Chapter Four: Inheritance
Harry spent the next couple weeks lounging at Mrs Figg's house. She wouldn't let him do any chores or cook meals. She would have Harry keep his room clean and if he wanted to help with meals, he could, but he was not allowed to do it all on his own. He spent plenty of time outside in the backyard with Hermes and Loki. He continued to practice talking telepathically with the pair, but was never able to initiate the conversation.
He also spent a good amount of time reading his books and he had set up his potions kit in his room on a desk by the window. Mrs Figg told him that he had to leave the window open while he was brewing. Ventilation was extremely important. Mrs Figg had been a tutor for the Potters before James went to school and she had a good understanding of the subjects that didn't require any or much wandwork such as Astrology, Herbology, Potions, History, Arithmancy, and Runes. She would spend a bit of time each day going over the various topics to help Harry have a firm understanding of the principals even if he couldn't perform magic since he was underage and didn't have a wand. It would be another year before he was allowed to get one and longer still before he'd be allowed to use it.
They'd also talked about his ability to speak to snakes. Mrs Figg had been shocked when he'd spoken with the runespoors in the magical pet shop. She'd informed him that it was a taboo ability in Britain, but that it was more accepted and even revered in other parts of the world. Harry had understood the message: Keep this ability under wraps if he didn't want any trouble.
Along with his studies of magical principals, Mrs Figg had begun to tutor Harry on etiquette in the upper ranks of magical society. As the last member of a respected magical family, it would be expected that he kept up with certain traditions. Harry was already a very polite person and he saw the value in maintaining that image when he stepped back into magical society. He was used to wearing a mask and this was just a continuation of that. He would wear it proudly. He even was a little proud, knowing that he was following in his father's footsteps and the traditions of his family. He felt closer to his ancestors each day as he learned more from Mrs Figg.
It was near the end of summer when he started to become impatient staying at Mrs Figg's house. Knowing that they would be moving into the Potter family home eventually was exciting and he was getting tired of waiting. He hadn't run into the Dursley's at all since moving in full time with Mrs Figg. The details of what transpired between the Dursley's and Professor Dumbledore was still a mystery to him.
Ever since he'd read the bit about sensing magic, he'd been intrigued. He confided in Mrs Figg and she'd let him know there were a couple magical objects in her home. If he could find them, she'd promised to reward him with another trip to Diagon Alley or maybe even Hogsmead, the magical village near Hogwarts. With his restlessness, he was more determined than ever to find the magical objects. He thought that if he investigated some magical objects he already knew about, maybe he'd be able to memorize the sensations that they made.
The book he had found in Mundungus' shop had even more information about sensing magic and he was eager to try some of the methods mentioned. He walked down to the sitting room and closed his eyes in the doorway. He knew the general layout of the room and knew where the fireplace and the floo powder was. He was hoping that maybe he'd be able to pick up on the magical signatures of the two items in the room. Maybe if he memorized how the two things felt, he'd be able to more easily identify the sensation of other magical objects.
With his eyes closed, he tried to focus on the sensations he felt. He took deep steadying breaths and tried to shut out any intrusive thoughts. It took quite a while and his thoughts often crept in on him, distracting him from his goal. He let the thoughts come without getting frustrated and tried to focus on his breathing. Eventually, he was able to shut out everything except how he was feeling. His attention was solely on the present.
He walked around the room paying attention to how he felt. He picked up on some vibrations in the general direction of the fireplace and made his way in that direction. As he got closer, the vibrations grew in intensity but were never overwhelming. He was sure that what he was feeling was the magical signature of the floo powder and the fireplace. Next, he tried to push the sensation of the two items outside of his focus so he could reach out for any other magical signatures. It was difficult at first but he was eventually able to move on.
Opposite of the fireplace, Harry thought he was picking up on a different vibration. We walked over to that side of the room, following the sensation he was feeling. As he got closer, the vibration grew and he noticed that the pattern of the vibration was different from the fireplace. The fireplace vibration felt warm and reminded him of the crackling and popping sound that wood made when it was burning. The new vibration was more steady. Constant, Harry thought. It felt similarly to what it felt like when a bee was buzzing near your ear. He reached for the item and the vibration grew in his hand as he got closer. When his hand made contact with the item, the vibration went up his arm. He opened his eyes and saw in his hand, a porcelain statue of a miniaturized Egyptian Obelisk.
