CHAPTER 16
Changing the lock on the Potter vault and collecting the trunk hadn't taken long. The main Potter vault was different from the vault he now knew belonged to the ministry. It wasn't that it was stuffed with money; what money that was there wasn't much more than the old one had started with. What it did have, though, was jewellery, art and antiques: not a huge amount, and only a few pieces looked overly valuable. However, the contrast was the Potter vault was obviously a family vault, filled with the things a family would store here over the years. The Ministry vault with only money felt cold in comparison.
The trunk was easy to find, it had been placed right at the front of the vault so that it was difficult not to see it first. If Harry hadn't been told in the will that it was his mother's old school trunk, it would still have been easy to guess that that was exactly what it was. The trunk had been painted red, then someone (presumably his mother) had painted green vines with white lily flowers snaking its way around the trunk. Harry had taken a quick look around the vault, looking at the things his family had stored here over the years. He took the time to check the paintings, looking for a wizarding painting of his parents or other family members, but they were all without people, instead just landscapes and abstract figures that, while magical, had no one to talk to. Maybe there would be some at the house in Hogsmeade? Harry wondered to himself.
Once he had collected the trunk and grabbed a handful of galleons, they had returned to Professor McGonagall and relayed to her what Gleamshard had told them about needing a little time to go over some documents and had recommended that they take the time to get some lunch. After questioning why everything was taking so long, Professor McGonagall had agreed even if it was still a little early for lunch, and the four of them headed to the Leaky. Harry asked Tom for a private dining room, and he had been happy to provide.
"Why do you need a private dining room?" Professor McGonagall asked, surprised by his request.
"Because I'm looking to have lunch, not to have everyone staring at me." Harry answered quietly. "Besides, I want to talk over lunch and I don't want people listening in on that."
McGonagall accepted that and ordered herself gammon egg and chips, Hermione ordered scampi and chips, Harry opted for shepherds pie after he saw it on the menu and Fleur wanted a BLT. Harry paid for their meals and they retreated to the private dining room to wait for their food.
Harry didn't exactly want to pay for Fleur's meal. However, paying for Hermione's felt natural, paying for the professor's was about thanking her for going out of her way to escort them here, and after that not paying for Fleur would have singled her out. Besides, they were supposed to be a team for the damned tournament (that someone was using to try and kill them), it was probably not a good idea to alienate one of the people who would be watching his back.
They all sat around the table that would comfortably seat six and waited. Professor McGonagall asked about what happened in the bank and why everything was taking so long. Harry told her about how Gringotts had been trying to get in touch with him but that he had never received mail from them, discovering vaults that were his that he knew nothing about, and how he found a copy of his parents' will along with the contract that betrothed him to Fleur.
He slid the will over to the professor for her to read, having kept hold of the will for just this reason. It was also the real reason Harry had asked for a private room. He wanted answers from the professor; if she was down as a potential guardian for him, why was he raised by his aunt and uncle? Especially given that his parents had forbidden them from being his guardians.
Harry watched as the transfiguration teacher read the will but also watched Hermione and Fleur. Hermione was alternating between glaring at Fleur and looking morose as she thought about the contract that was between him and Fleur. Harry wasn't going to give up yet, he would fight for his Mione. Fleur just looked uncomfortable. He could understand that, from her perspective she had come to meet the man she intended to marry only to find he knew nothing of her and she was breaking up a loving relationship, all while being thrown into a life threatening game. Uncomfortable was probably an aspirational goal for the woman at this point.
Harry saw the moment Professor McGonagall reached the part he wanted her to read. Her eyes went wide and she started rereading a section frantically. "But everyone knows that Black was the secret keeper, that's why he's in Azkaban. But if he's not! Oh merlin, the poor bastard." Apparently the professor hadn't quite gotten to that part yet and had stopped at the paragraph on the secret keeper. Now that Professor McGonagall had said that Black, the second choice for his guardian, was in Britain's wizarding prison Azkaban, that explained why he hadn't been the one to raise Harry. He knew why his godmother (his parents' first choice) hadn't raised him; she was a permanent resident at St. Mungo's magical hospital. He remembered the Longbottoms telling him after Bellatrix had escaped. If his godfather was in fact innocent, then Harry was going to show this will to Madam Bones, she would know what to do. However, that was for after he finished in the bank today; what he wanted now was to know why Professor McGonagall hadn't been the one to raise him.
