"Now, I think it's time for Harry and I to disappear," Dave said once the meeting was finally over. "When you set up that meeting with the Minister of Magic Ragnok knows how to contact us," Dave added to Dumbledore.
"Thank you for your patience Lord Ragnok," Harry said, as he bowed respectfully. "I'm sure we will be seeing each other again in a few days once Dumbledore sets up that meeting with Fudge."
"Of course, Lord Potter," Ragnok said formally. "It was no trouble at all and I enjoyed seeing Dumbledore knocked out of some of his arrogance. Believe me, it is a sight I will remember for many years. I truly believe that no one else could have gotten away with ranting at him the way you did if only because he needs you and because you shocked him. I don't think anybody else would've had the guts to go rail at Dumbledore."
This was said in a low enough voice that Dumbledore couldn't possibly have picked up the words, since he was standing on the other side of the conference room.
"That's only because they didn't grow up on stories on how great and how important he is," Dave snorted quietly his contempt for the man clear. "I'll be keeping a close eye on him to make sure he keeps his word and doesn't try to manipulate the situation when it comes to my grandson and any friends he makes. Him making friends is one of the main reasons I agreed to send Harry to Hogwarts in the first place."
"Ah!" Ragnok said quietly. "I had wondered why you would send your grandson to Hogwarts considering what I heard happened to your daughter and also your problems with the current headmaster, but now I understand."
"It's also because of the prophecy, as this is a good chance for Harry to get allies, ones who will stand by him out on the battlefield, if the worst happens in a few years. Mostly though, I just want Harry to enjoy himself, perhaps fall in love get married like my daughter did with James Potter. I'm afraid there's not much opportunity for that in Tír na nÓg at least not in the part that I have claimed as my own. I think my daughter would be very displeased with me if I tried to keep Harry in the otherworld. This was also my main reason for allowing my daughter to attend Hogwarts and not only because she begged me very hard. I wanted Sosanna to make friends, friends that would never know her real identity and therefore, would be real friends. It's not always easy to find true friends in the otherworld I'm afraid. In the otherworld there's not a lot to do for a child. Still, a lot of sídh children are happy to grow up there, but Sosanna was different from the day she was born."
Dave's eyes softened in remembrance. "She was just this bright, lively child and was always asking questions instead of just accepting that's the way things were. She found out about Hogwarts from that pool we told you about earlier and she begged me and my partner to be allowed to attend."
Ragnok felt sympathy for Dave, because it was clear he had loved his daughter very much, but then, in that way he was very similar to the goblins who also loved their children.
"Come along, Harry, it is time for us to depart," Dave told his grandson who followed his grandfather out the door the conference room without protest.
Dumbledore watched Harry and his grandfather go after the sídhe had transformed back into his human form with a thoughtful expression and when Ragnok approached him Dumbledore wondered what else he was in for, because the goblin didn't exactly look happy.
"We are not happy, Albus Dumbledore," Ragnok told the headmaster confirming Dumbledore's suspicions. "We are not happy to find that you placed the Potters son in an abusive environment and considering he is the grandson of a sídh and it was one of the ancient race progeny that was killed you're lucky you're not being dragged off to be punished for eternity. However, Dave, as he told me to call him, is not unfair and knows that in that case it was not entirely your fault, though you still bear some of the blame. Just know this though, that is if you do try to control Harry or do anything underhanded like trying to manipulate him for your own benefit they will be gone never to return. They will likely find a way to defeat Voldemort on their own with no help from an old man who doesn't know how to not to interfere in things he has no business meddling in. You are hanging onto the goblins respect by a thread Albus Dumbledore. Should you lose it entirely you will be banned from Gringotts for the rest of your life."
"And what have I done to be banned?" Dumbledore asked not liking what he was hearing in the least.
"You have hurt friends of the goblin nation namely Dave and his grandson," Ragnok answered honestly. "Dave's daughter Sosanna or Lily if you prefer was also considered a friend of the goblin nation, as is her son is also considered so. You hurt a friend of our nation at your own peril. You have already done so by taking Harry away from his proper guardians and placing him into an abusive environment. Also, by having the Potters wills sealed illegally, at least the copy that's held in the ministry. Just because the ministry let you get away with such an illegal action does not mean the goblins will. We too will be watching you very closely so make sure you're very careful that you do not offend us as well as Dave, because between the two of us there won't be enough left of you to have a proper funeral. You will make us angry at your own peril."
