It's My Life
As promised, Griphook got right to work on arranging for Harry to be able to get to Potter Manor undetected and told Harry to return in two hours to collect the portkey that was going to be made to take Harry right home and Severus too, since he was Harry's guardian now. Sure, it was temporary at the moment, but surely, Albus Dumbledore would be found guilty of his crimes against Harry. After leaving the bank, Harry, Lucius, and Severus met up with Narcissa and Draco for lunch, which lasted about forty-five minutes. Lucius and Severus explained their findings at the bank, and talked of Potter Manor with Harry's permission. Narcissa and Draco both had a full understanding of things, including that Harry was now Lord Potter-Slytherin. The meal was nice, and then Lucius and Severus went off to handle a couple things while Narcissa took Harry and Draco around to the shops for their new wardrobes. Narcissa was mainly there to handle paying, and maybe advice as to what would be best to have. Harry got a full stock of things that would last him a year or two, hopefully. Cloaks, shoes, shirts, pants, robes, dress robes, and a couple suits too. Of course, there was also underwear, socks, and personal care items too. Harry had never been so tired in his life; he despised shopping and he wondered how some women enjoyed walking around endlessly to buy clothes or whatever else they wanted.
Thankfully, Draco gave Harry a tip about having the purchases shrunk down to carry in his pockets until they got back to the manor, then one of the adults could unshrink them. Harry took the advice and it was much easier, but still quite a lot to have. Narcissa and the boys met Lucius and Severus back at the bank at the end of the two-hour mark. All of them were inside the office as Griphook took his seat before the group.
"Welcome back, Lord Potter-Slytherin," Griphook greeted.
"Please, call me Harry, Griphook," Harry stated.
"As you wish," Griphook nodded. "Now, I've taken care of everything as requested and have some updates for you too. First, you know I must ask as there are two new people present this time."
"Yes, they're allowed to hear," Harry nodded. "They are Lucius's wife and son." He added.
"With that settled. Shall we get right into it?" Griphook inquired.
"Lay it on me," Harry replied.
"I've set up a portkey to take you to Potter Manor; it will take you right outside the main gates. A safety measure for unwanted followers tagging along on the key's ability. When you arrive, set your Potter Lordship ring against the gate and it will connect you to the wards automatically. Once you're keyed in, you may enter the grounds. The house elves living there and who are bonded to the Potter family be waiting in the main foyer when you pass the entrance doors; they will be alerted their master has returned home. I have a list here of all the elves working there at current," Griphook gave Harry the list of names. Harry gave it a once over to see that it would give the name, boy or girl, then where they were assigned in the household.
"There is one other elf who is not on the list, but your inheritance test revealed has sworn loyalty to you alone." Griphook mentioned.
"Dobby?" Harry inquired.
"That would him." Griphook nodded. "It seems he ended up bonding with you as his new master after you set him free some years ago."
"I freed him, how can I be his master?" Harry asked.
"House elves have the ability to bond to a new master of their choosing. It's rare due to the nature of how most elves are treated these days, but for those who are freed end up swearing full loyalty to the one who set them free and bond to that person. I suspect is the case with Dobby when you set him free from my household," Lucius stated. "Dobby remains loyal to you, whom he considers a friend and will still do anything for."
"Oh, alright then. I won't make him work for me, it's his choice." Harry claimed.
"May I see your Potter Lordship ring for a moment?" Griphook requested. Harry pulled the ring off and set it in the Goblin's hand as he opened his other hand to reveal a silver coin that looked like a sickle. Or maybe it was a sickle. The goblin set his hands together as there was a small flash of white and then the goblin gave Harry his ring back. "I've transferred the portkey to Potter Manor into your lordship ring. Not only will it take you home this time, but all times, Mr. Potter. If you ever find yourself in danger and need to make a quick escape to somewhere you will not be tracked or found; Potter Manor will double as a safe house and as we said before; the only people who can get there are the ones you have told."
"Mainly, the portkey is not a one-time use and now that it's infused into your ring; you will always have it. Those rings can only be taken off by the current lord, Mr. Potter," Severus explained. "So they can only be given to another in the family if you hand them over yourself, or you die, in which case; they will return to the vault." He continued.
"I understand." Harry nodded.
"There are several fire-places available in the manor to use for both starting your basic fire and the floo network." Griphook started.
"That wouldn't be safe. The ministry monitors the floo network and everything added to it." Narcissa interjected.
"Narcissa…" Lucius warned calmly for her to relax.
"Given the age of Potter Manor, it is already connected to the floo network. Has been for many, many years now. Rest assured that while ministry administrates the network, it is not monitored. It would be entirely safe to use without worry of anyone using it to locate Mr. Potter," Griphook explained. "This is a list of the fireplaces connected to the floo at Potter Manor. Not all of them in the home itself are connected." He gave Harry another piece of paper. "Likewise, if still uncomfortable to use that; there are other ways of communication. The two-way mirrors, the twin diaries, owl mail…" He added. "But I promise Harry is safe from being revealed to anyone while in the wards of Potter Manor."