"He is also mentioned in the list of people that my parents wanted to raise me. Something about an Unbreakable Vow, is that the same as the ones we did?" Harry asked, subtly pushing her to read the section on who his parents nominated as his guardians.
The professor started reading the section on guardians, and then she paused in shock before rereading the section repeatedly, and Harry felt a tension he had been carrying since he had read the will himself relax from his shoulders. He could tell by her reaction that the professor he respected the most was genuinely surprised by what she was reading. He could get past McGonagall not knowing and leaving him in the hell that was his relatives' care. However, if she had been lying this whole time, then he didn't think he could have been so forgiving.
"Mr. Potter, why is my name listed as one of your potential guardians?"
"Honestly, professor, I wanted to ask you that. The will was written when I was a toddler, you would have far more of an idea about what my parents were thinking than I ever will." Harry answered her.
The professor shook herself at Harry's words, she should have known that Harry knew nothing. " I'm sorry Mr. Potter, you are of course correct." She paused to think for a few moments. "I suppose we did get quite close while we were working together for the Order, and they might have thought to add my name then."
"Excuse me professor, but what order?" Fleur asked, her voice curious.
"The Order of the Phoenix. During the Blood War there were a lot of people (myself, Lily and James amongst them) that felt the Ministry was not doing enough to combat the followers of You-Know-Who. The Ministry was and still is packed with 'purebloods', and the Death Eaters' main slogan was one of pureblood supremacy. It was disgusting, but many in the Ministry wanted to let them finish exterminating people of lower blood before stopping them.
"Many of us came together to do something about it ourselves, and we called ourselves 'The Order of the Phoenix'. We weren't able to do much as we didn't have the money or the training to put up a real fight, but we had our victories. We smuggled a lot of muggleborns to the continent, and we were able to stop some of their plans by helping to ward homes and the like. I worked a lot with Lily and James in those days. Lily was particularly good at getting people from magical families out of the country. She would use muggle means of travel that the purebloods couldn't understand."
"Why didn't my mum leave?" Harry forgot about the will for a few moments, too preoccupied with the scrap of information about his parents dangling in front of him.
Professor McGonagall snorted. "You wouldn't ask that if you knew her. Lily Evans...later Potter," she added after a slight pause, "wasn't the type to run from a job that needed doing. When she set her mind on something, if there was a way, she would find it."
There was silence for a few minutes as they thought about what the transfiguration teacher had just told him. Harry thought about all the people his mother had saved, and felt pride well in his chest that his mum had done that. A part of him still wished that it could have been someone else, that he could have grown up getting the hugs and love she would have shown him, but that wasn't how things had turned out. Tom the barman delivered their food and they all started eating, the thoughts of wills and the stuff his parents had said in theirs was pushed to the side of Harry's mind as he focused on his food.
-ϟϟϟ-
The three teenagers were now back in Gleamshard's office waiting for the goblin to finish with the last little scrap of paper work he needed to go over, with Professor McGonagall now sitting in with them. Before lunch, they had just been looking for a betrothal contract. Now, however, they were going over wills and dealing with legal documents. Harry apparently needed adult advice, and as the person currently entrusted with his care, that responsibility was hers.
"Now Mr. Potter, I have been able to go over the Magnolia Ganders and Blair Ironbark wills in question and I will summarize for you. This is just to get through it quickly. I have had copies of the wills made that you can take with you so you can read them more thoroughly on your own time. First is Magnolia Ganders. The witch in question lost her entire family in the Blood War and left her house to you in her will, her reasoning being that she had seen what was left of your home after the night your family was attacked and decided to leave you somewhere to live." That stunned Harry. A complete stranger had left him a house. A house!
