The next morning had a flurry of owls entered the great hall. It wasn't long before he found several people sneaking glances at him and Harry got curious. He reached for the prophet that dean had put aside only for Ron to stop him by physically taking the paper out of his hands and passing it to Hermione. She quickly took it, smiling at harry.
"Thanks for passing it over. I really do need to get my own subscription." He smiled back at her, deciding not to push this and let them think he was uninterested. He didn't know what it was and he would be able to find out later, so it wasn't exactly important. He regretted his decision by lunchtime. They hadn't given him a minute by himself the whole day. And by dinner time he had had to put out several fires. literally. It wasn't until his relive that he found out what they were hiding and Merlin it was glorious.
The Potter seat is Dormant once more.
As you all know dear readers, one of the most prominent families in wizarding Britain, the Potters, have had a seat on the Wizengamot since its inception over a millenia ago. (see more on the Wizengamot on page 5.) For the last thirteen years and seven months their precious seat has been entrusted to Lord Dumbledore, Baron of Chilldraft. It was given to him to use by the Late Lord, James Potter, Margrave of Thornfair. However during yesterday's Wizengamot Dumbledore's access to the Potter seat was revoked after it had been found out that the Heir apparent, Harry James Potter, Had not given his permission for the Headmaster, his guardian, to use the seat.
For all those unaware of Wizengamot bylaws, it is required for someone holding a proxy in place of a minor to reclaim Proxyship when the Heir apparent Turns eleven. Headmaster Dumbledore however did not reclaim the seat at the designated time. It took Dowager Longbottom pointing out the fact, (over two years late might I add.) For Dumbledore to reclaim the seat, only for his claim to be rejected. Everyone was shocked, though none more so than the Headmaster. He proceeded to tell the court that he indeed had asked for permission and had gained it verbally. He was under the impression that that was enough to count as permission. Lady magic clearly didn't agree.
Dowager Longbottom had this to say. "My Grandson only gave me verbal confirmation and it didn't stop me from claiming the Longbottom seat. The only way he was rejected is if Lady magic deemed the permission invalid." This statement leads me to question why Lady Magic would deem the permission to be invalid? Is there more to this than is being stated. Why did it take this long for Dumbledore to reclaim the seat when it is a custom? Did he forget? Or was he aware that he no longer had permission and didn't want to give up the seat? We have already seen his agitation towards losing the seats he had previously. It shows in his actions today when he claimed the Weasley and Prewett seats. Two seats that were already being held and used by Lord Weasly, someone who is very close to dumbledore. It was entirely unnecessary as well as somewhat improper but it was done as nothing but a desperate attempt to regain some of his lost power.
That was not the only thing either, the headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry outright argued over giving the Slytherin seat away stating that "we all know who carries that line." despite Gaunt, another line held by the dark lord, was given to Regent Amelia Bones earlier during this same Wizengamot. A family that he who must not be named personally tried to eradicate during the last war and yet lord dumbledore had no objection to that proxy being claimed, only the one he was currently holding.
It seems to me, dear readers, that it's more than likely that Lord Dumbledore was aware that he had no right to the seat and yet decided to continue using it despite that fact. My question to you, dear readers, is how was Albus Dumbledore allowed to keep the seat for over two years with no one making him reclame it, surely someone was aware that it should have been reclaimed, so why was it ignored for so long. He was allowed to ignore one of the bylaws that have been in place for hundreds of years, and after it had been discovered he walked away without any further punishment. Normally disregard for this law would result in being banned to hold proxies for five years and a hefty fine. With what Dowager Longbottom said it makes me wonder if all he said was the truth or if people have been blinded by his light to the point that we now allow someone to twist the laws how they please…
The rest of the article continued along the same line of painting Dumbledore in an unfavorable light. She also dived head first into analyzing Harry's relationship with the man. She pointed out that Harry had never been seen at any events despite his position as a future Margrave. How Dumbledore had been the one attending in his place despite no formal announcement that he was Harry's Regent and questioning, was he his regent, if not why was he acting like he was. Why had there been no formal statements made by Harry in the last few years. She brought up the fact that many reporters have tried to get in contact with him but all have been told by Dumbledore, not himself, that he wouldn't be doing interviews. Rita truly was a master of her craft.
