Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Sailor Moon or any of their characters, and have no right to them except as a long time fan.
A New Life
Chapter One: A Precious Loss & A Discovery
Harry Potter sat in a chair at the end of a row of chairs next to Hermione, who was sitting next to Ron, feeling numb. He was not happy, not sad, not angry, nor surprised or shocked. He could not seem to feel anything, and he wished he could; at least to feel sadness or even anger.
His eyes shifted up idly to the sky. It was a bright blue and the sun was out shining down on everything. It was a nice day out with warm air, but it didn't at all fit the occasion.
Not at all. He thought quietly as his eyes shifted back down and to the object he had been staring at.
Ahead of him were two adult sized caskets sitting on the vibrant grass of the backyard of the Burrow. In the chairs behind him were extended family and friends of the Weasley family there to mourn the life of Fred and Ginevra Weasley.
The final battle where he had defeated Voldemort once and for all was only almost two weeks ago. Both siblings of the Weasley clan had been killed before the self-proclaimed dark lord had died by his own reflected Killing Curse.
From his understanding from what he had been told Fred had died from an explosion inside the castle, outside the Room of Requirement, and Ginny had died in the Great Hall fighting Bellatrix Lestrange while he was dueling Voldemort.
Harry closed his eyes, blocking out the sight of Ginny's coffin, as the sound of her screaming his name at the sight of his seemingly dead body echoed through his mind. It was the last time he had heard her voice.
Just like with mom. He thought quietly as he opened his eyes, once again settling his sight on the shiny cheery wood coffin.
He sighed silently as his green eyes moved along the length of the coffin. He heard the sounds of talking but he tuned out the words. He didn't care about what was said; didn't need to keep track. He had not been asked to speak, and even if he had he doubted he could have.
He had attended a lot of funerals over the last week. Not as many as he had wanted to since he felt that he should have attended them all, because he didn't have the strength without Ginny by his side. But the point was he had spoken at many of them, but he could not speak at this one.
Not only was he numb he was also speechless. He could not have forced himself to speak if his life depended on it.
Ginny was gone. His Ginny was gone. She was the reason he had fought so hard, the reason he had labored through the daunting task of hunting down Horcruxes, the reason he had walked to what he thought would be his death in the Forbidden Forest.
All of that had been the right thing to do in his opinion, for the good of the Wizarding World, but he had mostly done it so he could live a safe free life with Ginny. And when he thought he had to die, so she could live in a safe world free of an immortal Voldemort.
It's why I broke up with her and left her behind, so she would be safe and not hunted without being able to use magic. He thought numbly though with a hint of tears.
At the moment it was hard for Harry to understand why he was still alive. Everyone he had loved or dared to try to love was dead. His parents were dead, Sirius was dead, Dumbledore was dead, Remus was dead, and now Ginny was dead.
I can't even have a piece of Remus through Teddy, because I can't have access to him. He thought as he blinked his eyes slowly.
Remus had mentioned the idea of him being the godfather to his unborn child, but he had learned at his and Tonks' funeral, both having died at the final battle, that they hadn't named him as the godfather before their deaths. And on top of that Tonks' mother, Andromeda, didn't think he was the right choice for such a role, so she wasn't going to put him in that position either.
All she had been willing to tell him, aside from the fact that he couldn't have anything to do with the child, was that they had a boy, and his name was Edward Remus "Teddy" Lupin.
Why am I still here? He asked himself as he stared at Ginny's coffin.
Harry knew that he wasn't alone. Everyone was mourning, but he still had the rest of the Weasley's. He had Ron and Hermione; although he wasn't so lost in himself that he hadn't noticed the two of them were a bit closer than they were during their travels.
But none of them are Ginny. He thought quietly. He had wanted to build a life with her, a family, and live his version of happily ever after. He thought he would have deserved it if he survived.
And he had survived…only to find that his Ginny had not.
Harry blinked as the sound of crying penetrated his mind, and he looked around to see people starting to stand and share hugs. He sighed lightly and turned his eyes back to the coffins.
He was sorry Fred was gone, knew that George was beyond devastated and the rest of the Weasley's felt similarly, but he couldn't help his focus being on Ginny. She was the Weasley he had been closest to, and that included his friendship with Ron. She had understood him and accepted him for himself more than anyone ever had since before his parents died.
His eyes focused on Ginny's coffin, and he morbidly wondered when they were going to bury her since it appeared the service was done. He thought she or rather her body had a nice place to rest. He had been at the Burrow enough to know that this particular spot was free of foot traffic and always had the sun shining on it when the bright orb was out.
