tell me when they leave and it's only Percy left, then I'll come over, alright?" Harry told Ginny.

"I will...Don't take too long though. I'm looking forward to spending the summer with my boyfriend," Ginny replied.

Harry then also went through the barrier and found the Dursleys waiting for him as usual away from the crowd. He walked over to them and followed them to the car without a word as he didn't know who might be listening in on them in public. Once they got into the car, he spoke.

"You'll be pleased to know that this will be the last summer you'll ever see me," Harry said bluntly.

"Why is that?" Petunia asked.

"This summer, I'm going to claim my inheritance, including my parents' property, so I will be able to move out. After we get back to Privet Drive, I will take a bus to my girlfriend's house, then we will go to the bank and do what I need to do. After that, I will return and get my things from here and leave," Harry explained.

"Marge is coming over today," Vernon said hesitantly.

Vernon's sister, Harry's Aunt Marge, was even worse than he was. The last time she came over was when Harry was still young and hadn't stood up for himself, meaning that he had to take her abuse or get punished more. Well, it seemed as though he might be able to turn the tide on the old hag.

"Interesting...I haven't seen her in years. She'll be in for a shock if we happen to cross paths as I move out, won't she?" Harry commented with a grin.

The Dursleys said nothing to this as they knew what Marge would be getting herself into if she attacked Harry physically or verbally. They could only hope that the two never crossed paths this summer. Eventually, they made it to Privet Drive and as the night came, Ginny called him mentally.

"Ok, Harry. They're gone. And Percy is starting to really creep me out with his body language and expression. Get over here now!" Ginny called.

Harry said a quick goodbye to the Dursleys before calling for the Knight Bus. He told the driver to go to the Burrow and it shot off into the darkness. It took a while to get to the Burrow, but once the Bus stopped, Harry jumped out and ran towards the crooked house. As he got to the door, he found it locked, which was not a good sign. He used the unlocking spell, but it didn't do anything, which meant that the door was warded from magic too. Someone didn't want anyone interfering with whatever was happening inside.

Realising that spells would be useless here, Harry had to go with plan B. He took a few steps back and charged forward, shoulder-barging the door off of its hinges. As soon as he entered, he heard Ginny's screams and ran towards where he heard the sound coming from. That's when he saw Percy looming over Ginny as she tried to crawl away on the lounge floor.

"You really should've joined us in our plans, Ginevra. Now I'm going to have to knock some sense into you. If that fails, then Mother has given me permission to call Dumbledore over and...persuade you...Harry's not going to save you this time and no-one will save him when he has to die," Percy explained with an evil grin.

"That's unfortunate for you then, isn't Percy? Because I'm not going to let you have the chance to bring Dumbledore into this," Harry growled.

Percy turned around and his eyes widened in shock at seeing Harry crossing his arms.

"That's impossible! You can't be here! Dumbledore-!" Percy tried to say before he was interrupted.

"Dumbledore won't know about this until I want him to know. What you need to remember is that no-one is to lay a hand on my Ginny, unless you want to end up with a worse fate. As for you? Well...I have uses for you..." Harry explained with a grin.

"I'm not helping you with anything, Potter!" Percy growled.

"Oh, but you will...Whether you like it or not...You see, Lockhart's skill in memory charms got me thinking about how useful the spell is when mixed with compulsion charms. The effect isn't exactly the same as the Imperius curse, but it's the same principle. I make you do what I want you to do, but you'll act as you normally would without anyone suspecting a thing. I've decided that you can be my test subject," Harry explained as he circled Percy with his hands behind his back, almost like how a predator stalks its prey.

"You won't be able to do anything! I'll stop you and take you in before-!" Percy growled as he reached for his wand, stopping when he couldn't find it.

"Looking for this?" Harry asked as he twirled Percy's wand in his free hand after summoning it.

"Give me my wand back now, Potter!" Percy yelled as he lunged at Harry.

Harry merely sidestepped the lunge and elbowed Percy's back, knocking him to the floor. Harry then kneeled down and pointed his wand at the older boy's head.

"Now then, Percy. It's time to see whether this really works. Obliviate!" Harry cried as he hit Percy in the forehead.

Percy's face then went blank as Harry removed the memory of the confrontation from his head. Once this was done and the after effects were still happening, Harry cast a compulsion charm over Percy and began to tell him what to do.