"Or the patronus message," Lucius suggested.
"The paperwork for Severus Snape to be your temporary guardian while investigation is under way about Albus Dumbledore's transgressions against Mr. Potter. But as you've requested, Mr. Dumbledore will continue to believe he has guardianship." Griphook said.
"Great." Harry replied.
"Also, news for you that the form you sent in with memories of the events is already being processed. I will send word when it moves to the next stage, which is viewing, then investigation. The last is decision." Griphook explained. "I believe that's everything, Mr. Potter. We've gone over your vaults and combining them into one, your lordships, your home, and the situation regarding your guardianship. And you've accepted me as your personal account manager. Was there anything else?"
"I don't think so," Harry looked to Severus and Lucius.
"I believe it be wise to get a full account summary with the sum of everything in your vault be that money or objects." Lucius suggested.
"I can do that, but it will take time to go through everything since the merge of three accounts to one." Griphook said. "And while we're on vaults, there is one last thing that has taken place while you were away, Mr. Potter. A letter came from Sirius Black, on your behalf…" Harry listened intently.
"Narcissa. Draco. Whatever you hear in this room, you will never repeat to anyone aside us. Severus, Griphook, and I have all sworn secrecy vows to Harry…" Lucius informed.
"Then we'll do the same." Narcissa said firmly. "I, Narcissa Malfoy, nee Black, do solemnly swear to maintain any information or secrets revealed by Lord Harry Potter-Slytherin unless given explicit instruction otherwise," She bowed her head to Harry.
"I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, do vow to keep all information and secrets learned from Lord Harry Potter-Slytherin to myself unless directed otherwise," Draco vowed, shaking Harry's hand.
"Lord Black, who has taken up his own lordship of being the last son of Walburga and Orion Black from the Ancient and Noble House of Black, has requested a large withdrawal from the Black family vault and to be deposited into your vault, Mr. Potter. I have his letter to you here," Griphook handed Harry the folded parchment.
Harry opened it up and began to read.
"Harry,
I know it's been some time since we last spoke, but I wanted to reach out and make sure you are alright. The last we spoke, you completed your fourth year at Hogwarts and would be returning to your aunt and uncle's home. I'm doing all I can to get you out of there, my boy, it's just taking a while to be proven innocent with that coward Pettigrew hiding. I hope you're alright, and if you're able, send word back so I know you're okay. I'll give it until you begin school this year…If I receive nothing by the second week of school, trust that I am going to make an appearance to ensure you're well. If you're not, there will be hell to pay to all those involved. I've sent this letter to the bank, assuming you will be there eventually to get money for your fifth year. I'm also depositing money into your account so you can enjoy Hogsmead weekends, or get whatever you want. I'm your godfather, it's my job to take care of you…Even if I can't physically be there to see to it. I hope to hear from you soon, and maybe get a chance to visit as well. I love you, Harry.
-Sirius."
"I have already made the withdrawal from the Black vault to your own, and made sure it stayed on a separate section, like how your school fund is." Griphook said.
"Thank you," Harry folded the letter, placing it in his pocket. "I will reach out to Sirius after settling in at the manor."
"Is that safe?" Severus asked.
"He's my godfather, sir…He'd never do anything to hurt me," Harry remarked. "He's the only family I've got left. Him and Remus…My parents are dead, Pettigrew is a traitor who got them killed, and my muggle relatives don't care at all." He added. "It'll be fine."
"It's my job to ensure you're safe. That was the point of this entire ordeal and me becoming your guardian," Severus reminded.
"Yes, but you don't need to protect me from those fighting on the same side. You heard what I said he wrote, he'll raise hell if something happens to me." Harry informed.
"That much is apparent." Severus stated.
"Are we all set, Griphook?" Harry inquired.
"For the time being," Griphook nodded. "I look forward to seeing you again soon, Mr. Potter. And if you need anything else, I'll be right here."
"You as well," Harry replied. "Thank you for all your help today."
"Oh, one last thing," Griphook got Harry's attention. "To activate the portkey, you'll need to flip the ring to be facing the inside on your palm and close your hand around it while saying home." He informed. "Those traveling with you will need to be making contact with you. The most secure is handholding, lest you wish to end up disconnected and landing somewhere in between. That key can only be activated by you, Mr. Potter. Others venturing to your home either have to know the exact location or travel via floo. There is an apparition point just outside the wards, for those using that. But remember, they will not be allowed in unless you have allowed it. And no one apparating there at random will even see the home unless you've told them about it and taken them to the location itself first. Common apparition rules, you have to know your destination to travel there." The goblin explained. "And on that list of connected fireplaces are the address names as well, but when you get there and open them up; you're free to change the names."