Gleamshard continued "One of the vaults that registered as yours in the test was hers, the vault is connected to the property. She set it up so that the bank could manage the property until you either moved into it or you come of age. The vault contains a small sum of gold that is tied to the upkeep of the house. The house currently has tenants that are covering all the expenses for the property with a little excess. So while the vault is currently in your name, it is to be held in trust by the bank until your seventeenth birthday." Gleamshard finished.
"The will of Blair Ironbark is almost identical in its motivation. Her family was decimated in the Blood War, leaving only her and her husband. Warlock Ironbark died in '86 and Mrs. Blair Ironbark survived him by three years. She left the estate to various people and left you her vault containing 10000G for your education. She left you a letter as well." He handed Harry a sealed envelope with his name on the front in a neat elegant hand.
The silence stretched for almost a minute while Harry tried to get his head around what he had just been told. "What can you tell me about the house?" He asked as the question occurred to him.
"It is a fairly standard muggle house in Cornwall. Three bedrooms and an attached 'garage' for the storing of an 'automobile'." There was an almost unnoticeable hesitation when the Goblin used the unfamiliar mundane words.
"What of the tenants?" Hermione asked.
"All I can say is that they are muggle. All other information is protected by confidentiality." Seeing the look of confusion on Harry's face Gleamshard explained further. "Because Gringotts is holding the property in trust, the contract is with us and is subject to the normal confidentiality we offer to all our clients."
Harry nodded understandingly. "Is there anything I need to do?
The account manager shook his head. "For the property, not at this time." He reached under his desk, drew out a key, and slid it across the table to Harry. "This is the key to the former Ironbark vault, now Potter education fund vault. I recommend you switch your school tuition fees to be removed from that vault instead of the Ministry vault. The remaining amount in the Ministry vault I recommend transferring to the Potter vault. Your gold is always more secure in a vault only you can access. Right now the Ministry can grant access to whoever they want."
Harry agreed. If someone set up a fund to cover his education, then he was better off using it to pay for his schooling, and it would be easier and safer to move the gold from the Ministry vault. Not only would it be less confusing, he could return the vault to the Ministry; they could probably put it to better use than he could. Fleur also brought up that her family had been paying the tax for Harry's French property out of their own gold, and Gleamshard had asked for receipts. Of course Fleur didn't have any with her, but she agreed to have her mother send them to Gleamshard as soon as possible.
Harry spent the next twenty minutes reading and signing forms. There was the paperwork for transferring gold from Ollivander's to his vault, transfer of gold from vault 687 to 852 (852 being the Potter vault), relinquishing his access to vault 687, approval for a transfer to the Delacour vaults pending the receipts, and approval for Gringotts to pay the tax going forward on both the French vineyard and the Hogsmeade townhouse. The townhouse was in arrears for its tax, but given that his story was well known in Britain the Ministry tax office had apparently agreed to give him the opportunity to grow up before chasing him for it. However, once Harry learned about it, he decided that it was better to keep on top of it.
During the time Harry was signing the parchment after parchment, and being very happy that forms like this didn't require a blood quill, Gleamshard was setting up the test that Fleur had requested. The test was pretty simple; they were each handed a sheet of parchment that was covered in white, nearly invisible runes, and Gleamshard placed a small knife on the table. All they had to do was bleed on the parchment in the right spot, a red marking in the top right corner of the sheet.
Harry went first, slicing the thumb on his left hand and pressing it into the parchment. The knife was self cleaning, so he handed it to Hermione and quickly wrapped up his thumb with some cotton wool and bandage that Gleamshard had provided for each of them. The spell to heal a cut like that took seconds, and Harry was sure that McGonagall could have done it easily, but there was a 'no wands' rule in Gringotts. Only wix who were employed under contract with the bank could use a wand inside the building, and even then there were a number of clauses in the contract to 'protect the goblins from wizard aggression', or at least that is how Gleamshard described it.