"Now then, Percy. You surely have work to do, so you will do it as you would do without Ginny here. You will keep the house tidy for your family's return and when they do return, you will say that Ginny has been well behaved and is in the back garden with me as I was brought over by the Dursleys when I asked them to. You will not call Dumbledore over and you will not stop me from bringing Ginny with me to spend the summer with me until your parents return. Do you understand?" Harry ordered.

"Yes...I understand..." Percy said blankly, still affected by the memory charm.

Harry nodded and got up, grinning at his success. He then walked over to Ginny and helped her up. Once he did, she hugged him tightly, not wanting to let him go.

"I can't believe that he actually hit me! I was so scared! I can only imagine what would happen if the entire family were still here when Percy attacked me! Thank you for saving me again, Harry," Ginny cried.

"He's got what he deserved for now. He's nothing more than a puppet. It may not be ethical, but it's necessary for the 'Greater Good'. Oh, I would love to see the old fool's face now for using his famous line for myself," Harry explained, rubbing Ginny's back to comfort her.

"I know. I wish that it wouldn't have come to this, but my family are giving us no choice. Just don't get too heavy-handed with this technique of persuasion. You don't want to end up like Dumbledore," Ginny commented.

"I know, and I won't. This was a necessary usage. I won't just use manipulation all of the time unlike he does for such trivial things. Anyway, let's get you out of here. Come on, it's time to go to Diagon Alley and claim my inheritance and finally cut Dumbledore out for good," Harry explained as he led Ginny out of the Burrow.

The couple then took the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron and went into Diagon Alley. Fortunately, there wasn't anyone around at this time, so they weren't stopped on their way to Gringotts. When they entered, they noticed that there were fewer goblins working than there normally is in the day, which is expected, but the receptionist was still there, which is who they needed to see.

"Excuse me, I am Harry Potter and I am here to claim my inheritance," Harry stated.

"One moment please, Mr Potter. The manager has been awaiting your arrival after the events of your second year at Hogwarts. There are things that you, he and your bond-mate need to discuss," the goblin explained, leaving before Harry could ask what the goblin meant.

"Interesting...At least this will save time explaining about the bond if the goblins already know of its existence. It looks like we'll get our answers after all," Harry mused.

"Hopefully, but the main thing here is for you to claim what's rightfully yours and remove yourself from Dumbledore's grasp. From what I've heard, rumours have stated that the Potters were also descended from Gryffindor, so you may even have some control over Hogwarts," Ginny explained.

"Hmm...That could be useful if that's true. Dumbledore wouldn't know what hit him, but I'll keep that information to myself for a while if it comes to light," Harry decided.

After a few minutes, the goblin returned and led the couple to the manager's office. The couple entered and saw an imposing figure sitting at the desk at the end of the room whom they assumed was the manager. They were correct.

"Ah, Mr and Mrs Potter! Welcome! My name is Ragnork and I am the manager of the British branch of Gringotts. Now, we have much to discuss, and time is money," Ragnork said.

"Wait, Mrs Potter?! But we're not married!" Ginny exclaimed.

"You actually are. You and Mr Potter formed a soul bond this year, which effectively means that you are now married," Ragnork explained.

"Alright. Could you tells us more about what the bond entails? Only we haven't heard of it before so we are unsure of what to expect," Harry asked.

"Of course. A soul bond can only form between two people who are soul mates where one of the two saves the other from death at the peril of their own life. The bond ties your souls together permanently, meaning that if one of you die, the other will die shortly after as you will not be able to live without each other. Those in a soul bond will find that they will have a greater affinity for using magic at all levels. This is because the bond strengthens your magical cores and combines their powers to allow you to defend yourselves more efficiently to avoid premature death. The bond also protects you from anything that may affect your love for each other. This includes having immunity to any love potions and invulnerability to physical, regular or sexual, assault among other things. Unfortunately, that is the extent to which we goblins know of a soul bond. There should be books around that may give more information to you, so check in Flourish and Blotts when you leave," Ragnork explained.

"Thank you, sir. I don't mean to sound rude, but why are you being so...nice to us? Most of what we have learned at Hogwarts, and what some wizards, like Dumbledore, have told us is that you don't exactly like wizards and that we should tread carefully around your kind. Again, I meant no disrespect, but I am merely curious to this contradictory behaviour," Harry asked hesitantly.