Harry hadn't seen her since she had been laid out next to Fred in the Great Hall, but he had been gifted with the choice to choose the dress she would wear into her eternal rest, so that was what he imagined her wearing. Only instead of being inside her shiny wooden coffin she was standing in front of him.
It was a blush red sleeveless evening dress, for all the times she had blushed for him since he had known her, with a matching lace overlay with a delicate flower print. She was smiling at him, the soft smirk she always gave him, with her hand on her hip and her head tilted slightly to the side.
She lifted an eyebrow at him as if to say 'well, what do you think?' and he almost smiled, but was suddenly hugged from the side. He blinked as he dimly realized that Hermione was hugging him, and pain suddenly shot through his chest as the Ginny he had imagined faded away.
Harry lightly hugged Hermione back even as he silently cursed her for interrupting the moment with his imaginary Ginny.
"We're heading inside now." Hermione said softly as she pulled back. "Are you coming?"
"Not yet. I'll find my way inside eventually." He replied quietly.
Hermione hesitated as she stared at him but ultimately nodded and walked away.
Harry watched her until she reached Ron and saw her grasp his hand before guiding him toward the house. He turned his attention back to the coffins and stared at Ginny's as it gradually began to grow quiet around him.
He stood up after a few long minutes and walked forward, his brand new black dress robes rustling silently as he moved, and stopped in front of her coffin.
It's not fair. She should not have died. She should be here; alive. She deserved it after what she went through. He thought, recalling her terrible first year at Hogwarts and her struggle with the sixteen year old Tom Riddle.
You should not be gone. You should be here. With me! He told her as he stared down at the coffin. Why did you leave me alone? Why did you have to die? If only I had been quicker in ending Riddle! You would still be here.
Damn you Bellatrix! He cursed the death eater that had taken his godfather and the woman he wanted to spend his life with.
Of course she was dead and gone as well. Mrs. Weasley having gotten to her right after she had taken down Ginny. At least the bitch hadn't gotten to celebrate her success.
How am I supposed to go on without you? He asked her. How am I supposed to deal with this life?
Ever since he defeated Voldemort he had been plagued by nightmares. They came in all shapes and sizes. From those that had died blaming him for their deaths, to Voldemort killing him, to being hunted and tortured by Death Eaters, to being possessed and taken over completely by the horcrux that had been in him since the night his parents died.
He supposed he should be grateful that his nightmares were night happening while he was awake, but he knew it hadn't been long since the war ended and there was still a chance they could start.
Harry closed his eyes and released a quiet shuddering breath as he admitted to himself that his worse nightmares were the ones where Ginny blamed him for her death, and asked him why he had left her.
They were the worst because he questioned himself constantly. Wondered if she would still be alive and here with him if he hadn't left her; if he had brought her with him.
Even worse were the dreams where she asked him if he had ever cared about her, ever loved her.
Did she know? Did she know that I loved her? He asked as he opened his eyes sadly.
~HPxXxMC~
Harry sat in a bedroom in Number 12 Grimmauld Place, the same bedroom that Ginny had shared with Hermione the last time they had all been confined in the house together.
He had stayed at the Burrow with the Weasley's after the final battle, but only a few days after Ginny and Fred's funeral he found that he was unable to stay in the house. He just could not live there without Ginny's presence, so he moved out and came to stay in the Black family house.
He didn't want to be in this house either with its bad memories, but at least here he had some privacy. Here he didn't have to explain himself, didn't have to hide his nightmares, and didn't have to worry about the press finding him with everyone knowing he was so close to the Weasley family.
And I don't have to constantly be surrounded by everyone mourning. I feel guilty enough as it is; I don't need it reinforced day after day. He thought as he sat on Ginny's old bed in the middle of the night.
Harry had claimed the room because it made him feel closer to Ginny, but also because he couldn't stand to actually sleep in his previous bedroom that he had shared with Ron or Sirius' old room.
Sleeping in her old bed didn't stop the nightmares, but at least he had privacy and was close to a place she had been.
Ron and Hermione were still living at the Burrow and he hadn't even thought to invite them to come live with him. He had honestly spent enough alone time with the two of them during the Horcrux hunt to last him quite some time, and poor Kreacher had died during the final battle helping the house elves defend the castle.
So he was here all alone, and he made sure he wouldn't have any unexpected company. That was something he took care of the moment he moved in. People who already knew about the house could still find it, but they couldn't get inside without him allowing it.
