Chapter- 5
Harry was holding the bundle of parchments from the bank with the help of Ron and Mrs Weasley.
"Mum, can you call a family meeting tonight? I will need some help on how to deal with this," Harry asked, nodding toward the parchments he was holding. There was no way he could deal with this on his own.
"I will send a message to everyone, dear," Mrs Weasley put a loving hand on his cheek and patted it twice.
"Since we are in Diagon Alley, I have to purchase a few things for Grimmauld Place."
"Yes, and we can visit George too." Ginny held out her hand to Harry which he took.
"I don't know if it's the right time for shopping..." Hesitation was evident in Molly's voice and Arthur must have sensed it.
Arthur patted her shoulder. "Don't worry Molly, they will be safe."
"Alright. We'll meet you at George's shop in two hours," Mrs Weasley conceded, although she still looked unhappy about it.
Before Ginny's parents could say anything or Ron could follow them, she dragged Harry away.
The Diagon Alley looked slightly better than the last time when Harry visited it on the day he broke into Gringotts. Many shops were still boarded up, some were open but they lacked customers and most of their shelves were empty.
"So what do you want to buy?" Ginny asked him once they were away from her parents.
"I'm glad that you came with me. And as to your question, I need some new clothes, my old ones either don't fit anymore or they are so worn out that they are only fit to be thrown out. I also need furniture for Grimmauld Place. I guess I should see about a new pet as well since I lost Hedwig." He stopped for a moment and thought about his beloved owl he had loved so dearly. She'd been his friend for so long that it still seemed strange not to have her by his side.
Shaking his head, he continued. "So, in a word, I need everything."
"So, what first?" Ginny asked.
"Let's take care of furniture first. Do you know any shop that deals in second-hand furniture?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, Dad and Mum always buy the furniture from this shop. I can take you there," Ginny said after thinking for a few moments.
So they began their shopping with furniture followed by clothes. After stopping at Madam Malkins for all kinds of robes, even formal ones at Ginny's insistence, they headed to George's shop when a crowd outside the window of Quality Quidditch Supply caught their attention.
They stopped to take a look at the new broom that had only been launched the previous day. Below the broom a name was written in golden ink, 'Lightning Four thousand'. The broom was slick. Each twig was perfectly trimmed. Harry noticed from the corner of his eye that Ginny was fantasising about it. Making his decision he walked into the shop, Ginny following close behind.
"Welcome..." The shopkeeper trailed off as he realised who had walked in. "Mr Potter, welcome, how can I help you?" He said in a low voice to avoid unwanted attention.
"What is the cost of that broom?" Harry said, pointing towards Lightning Four thousand.
"Nine thousand galleons, Sir. It is the most expensive and the best broom in Britain." The shopkeeper replied, in awe.
Ginny's jaw dropped upon hearing the price of the broom.
"Is there a discount if I buy three?" Harry asked.
"Three!" The shopkeeper said, shocked.
The shopkeeper took a moment to get over his shock of selling three such brooms at a single go, then managed to reply.
"Mr. Potter, since you are taking three I can give you a discount of nine hundred Galleons, but you will have to wait for a few days because this is only a sample. The makers have not sent any stock yet," The shopkeeper added, stumbling over his words.
"Okay, please deliver them when they arrive," Harry said, and gave the address of the Burrow to deliver all three brooms.
"Harry you don't have to..." Ginny said but was cut off by a voice that came from her behind.
"Mr Potter."
Harry turned to see who called him. A brown haired, attractive woman was standing near the corner of the counter. She was shorter than Harry, but a bit taller than Ginny. There were some grey hairs near her temple. She was wearing so much gold jewellery that it looked like she was a mobile jewellery shop.
"Can I have a word with you before you buy those brooms? In private please." The woman said.
"Who are you?" Ginny asked, while Harry tried to assess the potential danger of the situation.
"This way please," she said, indicating to the door that was right across from where Harry and Ginny had entered the shop.
"Not until you answer the question," Ginny said while Harry was still observing the woman for any sign of danger.
"Mr Potter," the woman said again, stubbornly ignoring Ginny.
"You heard her, I am not going anywhere with you until you answer her question," Harry said to the woman.
The woman sighed.
"Fine, Mr Potter my name is Aveley Hall. I am chief-executive of the Nimbus broom company. I wanted to talk to you but I didn't know where or how to contact you." The woman replied.
