Chapter 7: Heritage

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency - Wot choo doing, bein' dressed like that layin' on the ground?" A very confused conductor in a purple uniform asked loudly.

"I tripped after being surprised by the loud bang the bus makes," Delia answered, quickly getting over her disorientation. "As for the clothes, it's a Grecian dress a good friend of mine gave me." Delia inspected her clothes. Fortunately for her, they were still clean and not torn by her fall.

"Ah, right. Sorry 'bout that, you're not the first that gets surprised by it. Anyway, my name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening!"

Delia suddenly remembered why she fell on the ground in the first place, and whipped her head around to the alleyway. She started scanning it for any threat, but it seemed to be deserted. Delia silently sighed in relief.

"Wot you lookin' at?" asked Stan, who now also curiously peered at the alleyway.

"I thought I heard something. Must've been the wind." Delia replied.

"Wot's your name, lass?" Stan continued.

"Fay Dunbar," Delia lied, hoping that he wouldn't press her on it, and that he wouldn't see her scar. "Where does this bus go?"

"Anywhere you like, 'long it's on land. Can't do anything underwater," Stan stated rather proudly.

"Awesome. How much would it be for a trip to London? The Leaky Cauldron to be more precise," Delia asked him.

"That would be eleven Sickles," said Stan, "but for fourteen you get hot chocolate, and for fifteen you get a toothbrush in the colour of your choice."

Delia quickly opened up her trunk, hoping Stan wouldn't be able to see what a mess it was, and fished out her money bag. She took out eleven Sickles and gave them to Stan, before tossing the bag back in her trunk.

The conductor leapt out of the bus and lifted her trunk, carrying it up the steps. Where there should've been rows upon rows of seats, she instead saw beds standing beside curtained windows, each surrounded by a few candles for light. It looked like one massive fire hazard on wheels.

"You can have this one," Stan whispered, shoving Delia's trunk under the first bed. "This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Fay Dunbar, Ern." Delia looked up at the introduction and noticed an older man sitting behind an out-of-proportion big steering wheel, who nodded at her. Around him were all kinds of levers hanging from the bus' ceiling.

"Take'er away, Ern," said Stan, sitting down in the armchair next to the driver, pulling out a newspaper from his pocket. The bus suddenly lurched forward with a big BANG, sending Delia sprawled out over her bed. She quickly sat back up and looked through the window. They were going faster than any bus should be able to drive, if the constant rapid change of scenery was anything to go by. She was surprised how some people were capable of sleeping through this kind of driving.

Delia had been looking outside for a few minutes, when Ern suddenly broke the silence. "Best go wake up Madam Marsh, Stan, we'll be in Abergavenny in a minute." She heard Stan stand up and pass by her, but she didn't pay it any mind, as she kept staring through the window, doing her best to remain seated.

A remark Artemis had made during Delia's extended stay crept into her wandering mind. She truly was out of her depth in this world. She had made some effort in the beginning, but she hadn't really done anything since then. The fact that she had magic was indeed a great gift, and she was basically squandering it by seemingly not caring and just playing around with her friends at school. Sure, it's fun, but she needed to think of her future. From now on, she would need to do better.

One of her focuses should be school work. Why was she avoiding it in Hogwarts anyway? She knew she was capable, even with her dyslexia, seeing how her summer classes went. Considering it was Hogwarts, she also didn't need to fear any punishment for doing better than Dudley. She needed to break the habit of underperforming.

Divination class…what had she been thinking? She had chosen the subject because Ron took it and promised it to be an easy OWL, even though she was more interested in Ancient Runes. Why would she care about an easy OWL anyway, when she could learn something as amazing as warding? She would write to McGonagall to see if she could switch classes. She really needed to stop letting her choices be manipulated so easily.