They had to knock like muggles instead of Flooing or Apparating in without notice like they had the right.
Being alone was something he was especially glad of after the nightmare that had just had him screaming himself awake.
Tonight's horror had featured him watching a sixteen year old Tom Riddle suck the life out of an eleven year old Ginny before being tortured in The Chamber of Secrets, and then it shifted into him being tortured in the Great Hall by Voldemort before being forced to watch Ginny being tortured and killed by Bellatrix Lestrange.
Harry knew that the only thing about his nightmare that had actually happened was Ginny's death, but even though he hadn't seen it personally he knew it definitely hadn't been in the gruesome way he had just dreamed.
She had been killed by the Killing Curse. He had heard that fact straight from her mother's mouth. He had been told by his parents that it didn't hurt to die, in that way at least, and it hadn't hurt for him, but he worried that she had felt pain. That it hadn't been a quick seemingly instant death for her.
What if she did feel pain? What if it wasn't instant? What if it was instant, but that instant for me was like an eternity to her?! He thought frantically as he ran his fingers through his hair and pulled slightly.
I need to find out! He decided after a long agonizing moment.
Harry grabbed his glasses off the nightstand and got up and went to his trunk. He dug in it, not deterred by the dark of the room since he knew where what he was looking for was, and grabbed the Mokeskin pouch that Hagrid had given him and sat back on the bed.
He opened it and reached inside, his hand and then his arm disappearing inside as he searched for what he wanted, and soon he pulled his hand out with the object he was after.
Opening his hand he looked at the object lying innocently on his palm. It was small, the size of a coin, and an opaque black in the shape of a three dimensional pyramid with the etching of the Deathly Hallows symbol on it.
It was the Resurrection Stone.
He had actually kept the Resurrection Stone after using it to summon his parents, Sirius, and Remus before he walked to what he thought would be his death. He had pocketed it along with his invisibility cloak, which he now knew to be the Cloak of Invisibility, before revealing himself to Voldemort and his Inner Circle of Death Eaters and told no one.
No one alive knew he had used it. In fact, no one alive even knew it had been inside the snitch that Dumbledore had willed to him in the first place.
On top of that he had also kept the Elder Wand, having put a fake inside of Dumbledore's tomb since everybody knew he had it because of his speech during his duel with Voldemort, and no one alive knew about that either.
Harry had just felt that instinctively he needed to keep both highly sought after items of The Deathly Hallows along with his invisibility cloak, and he was determined to follow his instincts from now on. He felt that if he had done that more since returning to the magical world instead of trying to please everyone and fit the image everyone had of him things would have gone more smoothly for him.
Maybe Ginny would still be alive if I had. He thought sadly before he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He placed his Mokeskin pouch, that contained the other two Deathly Hallows along with some other possessions, aside and looked to the stone.
Harry took the Resurrection Stone between his fingers and determinedly turned it three times while picturing Ginny's face in his mind. Instantly her figure appeared in front of him, standing in the dark room with only moonlight coming in through the window.
She was transparent yet more solid than a ghost, but definitely not an actual living person. She was in color; her fiery red hair hanging down her back, her brown eyes looking at him softly, and dressed casually in a sweater shirt and a pair of jeans.
She looked healthy and not in any pain, which he was pleased to see even if he wasn't happy about the fact that she was dead.
"Ginny." Harry breathed as he stared into her eyes and closed his hand around the stone.
"Harry." Ginny said in return, and he closed his eyes at the soft quiet tone of her voice.
"Are you okay?" He asked as he opened his eyes.
"Yes Harry." She answered. "I'm not in any pain, I have no more angst over what happened with the diary and Tom. I'm at peace."
"That's good." Harry said as he nodded, and then he hesitated before speaking again. "It…it didn't hurt did it? You didn't feel any pain right?" He questioned, his tone quietly pleading for her to deny it.
"Oh Harry." Ginny said sadly. "No it didn't hurt. It was quick; like falling asleep. No, it was less than that. It was like one instant I was there in the battle with the spell coming at me, and then the next thing I knew I was in a calm beautiful place with Fred greeting me." She assured him truthfully. "In his usual manner." She added with a grin.
Harry smiled as he imagined how Fred would have greeted her, and sighed in relief that she had felt no pain; and better she hadn't been alone once she reached the other side.
He gazed at her calmly as he leaned back against the wall, watching her as she looked around taking in the room he was in, and his smile slowly faded.
"I wouldn't have come back if I knew you would be gone after the war was over." He said quietly, and watched her look back to him quickly.