By the end of the article even if someone reads it as Reeta Skeeter's over exaggerated lies, the small slither of doubt will still be there lingering at the back of everyone's mind. She had managed to spread doubt on their relationship in a way no one had been able to before and Harry was ecstatic. The entire day people had been eyeing him and with Harry being genuinely oblivious to what was going on. People were getting suspicious. It was interesting to look back and see everyones reactions. Dean Seamus and Neville had clearly been trying to speak to him for most of the day but Granger and Weasly had made it impossible for them to do so and to Harry's utter glee, people had noticed.
He wanted to know what was being said throughout the school, so on monday during his relive and at the same time that they had a free period, that they had instead of muggle studies, he went to the Slytherins study room and waited. It didn't take long for them to show.
"Potter? You're not normally here during this time. I'm surprised you were able to distract your shadows long enough for you to slip away." Harry pouted at Draco dramatically.
"I can leave if you want?" He made a move to get off the sofa and Draco's eyes went wide with panic, not registering the teasing note in Harry's tone. The blond quickly opened his mouth to say something but before he was able to blurt anything out Pansy slapped her hand over his mouth and whisper shouted at him.
"Don't you dare make him leave. I like having tea while we work." Harry chuckled.
"Good to know that I'm just the snack bringer." Pansy flushed.
"I didn't mean it like that, it's just. I do miss the tea when you're not around. The tea we get at breakfast and during breaks is…" she scrunched her nose before finding the right words and continuing. "Low quality." He had noticed that also. After having Kreacher's tea, the stuff the school supplied seemed off. He nodded at her in understanding then remembered the reason why he was there.
"So does anyone want to spill the gossip about what people are currently saying about me?" not surprising to him in the least Pansy practically teleported to his side, cup of tea in hand.
"Oh Merlin, where do I begin? The Ravenclaws are absolutely invested, trying to work out any little bit of info they can get their hands on. They were not convinced by the article at all until Heir Abbott said something about how everything isn't what it seems." She raised an eyebrow at Harry. "Interesting by the way. I don't know how or when you got that connection but good work. He doesn't socialize with many people and Merlin knows he doesn't talk politics with anyone other than Bones. Anyway. He didn't say anything else to his housemates, making the rest of the house curious so now they're all trying to get more info. The Hufflepuffs appear to be 'helping' them by lying and spreading rumors. Specifically Bones." She looked at him again, judgment clear in her eyes. "They are flooding the rumor mill with unfounded accusations and conspiracies, burying any hint of what is actually going on. The rumors mostly consist of conspiracies about how you and Dumbledore are pretending to be at odds in some convoluted scheme to rule the wizarding world. We're staying quiet of course. It's not fun just giving them the answers. My question is what 'truths' do you want the Slytherins to give out?" she was grinning at him looking eager to start.
"I need it to seem like I still don't have a clue what's going on, that itself should put suspicion on Dumbledore. Me not knowing anything about this is one big red flag to anyone who sees it. Also remember to keep it hateful. You don't like me, remember?" Her grin turned malicious as she nodded at him. "As much as that information was great, do you know what the students are actually thinking?"
"That's my department." Harry turned, finding Blaise occupying his other side. "Most people are wondering what the big deal is. 'So what if he used your seat. it's not like you're using it, plus it's Dumbledore.'" Blaise's voice was mocking. It was clearly a direct quote from someone. "However the Heirs and other children from noble families, other than a few, are livid that he was able to do that and receive no punishment. Though most are confused as to why you haven't given him permission. A few select groups of people appear to be keeping unusually quiet. The Hufflepuffs of our year, for example, excluding Sally-Anne Perks, Wayne Hopkins, and Zacharias Smith, who all believe Dumbledore is a saint among men." Everyone pulled a face at that and Davis raised her hand.
"If I may add something?" Harry nodded at her. "It's more of a suggestion though." he motioned her to continue. "You should continue to play on Weasley and Granger's actions." he raised an eyebrow at her and she quickly explained. "It's only a few people right now but they have started to notice the way those two pull you around and stop you from interacting with others. If you do things to trigger more of that behavior it will cause others to take note and spread more rumors that will help your image. It may upset Dumbledore when he hears them but they will be rumors derived from their actions not yours, so it is unlikely to cause you any problems." blaise was looking at her impressed.