Harry nodded. Harry and Ginny followed the lady to the back of the shop.
"And why did you want to talk to him?" Ginny asked her curiosity, getting the better of her.
Hall waved her wand and a big box appeared, she opened it. In it there was a Lightning Four thousand broom, the only difference was after its name 'Lightning Four thousand', HARRY POTTER EDITION was written.
"We want to launch a special edition of the Lightning Four thousand with your name. In return, we will pay you." Hall said.
Ginny took the broom to examine it. The handle was very smooth and polished so nicely that she could see her face on it, the twigs were cut evenly and the name was written in gold with a brass footrest. It was perfectly balanced. "Oh, Harry, this broom is so nice!"
"How much are you going to pay me?" Harry asked, keeping his face neutral.
"We will pay you one percent of profit and won't charge you for any broom you buy from us in the future, or for any future broom repairs." Hall said.
"I have a feeling that you will be charging way more than any other Lightning Four Thousand," Harry said.
When Hall nodded in agreement Harry spoke again.
"Other than my name, what are the additional features? And how much extra are you charging?"
"The maximum speed of this edition is faster by five miles per hour than the standard Lightning Four Thousand, and it offers some protection from minor and medium hexes. This broom will also have a safety feature so that if the rider is unable to control the broom, the broom will reduce its speed automatically to eighty miles, and it will include two free broom-repair certificates, valid for a lifetime. Oh, one more thing. The broom won't take off when a child below seven tries to ride it," Hall said in one breath as if she had written and memorised each and every word.
"You still haven't answered fully. How much are you charging?" Ginny asked.
Aveley Hall didn't answer the question but kept staring at Harry expectantly. Harry just raised his eyebrow in return to indicate she better answer Ginny.
"That, Ms I cannot share with you as it is our business's critical and confidential information."
"It is not confidential, as soon as you launch the broom it will be public. You are telling us before because of this offer," Ginny exclaimed.
"And I would like to know how much money you will be making by using my name," Harry said, before Hall could say anything.
"Mr Potter, assuming that you accept our offer, we are planning to charge three thousand additional galleons but the price could change, depending on negotiations between us," Aveley Hall said in a defeated voice.
"I am sure if you release this special edition without my name then people will still buy it because of its safety features," Harry said, handing over the broom back to Hall.
"So, what do you say, should we sign the contract?" Aveley asked, completely missing the point that Harry had said no.
"I just told you my answer, but if you didn't get it, let me tell you clearly that my answer is no. You're not allowed to use my name,"
"Mr Potter, I suggest you think about the offer before you reject it. The amount you are getting is very large; many people only dream about it but are not able to earn it even if they work day and night for their whole life," Hall said.
"Yes, I know what you are offering to me and what I am rejecting and my decision is still the same. You are not allowed to use my name and that is final."
He was about to leave the room when Hall responded. "You would be very rich, Mr Potter."
"I don't care for money," Harry replied and walked out the front of the shop. Ginny followed him.
"When the broom comes out on the market please send it and if the special edition is being launched then please send the special edition broom to us instead of this," Harry said to the shopkeeper and signed the form authorising him to withdraw the money from Gringotts.
"Harry, you didn't have to buy that broom for me," Ginny said in a worried voice.
"Listen, Ginny, my happiness starts with you and this makes you happy. I have the money, so please accept it," Harry said to her seriously. Ginny hugged him tightly.
"Oh! Harry, you are so nice but Mum won't be happy."
"Don't worry, I will talk to her. Maybe she'll make an exception now that she knows about us,"
They walked into Weasley Wizard Wheezes.
"What took you so long?" Ron asked.
"We went to Quality Quidditch Supply to buy a new broom and Harry booked a new broom for me," Ginny ambled over.
"Which one did you buy?" Ron asked.
"The Lightning Four Thousand," Harry replied.
Ron's eyes widened with shock when he heard this. After a few seconds, he spoke. "WHAT? You made him buy you the fastest and most costly broom?" Ron asked, with some hint of jealousy in his voice.
"No, I didn't ask him to buy it for me. He bought it on his own," Ginny stuck out her tongue at Ron.
Mrs Weasley was about to scold her but Harry shook his head to stop her, trying to signal they would talk later.
"So, what took you so long? Buying a broom shouldn't have taken this much time," Ron said.
Ginny told them about Aveley Hall and her offer.