"I'm glad you decided to live. The world needs you, and not because you're Harry Potter." Ginny said, and then sighed. "I wish we had had more time together, but I'm happy with the time that we had. I don't want you closing yourself off from love because I'm gone."
"But I love you! I can't see myself with anyone else!" Harry said intensely. "You understood me better than anyone I know. You listened to me without judgement, never put me down or disregarded my ideas or thought everything I said was stupid. You saw me for me and not because I'm The Boy Who Lived!" He explained even as he realized he had started crying.
It was the first time he had cried since long before the final battle.
Ginny stood silent for a few moments as she watched him cry; hating that she was the cause of his rare tears.
"When you die you learn a lot of things." She said slowly, and then grinned slightly. "At least when you stay dead." She added jokingly, knowing he had died briefly.
"I can't tell you much, but what I can say is that there is another for you out there. One who will see you for yourself, and love you just as fiercely as I do; probably more. I hope that our time together will help you recognize her when she appears in your life." She said as she looked into his vibrant green eyes.
Harry couldn't imagine himself being with another girl. Couldn't imagine a girl that could see beyond his scar. In fact, he couldn't even imagine himself allowing himself to be open enough for a girl to see beyond his scar.
Unless this miraculous girl isn't a witch, but I can't see myself being with a muggle. Of having to hide what I am until things get serious, and then hope that she's understanding enough to believe me when I tell her and not run away screaming; let alone stay with me. He thought dubiously as his tears slowed.
Of course all this was moot as far as he was concerned, because he couldn't see himself getting over Ginny to even try to move on with another girl whether she was a witch or a muggle.
"Will you do something for me?" Ginny asked after a moment.
"Anything." He said instantly as he wiped his eyes.
"Go to your family vault as soon as possible; don't wait or let anyone or anything distract you from going. I also want you to check yourself for foreign magic. Do it yourself, and when you aren't around anyone." She said seriously.
Harry nodded even though he was surprised and confused. I have a family vault?
"I'll do it." He assured her. "Do you have a particular order I should do them in?"
"Yes. Go to your vault first, and then when you're someplace safe and private check yourself." She answered.
"Alright." He said, and sighed. "I'm not looking forward to that visit."
"I can imagine." Ginny said with a small smile, and he knew then that she knew about his last visit to the bank and exactly how he had left it.
"Do one more thing for me?" She asked.
"Of course." Harry agreed.
"Always be yourself, and stop trying to live your life by other peoples standards and desires for you." Ginny said firmly. "Don't let anyone dictate how you live your life ever again. Don't keep people in your life just because they're first friends or you feel you owe them for what they may have done for you."
Harry looked into her slightly transparent brown eyes and knew exactly what she was talking about even if he didn't want to admit it to himself. Still, he nodded firmly.
"The war is over, you won, your duty in that regard is done Harry. Now you can live your life the way you want to and not limit yourself. Do what you want to do, live wherever you want to, and know whoever you want to know." She told him.
"I understand. I'll do that." He said seriously.
"Good." She said as she nodded. "I should go now. You can talk to me whenever you need me, but I want you to live your life and find your happiness. You've more than earned it." She said emphatically. "I'll be watching you with all of your parents."
Harry smiled lightly and nodded. "I love you." He told her, wanting to make absolutely sure she knew.
"I love you too." Ginny replied softly.
Harry looked down and moved his hand holding the Resurrection Stone to the space on the bed beside him and looked back to Ginny with a long look. She smiled gently and nodded. He nodded in return and released the stone, and watched as her form faded away from his sight.
~HPxXxMC~
After a surprisingly peaceful few hours of sleep after speaking to Ginny Harry readied himself for the day before heading to Gringotts Wizarding Bank. He Apparated to Diagon Alley, bypassing the Leaky Cauldron, and walked through the alley straight to Gringotts.
He went in and made his way to one of the counters and needlessly identified himself, since even the Goblins knew who he was, especially after what he did at the bank, and made it clear he wanted to make things right.
After being granted a meeting with one of the higher up goblins he repeated what he said to the earlier goblin. He made it clear he wasn't sorry about breaking into the bank vault. He was sorry about the damage done by his leaving and wished the entire ordeal could have been avoided, but it needed to be done. If it hadn't then he wouldn't even be there having that conversation because Voldemort would still be alive and oppressing everyone.
Harry just barely stopped himself from condescendingly telling the goblin that they should amend their policies, so they didn't have dark objects in their bank that would help keep a dark lord intent on killing everyone immortal and a situation like what he did would not happen again.