"Where did you hear people talking about that? I didn't know anyone had noticed their behavior." she blushed before replying quietly.
"Apparently I don't have a very strong presence so people just forget that I'm there, so they say things in front of me that they wouldn't infront of others." In an instant Blaise and Pansy were on their feet with one of their arms linked with each of Traceys as they dragged her to a corner to do what Harry assumed was gossip. Greengrass cleared her throat and spoke.
"Well, they are going to be utterly useless to you for the next hour and there is no way that we have any more information to offer you on the matter. However it would be a shame to waste this time we have together so since you're here maybe we should use the time and finish going over the banquet etiquette we were doing last time." Harry slumped in his chair with a grown but after a minute he nodded. He needed to know this stuff.
It was now Thursday September thirtieth. The last five days had been some of the most amusing to Harry. He may have sent Rita a reward after the first article that consisted of one hundred galleons, for 'revealing the truth about Dumbledore.' After that, she had written several more spectacular pieces on how Dumbledore had now halted the entire Wizengamot's progress due to the fact that all bills from the last two years would have to be reviewed. All because he hadn't followed customs. She seemed to be trying to defame Dumbledore to the best of her ability. Harry suspected he wasn't the only one wanting her to write these articles since one of them had been on Dumbledore's mental stability considering he had tried to claim you know who was back over a simple proxy. He guessed Fudge had been involved in that one.
The idiots had been running around trying to keep him away from the prophet and every other person in the school so he didn't hear about what had happened. It had been amusing to taunt them by picking up random copies of the prophet like he was about to read it only for them to do something completely obvious to get him to stop. Harry was seeing more and more people with a calculating light in their eyes. The duo hadn't realized it yet but they were clearing his reputation with the rest of the student body by acting how they did. The rumors however stayed either outlandish accusations of world domination or Harry being oblivious, which suited him just fine.
It was now time for his redo and Harry was excited. Tonight was a full moon, the first since they had been back at Hogwarts and Harry was watching the shrieking shack waiting for Moony to enter. After he did, Harry waited until he came back out, once he had Harry transformed into his fox form and carefully approached. The wolf looked so much healthier than when he had seen it last time. He looked more like an actual wolf than the monster wolf hybrid he had been. He got closer until golden eyes locked on him and he stopped. Mooney sniffed the air before bounding up to him and pressing his forehead against Harrys for a moment, then he was gone running into the forest and Harry chased after him. They ran through the trees for hours, playfully tackling each other every now and then, before they made their way back to the shrieking shack and parting. It had been amazing running through the forest like that. It felt like he was free for the first time he could remember.
It was the next day when he realized something was up. Snape had been snapping at him all class and finally decided that Harry's latest infraction deserved a detention, said infraction being not dicing correctly. He was confused and slightly worried that Dumbledore had gotten to him, with the way he was acting, but remembered that Snape now had a Lord ring and it would prove far more difficult to spell him, so it was unlikely. Draco was looking at his godfather in a way that screamed betrayal and Harry decided the next time they met he would have to tell the blond that it was just an act. He didn't want to be the reason for an argument.
He had been meeting the Slytherins during his relive of the day, every time they had a free period. Which was every Monday, Wednesday, and two times on thursday. His research into a new resurrection ritual had taken a back seat for now. He wished he could give it to Snape and Lupin to look into but he and Salazar had decided using at least one horcrux in the resurrection was vital if they wanted him back whole and sane. Which they definitely did want. Harry had his professors take a vow that they wouldn't research horcruxes so there was no choice but to leave them out of this.
He wondered if he should go to Lord Nott for help. He was one of the oldest in the group of Lords and Ladys and was one of Voldemort's closest friends during school. If he did he would have to get a secrecy vow out of him. He continued thinking about it before he realized something obvious. He had access to six most ancient family libraries, including both the Peverells and the Blacks but was only using the founders library. A library that hadn't had anything added to it in around four hundred years. Well he knew what he was doing during his relive today. He still hasn't looked through the family portfolios that he had gotten from gringotts either. He needed to do that. Why was there so much to do? He wondered if the deogard would be able to search stuff for him? It was worth asking.