Her last conversations with Neville, Hannah and Susan also made it glaringly obvious that she still needed to learn about the wizarding world, and fast. While she knew all about cultural aspects and history, she'd forgotten one big thing: law and government. She was aware of the existence of the Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot, but she didn't know anything about how either actually functioned or who was in the Wizengamot.

Her thoughts came to a halt when she remembered the cause of her fleeing. She had used magic outside of school, so that meant goodbye Hogwarts, and that she was now a fugitive. From what she remembered about Hagrid's story, if she was caught, they would snap her wand and forbid her from ever purchasing another. As far as she knew, there wasn't much to do for squibs in the magical community. Sure, some ended up working for a family business as an accountant or something, but she couldn't count on that. So her main priority was to avoid getting caught. The best plan she could come up with is laying low until Gringotts opened up, empty her vault, try to convert some of it into muggle money and then get on a plane to the USA, more precisely New York. If she was able to blend in, no one would snap her wand and she would be far away from them. Once she was in New York, she could try to go back to a muggle school and stay at camp in between.

Suddenly Delia was pulled out of her half-asleep musing, as she started recognising the scenery. They were thundering along Charing Cross Road. The sky was getting a little lighter. She exhaled loudly, trying to calm herself. Okay, she thought, laying low might be easiest by renting a room in the Leaky under a fake name. After a few hours, she could use her invisibility cloak to sneak out and go to Gringotts. With a game plan in mind, she already started feeling more confident.

A few seconds later, Ern slammed on the brakes and the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of the Leaky Cauldron. Delia swallowed a bit hard, and said "Thanks Ern." She exited the bus, as Stan was already putting her trunk down onto the pavement. "Thank you too, Stan, and well, bye then."

But it seemed as if Stan didn't hear her, as he was looking with wide eyes to the entrance of the pub. Delia turned around to see what he was looking at. Emerging from the shadowy entrance was Cornelius Fudge himself, followed by a few men and women in maroon coloured uniforms. They seemed to be scanning the surrounding area for any danger. A badge saying 'DMLE' clearly visible on the left side of their chests. Aurors, Delia quickly realised. Well, she was fucked.

"Ah, there you are, Delia," the portly minister of magic remarked, as he put his hand on her shoulder. Dread started to fill her soul.

"What did ya call Fay, Minister?" Stan interrupted, somewhat confused yet excited.

Fudge, who seemed rather exhausted, looked confused at Stan's remark. "Fay?" he repeated, frowning. "No, this is Delia Potter."

"Delia Potter?!" Stan's eyes were as wide as saucers, and he gleefully shouted out "Ern! Ern! We had Delia Potter on our bus!"

"Yes," Cornelius sighed clearly annoyed, "well, I believe I speak for all of us when I say I'm glad you picked Delia up and brought her here. However, she and I need to have a private conversation, so if you would excuse us…" Without any further ado, he started steering Delia towards the Leaky Cauldron, aurors surrounding them on all sides. Escaping currently didn't seem like an option to Delia. She did notice Ern jumping out of the bus to have a better look, as Stan was once again picking up her trunk.

Once Fudge entered the pub, he immediately called out "A private parlour please, Tom."

The figure standing behind the bar looked up. "Ah, I see you've found her, Minister," he said, as he beckoned them to follow him in a hallway next to the bar. Fudge instantly started marching Delia after him.

Only when they entered a small parlour, did Fudge release his grip on her. Delia's heart started beating in her throat. "Sit down, Delia," the minister stated, pointing towards the chair closest to the fire.

Delia did as she was told and sat down. She noticed that two of the four aurors remained outside. One was inside standing by the door, and another sat down in one of the two seats facing Delia. The auror was a stern looking woman, her uniform was a bit more decorated than that of the other aurors in their group. She seemed to study Delia, as she peered through her monocle. Delia had the urge to clutch her necklace, a nervous tic she had developed over the years, but she was able to refrain from doing so. She tried to compose herself as much as possible for what was to come.

Meanwhile Fudge was taking off his pinstriped cloak and put it over the backrest of the remaining chair, before also sitting down.