He also made it clear that he was only doing his part. If Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger wanted access to their vaults they had to make things right with the goblins on their own. They were just as responsible as he was after all.
Understandably they weren't happy with him, or his friends, but were willing to work with him to right the wrong. It was decided that he would work to help fix the damage done down in the lower levels, and pay a hefty fine.
So after making arrangements for when he would start working he paid the high fine, and was escorted down to his family vault without a problem.
The Potter family vault turned out to be on the level directly under the one where Bellatrix Lestrange's vault was, so he had gotten a good view of the damage he had helped cause and what he would be working on.
They stopped in front of his vault and he and his goblin escort climbed out of the cart. He was informed that the vault didn't have a key and he needed to place his hand on the door. The door's magic would verify his identity and allow him access.
With that instruction in mind he placed his right hand in the middle of the solid stone door and waited.
Almost instantly the stone directly beneath his palm began to warm, growing hotter and hotter, almost to the point of pain before it stopped and the stone wall split down the middle and opened away from each other like sliding doors.
Harry's eyes widened as he took in the large cave. Just from where he stood he could see large piles of gold Galleons and neatly placed furniture.
"Is there a way to tell exactly what's in here and how much gold as well?" He asked his goblin escort as he looked to him.
"Yes." The goblin answered. "All such paperwork is held by the manager of your accounts."
Accounts? He wondered, and then he remembered that Sirius had likely named him his heir and had received his vault.
"Would the manager be available after I'm through looking through here or should I make an appointment?" He asked.
"He is available." The goblin answered. "I can send word that you wish for those documents and have them ready by the time you finish here if you will be a while." He added.
"Please. I would be grateful for that. I'm going to take my time looking through here." Harry said.
"Very well. I will take care of it." The goblin replied.
"Thank you." He said before he turned and walked into the vault.
As Harry reached the first piece of furniture he looked to his left and his eyes widened as he realized the vault was much larger than he had first thought. It opened into an almost massive cavernous room with furniture, paintings, bookshelves, trunks, and piles of gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts all over the place.
This is…this is my family history. All of this. He thought as his eyes shifted around, landing on everything.
He took a few more steps and his eyes landed on a little table that had a large envelope on top of it with a small white envelope on top of that. He stepped toward it curiously and blinked in surprise as he saw that the small envelope had his name written on it.
He picked up the envelope and examined the writing. It looked feminine and he imagined it might very well be from his mother. He opened it and pulled out a single piece of white paper; surprised that it wasn't parchment, but then he thought maybe she felt more comfortable using plain paper since she was muggleborn.
My Darling Harry,
If you are reading this it means you are at least seventeen and there is no one left to tell you the truth. If your father and I, and even Sirius, were alive then this letter would not exist.
First I want to tell you that your father and I love you very much. You struck our hearts the moment we set eyes on you, and that is why we acted as we did.
You see when you were only a few months old you were involved in an accident. A terrible car accident that took the lives of two people very close to you, and yet somehow left you alive and completely unharmed.
Their names were Daichi Chiba and Akina Chiba. They were your parents.
There you were, this beautiful crying baby, so far from home and suddenly all alone. Your father and I didn't even hesitate after we found you despite how dangerous the times were. You needed someone to care for you, so we determined we would be those someone's.
Now, before your mind completely runs away with you, we did this the right way. We went through the muggle authorities to first let them know about your birth parents death and to try and find your next of kin. After quite the agonizing wait, since we were growing to love you more and more, we were notified that you had no other family.
With that knowledge we decided to make it official and adopt you both in the muggle world and the magical world. Filling out the muggle paperwork was tedious, but we had to be careful and do it quietly when it came to the magical paperwork. The last thing we wanted was for some ministry employee to slip the information to a death eater.
Once all the paperwork was done and everything was legal we performed a blood adoption ritual to truly make you ours. It was the happiest we have ever been, and we were incredibly surprised when you developed a rather strong magical core. Almost immediately you started displaying accidental magic, and it was a joy to watch.
Do not ever doubt our love darling. Just because you were not physically birthed from us does not mean we love you any less. You have our blood running through your veins so you are ours. However, we also believe that your birth parents loved you just as fiercely, so never doubt that either. You were and are very loved.
Your father and I have left you all the paperwork and information you need to know about your adoption in both worlds.
Take care of yourself my darling. Be happy, and know that your father and I will be watching over you with your birth parents.