"While we may not like some wizards, like Dumbledore for example, others have been nothing but honest customers and friends to us. Your parents and ancestors being some of them. The Potters have been good friends of the goblins and have made many appreciated attempts to give us more rights in this world. Some succeeded, some failed, but the fact that they still tried meant a lot to us. We hope to have the same relationship with you and your new wife as we had with your parents, Mr Potter," Ragnork answered.

"Thank you for explaining, sir, and I do not see why we can't have a good relationship. Just please call me Harry. Calling me Mr Potter makes me feel old," Harry said.

"Of course, Harry. And call me Ragnork, not sir, for the same reasons. I may look old, but I still have many hundreds of years left in me yet," Ragnork replied.

"Alright, Ragnork. Now, the main reason why I came here is because I wished to take an inheritance test. We both obviously have a mutual dislike for a certain Headmaster, so the sooner I can get out of his grasp, the better," Harry explained.

"Yes, my colleague mentioned your business. Follow me into the Inheritance Chamber and we can begin," Ragnork responded.

Ragnork then led the couple into the room behind the desk. The room was empty apart from a single, floating basin of liquid in the middle, which was where Ragnork was leading them to.

"Now, I need you to take this knife and make a small cut in your finger. Once the blood drops into the basin, the cut will instantly heal and your profile will be revealed," Ragnork explained, giving the ceremonial knife to Harry.

Harry did as Ragnork said and cut his finger. As the blood dropped into the basin, his finger healed and his profile instantly appeared out of the liquid. No-one could believe what they were seeing as they read the profile.

"This is impossible!" Ragnork exclaimed.

"Sorry, but what's impossible?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Harry, for many years it has been rumoured that the Potters were descended from Godric Gryffindor, so the fact that you are his heir is not a surprise. What is a surprise is that you are also the heir to Helga Hufflepuff on your father's side too and that you are the heir to Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin on your mother's side! You are the Heir of the Founders and therefore the Heir of Hogwarts! You will technically control the school once you are emancipated and claim your Lordship!" Ragnork explained in shock.

"Wait, what?! But that's not right! I thought that Tom Riddle was the Heir of Slytherin?!" Harry questioned.

"While that may be, so was your mother, but she did not know this. She had equal rights to the title as did Tom Riddle, but he found out first and claimed it for himself. However, due to what he did on the Halloween night of 1981, magic removed his title and gave it to you by right of conquest and blood," Ragnork explained.

"Alright, that makes sense. However, what about the rest of the families that I am the heir to?" Harry asked.

"Well, your godfather, Sirius Black, named you his heir if he died and never had children. He has been unavailable since your parents died, but I will explain after you receive your Lordships. It was also rumoured that the Potters were descended from the Peverells too, more specifically the youngest of the three brothers, so again it is no surprise," Ragnork answered.

"Wait, the Peverells really existed?!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Oh, very much so. As do the Deathly Hallows. We goblins should know as our ancestors saw the Hallows ourselves," Ragnork responded.

"I thought that it was just a story..." Ginny commented.

"Since the knowledge and records of the Hallows being used has disappeared, this generation of witches and wizards believe that they never existed. The disappearance was caused by some holders intentionally hiding the identity of the Hallows from others or only passing them down through the generations, like the Cloak of Invisibility, for example, being passed from father to son," Ragnork explained, subtly giving Harry a look.

Harry then took out his invisibility cloak from his pocket and resized it, showing it to Ragnork.

"Yes, it seems as though I was right. You indeed hold the Cloak of Invisibility in your hands, Harry. Keep it safe and do not let the knowledge of its identity fall into enemy hands," Ragnork warned.

"I will remember that. Thank you for the warning, Ragnork," Harry replied.

"You're welcome. Now, the final thing is that you have also been named as the Heir of Merlin. This is something new as we believed that this was never going to happen," Ragnork stated.

"Why is that? Didn't Merlin have children then?" Ginny asked.

"No, he did not, Mrs Potter. You see, Merlin made a prediction before he died. He said that his true heir would come at a time of great darkness. His heir would be wronged by many and would be on the edge of falling to the darkness himself, but a soul of light would bring him out of the darkness and send him down the right path to victory, defeating darkness in all areas and restoring peace to the Wizarding World. It appears as though Merlin was talking about you, Harry," Ragnork explained.

"Wow...So, what does this mean, Ragnork?" Harry enquired.

