Chapter 9: Goblin Assistance
Bedlam was as good as his word and, by the end of the day, Harry and Ted held in their hands signed documents removing his relatives from their position as Harry's legal guardians. Bedlam had delivered the papers personally and, when asked what he had to give the Dursley's in order to make things happen, he smiled evilly.
"I met with your mother and father many times prior to their death and gained a good understanding of your father's 'sense of humour'. When Mr Tonks here mentioned his plan to buy your Uncle's cooperation with a new car, I took to liberty to do so but with a little twist that I believe your father would have appreciated." Harry raised an eyebrow as Bedlam continued, "Vernon Dursley now looks out of his living room window to see a beautiful, top of the range car sat outside his home. When our representative left, your relatives were stood out in the street talking rather loudly about their sleek and obviously expensive new motor vehicle – plainly trying to catch the attention of their neighbours."
"OK…" said Harry, trying to work out what Bedlam could have done.
"Glamours that last only a short time are challenging but manageable for most Wizards. Placing a long term glamour on a large object – a car for example - is astonishingly tricky for a Wizard, unless the Wizard is question is prodigiously strong. Keying that glamour to only be seen by a select few people is even more difficult. Goblin magic is different to that of a Wizard however and we find glamours of that type to be significantly easier to perform."
A large grin was beginning to form on Harry's face.
"In around 6 months your relatives will discover what all their neighbours are seeing already. Not a gleaming, luxurious new car but a small, slightly battered, blue…" Bedlam glanced down at a note in his hand, searching for a piece of information "…ah, yes. A 'Ford Anglia'. A gentleman by the name of Arthur Weasley was planning to make some rather questionable modifications to it but we convinced him to sell it to us instead."
Harry couldn't stop himself from laughing. "That is incredible! I wish I could be there to see their faces when the glamour drops."
"Sadly it will probably be for the best for you to be well clear of the area when that happens Harry." Ted smirked and looked over at Bedlam, "If we could obtain a memory however I'm sure we could use a pensieve…"
"I'll have to check our appointments but I believe there may be one of our human representatives in the area around that time."
Harry wiped away the tears of mirth that had formed at the corners of his eyes. "Thank you, Bedlam."
"You are most welcome Mr Potter. Now, I must be getting back to work. Time is money after all." Bedlam nodded a goodbye to both Wizards and left the office.
Harry was still chuckling to himself when Ted spoke. "You know, even with the signed papers we're not clear yet Harry. The actual process of transferring Muggle guardianship legally can take months. There'll be interviews, home visits and all sorts of meetings to attend before this is finalised."
"I know, but we're one step closer to breaking me free from Dumbledore's control. If my Aunt and Uncle are no longer my legal guardians I can't be forced back there."
Ted inclined his head in agreement then sat and pondered the unusual situation he and his family had found themselves in since meeting Harry the previous day. With an expression of slight concern on his face, he looked up at Harry. "I know you're hoping to make it through your first few school years without too much variance from your original time but are you worried at all that the changes we're making now are going to have an impact on the future?"
Harry sat back in his chair and considered Ted's question. "I know some things will be different. How could they not be? I'll have already met some of my classmates ahead of time and when we do meet I'll have to pretend like I've not known them for years… Plus of course, there's my personal tragedy of not being able to be sorted into Gryffindor. I mean, consider this. In my original time, Minerva McGonagall saw me catch Neville Longbottom's remembrall during my first flying lesson. That act won me my place on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and I received my first broomstick, a Nimbus 2000. That broomstick was destroyed in my third year when Dementors made me fall during a Quidditch match and it was blown into the Whomping Willow. Sirius then gave me my Firebolt which saved my life when I went up against the Horntail in my fourth year. None of that can happen now…"
Harry trailed off for a moment, deep in thought. "Here's another one. As I no longer live with the Dursley's there's now no need for Ron and the twins…"
Harry sat bolt upright. "Oh no."
"What's the matter?"
"The Ford Anglia Bedlam has just given to my relatives… In my original time, Ron and I flew that car to Hogwarts when we couldn't get through the barrier at Kings Cross at the start of the year. We ended up crashing into the Whomping Willow and Ron snapped his wand leading to Lockhart's memory charm backfiring when he tried to obliviate us in the Chamber of Secrets. If Ron's wand doesn't break, Lockhart's spell won't fail and Ginny Weasley will die, allowing Voldemort to return as his 16-year-old self."
Harry could feel the tension building in his body. A small flicker of panic was forming in the back of his mind. How could he follow the plans he and his family had made when everything happening now had the potential to dramatically alter the future he knew?