With all my love,
Your mother,
Lily Potter
Harry stared at the letter with wide almost disbelieving eyes. He was happy to have a sample of his mother's handwriting, more so that it was written specifically for him, but at the same time he was shocked beyond belief.
He was adopted! He was not born of the body of Lily Potter. Apparently he came from the body of another woman, Akina Chiba, his real mother!
How could no one have told him?! Why had no one told him?! There had to have been others who knew! Why was this hidden from him?!
He looked back to the letter, and spotted Sirius' name. He had obviously known; had been named his godfather. Why hadn't he told him when they first met or any time after that? It was all about him looking just like his father and having his mother's eyes, but never that he had had another set of parents!
Harry put the letter down and picked up the larger envelope before he opened it and pulled out a thick stack of paperwork. He looked through each sheet wide eyed. Copies of the adoption papers, both magical and muggle, and so much more information was there.
He slowed and then stopped his frantic flipping through the papers as he found his original birth certificate. It stated his parents were Daichi Chiba and Akina Chiba, and his listed name was Mamoru. He had been born on August 3 in Tokyo, Japan.
Just beneath that significant sheet of paper was his adopted birth certificate that had his parents listed as James Potter and Lily Potter, and he had been named Harry James Potter. His birthdate was listed as July 31, and he guessed that was the day that the blood adoption ritual had been done. His place of birth was listed as Godric's Hollow in West Country, England.
He stared at the two birth certificates in shock, and then he remembered Ginny's words, that she would be watching him with all of his parents. He hadn't caught that at the time, but he had remembered it; and now he understood it.
Harry didn't know how long he sat there staring at the two official sheets of paper before he shook himself and flicked through the rest of the papers. He shook his head slowly as he found that there was even a copy of his parents, adopted parents, will.
He straightened the papers and returned them to the large envelope, and added his mother's letter to the stack of papers before he placed it back on the table.
He reached under the neckline of his shirt and pulled his Mokeskin pouch out and over his head. He wore it shrunken down like a necklace so it looked like nothing but a couple of Galleons or a single piece of small jewelry could fit inside it, having decided to always keep it on him whenever he left the house.
Since it contained The Deathly Hallows he had decided that since he had made the choice to keep them he needed to make sure nothing happened to them, and it was his responsibility as the Master of Death to keep them with him at all times even if he didn't understand yet what exactly the title entailed beyond simply having the items.
He opened the pouch, enlarging it, and placed the all-important documents about his adoption inside. He took a deep calming breath, trying to push his shock aside, and began to roam around the vault.
He grabbed a few interesting books that caught his eye on subjects he thought he might have to work at the ministry to be able to access and slipped them inside his pouch as well.
Reaching a shelf with things on display that wasn't too far from the table that had contained the information that changed his world he paused. He reached forward and lightly touched the bracelet there before he picked up the piece of paper next to it.
Harry read it and realized it was instructions for how to use a Portkey that would take him to his family manor. Considering the last two wars he was reasonably sure that anyone who knew about the house was dead, so it would be the perfect place for him to stay. A safe private place that no one had access to.
Replacing the paper he picked up the bracelet and looked it over. It was a multilayered black leather braided wristband bracelet with a gold pendant attached in the shape of the capital letter 'P'.
He nodded and slipped it inside his pouch before he moved on to see if anything else caught his eye. When nothing did he closed the pouch, slipped the strap back around his neck, and put it back underneath his shirt as it shrunk back down to resemble a necklace.
Harry made his way back through the vault, idly pocketing a handful of Galleons, and to the entrance. As soon as he stepped out onto the landing where a cart awaited him the stone slabs slid closed and sealed so it once again looked like a solid wall.
He rode the cart back up with his goblin escort, whom he thanked, and once he reached the main floor of the bank he was ushered into the office of the manager of his accounts where he was handed a folder directly by the goblin behind the desk.
He was informed that it contained a list of all the contents of the Potter family vault, the Black family vault, and his trust vault. The two family vaults each on their own guaranteeing he would never have to work a day in his life if he so wished it.
Harry thanked his account manager and informed him that next time he needed to see him he would be sure to make an appointment.
With that said he was escorted back to the lobby and held in a sigh as he began to make his way toward the bank doors.
Now that his mind was not focused on the business at hand it was trying to force multiple topics at him at once, and there were a lot of topics that were swirling around for him to think about. Most of them he had absolutely no wish to acknowledge, but the most prominent was the glaring fact that he had been adopted.
He had not been born a Potter; he had been made a Potter.