Excited by his success, he wanted to keep trying. He focused again, trying to push the known vibrations from his consciousness to see if he could pick up on anything new. It took a while before he was able to slow his thoughts again because of the excitement he was feeling. He focused on his breath, determined to shut out everything but what he sought. After a while, he thought he was picking up on another item, but he didn't think it was in the room. He opened his eyes and headed towards the front door where he thought maybe he was picking up on something.
Once in front of the door, he closed his eyes and focused again on his breathing until everything was shut out. He began to pick up on something coming from the doorknob. The vibration he felt was strong, sharp, and… Harry focused, trying to decipher the sensation he was picking up from the object… hot. The vibration was hot. It felt dangerous, he thought. Harry wondered what sort of enchantments were placed on the doorknob but he wasn't completely sure he wanted to find out on his own. He'd just ask Mrs Figg.
Harry again worked on shifting his focus to his breathing as he shut his eyes and tried to determine if there were any other objects in the house. He pushed away the already known vibrations and reached out. Vibration was coming from somewhere upstairs so Harry made his way to the stairs and climbed them. Once he was at the top, he shut his eyes again and focused. He walked down the hallway until he was in front of Mrs Figg's bedroom door. This time, the vibration felt reflective. Every vibration he made bounced off the door and dissipated. He thought that it was some kind of shield that pushed everything away. He wasn't able to reach out beyond the door to see if there were any objects beyond it.
Harry thought it was getting easier for him to focus each time. He hoped he'd eventually be able to do this without closing his eyes. It wasn't exactly practical to have to close his eyes whenever he was trying to sense something. People would wonder if he had lost his mind. He was pretty sure that he'd found all the items that there were to find. Mrs Figg had left to do some grocery shopping so he'd have to wait until she got back to check.
Harry huffed with impatience. He wanted to get out of the house a bit and blow off some steam. Busying himself with studying was helpful but it didn't offer him quite the same level of satisfaction as some other activities he could think of. It had only been weeks since his birthday and his last successful heist, but it felt much longer.
He'd be leaving Privet Drive soon. Maybe for good. If he wanted to find out what happened to the Dursleys, perhaps it was time to plan his next night time excursion. A recon mission wasn't as exciting as a heist but it was better than being cooped up.
Harry was looking over his potion for what seemed like the 10th time. The potion book had said that it should be a grayish blue with bright spots shooting out every few seconds. His potion was a murky gray and was foaming. He didn't know why just yet and he was going over the instructions to find where he'd messed up.
He was getting ready to discard the potion and start over when he heard a ruckus downstairs. Loki ran into Harry's room and let him know Mrs Figg had just arrived home. Harry was a bit frustrated because of his failed potion and didn't head down right away.
A short while later, Mrs Figg walked in and saw the mess on Harry's desk. She winced and said, "That looks rough. Everything alright here, Harry?"
Harry grumbled in frustration and said, "I'm not sure what I did wrong. It doesn't match the description at all."
Mrs Figg walked over and looked over the instructions in the book and then glanced inside the cauldron. "I'm no potions Mistress but… did you chop the beetle eyes evenly? That can be a bit tricky to do."
Harry had not in fact chopped the beetle eyes evenly. They kept flinging away from the knife when he tried to chop them. He shook his head and explained.
Mrs Figg picked up his potions knife and said, "This needs sharpening." She rifled through his kit and pulled out a whetstone that he'd missed. She then went on to explain the sharpening process.
She brushed off his mistake and said, "This is the kind of thing most wizards overlook. There are spells you can cast to sharpen and prevent degradation later, but the residual magic can interfere with your potions, even if just slightly. It's best to do the manual work for high quality potions. Your professor will see the difference when you start next year.
He felt foolish and was embarrassed by his oversight, but was grateful for her instruction and that she didn't belittle him.
Mrs Figg was holding her chin in thought. "Show me how you stirred after you put in the Horklump juice," she said next.
Harry walked over to the cauldron and grabbed the stirring rod in his right hand and started stirring. He counted to 13 and then stopped.
"Ah, I see. Watch me," she said as she took his place. She grabbed the stirring rod with both hands and placed it in the cauldron. "It's best to think of the cauldron as a clock. Most potions are started at the twelve o'clock position straight in front of you. You'll learn more about the importance of numbers if you take Arithmancy, and then this will make more sense," she said.