"Got it," Harry nodded to him.
Next, the Malfoy family, Severus, and Harry were leaving the bank and back out into the streets of Diagon Alley and heading to the Leaky Cauldron to return to Malfoy Manor where Harry's things were, but beyond that; Harry wasn't sure where he was headed next. To Severus's, or Potter Manor? Harry didn't know, but he was kind of excited about everything.
. . .
Back at Malfoy Manor, Harry was glad to be able to take a seat and relax after all the shopping with Narcissa and Draco.
"Well, it's been a day," Narcissa smiled.
"Indeed," Lucius agreed.
"Potter. We will travel to your manor at the end of the week. I require time to pack my home and prepare it for the possibility of Dumbledore showing up to see me while we're at your home." Severus stated.
"Alright. How are you going to do that, anyway?" Harry asked. "Make it so you know from Potter Manor that someone is at your place?"
"I haven't yet figured that out." Severus admitted. "But I will. Remember that Dumbledore can't know you're with me. We'll also need to secure your status at the Dursley home, make Dumbledore believe you're still there. He has that Figg woman keeping an eye on you. She sends reports to him once a week, ensuring you're still there."
"Explains why she's always over for tea in the middle of the week." Harry muttered.
"Exactly. Do you know which day?" Severus asked.
"Wednesdays, at 2 pm." Harry reported firmly.
"Then on Wednesday it would be wise to pay a visit to the Dursley's and make it seem like you're still there. We'll speak to your relatives about playing along." Severus said.
"Perhaps a better option would be to create a copy of Harry to remain in the house," Narcissa suggested.
"Like a clone?" Harry blinked.
"Yes," Lucius replied. "What my wife is referring to is a functional golem. Magic-infused object to take your appearance and mimic basic actions as if it were you."
"That's kind'a cool." Harry mentioned. "Don't think my aunt and uncle will go for it. They hate magic."
"They'd do well to deal with it, or else Dumbledore will harass them to know about you. Believe me, they'll go for it." Draco said. "The golem can just function to do chores in the house, like a robot. And you can tell it what to do for Wednesdays, if you did anything specific when the woman came to check on you."
"We just sat down for an hour and she asked how things were." Harry said. "She mostly asked what I did for fun, and if I looked forward to returning to school."
"Easy enough for a golem to mimic." Severus nodded. "I'll prepare things for it and we'll go see them tomorrow to set it up." He added. "What do you do on the holidays?"
"Dumbledore lets me stay with the Weasley's for the holidays. Both Christmas and Easter," Harry replied. "Why?"
"We're covering all our bases of not tipping off Dumbledore that something is going on. For us to do that, I need to know your life to arrange things to be normal." Severus explained.
"Then we stick to normal. Christmas and Easter, I'll go to the Burrow." Harry informed. "I like seeing my friends anyway. Hermione comes too."
"I assume you might be telling them about the situations?" Draco remarked.
"I might tell Ron and Hermione, but not the rest of the family. For now, the only people who know are you four." Harry said. "The less who know, the safer things will be."
"True," Lucius agreed.
"In school, we'll have to remain the way we have been, Potter. I will still be your guardian, but changing how I respond to you will cause suspicion." Severus warned.
"So just don't take it personally," Draco stood next to Harry. "But Sev has promised not to give you a hard time unless it's deserved. Right, Uncle Severus?" Who nodded to his godson. "So only if you do something stupid are you going to get in trouble by him."
"But he is still your guardian, so if you have any problems or need something; you can go to him." Narcissa pointed out.
"We'll work out a way that if you need to see or talk to me about something, you can without causing a stir." Severus informed. Harry only nodded.
"Well, I believe we should all just enjoy some tea and relax until dinner time. Harry, Draco…Why don't you take your new things to your rooms? Draco, you put yours away. And Harry can set his with his belongings for the move to his own manor," Narcissa said, pulling her wand. "I'll return them to normal size for you."
Harry and Draco pulled out their bags from before and set them down as Narcissa used the charm to unshrink them to normal. Harry and Draco grabbed their things and headed to their rooms. Yes, Harry had a room at Malfoy Manor, which Narcissa promised would always be his if he ever wanted to visit or needed a place to go. It made Harry happy to know he had more than the Weasley's in his life. It was still odd to Harry that he got help from the Malfoy's, and he was still adjusting to associating with Draco and Lucius in a positive manner, but with their vows earlier at the bank; there was some trust forming. The biggest hurdle for Harry was accepting that Severus Snape, his potions professor at Hogwarts, was now his legal guardian. The man was going to be watching over him and ensuring he was safe at all times. Harry's life was going through some major changes, but one thing was for sure; all those changes were only the ones Harry allowed because this was his life and no one was going to control or use him anymore.