Dumbledore went completely white for at least the fourth time since he had entered Gringotts and knew he was going to have to be very careful that he didn't try to manipulate Harry or anybody close to him. Having the sídh furious at him was bad enough, but having the goblins mad at him also would be the end of him and he knew it. He might be able to survive one of the forces against him, but definitely not both, because goblins had their own powers of magic and they certainly didn't need wands like wizards did. To also have one of the sídh and possibly more infuriated at him if he did try to get Harry under his control, would not be good for his health for they had a immense powers of their own that he likely wouldn't be able to stand against both.
"You also left an innocent man in Azkaban, a heir of an Ancient and Noble House no less, and whether or not you thought him guilty he still should've received a fair trial. You seem to pick and choose what laws you want to obey and when they don't suit your purposes you do nothing. I don't know if you just wanted Harry isolated and alone, so that he would be easier to manipulate once he came to Hogwarts and likely look up to you as a grandfather figure or if it was an honest mistake born out of overconfidence in people in general. It doesn't matter though, because Harry's grandfather will make sure his interests are protected from people who would use the fame of the Boy Who Lived for their own ends," Ragnok said.
"I mean, really, headmaster trusting people to do what's right is not necessarily a bad thing, but as old as you are you should know by now that not everybody is going to do the right thing at least not without proper supervision. The goblins, like the Seelie, love children and the harm that came to a small baby that you left on the Dursleys doorstep would see you losing your head if he was a goblin child in truth instead of just an honorary one. It might still happen if you try to go back to your old ways of getting what you want for the supposed greater good."
The last two words greater good were said with such a tone of dripping sarcasm that Dumbledore couldn't help but visibly wince.
"Your idea of the greater good is not everybody else's are not the same," Ragnok said. "I will have the guards escort you out. Good day to you Mr. Dumbledore."
Dumbledore knew a dismissal when he heard one and he went without protest his mind whirling.
~~~Dave and Harry~~~
"Well, that went rather well," Harry said as soon as he and his grandfather had exited the bank after going down to his vault for some spending money. It was only a few months before he would be 11 and therefore, it would be time for him to start at Hogwarts.
"I thought so to," Dave said quietly, as he ate a bite of his lunch. He and his grandson were sitting in a quiet little café not far from Diagon Alley, Muggle of course, because the British wizarding world didn't really run to restaurants, except ones like the Leaky Cauldron. Dave at least preferred an upper class of dining if he was going to pay for food instead of kenning something.
"So what are our plans for the rest of the day?" Harry wanted to know.
"Well, this is the first time you've been back to the country you were born since I took you away nearly five years ago," Dave said. "You're due to start at Hogwarts in just a few months and should be getting your letter around your birthday. Since we know when your letter to attend is going to come well we know when we need to be here and not in the Otherworld."
The Otherworld was a fascinating place for a child like Harry, as it was so strange, weird and delightful all at the same time. There were things possible in that other world that would never have been possible here in this one.
Harry well knew that the otherworld was mostly mist that was waiting for somebody to imprint their will upon it, which had happened in a lot of the more civilized sections though there was still plenty of mist for somebody else to create whatever they desired.
"There's also the fact that we need to stay in this world until after we get my godfather a trial," said Harry, as he ate the massive meal placed in front of him. "Or at least I do, but I know that you're not about to leave me on my own."
"You're only 10 Harry," Dave reminded his grandson gently. "Yes, you're capable of looking after yourself and were even at five years old, but still you need a grown up with you just so people don't ask questions or get curious as to why a child is by themselves with no adult nearby. If your enemies for instance learn that that you're by yourself you know that they'll come up with some scheme to get you under their control. There are plenty of evil people out there like the Malfoys and from what I've heard of them anyway, they are not just misguided like Dumbledore who is so impressed with his own cleverness that he tends to step all over peoples rights."
"I know," Harry said with a faint sigh. "I don't really mind, I just find it so annoying that people won't listen to me, because I'm still young and apparently I don't know anything. Oh, you do and I'm grateful, but try to get Dumbledore to listen to me or any of the other teachers when I do start school. From what we both know about Dumbledore in particular he just ignores the bullying of the others as children being children and instead of stomping down on it like he should. Bullies are not ever going to learn unless there are severe consequences for their actions depending on the severity of them. To ignore the problem is just stupid as children aren't going to learn right from wrong if all they get is a few detentions. Hell, from what we've seen in the pool a lot of students, like the Weasley twins, see it as a badge of honor. I admit that the Weasley twins really don't mean any harm, they just have really funny personalities and they do their best not to hurt others, but the same thing isn't true for children like Draco Malfoy."