Mrs Figg's motions with the stirring rod were more intentional and pronounced than his had been, he noticed.
"I think if you try again using these instructions that you'll have more success," she said. "But you'll probably want to wait to find out… I ran into 'Dung and he said the house is ready. He connected it to the floo under an alias and everything. We can head over as soon as you're ready!" She finished with an excited gleam in her eyes.
Harry jolted. 'Finally!' he thought. He wanted to go right away. All thoughts of investigating the Dursleys left his mind immediately. Why bother with them anyways? They were nothing.
He hesitated as he thought of his secret hideout in the park and all of his trophies.
He brought up his desire to collect his stuff to Mrs Figg.
"Ah, yes, if you'd like to go tonight to collect your things then I think that would be fine. Just make sure you're not seen," she said.
"Naturally, Mrs Figg," he replied with some bravado. "I'll just finish cleaning up my mess here and then later tonight I'll gather my things. Thanks for your help with my potion, by the way."
"No problem, laddie," she replied. "Make sure you get it all put away. The Potters had quite the potions lab. You can wait until we're settled there before you try again." And with that, she took her leave and headed downstairs.
It was just after 1AM and Harry was waking up from a small nap he'd decided to take after cleaning up and packing up his room. He'd missed dinner but hopefully Mrs Figg wasn't too put out.
Harry had decided to dress all in black. His new clothes fit him very well and he was surprised by how much it boosted his confidence. He felt bulletproof.
He reached for a bag that Mrs Figg had given him. She'd told him it had undetectable expansion and featherlight charms placed on it and it should be able to carry all his stuff out of his hideout. He loved magic!
He knew that Mrs Figg already knew he was going out tonight but he wanted to see if he could sneak out without her noticing anyways. It made it more fun anyways.
He opened his bedroom door and stepped out, closing his door behind him quietly. He made it to the middle of the stairs when he heard Mrs Figg shout out, "Be safe!"
Harry groaned and then he heard Mrs Figg laugh. So much for getting out undetected. He still didn't know how she did it.
His mood somewhat ruined, he walked out the front door normally.
As soon as he was outside in the dark, his mood improved. He was back in his element now. He snuck down the street, avoiding lights as he went. He encountered no obstacles and it didn't take him long to make his way to the park and down into his hideout.
He sighed. He was utterly bored due to the lack of challenge.
He looked fondly at his hideout. It had been a wonderful sanctuary for him over the years. He reminisced on his past heists and experiences as he collected his trophies from the shelves.
He was sad to leave it behind but was looking forward to the next chapter. Hopefully he'd be able to find a new sanctuary when he got to Hogwarts. He doubted very much that he'd need one at his family home.
The final trophy collected, he wondered if he should dismantle his hideout or leave it for someone else to find. He opted to leave the shelves, ladder, and hidden entrance. If someone was meant to find it, they would, and he hoped they'd put it to good use as he had.
He decided to go ahead and stop by the Dursley's house. He didn't know if he'd ever be back. He hoped not, honestly. It was a weird feeling, both wanting to leave and never come back but also feeling sad about leaving. He supposed he was mourning what could have been had the Dursleys been decent people.
He was in front of number 4 in no time. He hadn't seen signs of the family in weeks. The last time being on his birthday. He was feeling a bit reckless due to the boredom and decided to try and get inside.
He tried the front door first but it was locked. He made his way to the backyard. The gate opened with a loud creak but he didn't care. He tried the back door but it was locked too. He checked all the windows on the ground level but had no luck.
Next he looked up to the second floor but couldn't see any open windows. Discouraged, he sat down on the steps up to the kitchen door. He thought about breaking one of the windows so he could get in. He grabbed a large stone and was about to throw it, but he stopped himself.
Were the Dursleys even worth it? He was so mad at them for how they'd treated him over the years, but was it worth risking his escape now? He'd be leaving for good in the morning. He decided this was all the closure he needed. "Have the lives you deserve," he said out loud.
Harry made his way back to Mrs Figg's house and up to his room with conflicting feelings. Up until now, he'd been all on his own. Now he had Mrs Figg and he was grateful to her, but he kind of wished for the solitude he'd grown accustomed to. He felt kind of bad about the direction his thoughts had turned.