Words started to form on Harry's parchment but it took a while before it was readable. In that time Hermione and Fleur had done their own tests
Harry James Potter - magical bonds test
Veela soul bond - Fleur Isabelle Delacour
Unbreakable vow (godmother) - Alice Longbottom
Unbreakable vow (godfather) - Sirius Orion black
Bound servants - house elves Sipsy, Tipsy, Swaysy, Sassy
familiar - snowy owl, Hedwig
bonded servant - house elf, Dobby
soul mate - Hermione Jean Granger
Triwizard tournament competitor - Goblet of Fire, teammates Fleur Isabelle Delacour, Hermione Jean Granger
While Harry read over his results he heard Hermione gasp, but Harry focused the list in front of him. It was obviously in chronological order, starting with Fleur bonding with him when he was a few days old and finishing with the bond that wasn't even a day old. Three of the entries stood out to him, and two of them concerned House elves. He apparently was bound to five of them, including Dobby.
"Dobby..." Harry didn't shout but it was obvious to everyone in the room that Harry wasn't happy.
Crack. "The Great Harry Potter Sir calls Dobby, and Dobby comes to help." The little elf was dressed in an eclectic mix of clothing that did nothing but clash enough to give you a headache if you looked for too long.
Harry hadn't actually meant to summon dobby. He had said the elf's name more as an expletive after reading the parchment, but now that Dobby was here Harry had an opportunity to get answers. Harry held out the parchment to the elf. "Hello Dobby. Can you take a look at this parchment and please explain." Harry was a little angry as he pushed the parchment on the little elf.
Dobby read the test and tended up. "This is a test of Harry Potter Sir's magical bonds." The nervousness was evident in Dobby's voice.
"I know that. Why does your name appear on it?" Hermione gasped as Harry asked the question.
"Because Dobby is the Great Harry Potter Sir's elf." The little guy was practically shaking as he spoke. "Dobby is sorry, but once Dobby was free of old bad master." He went to slam his head into Gleamshard's desk but stopped at Harry's order not to punish himself, before continuing. "Once Dobby was free, he was having a choice, be bound to Hogwarts or bonds with Harry Potter Sir. Harry Potter Sir is a good wizard, so Dobby was choosing you to be new master."
"That I understand, but why didn't you tell me? Why did you lie to me? Why did you tell me you were living off Hogwarts magic?"
"Dobby is not wanting…Dobby…Dobby knows how bad masters can be. Dobby knows Harry Potter sir is a good wizard but Dobby is still scared."
That took all the fire out of Harry's anger instantly, as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water directly onto his emotions. He remembered what it had been like at the Dursleys, and he could easily see himself being too nervous to ever be a part of a family. If it hadn't been for Hermione, holding his hand (often literally) as he settled in with her parents, he wasn't sure what would have happened.
Harry still didn't like that Dobby had lied to him about this, but he couldn't find it in him to be angry eather. The problem was that he still didn't know what to do with Dobby, or any house elf for that matter. He had never considered owning a slave, although he knew that there was a give-and-take for Dobby (and presumably the other four elves) feeding off Harry's excess magic. However, it was also true that they would be compelled to follow any order that Harry gave them. He also couldn't free them without hurting them.
"I have no idea what to do," Harry admitted.
"Why don't you deal with it later? We have other things to do right now." Fleur advised.
Harry agreed and told Dobby to return to whatever he was doing before. Once he was done with that, Hermione handed Harry her sheet and had him look it over.