The two of them had studied all the major players names that Dave had gotten from Ragnok originally. The Malfoys were one example of this along with the Boneses since Amelia Bones was head of Magical Law Enforcement. Harry had not remembered that when he had been reading the will and he was sure Dumbledore was hoping that he didn't really know who Amelia Bones was. He was going to be disappointed.
"You know you pretending not to know who Amelia Bones was will only help us," Dave said suddenly.
"I didn't actually remember her name, as there have been so many things we've been studying until after I had already put the will aside. I suppose that she just kind of got lost in the shuffle. There was so many names that you wanted me to memorize along with certain traits and facts for each one, so I would know who would be a possible ally and who would definitely be an enemy and who I just need to watch out for they could go either way."
"Yes, there really were a lot of names and it took a lot of work to memorize each one that could be useful," Dave admitted. "You didn't have much time for fun and I apologize for that. I just wanted you know all the major players so that you would be protected from their machinations."
"I stopped being a child the second that Dumbledore left me on the Dursleys doorstep, granddad. You taught me how to have fun. Hell, I didn't even have to do chores just to earn my keep like the Dursleys were always harping on. I knew why you wanted me to do all that memorization, so I didn't object, because I knew it would be important.
"I actually enjoyed most of it. Believe me, if the Dursleys had their way they would've beaten the fact that I enjoy learning things out of me by the time I reached 11 and I don't doubt for a second I wouldn't have done very well in my schoolwork at all.
"Hell, they had started to beat me by the time you found me just for being better than Dudley when it came to homework and assignments in class and he's not exactly the brightest person. I probably would've hooked onto the first person that was nice to me and it likely would've been someone that didn't want to do well in their lessons, but just coasted by. It probably would've been someone that just wanted to be the best friend of the Boy Who Lived, so that they could hang onto my coattails."
Harry knew much more about psychology and the way people thought and acted in a lot of situations then most other people ever learned. He would hopefully be able to spot when somebody was playing games or just trying to get close to him because of his fame.
"I wouldn't have known about my fame at all, which I'm sure is one of the reasons that Dumbledore stuck me with the Dursleys in the first place. I'm sure he believed that I would get a big head if I knew I was famous. The way he went about it though, sends shivers down my spine, as he seemed willing to leave an innocent person in Azkaban, just so I supposedly wouldn't get arrogant."
"I'm sure we'll never be able to decipher his motives completely," Dave said. "But still, you must remember that you're not even 11 quite yet and you should be a child as much as possible. I trained you to the best of my ability to recognize when somebody was trying to take advantage of you, because I wanted you to be able to protect yourself, but I also took away part of your childhood.
"It's okay, granddad, as I said, I was never really a child. Besides, you taught me how to have fun, how to relax how to make friends. I have numerous cousins that I didn't know about until you found me and took me back to the Otherworld. You cared and loved me enough once you learned of my existence to search for me until you found me and we both know that many people would not have done so whether or not they were related to the person in question," Harry said. "I'm grateful every day that I got out from under the Dursleys, because I have no doubt that if I had spent much more time with them, working from dawn to dusk, barely being fed enough to keep me alive that I would've done what I told Dumbledore in the conference room in Gringotts."
"Almost anybody would have committed suicide under such conditions in which you lived, especially a child who saw no way out," Dave said. "If that'd happened the Dursleys would've suffered before I finally put them out of their misery and I would've taken Dudley back to the otherworld. As it is, I still plan on getting revenge, but they will live, as I did promise you I wouldn't kill them, even if they deserve it."
"I know you believe that, granddad, but with the exception of Voldemort, I don't know of anyone that really deserves to die. Yes, I know people die in war and I will not hold back from killing if necessary, but even if I didn't tell Dumbledore so, I would prefer not to kill at all."
"I certainly understand that view considering that your still a child right now," Dave said. "I take no pleasure in killing when I have to, Harry, but I also know that sometimes it is necessary. You'll soon learn however, that some people just deserve bad things to happen to them because they've been abusing others their whole lives or at least treated them shabbily. What do you think should happen to someone who steals from the elderly for example? There are lots of people that do evil things every day like someone who rapes women. Those type of people aren't going to correct their behavior, because it seems to be a compulsion and people like that definitely deserve to be put down like the dogs they are."
Harry nodded and went back to finishing his lunch while Dave did the same as he knew he had given his grandson a lot to think about. He had to remember that despite his life experiences Harry was only 10, so he had a lot to learn about the way the world worked before he could understand some concepts.
~~~Dave and Harry~~~