Mrs Figg was a far preferable connection to his parents than his aunt has been. He should be more grateful for everything Mrs Figg had done for him and the stories she'd shared about his parents.
He looked around the room he'd been staying in. Everything was packed and ready for their move to Potter Manor. He decided to sleep in his clothes so he wouldn't have to rummage through his luggage again. He closed his eyes and drifted into an uneasy sleep.
A few hours later, he, Mrs Figg, Loki, Hermes, and all of Mrs Figg's cats were getting ready to floo over to their new home.
"There are several wards in place to keep unapproved visitors out but it's also listed under an alias registered to another alias. Our tracks are well covered. The name is Forest Glade," she said as she threw in some floo powder.
The fireplace flared green and she stepped through. Harry waited a few seconds and then stepped through as well. It took a few trips to bring everything over and they were recovering from the spinning in the entryway of Potter Manor.
Someone had clearly been by and covered all the furniture with white sheets at some point. Harry wondered who it could have been, but he was grateful. Every surface was covered in dust. He knew it was going to take a lot of time and work to make the whole place habitable.
"We'll probably want to focus on one wing at a time, Harry. We won't have need of the whole house for quite a while anyways," Mrs Figg said as as she ran a finger over the mantle.
Then they both sneezed and then laughed. It would take a lot of work, he thought, but it was worth it.
Mrs Figg was obviously familiar with the place, having lived here for several years before he was born. She led the way through several rooms that Harry had no idea what function they provided.
They climbed up some stairs that Harry almost missed. "These are the servant's quarters and where I stayed when I was here last. Let me just drop some stuff off and then I'll show you to the main suite," she said.
"You don't have to stay in the servant's quarters, Mrs Figg, I-" he said and then Mrs Figg cut him off. "No, Harry, I'm content to stay here. It's what I'm used to and I like it here. It's quite nice, you'll see."
The rooms in the servant's quarters were quite nice and he noticed they could have fit all of Mrs Figg's house in here and then some. They let the cats out here to become acquainted with their new home. Loki and Hermes were given free reign of the place since, as magical creatures, they were better able to defend themselves if needed.
She led him back out of her quarters and to the main hallway. They walked quite a bit before they were stopped outside some large double doors. Harry was blown away at the extravagance. Even in it's dirty state, the manor was quite impressive.
Mrs Figg opened the double doors and said, "This is the main suite. Your grandparents' rooms and offices were on the left and your father's rooms were on the right. Straight ahead are a family room, a dining room, and a few other areas.
Harry was overcome with strong emotions as he looked around. He had missed out on all of this for the last 10 years because of some dark wizard that had killed his family. He was envious of the life he could have had if things had happened differently.
It wasn't just the fact that the place was huge and extravagant, that was just a bonus. It was the feeling of family that he sensed from it. There were family photos all around that waved happily at Harry and there were even drawings obviously done by a little kid displayed proudly. The suite felt as a whole, warm and welcoming like he thought a family home should feel like. And he'd missed out on all that because of Lord Voldemort.
Never again would anyone threaten to take anything away from him ever again, he vowed. He'd work harder than anyone to hold onto what he had now. He'd get married and have kids and they'd be safe and happy here.
Harry and Mrs Figg got to work quickly after their tour. They opened all the windows and collected the sheets off all of the furniture and threw them outside to take care of later. Then they dusted and swept from top to bottom. The prep work that had been done beforehand made their job very easy.
Harry slowed down when they cleaned his grandparent's and father's rooms. He found a couple old journals and family albums and perused through them while Mrs Figg kept cleaning.
He learned from the journals that his grandparents, Fleamont and Euphemia, had been inventors. Fleamont favored potions and Euphemia was an enchantress. There were several objects around that had been designed by them including a mirror that would make recommendations to compliment your features and a complex clock with planets and moons that he didn't understand. The journal explained that an alarm would go off when it was a good time to perform specific spells or advanced potions.
He could see from his father's bedroom that he'd dabbled in inventing as well. One of his journals talked about a map of Hogwarts that he and his friends were working on as well as some enchanted two way mirrors that he was developing. He found one of the mirrors but the journal didn't explain how they worked. There was no sign of the map.
There was another bedroom that Mrs Figg said was used by his father's close friend, Sirius Black, during the last two years of Hogwarts. It was pretty bare in there though besides the furniture.
Mrs Figg left him to his perusing and went to make lunch for them.