"I am Cornelius Fudge. The Minister of Magic," he stated, "and sitting next to me is Madam Bones, the Director of the DMLE." Delia already knew his name, as she had seen him during Hagrid's arrest last year - not that Fudge was aware of this, since she had been hiding under her invisibility cloak. The name of the auror sitting next to him was a surprise though. So this was Amelia Bones, the aunt of her yearmate Susan. Interesting.

"Well, Delia," Fudge continued, "you've had us quite concerned. Running away from your aunt and uncle's house like that! I'd started to think… but you're safe, and that's what matters." Delia started to become a bit confused at this, but she kept up her poker face as best she could.

"Now then," he continued, "you will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Department were dispatched to Privet Drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been restored to her normal state, and her memory has been modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that's that, and no harm done."

It was official. Delia had absolutely no clue what was going on anymore. She expected some very stern or angry conversation before inevitably her wand would get snapped and she would be expelled. She never would have guessed the Minister would act like an uncle talking to one of his favourite nieces, while slightly scolding her as if she caused a little mischief rather than break the statute of secrecy. She felt like she had to say something, but couldn't think of any appropriate remark.

"You might be wondering about the reaction from your aunt and uncle? They are - ahem - quite angry," Fudge remarked, not linking the tense silence, "but they are prepared to take you back next summer. Just be sure to spend the Holidays in Hogwarts."

"Right, I was planning on doing that anyway, thank you," Delia finally decided to pip in. She had to focus on keeping her voice steady. "I'd prefer to not go back there anyway."

"Now, now, I'm sure you'll feel differently once you've calmed down," said Fudge in a jovial tone. "They are your family, after all." Delia didn't deem that statement worthy of a reaction. She could only think of pessimistic things to say, so she kept a blank face at that statement. Interestingly enough, Madam Bones seemed to narrow her eyes at the silence and facial expression.

The silence started to stretch out once again, as Delia was waiting to hear what was going to happen to her. "Soooo," Fudge awkwardly started, "all that remains is to decide where you're going to spend the last weeks of your vacation. I believe it would be most convenient for everyone if you stayed at the Leaky Cauldron."

"That sounds more than agreeable," Delia answered, but she could no longer hold in her curiosity. "However, Minister, I do have a question, and correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I'm aware, I broke the law. Sooo what exactly does the punishment for that entail?"

Fudge blinked as if he had completely been taken by surprise. "Punishment? Oh it was just a little accident, I'm sure. We don't send people to Azkaban for something as minor as accidental magic."

"Really, because last year I got a warning because a house elf used magic near me. The accompanying letter clearly stated that I would be expelled from Hogwarts if there was any more magic there!" At this point, Delia could no longer believe her ears. All this worrying about her wand and magic for nothing? And why were they being so nice about this? Hell, why were the director of the DMLE and the Minister of Magic, two very high ranking people in the government, even remotely involved in a minor case of accidental magic? Her name might have some weight, but definitely not enough weight to keep them out of their beds and in apparent worry at this time of the day. Something else was at play here.

Fudge looked a bit awkward at the mention of the house elf. "Circumstances change, Delia… We have to take into account… especially in the present climate… Surely you do not wish to be expelled?"

"Of course I don't," Delia quickly replied.

"Well then, what's all the fuss about?" laughed Fudge. "Now, I guess I should check with Tom if there are any rooms available." He stood up and strode out of the parlour, as Delia stared after him. Nothing made sense anymore.

It was that moment that Madam Bones decided to speak up for the first time. "While we are alone, I do feel the need to warn you, Miss Potter. Some are against me telling you this, but I believe it's in everyone's best interest if I do. Have you heard of a man named Sirius Black?"

"Sirius Black? Yeah, that name rings a bell. I think I heard about him on the muggle news. Why?" Delia wondered.

