6 Gringotts

Harry felt a bit overwhelmed but recovered quickly. "How do I get that ring?"

Sharpclaw smiled without showing his fangs. "You can go to your vault and take it, but that is a long and sometimes unpleasant ride. I can have it brought here quickly for a token price, taken directly from your vault. Would you like that?"

Harry glanced at the wall clock above the door. "I think it's too late for me to spend time on that. Please have the ring brought here."

Harry wasn't sure what the goblin did. He seemed to tap a certain area of his desk and say some words that Harry didn't understand. A short while later, a small jewellery box appeared on that same area. "You may open the box and put the ring on the middle finger of your left hand," Sharpclaw instructed. "Expect some lights and then the ring would adjust to your finger. You can then make it invisible and undetectable if you like."

Harry followed the instructions. He took the box and opened it, finding a very elegant signet ring that looked way too big for his hand. He still put it on his finger and watched with fascination as the ring flashed brightly, almost blinding him for a second. When he could see again, the ring was sitting firmly on his finger, as if designed for it. The signet part still looked a bit too big for his small hand, though.

"Do you feel well?" he heard Sharpclaw ask, sounding a bit worried.

Harry lifted his head and smiled. "Sure. I feel like the ring welcomes me, in a way, but I can't say how."

Sharpclaw nodded. "Yes, it does, Lord Potter. It may also pass to you some knowledge as you grow up, so I was told. I don't know what it would teach you, if anything. Now, I suppose you don't want everybody to see your ring, do you?"

Harry shook his head vigorously.

"Just look at your ring and order it in your mind to either hide completely, which I recommend, or just to become invisible. It will stay on your finger in both cases."

Harry looked at the ring and thought, 'Hide!'

The ring seemed to fade quickly, becoming invisible. He could still feel it on his finger, but couldn't find it with the other hand, as if it wasn't there. "Wow! That's fantastic!"

Sharpclaw agreed with a fleeting smile. "Now, I believe I should also interview Mrs. Figg, if you allow. I need to know about any connection she may have with the magical world, so you will stay protected."

Harry nodded.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Figg joined him in that office. She looked quite tired, he thought, and even more apprehensive.

"May I offer you something to drink?" Sharpclaw asked, trying to sound friendly.

"A cup of tea would be welcome," she said.

A short while later, she was served a cup of tea. Harry also got one. Sharpclaw was sipping some other drink that Harry had no idea about.

"Well, Mrs. Figg, can you tell us a bit about yourself?" Sharpclaw asked, still using that friendly tone.

She didn't look happy to comply, but she sighed and started telling. "I was born Nott, as you may know. Then, when I was roughly ten, somebody cursed me, turning me into a squib. I'm not sure who it was, but I believe it was either my father or his father. They were extremely bigoted blood purists and I just couldn't accept their ideas even at that age, so they punished me. I lost my magic and was removed from my family and put into a muggle orphanage. I later learned that it was only due to my mother begging for me that I wasn't killed outright."

She took a deep breath and continued. "As a girl, I was smart enough to be among the top students at the muggle school and I then got a sponsorship that allowed me to finish my academic studies. Eventually, they didn't matter much, since I met my Albert soon after graduating. We fell in love and married. He was a muggle-born who found he couldn't live in the magical world due to its bigotry and prejudices, like many others. We lived quite happily and had two daughters. Both were magical, so we moved to the States and they studied there and settled there to raise their families."

She took a sip of her tea. "Then, we heard of the Dark Lord rising in Britain. My husband, who was quite a successful Auror there, thought it was time we returned here to protect his parents and his siblings. He joined the 'Light' forces, led by Dumbledore. He kept his family and some others well protected, but was killed in a Death-Eaters ambush a few days before Halloween."