I have two sets of parents. Two mothers and two fathers, and both sets are dead. He thought quietly. Unlike most people who learn they're adopted I can't go out and search for my birth parents in the hopes of making that connection and having a family. They're dead. I'm still alone.
I wish Ginny was here. He thought with a sigh. She would make everything…
"Harry." He suddenly heard his name in a feminine tone with a familiar French accent, and turned to see Fleur Weasley behind him.
"Hi Fleur." Harry said as he stopped and waited for her; welcoming the interruption to his thoughts.
"How are you doing mon petit frère?" Fleur asked gently as she reached him; knowing how he had felt about Ginny.
Harry sighed wearily.
"I'm dealing." He answered with a slight shrug. "I just came here to make arrangements with the Goblins to work in order to make right the damage I caused to the bank, and I went to see my family vault for the first time since I just found out about it."
"At least you are getting out in the fresh air instead of being cooped up inside." She said sympathetically. "Why don't you come over for dinner?" She asked, and he blinked.
"Will that be okay with Bill?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"Oui. It will be no problem." She assured him. "Bill has been spending time with all the family, but we have not seen you since you moved out of The Burrow."
"Yeah sorry." He said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I…I just couldn't stay there with everyone mourning. I was starting to feel more guilty then I already do, and I didn't need that. I needed to get away, I needed privacy, to grieve in my own way." He explained, and then sighed heavily.
"Ginny was the only one I felt comfortable opening up to, and now she's gone, so I'm trying to deal." He added quietly.
"Oh Harry." Fleur said sadly, her accent sounding thick in her sadness as she stroked his arm comfortingly. "Maybe we can help some or at least take your mind off everything for a while."
"Yeah." Harry said dully as he nodded. "Yeah. I'll be there. What time should I come?"
"Six o'clock. Will that be okay?" She asked.
"Yes. That's fine. Six o'clock it is then." He said.
"I'll let Bill know." Fleur said. "Be safe out there."
"I will." Harry said with a nod before he continued on his way out of the bank.
Once he made it down the stairs he Apparated back to Grimmauld Place, and found himself in one of the cleaned sitting rooms. He pulled his Mokeskin pouch off, opened it, and placed his folder inside before he pulled out the Portkey to the family manor house.
He slipped the bracelet over his left hand and watched as it automatically shrunk to fit snugly around his wrist. He closed the pouch and once again stored it around his neck before he focused on the gold 'P' pendant, and wanting to go home to the Potter Manor.
From one moment to the next he found himself deposited inside what looked like a rather large foyer. It was the smoothest Portkey ride he had ever had. The only reason he knew he had changed location was because he could clearly see he was in a different place.
Harry looked around the space and saw that it was bright, which was a nice change from the dim darkness of Grimmauld place. He took a breath and began to wander to see what was there.
On the first floor he found a room off to the side of the foyer, and what he guessed was the front door, that housed a large fireplace. He thought it was for guests to Floo in, which he thought was smart. He had never liked the idea of someone Flooing into someone's personal living space; especially if they were rude enough to do it without notice.
Beyond that he found a dining room, the kitchen, a study, a sitting room, a staircase, and a door that led to a small attached glasshouse. The space was big enough to house some decorative plants and a small table and chairs where one could sit and eat or read.
Another door led to a finished basement with two large rooms. One was used for what looked like storage, and the other was an empty room but he sensed magic surrounding it. He guessed it was room to practice spells in, but he wasn't sure.
After heading back to the first floor he found yet another door, which led into what was obviously a well-lit Potions lab.
Going up the staircase he found a small yet full library, that looked like it could definitely compete with the one at Grimmauld Place, another sitting room, a bathroom, a couple of bedrooms, a closet, and another staircase.
Heading up he found a sitting room and what was obviously the master bedroom with how large it was. It had a big four poster canopy bed, a fireplace, a large walk-in closet, and an attached bathroom.
Harry sat on the end of the bed, instantly finding it soft and comfortable, and looked around the room. The manor house appeared to be three levels, not counting the basement, full of large windows to let in plenty of light, and was decorated with light brown wood floors, cream colored walls, and accented with blues, golds, and whites.
At first glance he saw that everything was clean with no cobwebs in sight, so he guessed that meant there were preservation charms on at least the interior of the house since it didn't look like Grimmauld Place did.
In any case it saved him the trouble of having to clean, which was a good thing since there were no house elves as none had come to greet him.