Hermione Jean Granger - magical bonds test
Life debt - Harry James Potter (repaid)
Familiar bond - half Kneazle, Crookshanks
Soul mate - Harry James Potter
Triwizard tournament competitor - Goblet of Fire, teammates Hermione Jean Granger, Harry James Potter
Harry's heart leapt at the confirmation that Hermione was his soul mate. He was still apprehensive after seeing it on his test - what if it had been a false positive? But with it here on Hermione's test he let himself hope. The more he thought about it, the more it made a sort of sense, how he and Hermione had just sort of clicked. How else did you explain how two second year students getting together and not only remain a couple years later but actually keep growing closer together. The only explanation was that there was something, magic or maybe fate, that said they should be together. The problem was, he thought as he looked at his parchment over Hermione's shoulder, was there also seemed to be a connection with the admittedly gorgeous girl that was sat on his other side.
What would that mean? Would he get a choice? If so, Hermione would win hands down. No matter if Fleur turned out to be perfect, Hermione had something Fleur could never have. Hermione was there for him whenever he needed help, ever since Halloween first year, whether something simple like sharing her history notes or something like standing with him as they faced a crazed murderer. Nothing Fleur had could ever come close to that.
Fleur handed him her results to him to read.
Fleur Isabelle Delacour - magical bonds test
Veela soul bond - Harry James Potter
Familiar bond - cat, Poe (Harry guessed his chances of ever finding out if he was a dog person just dropped to zero.)
Triwizard tournament competitor - Goblet of Fire, teammates Fleur Isabelle Delacour, Harry James Potter
While Harry looked at Fleur's results, the French witch moved to Hermione's other side and read his results over his girlfriend's shoulder. "I knew it!" She exclaimed. "I was sure I could feel a bond between you."
Gleamshard shot Fleur a hostile look for shouting in his office. "Enough, you have your results, you can compare them in your own time. While I listen to you teenagers prattle on, my workload is building up." Gleamshard talked them through the last few issues that needed to be cleaned up and firmly with forced politeness kicked them out of his office.
-ϟϟϟ-
As they left the bank, Harry was surprised to see someone in the doorway. Obviously by the way she was looking at Harry and Hermione, she was waiting for them. Rita Skeeter walked right up to them as soon as they crossed the threshold out of the bank.
"Harry, Hermione, what a coincidence meeting you here." Her voice was scary sweet.
Harry grinned at the woman "Hello Rita. It's not a coincidence when you are waiting to ambush us outside the bank. How have you been? It's been a few months."
"Ambush? you make it sound so sorted." The smile on her face relaxed and became a little more genuine as they bantered. "I have been well enough. How was your summer?"
"Great, my parents took us to France to spend some time with old family friends, whom we just learned are magical when their daughter turned up with the students from Beauxbatons," Hermione answered.
"Sounds lovely, but speaking of Beauxbatons I heard a rumour about the Triwizard selection last night, how you and Hermione entered the tournament illegally. Can I get a quick interview?"
Professor McGonagall stepped in at this point. "I really don't think that is a good idea. Miss Skeeter, you have enough of a reputation, professionally speaking, that I feel it best to keep my students as far away from you as I can." Professor McGonagall put herself between Rita and the three teens.
"You make it sound like I'm some type of monster."
"You spend your life trying to destroy the reputations of people, I won't let you attack my students like that."
"Professor McGonagall, we understand you are trying to protect us, but it's unnecessary."
"Hermione is right, professor, we know how to handle Rita," Harry added with a grin. Professor McGonagall looked at the two of them with a stern expression on her face, while Fleur just looked on confused, being completely unaware of Skeeter's reputation. Harry and Hermione, though, were completely aware of the reporter's reputation and had used it last year to save Buckbeak from execution.
"Oh? You know how to handle me, do you?" Her smile that had dropped when professor McGonagall stepped in made a partial recovery. She was obviously curious to what Harry and Hermione were going to say,
"Yep" said Harry with a slight smirk on his face, then he and Hermione both said simultaneously, "Bribery."
Rita laughed. "Even if I could be bought, I doubt the two of you would have enough gold to make such a thing worth it."