He'd also read an entry about an invisibility cloak and that was probably the most exciting discovery so far. That would be a game changer for sure. He had found several cloaks and tried them on but none of them made him invisible. He reckoned it wasn't here… unless they only worked with a spell or something. He simply didn't know enough to rule all of them out. He thought about asking Mrs Figg but it could be a useful secret that could help give him an edge. Maybe it would be better not to give it away.
When Mrs Figg came back, they both stopped and ate in silence. Loki and Hermes had been off exploring the grounds but had returned to beg for food. Harry was happy to share his sandwich with Loki.
After lunch, they wandered out of the main suite and over to the potions lab and library. The lab was large and had several stations set up. There were also a few shelves of books and journals on one of the walls. The ingredients closet was stocked but Harry wasn't sure if they were still ok to use. Mrs Figg recommended that they could start fresh with the basics and expand in a few years if Harry's interest and experience with the subject increased.
Harry liked books but wasn't as excited by the library. Maybe that would change but for now he was content to know where it was when needed.
There was another wing that was shut off and it seemed prudent to leave it that way. Mrs Figg said it was mostly offices and guest rooms used by extended family and friends if they were visiting from far away.
They went outside onto a large patio while the sun was setting. From the patio they could see the large grounds that were surrounded by forest. The sunlight was peeking through the trees. He thought it looked like the trees were on fire. The sight was magical.
He could see several greenhouses and a barn, but he doubted very much that anything was left alive after the decade or so that the manor had been vacant. He hoped the animals had been released. He decided he'd explore later and just enjoyed the view with Mrs Figg.
"Your grandparents had quite an interest in magical creatures. My favorite were the mooncalves, but they had other creatures as well."
Harry thought he remembered reading about them in one of his books. "Are those the ones that only come out during a full moon and make weird crop circles?"
"Good lad, yes. And their manure was very helpful in the greenhouses. I used to help collect it every full moon. Useful stuff."
Harry laughed at the mental image. Mrs Figg must have been picking up on his sour mood because she just smiled.
"They also had griffins for a while. I caught James sneaking out to ride them in the middle of the night. It was one of our little secrets."
Harry smiled at the image.
"Around the time that Lily started coming around, they had some clabberts. She thought they were funny," Mrs Figg said. "Her and Fleamont used to play with them and collect their pustules when they shed them. Lily had won over Fleamont with her potions knowledge and prowess in the lab."
Harry remembered that Mrs Figg had said that his mother was good at potions. His own interest in the subject was probably because of that and it had been reinforced now in knowing his grandfather also favored potions. It helped that he could work on it now even though he didn't have a wand.
Euphemia loved all the creatures. She had a heart of gold and was often seen with the herd of unicorns in the forest. They weren't owned by the Potters. They just showed up one day and never left," Mrs Figg said.
Harry wondered if they were still there. They'd probably not want anything to do with him, he laughed to himself.
"Any other creatures?" he asked.
"Oh, yes, lots of different creatures over the years…" she trailed off in thought. "There were even dragons here for a very short while. And thestrals, they might even still be in the forest… oh and a demiguise. He just disappeared one day. They do that," She said with a laugh.
Harry couldn't remember what a demiguise was and so missed the joke. "What's a demiguise," he asked.
"It looks like something between a sloth and an ape. Long hair, long limbs, and big eyes. They can see the future and turn invisible."
Harry's eyes widened and he said, "Turn invisible? How?"
"Magic," Mrs Figg said. "Euphemia would brush his hair and collect it so it could be sold. They use it to make invisibility cloaks."
Harry saw his opportunity to ask about invisibility cloaks without alerting her that he'd learned about one his father had. He didn't want to miss his chance so he checked, "What's an invisibility cloak?"
"You would be interested in that, wouldn't you, my little thief?" She joked. "It's just what it sounds like. Dead useful, they are. You just put it on and you turn invisible."
Harry smiled at the pet name. It felt good to have someone treat him with familiarity.
He wondered where his father's cloak went though. It would be useful to have. He'd have to keep looking for hints in the journals, he decided.
It was getting late. The sun had set long ago and his stomach growled. Harry and Mrs Figg ate dinner on the patio and then Harry decided to sleep in his fathers old room. Mrs Figg went to the servant's quarters. They'd pick up in the morning and maybe go explore the grounds a bit.