Well, Ginny said to check myself for foreign magic when I was in a safe place with privacy. He thought as he pulled off his jacket and draped it on the bed beside him. So here goes.
He closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths to relaxed himself as he pushed all of the clamoring topics to the back of his mind and out of the way. He knew they wouldn't stay there for very long since he hadn't been able to learn Occlumency, but hopefully it would be long enough for what he needed to do.
Harry knew Ginny couldn't mean magic from another country, so she had to mean magic from another person. He had had spells, charms, and curses cast on him enough to recognize when he was under one, so it was a surprise to realize that he did in fact have someone else's magic in him.
He calmly studied the magic, trying to figure out its purpose, and realized it seemed to be an almost permanent glamour charm. Mentally looking at it a bit longer he understood he hadn't noticed it before because it was tied into his own magic in a way that his magic was actually feeding it; keeping it going.
It's a glamour charm, but I can't tell what it's supposed to be covering up or rather hiding. He thought, instantly outraged.
Harry quickly and instinctively cut the connection the foreign magic had with his magic and canceled the charm as he opened his eyes. Immediately his eye sight blurred.
He squinted and adjust his glasses in confusion, and noticed his sight was clear when he shifted his eyes downward. He slowly took off his glasses and gasped as he was able to see clearly; more so then he ever had with his glasses.
He stood up and walked to the bathroom attached to the bedroom and moved toward the mirror over the sink. A loud gasp escaped his mouth as he looked into the reflective surface.
His vibrant green eyes were gone, replaced by intense blue, and his hair was messy but not the wildness he had struggled with as long as he could remember.
Harry stared, stunned beyond thought, as he idly dropped his glasses on the counter around the sink. He couldn't understand this situation, but then in a flash he remembered Ginny specifically asking him to check himself.
He took a few deep breaths and let them out slowly, calming himself, and used the intelligence Ginny had always believed he had.
Okay. It was a glamour charm, which means it was put in place to make me look different, a specific way, to everyone; including myself. It obviously made me look like my adopted parents, but why would that be? He asked himself as he gazed into unfamiliar eyes.
Harry closed his eyes with a sigh, blocking the view, and thought back to how that foreign magic felt, and realized abruptly that he recognized the magical signature. He had felt that man's magic a number of times, and could recognize it from any other; Dumbledore.
That old man! That bastard! He thought angrily as his eyes popped open.
Dumbledore had known from the start that he was adopted and likely put that glamour on him after his parents died, so no one would question that they were his parents, and no one would know he was adopted. Including himself!
That was likely also why he had not known he had a family vault; why he had not been told. He would have learned about his adoption. Learned that he had another identity out there. Another nationality! He had been born Japanese for goodness sake!
Bastard didn't even tell me after I took that Killing Curse! He thought angrily. For all he knew he could have looked as he did right now, but hadn't known because there hadn't been any reflective surfaces in that limbo space.
His parents, James and Lily Potter, had done a magical blood adoption, so they were his parents, but he had another set he knew nothing about! All he knew was that they were dead and that was why he had been adopted in the first place!
He was so used to seeing Dumbledore as a good man, a symbol of the light side of magic, but the part of him that had been becoming louder, the part that Ginny had further brought out with her last words to him, was glad that Albus Dumbledore was dead.
Since his parents had died that man had taken it upon himself to run his life, strain what information he could receive when he wasn't hiding it altogether or outright lying to him, and control him to do what he wanted.
He suspected this was one of the things Ginny had learned in death, and why she said what she did to him.
"Thank you Ginny." He said softly before he took a deep breath, idly realizing he had been doing that a lot, and let it out slowly, pushing his anger aside.
He needed to be calm and get back to the matter at hand, which was his changed appearance. He still looked mostly the way he had since he could remember. The only difference was that his eyes were blue, he had normal eye sight, and he would be able to manage his hair now.
Clearly the blood adoption had only given him magic from his Potter parents. Although, it might have given him their facial features since he didn't think he looked Japanese.
He still had the scar on his forehead, so that was a telling sign of his identity even with the change of eye color and the more relaxed hair. He supposed his glasses were a major part of his identity as well.
Harry hummed and wondered if he would actually be recognized if he covered up his scar and went out with how he looked now.
I'll try it. I'll take a walk in Diagon Alley and see what happens. If it works it'll definitely be useful. He decided. But before I do that I want to see what this house looks like from the outside, and what's around the property.
With those decisions made Harry left the bathroom, grabbed his jacket, and made his way down through the house so he could go outside.
*mon petit frère: my little brother
*Oui: yes