"Sirius Black is not a muggle but a wizard. He has recently escaped Azkaban, being the first ever to do so. He is such a dangerous criminal that we deemed it necessary to even have the muggles on the lookout for him, as you've noticed on your television. He was a staunch supporter of You-Know-Who during the war. So, considering who you are, I can only warn you to be on your guard at all times. There is a chance that he will target you given an opportunity," replied Madam Bones.

"Thank you for the heads-up. I'll try to be as vigilant as possible," Delia tried to reassure her. Wonderful, Delia mused, there's another psychopath after me. She had no intention whatsoever to seek out confrontation with him - or anyone else for that matter. Not before she was more proficient in magic, at least.

"It is good to hear that. In case you see anything suspicious or have any further questions surrounding this topic, I'm sure any of my aurors will be more than happy to help you out. A few of them will be posted in the area." Delia nodded that she understood.

"Now, at last, I also have some questions about certain rumours I have heard about -" But she suddenly stopped speaking as she heard the footsteps of Fudge nearing the parlour. She sighed. "Well, I guess those are for another time then." So Susan must have told her about some of the things she mentioned on the train ride. That could be interesting, however it's very curious that Madam Bones didn't dare to continue this line of conversation in front of the Minister.

"Good news! Room eleven's free!" said Fudge. "I believe you'll be very comfortable there. Just one last thing, and I'm sure you'll understand… I don't want you wandering off into muggle London, all right? Keep to Diagon Alley. And you're to be back here before dark each night. Tom will be keeping an eye on you for me." It was clear from the way that he said it, that it wasn't really a request, but more of a veiled order.

"Okay," Delia confirmed, "I will not go into muggle London and will be back in the Leaky before dark each night." She didn't feel like she was sacrificing too much here. Muggle London wasn't necessarily safe for her anyway, as monsters would be able to attack her there, and being in the Leaky Cauldron before dark was an easy compromise for no punishment in her books.

"Good, good," he replied. Even Madam Bones seemed pleased with this promise. "Now I believe that was everything. I'll be off now. Enjoy your stay, Delia." Both Fudge and Madam Bones shook her hand, before leaving the room.

She stared after them for a minute, still trying to wrap her head around everything, before deciding that she should go to her room. She wasn't tired yet, but she felt like she should make a checklist of things to buy or work on, and send a letter to professor McGonagall about her subject change. She exited the parlour and ran into Tom. "Ah Miss Potter, just the person I was looking for. If you'll follow me, I've already taken your things up…"

xxx

The next morning Delia woke up well rested. She looked at the clock in her room and noticed it was nearly 9, so at least the bank should be open by now. As she was getting dressed, she noted that she definitely needed to shop for new clothes. They were all a bit too short for her now. After a hearty breakfast, she left for Gringotts.

While on the streets, she did spot more aurors than last year. Or maybe that was just because she was paying attention to it now? She also counted at least one wanted poster per shop window. On the poster, a deranged looking man was struggling and screaming at the camera. So this is the Sirius Black everyone is so afraid of. Definitely someone she would prefer to avoid, yes.

As she walked up the marble stairs of the bank, she noticed that the two guards standing in front of it were staring at her. It wasn't in a threatening way, more as if they were in complete disbelief. How weird. It became even weirder when almost every teller in the room looked up at her, before focusing back on their work. It unnerved her, since they hadn't acted like this the previous times she visited the bank.

She was glad to notice that not many people were present. She only had one person before her in the queue who was nearly done with his business. As said person walked away, she approached the teller with the name plaque Arlast. "Good morning sir, I would like to -"

"Let me guess, you want a blood test," the goblin interrupted her.

"I … Yes I do want a blood test", Delia responded, caught a bit off guard. How did he know that?

The goblin grunted "Performing such a test costs 20 galleons, are you able to cover the fees for it?"

"I can, yes," she answered, pulling out the money from her pouch. She would definitely need to get some more money out of her vault at the end of this visit.