When she finished telling them that Harry had rejected the offer, Mr Weasley said, "Harry, I don't know what the others think about your decision but to me, you did the right thing. I will always support you."
"Yes, I agree, Arthur, " Mrs Weasley offered her support.
"What? You think Harry did the right thing? Then you both are mental," Ron jumped in, surprised.
"No, Ron. I also think Harry did the right thing. Besides, from what Ginny is telling me, I am willing to bet she's an arrogant hag," George said, chiming into the conversation.
"Language, George!" Mrs Weasley scolded.
George just grinned at his mother.
"So George, how are you?" Harry asked, hoping to change the topic.
"I'm ok Harry, a bit busier, but fine. And don't worry, I will be there for tonight's meeting," George replied, completely avoiding the real question.
A half hour later, and after many failed attempts of dropping the topic about Harry's rejection of the offer to the Nimbus Broom Company, they flooed back to the Burrow.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Before dinner, Ginny and Harry took their evening stroll around the property. It was quickly becoming their routine. They stopped below a big tree far enough to be outside hearing distance but within the sight of the Burrow. They sat there, with Harry's back to the tree and Ginny snuggling under his arm.
A comfortable silence settled between them. Harry spoke. "I've been thinking of moving out."
"When?" Ginny asked after a few more moments of silence.
"During Christmas break."
At this, Ginny sighed and relaxed in his arms. "I thought you were doing it now."
"No, I'm not moving now. Even if I wanted to, you and your mum won't allow me to do so," Harry continued, laughing slightly.
"Why, Mr Potter, are you afraid of me?" Ginny asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Yes, very much so," Harry returned with a smile, and then moved to kiss her.
They were interrupted by a gagging sound. Ginny had her wand out in a flash and Harry was holding a small but sharp knife. When Ginny saw the knife in his hand she raised her eyebrow in silent question, Harry in return just shrugged as if saying 'what, just because I'm not supposed to do magic, you expect me to remain completely unarmed?'
They moved toward the noise, they were probably six or seven feet away from the source of the noise when they saw a fire burst suddenly at the foot of a tree. Harry and Ginny ran to the spot where the fire had appeared moments ago, there was nothing but a pile of ash.
"What was that?" Ginny whispered.
As if this was a cue, a small baby bird poked its head from the ashes.
"It's a Phoenix," Harry said. He then reached out and picked up the tiny magical bird.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to take care of it until it can fly again."
"I'm not so sure about this Harry," Ginny held his hand, tentatively
"Why not?" Harry asked.
"We don't know much about Phoenixes," Ginny explained.
"Then we will find out together." He started moving toward the house with Ginny following him.
When Harry and Ginny return to the Burrow, they showed the Phoenix to Mrs Weasley. The elder witch immediately conjured a perch and a water bowl for it and began cooing over the baby bird.
"What's that?" Ron asked as he came down.
"A Phoenix," Ginny replied.
'A what?" Ron shaking his ear as if he had misheard.
"You heard right, Ron. It's a Phoenix," Harry said.
"Where did you find that?"
"A few feet away from that big tree." Harry pointed out through the window.
All Ron could do was shake his head while smiling.
"What are you smiling at?"
"You are becoming Dumbledore," Ron chuckled.
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are," Ginny butted in.
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That night, everyone except Charlie arrived for the meeting. After dinner, Ron and Ginny helped Harry to bring the stacks of parchment and folders down from Harry and Ron's bedroom when everyone gathered in the living room.
Finally, Harry began. "What I am going to discuss with you all should remain a secret between us. No one else should know about this. I need help in sorting this out."
"Don't worry, Harry, just tell us," Bill said, considering the seriousness of the matter.
Harry distributed parchment and folders to them.
"Merlin's beard, Harry. You are probably the youngest millionaire in history," George exclaimed as he let out a whistle.
"So, what help do you want from us, Harry? And Harry, remember you cannot keep it secret. A record of who owns how much wealth is kept by the Ministry, though where you have invested your money will remain private." Percy told everyone rather pompously.
"Well I'll come to the point directly, Percy, I'd like to offer you a job to manage my estate. Will you accept it?" Harry asked.
"You still trust me, Harry, after everything that happened?" Percy asked in return, in disbelief.
"Forget about the past. You made up for it at the end and that's what matters to me. So, do you accept the job?" Harry asked a second time, a smile twitched the ends of his lips.