She took a handkerchief and dubbed her eyes. "The Dark Lord was vanquished by the toddler Harry Potter at Halloween, while I was still mourning. I thought of going back to America, to live near my daughters, but then Dumbledore suggested that I move to live near where Harry Potter was growing up and keep an eye on him, since he was growing up with muggle relatives. He found me my current home and helped me buy it. I paid for it, but he handled all the other procedures since I wasn't even sure what I needed to do. He only asked me to give him a monthly report about Harry or if anything unexpected happened."

She sighed, showing some frustration. "I told him many times that the boy was treated horribly and should be moved to a better family. He did nothing. He only said that this was the safest place for Harry. I then started offering to babysit him and his cousin, to allow the Dursley parents to go out occasionally, or for Petunia to just go shopping without worrying for the children. She was reluctant to leave Dudley with me. He's a very unruly and disobedient boy. The few times she did leave him with me he was a nightmare. Harry was always a pleasure to spend any time with. He was also malnourished, when younger, so I used to feed him as much as was safe while he was with me. Lately, I found out he had magic, so I gave him my husband's school books. I think he learned a bit from them. He's such a sweet boy."

Harry felt himself blush at the compliments.

"What have you told Dumbledore?"

She shrugged. "He's only interested to know that Harry's alive and reasonably healthy. He only sounded worried one time, when Harry got a severe cold and was ill for more than a week, Nothing else seems to interest him, so I only tell him Harry's healthy and well. I no longer consider him a good leader, not even a good person, the way he didn't mind this boy."

Sharpclaw seemed content. "Please mention nothing about today. It's safer for Harry this way."

She nodded in agreement. "I've heard about Dumbledore becoming a meddling old man. The less he knows, the better."

"What are you going to tell about today, if asked? Someone may notice his absence from where he lives."

She smiled with some mischief, which surprised Harry. "The same I told Vernon – I needed somebody young and agile for some errands that took quite late to complete. I'll even tell Harry to move his cup to the sink, once we reach home, so it won't even be a lie."

The goblin looked quite amused at that. "Good! Would you be able to bring him here in a month or two? I may have some more information for him by then and the healers may want to check him too, just to be sure."

Her face turned worried. "They healed him completely, didn't they? I was very worried about that curse scar. I still remember some of my childhood tales, you know."

Sharpclaw nodded reassuringly. "Everything was healed and all the spells were removed. If asked about that, you may say it was probably a flare of accidental magic that destroyed them, maybe even while he did his chores for you. He may get a growth spurt, though, and the eye healer wanted to be sure it won't affect his eyesight."

"I'll do what I can," she promised. "My birth family was also known for cunning, not only for darkness. I'm quite sure I can manage."

Sharpclaw gave it some consideration and then offered, "May I cast a mind shield on you? It will hide anything concerning Harry from anybody who may try to read your mind, and Dumbledore is known to use that quite often."

She only nodded.

–..–

A goblin portkey brought them back to Mrs. Figg's entrance hall. She then made some hot chocolate for Harry and let him drink it at his leisure, finally asking him to leave the cup in the sink before she escorted him back to no. 4, Privet Drive.

The door was opened by Vernon, who seemed gleeful, especially when noticing how tired Harry looked. "You made him work as he deserves, I hope," he told the woman.

"Sure, quite as he deserves," she said. "Now, if you don't mind, I also need some rest. It has been a long day."

Vernon didn't bother to reply, considering the old woman below him on the social ladder. He just slammed the door closed. He turned to his nephew, who was already half the way up the stairs. "Don't hog the bathroom. Just make sure to brush your teeth, I don't want to spend any money on dentists for you!"

"Of course, Uncle Vernon," Harry said, thinking of giving his uncle some toothaches, but not immediately. He was sure his uncle would say or do something to deserve it soon enough.

–..–

The next day, Petunia came to his room and closed the door. "Can I see your forehead?"

Harry moved his bangs aside, showing smooth skin. There was still a faint discolouration where the scar had been, one that would surely fade in a matter of days.

"That's good. You seem to not need any glasses either. Do you see well enough?"

Harry smiled. "They said I now see as well as any human my age. I really see everything clearer than ever, both close and far."