"Wonderful, follow me please," he told her after receiving the money. He jumped from his stool and hobbled away towards a door behind his desk. She heard the person who just queued up behind her groan in irritation.

As they entered a small office, the goblin asked her to sit down. He went to his own chair and looked at her in a rather calculating manner. After a few seconds, he spoke up again. "Considering what you are, I have taken the liberty to select a more… clarifying type of test. Since you have never done one of these tests before, I will briefly explain the process to you. This parchment is spelled with a type of scrying magic to read specific genetic information based on your blood properties. You should have already learned in that school of yours that blood contains magic, the type of magic you generally don't mess around with. Luckily for us, reading information via parchments like these is still legal, contrary to most types of blood magic. So, I need you to cut your finger with this knife and drop some blood on the parchment. You can stop dripping blood on it as soon as the blood starts disappearing from it. Is all of that clear?"

"Yes sir," Delia confirmed. Upon confirmation, the goblin passed her the knife and looked expectantly at her. Delia made a little cut on her left index finger, succeeding in not flinching. Blood slowly started to well up from the cut, and she let it drip on the parchment. After about half a minute, the little red pool of blood that was gathering on the parchment, disappeared completely, as if nothing had been spilled on it. She instantly pulled her finger away and looked fascinated.

She was so focused on the parchment, that she didn't even notice that the cut on her finger had closed back up, not even leaving a scab, or the goblin walking over to her and silently taking back the knife.

Suddenly text started to appear on the parchment, judging by the red colour, she assumed the ink was her blood.

Delia Lily Potter

Date of birth: 31st July 1980

Father: James Charlus Potter
Mother: Rhea

Legacy of Thanatos
Blessed by Artemis
Cursed by Kronos

Delia couldn't believe what she read. Rhea, the queen of the titans was her mother! The goblin peeked over her shoulder and dropped the knife he was cleaning in surprise. "Meter Theon!" she heard him whisper in awe. She didn't pay him too much mind though, as her thoughts were spiralling out of control.

Some of the most powerful beings on this planet are her siblings. She wasn't even sure if they would accept her. As far as she knew, she was the first demi-god… well demi-titan child of Rhea, ever. Her first child in milenia. Would Camp even be safe for her? For all she knew, one of her siblings could be mad about their mother having another child or remarrying.

A Legacy of Thanatos… so this meant her father was related to Thanatos then. So another immortal ancestor. She had no clue what that even entailed. Was she supposed to seek contact with him now or? No, she decided, better not to do anything until he came to her, that seemed the safer bet.

Wasn't the blessing of Artemis what a girl received upon joining the Hunt? So why would she have it? She travelled with them, sure, but she never formally joined them nor has she sworn any oaths to Artemis. Nonetheless, she appreciated it a lot… as long as it didn't stop her from ageing. It might also explain why she was able to keep up with the hunters during their archery competitions. She had to hold back a snort at the sudden thought that Artemis and Apollo were actually her niece and nephew. What a weird thought that was.

Cursed by Kronos… oh right, he was her step-dad now. Well, at least it's instantly clear that he is not happy about it. Nothing beats the jealous immortal (ex) lover stereotype. So potentially another crazy dude trying to kill her. That makes 3 of them now, at least as far as she was aware of. Wait a second… Kronos' domain is time… she had been forced to travel through time… could it be? It had to be. He had to be responsible for it all. But why would she go to places like Delos? That seemed to be more of a blessing than a curse… she had to be missing another piece of the puzzle.

She deeply breathed in and out, trying to calm herself. Okey Delia, she thought to herself, no point in further public panic. This changes nothing for now. It's just a good reason to delay a trip to Camp a bit more.

It took her another minute before she was fully able to pull herself together. As she took a closer look at the goblin, she noticed his entire attitude seemed to have changed. Before the results, he was respectful enough, yet quite direct and aloof. Now, he completely dropped the aloofness and she could clearly spot astonishment in his eyes. So it appeared that the goblins were aware of the gods (not a big surprise) and that her mother was quite important to them. Interesting. Maybe the goblins were acting weirdly earlier because they sensed her being a demi-titan? Were they able to notice the scent that Artemis described?