"Who said anything about gold? I probably could pull enough together to bribe you once, but I probably wouldn't have enough of my inheritance left to finish paying for Hogwarts." Harry didn't notice, but Rita mentally filed away the knowledge that Harry, magical Britain's most loved minor, was paying for his own schooling. Harry continued, unaware of his slip-up. "I have something far more valuable to you."
"Oh?"
"A story, a nice big juicy story." Harry emphasised the words as though he was describing a delicious steak.
Rita's expression changed to one of hunger for a spirit second before she was able to get herself under control. "A story? Well a good reporter is always on the lookout for a good story."
Professor McGonagall, who had worked out what Harry and Hermione had planned, pulled the two of them aside. "Are the two of you out of your minds?" The stern witch's lips were pressed thin in her anger. "Rita Skeeter is dangerous, she delights in taking people and destroying their lives and reputations."
"We know that." Harry insisted.
"It's why we contacted her the first time." Hermione told their teacher.
"First time?" McGonagall asked, confused.
"Didn't you see Harry's and my interview? It was published in Witch Weekly and Teen Witch Weekly at the end of last school year."
"I don't read Witch Weekly. I don't have time with all the marking I need to do, and when I do have time I prefer to read
Transfiguration Today. When did you have the opportunity to give an interview?"
Harry explained how Warlock Malfoy was pushing the Ministry last year to execute Buckbeak, so Harry and Hermione had arranged for Rita to sit in on the appeal while Harry gave testimony about how Buckbeak had saved his life from LeStrange. How they had arranged it so that if the Ministry (and as it turned out the Minister for Magic himself) were going to be corrupt, then they would have to do it right in front of Magical Britain's most notorious author of takedown articles. And, how Rita's price had been an interview with him and Hermione.
Professor McGonagall shook her head in disbelief. "The two of you are playing with fire. I assume I am right in thinking you are going to tell her about Black?"
"Yep but only if she agrees to our terms for the Triwizard Tournament coverage." Harry nodded. The two teens returned to Rita and Fleur, who were discussing the latest trends in French fashion and where the two witches thought the trends would go over the next year.
"Did your professor decide I'm not going to try and eat you?" Rita joked, playing on his implied steak metaphor from earlier.
Harry grinned at her. "Nope, but like I said we have something tastier for you to sink your teeth into." Harry was enjoying the conversation, and while a small part of him knew it was probably a skill Rita picked up to get interviewees off guard, he didn't really mind.
"So what do you have for an offer?"
"A probably innocent man imprisoned in Azkaban for thirteen years, probably with some major incompetence thrown in" Harry's tone was even, but it was obvious to everyone there that Harry was angry at the idea that an innocent person could be left in the care of the Dementors for so long. The only one even remotely surprised by his anger was Fleur, not having heard about Harry and Hermione's run in with the soul sucking demons yet.
"Sounds interesting. What is the deal? I suppress that you and Hermione entering the tournament against the rules? Keep you looking like the golden couple?"
"Nope. We want you to report the facts. Including: we didn't enter the tournament and someone else entered us, our entry contains a death threat, the D.M.L.E. is investigating this as a murder attempt, and finally, Hermione, Fleur, and myself swore to Director Bones under an unbreakable vow that we had nothing to do with what happened, apart from Fleur entering herself as a Beauxbatons potential champion. Oh, and you don't turn the whole tournament into a Boy-Who-Lived story. The other champions get equal column space."
"You have evidence of this?" Rita's tone was cautious, but Harry could sense her chomping at the bit to take the sweetheart deal they were offering.
"Is Madame Bones' word on the vows good enough?" Hermione asked
"On the record?" Rita's voice showed the hope and greed at the prospect
"We can't speak for Director Bones, obviously, but I will give my permission." Harry's reply was enough, and when he put out his hand Rita grabbed it.
"Then deal."
A/N
So another chapter is done, and we are finally finished with Gringotts. There was much rejoicing.
So I'm really close to reaching 1000 people following the fic on ff net, when I started this fic two years ago I never expected it to go this well or for the fic to get this long. So fingers crossed that everything keeps going well.