"It means, Harry, that you are the Chosen One to rid the world of darkness once and for all. You are not only the rightful heir of the Potter, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Peverell families, but also the Emrys family, Merlin's last name. You hold the most political power in the entire Wizarding World now, even more than the Ministry, and you are the richest person ever born. Yes, I believe that you will truly do great things, Harry. Once you claim your Lordships, no-one will stand in your way again and we goblins will make sure to help you in any way possible, my friend," Ragnork explained proudly.

"Thank you for your support, my friend. It means a lot to me and Ginny to hear you say that," Harry replied.

As Harry re-read his profile, he also read the 'Abilities' section onwards, bringing some interesting developments to light. It read as follows:

Abilities:

Magical Core Level at Full Power: Grand Mage

Aptitude for Pure Light Magic (training required)

Aptitude for Pure Dark Magic (training required)

Aptitude for Shadow Magic (training required)

Aptitude for Soul Magic (training required)

Aptitude for Chaos Magic (training required)

Aptitude for Elemental Magic (training required)

Martial Arts (mastered)

Parseltongue (mastered)

Wandless Magic (nearly mastered)

Wordless Magic (nearly mastered)

Other notes:

Residue of Power Blocks placed by Albus Dumbledore (removed at 7 years old via force of will)

Residue of Strength Blocks placed by Albus Dumbledore (removed at 7 years old via force of will)

Residue of Growth Blocks placed by Albus Dumbledore (removed at 7 years old via force of will)

Residue of a Horcrux placed by Tom Riddle (removed at 12 years old via soul bond purge)

At first, Harry was in shock over his abilities, but shock soon turned into anger as he read about the blocks that Dumbledore had placed on him. He was right in his previous assumption of the Headmaster's meddling after all. What interested him though was the residue of a horcrux and the 'soul bond purge' mentioned.

"Ragnork? What's a horcrux? And what does a 'soul bond purge' mean?" Harry asked.

"The creation of a horcrux is one of the darkest forms of soul magic. Normal soul magic is like replicating your soul to have an out-of-body experience and search through areas that your physical body cannot enter, like walking through a locked door. However, a horcrux is permanently splitting the soul in two and leaving one half in an item of your choosing. To do this, you must commit the most heinous crime and murder an innocent person as this crime against nature damages and splits the soul. The usual way to destroy a horcrux is to destroy the item. If you still contained the horcrux, you would have to die," Ragnork explained.

"Well, that explains why Dumbledore needs me alive and weak for now; so that I follow his orders and die at the right time so that he can step in and claim the glory," Harry mused angrily.

"It would appear so. Fortunately for you, a loophole was found in you and your soul mate forming a soul bond. A soul bond purge is where the bond removes any form of dark magic from the two mates as well as removing the effects of dark magic. This is due to the fact that a soul bond is pure light magic in itself, so it negates the dark magic. There may be residue left, but it will not hold any power over you. The blocks and horcrux have been damaged beyond repair, so you will not have to die to remove them. In fact, now that the horcrux is not taking energy from you, you may find that your power will increase," Ragnork explained.

"Thank you for explaining. This makes things a lot more interesting now. Dumbledore and Tommy-boy won't know what hit them," Harry commented.

"Now that your profile has been confirmed, it is time for you to claim your Lordships. The only one you cannot claim yet is the title of Lord Black as your godfather is still alive. Now, follow me to the Ring Chamber and I will give you the Lord rings," Ragnork explained.

Ragnork then led the couple into another room which was also empty apart from a single box in the middle. Ragnork went first and opened the box, ushering Harry to look at the contents in the box while Ginny stayed behind her bond mate.

"These are the Lord rings for each family that you may take. The box is magical as it only reveals the corresponding rings to the person looking into it. All you need to do is take a ring and place it on your finger, then verbally declare that you claim the Lordship of the family in question. Each ring will fuse with the one before it, so you will only visually have one ring, but it will contain the elements of all of the rings," Ragnork explained.

Harry started by taking the Potter Lord ring and placed it on his finger. As he did so, he felt power surge into him as he claimed his birthright.

"I, Harry James Potter, claim the title of Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter by right of blood, so mote be it!" Harry declared.

At Harry's declaration, the ring glowed gold before the light faded away, signifying his right to the title. He repeated this for the rest of the rings and soon, he was Lord Harry James Potter-Peverell-Gryffindor-Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw-Slytherin-Emrys, a.k.a. Lord Harry 'too many names' Potter.