Delia cleared her throat and said "Well sir, thank you for the help. I do have another question though, I wondered if you would know anything about my parent's will? Where would I be able to find it? I was recently made aware that I had a godfather and godmother, so I would like to find out their identity."

Arlast respectfully answered her, "We are a bank, Miss Potter, if your parents left a will, it will most likely be filed at the ministry. There is always a chance that they left a copy in the family vault, but that is a rare occurrence, as those vaults can not be opened before the heir, or in your case heiress, becomes of age."

"Family vault?" Delia asked, surprised.

"Yes, older families such as yours have a tradition to have multiple vaults. A trust vault per child, and one family vault containing everything else of monetary value. I do have to admit that I am somewhat surprised that your guardians have not made you aware of this." He left the last statement hanging in the air.

"My guardians are muggles, I highly doubt they are aware of anything in the magical world. They weren't even in possession of my vault key." And that was most definitely a good thing, she added in her head. She was sure the Dursleys would have otherwise robbed her blind without a second thought.

"In case an heir or heiress is left to be raised with a muggle family member, the key is given to the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He acts as safe keeper of the vaults in loco parentis, and is expected to give the key to the child as soon as the child receives their first Hogwarts letter. Under no circumstance is the Headmaster allowed to withdraw anything from the vault," the goblin explained as if he was giving a lecture. She was sure he had given this explanation dozens of times. She had to grudgingly admit that the system made sense. "Is there anything else I can be of your service with?"

"Yes, one last thing actually, would I be able to visit my vault now?" She really did need some more money for the shopping list she had made last night. Well, at least the good news was that her vault was a trust vault, so she didn't have to think about saving too much for after Hogwarts anymore.

"Certainly, if you have your key with you, I will have young Buggnuf take you to your vault." He pressed something that looked like a button on his desk.

He had barely pressed the button, or another goblin entered the room. This one seemed a lot younger and more nervous than Arlast.

"Good day Miss Potter, my name is Buggnuf. If you would hand me your vault key, I will bring you to it," he was able to say, while looking at the ground. Arlast made a sound of disapproval from the background. Delia concluded that the young goblin must be a new employee.

Delia took the piece of parchment from the table (no way she was leaving that behind) and handed over her vault key to Buggnuf. The goblin finally seemed to gain some more confidence, as he accepted the key and said "Thank you, now follow me please."

They exited the room towards the familiar karts. The kart rides reminded her of flying at high speed on a broom, she absolutely loved them. She noticed that Arlaf didn't immediately return to his desk in the main hall of the bank, where now a longer line was forming. He instead walked around a corner and disappeared from sight.

xxx

About ten minutes later, Delia entered the main banking area again, but this time with a much heavier pouch. As she walked towards the exit of the bank, she noticed that several of the goblins were whispering to each other and occasionally glanced at her.

She assumed that information about her parentage was spreading like wildfire. Was that even allowed? Didn't they have some kind of privacy policy? Oh well, as long as it stayed limited to the bank, she didn't see too many issues with it.

She had about 3 weeks of near complete freedom now. Exploring the entirety of the Alley definitely sounded like a fun thing to do. Yes, the shopping can wait. She walked down the stairs of the bank, the sunlight shining in her face and. Enjoying the simple delights, she smiled.

AN: Shout-out to Avery Whitlock for beta reading this chapter!
As mentioned before, I will start to follow canon more closely now, with some adjustments of course.

IKage7: Thank you for the idea, the idea of being better with manipulation was something I was thinking about, so I guess I will need to include it now :P

Magic29, Dogman999, RedOuroboros, Creativenameok & ThunderClaw03: I'm happy to hear that you love it so much! I hope you had great holidays too!