"Calm down Harry," Ted spoke in a soothing voice. "We can deal with that closer to the time if needs be – we've got a few years to come up with options so my advice is to stick to the current plan. We'll adapt if we have to but let's not lose sight of what needs to be done."
Harry uneasily muttered his agreement but couldn't help the feeling of nausea in the pit of his stomach. Navigating his way through the next 2 years without drastically changing the future would be a lot harder than he had anticipated.
That evening Harry and Ted returned to the Tonks' and were greeted by a pink-haired whirlwind that grabbed hold of Harry and spun him around before he could work out what was going on. Before he could balance himself the pair tripped and tumbled onto the grass in the front garden where Harry had the wind knocked out of him by a stray knee to the stomach.
"Oops… sorry 'bout that. I can be a touch clumsy at times… anyway – wotcha Harry!" Nymphadora Tonks beamed over at him as she disentangled herself from him.
"…Hi…" Harry managed to gasp out as he struggled to breathe and attempted to regain his feet.
"Nymphadora – leave the poor boy alone!" Andromeda laughed as she watched from the doorway. She gave Ted a small kiss in greeting and they moved back into the house.
"Nymphadora?" Harry said grinning, knowing full well the reaction he would receive by using her full first name. He wasn't disappointed as she grimaced.
"Please don't call me that. I don't know what mum was thinking when she chose the name. I prefer to be called Tonks normally but I guess that'd be a bit weird in a house with three Tonks' in so I suppose I'll allow Dora as well." She held out her hand but when Harry grasped it to shake she pulled him into a hug instead. "Awww… I always wanted a little brother. We're going to have so much fun!"
Harry felt the happiness welling up inside of him and let out a short burst of laughter. "Come on then Dora." He called as he pushed himself away from her and darted for the door.
He wandered into the kitchen to find Ted and Andi sat at the table while Ted filled her in on the days less confidential developments. "Did you have a good day Harry?" Andi asked as he and Dora took their seats. "Yes, thanks, Mrs Tonks. Mr Tonks' office was a bit boring but he said my Aunt and Uncle have signed some papers we needed?" Harry glanced at Dora surreptitiously to make sure she was buying the act he was putting on for her.
"We told you last night to call us Andi and Ted – no more of this Mr and Mrs Tonks business, please! And yes, your relatives have signed off on your transfer of legal guardianship. It will be 6 months or so before the paperwork is all finalised and you'll probably have to talk to some people to make sure you're happy staying with us. Will that be OK?"
Harry nodded vigorously. "Absolutely. I don't ever want to go back there…" Harry noticed a flash of anger cross Dora's face and he looked inquisitively at Andi.
"Nymphadora and I had a conversation about why you're staying with us, Harry. She knows you've been mistreated by your relatives and she also knows not to tell anyone you're staying here until we've been confirmed as your guardians. We don't want any of the darker members in the Wizengamot to try to control where you live or your future. If word were to get out that Harry Potter is without a legal guardian…"
"I know mum, I swear I won't tell anyone."
Andi smiled gently at her daughter. "I know. Now, Harry, Nymphadora and I went shopping and picked you up some new clothes…"
"You can keep those pink pyjamas though if you want Harry," Dora said with a laugh.
Harry blushed while Andi rolled her eyes and continued "…they've all been put away in your room so why don't you go and change then we'll have some dinner."
Harry stood and turned but before he could speak Andi interrupted him. "I know what you're going to say, Harry – we don't want you to pay us back. As I said last night, your parents would have done the same for Nymphadora."
Harry saw the determination in her eyes and changed what he was going to say. "Thank you."
July and August passed swiftly. Harry had thoroughly enjoyed his 9th birthday and was surprised by, and grateful for, the small party the Tonks' had thrown for him. Although they were unable to attend, both Severus and Poppy had sent him small gifts. Knowing he would be eager for more knowledge of his parents, Poppy had sent him a small book containing information about how they had performed in their classes, all taken from school records so she didn't have to let on she was providing this for their son. Whilst he'd known his mother was gifted at Charms and Potions, and his father at Transfiguration, Harry was overjoyed by official confirmation of this from their teachers at the time and found the frequent comments about James' pranks highly amusing.
Severus' gift carried a note to say it needed to be opened out of sight of unknowing eyes. He had sent a thick book written to help guide students pursuing their Potions Mastery with an inscription inside telling him to make sure to read it as he wouldn't accept Harry being a monumental dunderhead once he started his classes. Harry had chuckled at that.