"It was a magical treatment, wasn't it?"

He nodded and added, "I slept through most of it. I only saw them doing some diagnostics and later the eye check. It didn't hurt at all. Even what I drank to fall asleep was quite tasty."

His aunt finally smiled. "I'm glad for you. Now, with no scar and no eyeglasses, you're much safer than before."

"What do you mean by that? The goblin also spoke about being safe. Why?" Vernon wouldn't have tolerated any question, but his aunt seemed to mellow towards him, so he dared ask.

She sighed. "Your parents were killed by a very bad wizard. When he tried to kill you, something happened that saved you and killed him instead. Unfortunately, many of his followers are still free. Some may seek you and try to finish what their leader tried to do – kill you. If they can't find you then you're much safer. Then, there's Dumbledore. I'm not sure what his intentions are, but he just left you at our doorstep on a cold November night and didn't even check on you, or spoke with us. I suppose he put Mrs. Figg here to keep an eye on you, but that's certainly not enough, since she's not magical. That much I managed to find by myself."

Harry nodded, glad that his aunt finally showed some care. He wouldn't tell her all that he was told at the bank, but she didn't need to know it anyway.

–..–

A few days later, Vernon was asked to visit his bank manager. When he returned home, he was furious, and Harry stayed extremely alert. Such a mood promised nothing good for him, but it also seemed that it had something to do with him. He just tried to stay unnoticeable but still within hearing range. He already knew that in some cases, nobody noticed him when he wanted hard enough not to be noticed. He also wondered if there was any magical spell to achieve that.

–..–

Vernon was telling his wife about the visit to the bank. "They want me to give a detailed report on what we spent the money and give back any money that wasn't spent for its intended purpose."

"If the money was given for a specific purpose, that's a justified request," Petunia said neutrally. "What was the purpose?"

"It was all for the freak!" Vernon spatted.

"You said we were getting nothing for his upkeep," she said, sounding very unpleased.

"We only got it a month or two after he was left here," Vernon said.

"But you kept saying we didn't get anything for him. You said it even last week!" She was getting very upset.

"I didn't know that! They just told me I got some money in another account. Why should I look a gift horse in the mouth?"

"Didn't you have to sign some documents to open that account?"

He shook his head. "It was already opened on our names, but I had to sign quite a pack of papers then."

"Did you read them first?" The answer seemed obvious.

"Why would I? All the bank documents are printed in small letters and I can't argue to change any part of them. Nobody reads them, really."

"But evidently you missed something, or he wouldn't have asked you to come," Petunia insisted.

"He showed me that I had signed a document that I'll give a quarterly report of all the expenses incurred for the boy. Without the report, we need to pay back everything! Where can I find that kind of money?"

"But if you didn't spend it on the boy, what did you use it for? I have not seen it in our main account." Her tone was quite suspicious.

Vernon's face turned redder. "I didn't keep a tab on it. Some presents for Dudley, that visit at the amusement park, some payments for the car. All kinds of stuff."

It sounded suspicious even to Harry. Vernon had clearly used some of the money for purposes that his wife wouldn't approve of, that was clear.

Petunia had gained some confidence after Harry's magical protection proved worthy. "Well, since you didn't give me the account's periodical reports, I can do nothing. Where did you hide them?"

"I didn't hide anything. I only got them at work. It was a mistake, at first, and then I thought you shouldn't bother with that. You have enough on your plate without it." Vernon was clearly lying, even Harry could see that.

"Well, you should tell the bank to send them here, like the rest, and bring all the accumulated documents home tomorrow after work. We can then check all the numbers and find a way to handle this." Petunia was clearly enraged, justly so.

Vernon would have probably beaten her to compliance before Harry protected her, but he could currently do nothing but obey her order.

"Yes, dear," he said meekly, his face turning even redder.

Harry stayed hidden well after both adults left the room. It looked like Sharpclaw was doing as promised. He wondered if Dumbledore was also getting a similar treatment.