When Percy nodded Harry asked again. "I don't know how my father used to manage this estate, but I don't think this estate can be managed by a single person, so is anyone else interested in taking the job?" Harry looked around at the people he loved most.
"I weel also 'elp" Fleur responded, which made Harry sigh in relief. He hadn't been looking forward to letting Percy do this alone.
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Harry, Fleur and Percy sat scattered around the living room and examined the parchments that detailed the vast contents of Harry's estate. It would take a lot of work to maintain and grow the earnings more than Gringotts Fleur and Percy would be generously paid.
Money was allocated and put aside. A trust for Teddy was to be created with enough money put inside that he would not have to worry about the future.
"Thank you, Fleur. Ok, Percy, you will handle the business operations and Fleur, you will handle finance. Do you agree?" Harry revealed his condition.
Both Percy and Fleur nodded at this.
"Err… 'Arry the 'state iz so large thaz it can'z be maintained by ze two people. We weel need more." Fleur went through the first pile of folders.
"No, we can do it," Percy countered Fleur.
"How many do you need? We can get the help of Gringotts" Harry came over to look, knowing Fleur was right.
"'Or now fou' Gobleenz weel do, but still, wiz seex people eet weel take uz at least six to seven months to evaluate the estate. Both I and Percy weel try az best az wee can to 'arn profeet," Fleur sorted some of the papers into a pile, while Percy scowled in disagreement for asking Goblins' help.
"Alright, no problem, I will get the Goblins tomorrow. I have a meeting at Gringotts at eleven tomorrow morning anyway, and you can hire more people as you need," Harry nodded his head at them.
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The next day Harry and Fleur went to Gringotts, and the same Goblin who escorted them the day before led them toward the Head Goblin's office.
"Welcome, Mr Potter," Grayhawk greeted him. "I assume you have decided how to manage your estate."
"Yes, this is Fleur Weasley. She and her brother-in-law Percy Weasley will be managing my estates, but at the same time I will also need the assistance of Gringotts," Harry informed him.
"How many Goblins do you need?" Grayhawk asked.
"Four Goblins will do for now," Harry replied. Grayhawk rang the bell; the Goblin who escorted Harry reappeared. The two Goblins talked rapidly in their own language and the escort Goblin left the room. After some time four Goblins entered the room.
"Mr Potter, let me introduce you to your account managers Gurfok, Wishop, Freshook and Karkhook. Gurfok was managing your account earlier," Grayhawk pointed to them each in turn.
"In that case," Harry began, "Gurfok will work with Percy and Fleur and the rest will work under them. Other than your normal charges, they will get a part of profit as an incentive every year. The year will begin from the first of January and will end on the thirty first of December. Bonuses will be given on the first of December on the basis of previous year's profit and payment of the bonus will start from that next year."
The Goblins tried to hide it, but Harry could see that now they were sitting a bit more straighter and also leaning towards him.
For the next forty-five minutes, they discussed all the terms and conditions and signed the contracts between the Goblins and Harry. Harry also told them about his decision for the transfers of money, to Teddy's new vault. When their meeting broke, Harry spoke to the Head Goblin.
"I would like to visit my vaults," Harry said.
"Very well. Gurfok!" Grayhawk stated.
Gurfok took Harry and Fleur to his vault. The ride was similar to his earlier neck-breaking rides but this one was deeper than the ride to his old vault.
They reached the vault and Gurfok opened it for them. The gold, silver and bronze coins were stacked up in three different heaps. The moulds were so high that they almost touched the very ceiling of the vault. There were also many precious gems littered around the floor. Many Goblin made armour and swords were also lined up in one corner of the vault.
When Harry entered vault number three hundred and nineteen, Gurfok said:"There is a chest on the left side of the vault given by your mother to be handed over to you when the vault is shown to you after your seventeenth birthday. It was her wish that you don't open it here."
"She left me a chest?" Harry asked, surprised that his mother had time to make such a gesture before her death.
Instead of replying Gurfok just nodded. Harry moved toward the direction Gurfok indicated and soon found the chest in the corner. He picked it up with the help of Fleur, shrunk it and put the chest into his pocket and walked out after refilling his pouch with gold, silver and bronze coins.
Harry's visits to his other vaults didn't produce much of interest to him at that time, so he prepared to return to the burrow, slightly nervous at what his mother may have left him in the chest, but excited at the possibilities.