"Well done, my Lord. You have successfully completed the inheritance ritual. Now then, as Head of the Potter family, you may unseal your parents' will and read it, if you wish to," Ragnork said.

"Why was it blocked, and by who?" Harry enquired.

"Again, Dumbledore stuck his nose in where he should not have. Due to claiming that he was your magical guardian, the Ministry allowed him to seal your parents' will from you. Now that you are emancipated, you may unseal it and view it. I believe that many things may come to light from it when we finally see it," Ragnork explained.

"Figures. Alright then. I, Harry James Potter, unseal the will of James and Lily Potter, so mote be it!" Harry declared.

As Harry said this, an orb of light, not that dissimilar to a Patronus charm, appeared in front of the trio and it morphed into ghostly forms of James and Lily Potter.

This is the Last Will and Testimony of James Potter and Lily Evans-Potter. Should the now likely event of our deaths occur, we leave part of our estate to the following people:

We leave 1,000,000 galleons to Remus Lupin. Remus, you have been a wonderful friend to us and we apologise for doubting your loyalty towards the end, but we finally saw through Dumbledore's attempts to separate us from our true friends. Please look after our little boy and make sure that he knows that he is loved if Sirius is unavailable.

We also leave 2,000,000 galleons to Sirius Black. And yes, we are serious, Sirius (couldn't help it, Padfoot). We are counting on you to be there for Harry and raise him to be a good man as is your duty as his godfather. Do not allow Dumbledore to dig his claws into our boy and try to manipulate him as it will only lead to our son's death for Dumbledore wretched 'Greater Good'. And do not blame yourself. We chose to change our secret keeper to Pettigrew, so if we are now dead while we were in hiding, then it was his fault for ratting us out, not you but the rat himself. Just don't do anything stupid.

The rest of our estate, including all of our owned properties and wealth, will be left to our only son, Harry James Potter. Harry, we both love you so much and we want you to remember that it was never your fault for what happened to us. If we died to protect you, it was because we love you more than anything else in the world, and any other parent who would not do this cannot call themselves loving parents. You were the most important thing in our world and we hope that you will be happy and live your life to the fullest. We have faith in you to do what needs to be done. Before you were born, a prophecy was made that could have spoken about either you or Neville Longbottom. However, if we are dead, then you must be the boy spoken about. The prophecy said:

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."

If Harry is underage after we die, he is to go to live with Sirius Black, his godfather. If Sirius is unavailable, then Harry is to go to either Remus Lupin, Andromeda and Ted Tonks, Amelia Bones, the Longbottoms or the Greengrasses. He is NOT to go to Lily's sister as she hates magic and would try to seriously harm or kill him!

We hope to see you all again someday,

James and Lily Potter

Ginny watched as Harry's usual stoic features gave way to the raw emotions that he was feeling from reading his parents' will. Tears ran down his cheeks as he realised just how much he meant to his parents. He would not let them down now after they put all of their faith in him.

"Hmm...that's interesting. It was common knowledge that Sirius Black was the Potter's secret keeper. He was imprisoned in Azkaban for the betrayal of your parents and murdering Peter Pettigrew as well as thirteen muggles. He never even got a trial. If Pettigrew was the secret keeper, however, this changes things completely..." Ragnork mused.

"They have the wrong man..." Harry stated.

"My thoughts exactly, Harry. I can make a copy of the will for you, if you wish. You can then push for a trial for your godfather and get to the bottom of this," Ragnork said.

"Thank you, Ragnork, for everything. Just let me know when the copy is ready and I will pick it up," Harry replied.

"I will be able to send it to you myself as it will be a written copy, so do not worry. Now then, it is time for you to inspect your vaults and decide on where you will be living from now on. Follow me to the carts," Ragnork explained.

Ragnork led the couple to the carts and drove them off into the bowels of Gringotts. Harry and Ginny both knew that this would finally mean that no-one had any more power over them. There would be some changes made and no-one, not even Dumbledore, would be able to see them coming and stop them.

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to upload this chapter, but I've been going over and over it in my head and only just finished a good way of writing it. Unlike others, I decided to just talk about the families that Harry was the heirs to, otherwise that would've made the chapter stupidly long, which it sort of is anyway, but the detail was needed. Anyway, the next chapter will include Harry seeing his family vaults, choosing his accommodation with Ginny for the summer and a confrontation between our favourite couple and Marge Dursley will be in there too. Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter. Don't forget to review.