Soon it was time for Dora to return to Hogwarts. Harry and Dora had spent a huge amount of time together over the summer and by the time it ended, there weren't many people that he had ever felt as close to. Early on she had made the decision that Harry was far too serious for his age and had taken it upon herself to be as silly as possible with him. What began as the odd practical joke here and there dissolved into an all-out prank war. Whilst Harry was limited in his retaliation by his need to hide his magic, he became quite adept in making use of household objects and supplies to get his own back. Dora was still unsure how he had managed to manipulate her into a position to be dowsed with water then covered in flour but she'd been delighted to see him rolling around on the floor in hysterical laughter. Needless to say, he was sorry to see her go but knew that they would see each other again at Christmas.
A week later Andi began Harry's lessons in earnest. His full training would take much of the next two years but to start they covered in great detail how to greet other heirs and the protocols required when addressing his elders or other heads of houses. He learnt family history in depth for both the Potter and Black families and worked to create his own family tree, managing to document a path back to Ignotus Peverell – something he already knew to be the case but now gave him cause to revisit Gringotts and ask them to investigate his claims on that house. Furthermore, Andi had begun to reach out to some of the more friendly houses to set up a meeting between their heirs and one recently returned to the Wizarding World. She didn't want to make them aware who the heir she represented was until Harry was safe from Dumbledore's grasp but introductions had been tentatively arranged for the new year with the Longbottom, Bones and Abbott families.
In the meantime Harry threw himself into his lessons, learning as much as he could as quickly as possible. While he would be the first to admit he hadn't really applied himself as fully as he could have when he last attended Hogwarts, simply knowing what was at stake this time round had the result of focussing his mind and Andi was astonished by how quickly he was picking things up.
At the end of November, it was time for another trip into Diagon Alley, combining Christmas shopping with a few tasks for Harry. It had been decided that Harry needed to start to exercise his magic so a trip into Knockturn Alley for an unregistered wand was required, followed by a visit to Gringotts to speak with Bedlam. Andi applied another glamour to Harry – this time making him appear significantly older – and the pair set out.
Both Christmas shopping and the purchase of the wand were uneventful thanks to the glamour. Harry had purchased gifts for Poppy and Severus alongside ones for the Tonks family and had taken the opportunity to stock up on prank items from Gambol and Japes for his ongoing war with Dora. He also parted with 12 Galleons for an Ebony wand with a Horned Serpent horn core that reacted well with him when he held it. He recognised the value of having a second wand, especially one that the Ministry did not know of, and so paid more than he would have done for an Ollivander wand without question.
The stop to see Bedlam however was less ordinary. After confirming that Harry was indeed heir to the Peverell family following his defeat of Voldemort as a baby and that they were still working on identifying the figure behind the unlicenced Harry Potter books, Bedlam dropped a bombshell that would throw all of Harry's plans into disarray.
"Since our previous meeting we've been carrying out our own quiet investigations on your behalf to see if anything can be done about your magical guardian problem. You mentioned Lord Black's situation – "
Harry froze, eyes wide he stared at Bedlam. He hadn't believed anyone had heard him. The Goblin's next words confirmed his fears.
" – I'm pleased to say that we've been working with someone high up in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement who has confirmed there are no records of Lord Sirius Orion Black having ever received a trial. As such, next week he will be returned to the Wizengamot for questioning under Veritaserum. If, as we suspect, he is innocent of all charges, he will be free to take over his position as your guardian – after being medically cleared to do so of course. We at Gringotts will be happy to support him in this endeavour."
Bedlam sat back in his chair, grinning broadly and awaiting Harry's response. Harry could only sit and stare, mouth slightly open and his mind running a mile a minute, trying to unpick the consequences of this action. Andi stepped in to speak on his behalf.
"Our thanks to you and all those involved from the Goblin Nation, Account Manager Bedlam. I know Heir Potter would like to express his gratitude to you but I think your information has come as rather a shock to him. Personally, I look forward to seeing my cousin again – I always had doubts about his guilt but believed the Wizengamot had reason to come to their judgement."
With a nudge from Andi, Harry engaged once more. Forcing a smile onto this face he tried to convey excitement rather than the abject terror of his designs crumbling to ruin around him "Absolutely. My deepest thanks to you Bedlam. I am truly grateful for this."
Bedlam nodded in acceptance. "No thanks are necessary Harry. The reactivation of the Black and Peverell accounts are thanks enough – that should prove more than profitable for all involved."
Harry and Andi glanced at each other, noting the concern in each other's eyes, and made their goodbyes as quickly and as politely as possible. They didn't speak again until they were back in the safety of the Tonks family home.
Harry broke the silence.
"I need to speak to Severus, right now."