"Harry?"someone placed a hand on his shoulder and he flinched back looking up into soft concerned onyx eyes. He quickly looked around but they were alone. "Class ended. Everyone else is already gone. I was trying to get your attention for a while but you were lost in your own head." Harry nodded, getting his thoughts back on track.
"What did you need to speak to me about? You seemed really agitated during class." Honestly Harry had better things to do than talk with Snape. he was still a little annoyed at him for the way he spoke to him in front of the other lords. Using Lord Black in the way he had wasn't only to keep people off his trail. It was to cultivate an acquaintanceship where they were on equal footing before revealing that he was a child. Snape had not only ruined that plan but also undermined him in front of the other Lords and Ladys he was trying to prove himself to. The man was meant to be a spy yet he made a stupid mistake based on emotions. If he was going to continue doing that Harry didn't want to involve him with what he was doing. Snape clearly heard his dismissive tone and glared down at him.
"That might have something to do with the dangerous little excursion you went on last night. Remus isn't too pleased either. I also would like to talk to you about a few things that came to my attention when we met Lucius on Saturday." Harry glared back at Snape and gritted his teeth. He was treating him like a child again. This man did not have the right to treat him like a child after bullying him for the last seven/two years. Even if it was under curses he still knew the way he had treated him. Harry wasn't mad at him for it. He was mad that he couldn't see that Harry had never been treated like a child so him doing it now was insulting.
"You know I'm mad about that. You were speaking to me like I was a child in front of them." Snape's frown deepened and his voice lowered.
"You ARE a child. Something you don't seem to get." He didn't want to deal with an overprotective hypocritical potions master and quite frankly he didn't have the time either.
"NO! I am the most politically important person in the entirety of wizarding Britain and maybe a few other places too considering the power the Peverell name holds. You can't treat me like a child in front of other high ranking political figures the way you did. you went completely against decorum. Do I need to remind you that in the eyes of politics you are just a Barron. You are at the bottom. Even Lucius isn't permitted to talk to me like that in public. You single handedly ruined any positive reputation that I have been building with them in that one interaction. I haven't received a single letter from any of them since that meeting. Did you know that? Honestly right now I was going to give you a chance, but you once again are treating me like I have no clue what I am doing. Like I wasn't the one who organized all of this. Like I'm not the one who has been dealing with all of this far longer than you have even known about it. I allowed you this information. I could have easily shut down and ignored you and your concerns. I don't need YOU. or your help. You are a decade too late to start treating me like a child."
Harry heaved in a heavy breath, trying to calm his anger after noticing every cauldron station in the room was now burning hot and bright with an emerald green flame. Eventually he collected himself and spoke evenly. "Until you manage to get that through your head, I don't think we have anything to talk about. besides I'm busy and have a million and one things to do without having to pamper to your guilty conscience." Harry left the shocked professor behind and walked out of the classroom.
He wasn't lying, he didn't need them. Right now they were more of a hindrance, taking up time he needed for other things. They had been fine before but now they were just questioning everything he did and it was getting annoying. What he needed was more time. Maybe he could use the time turner more? If he used it so he lived the weekends three times it wouldn't be too bad. He ages at half the rate of normal so two days turns into one day of extra aging a week. fifty two weeks in a year that's fifty two days of aging in a year. That's seven years before he would age an extra year or no time turner uses during holidays should balance it out. That's not a problem. One live through to be with Weasley and Granger, the second live through to see the Slytherins or learn things he wanted/needed to. Third, to look through his other ancestral libraries for anything to help with the ritual. That should help with his time management.
He might even add some time to run through the forest in fox form. it had been relaxing and Harry wanted to do it again. What Snape had said stayed with him though. Remus wasn't happy that he had gone with him the night before. He remembered the way Moony had placed his forehead on Harry's and the way he nuzzled his muzzle before bounding into the forest. At the time he was clearly happy to have Harry there so why was he angry. Harry had just wanted to run with him like his father had before, but if Remus didn't want him there then that was fine. He would run on his own and make sure he didn't go out when it was a full moon so Lupin wouldn't see him.
He ruffled his hair feeling agitated at the frayed strands. Merlin, he hated this glamor. He strode down the halls, heading towards Hagrid's hut. No one bothered him or followed him on his way down. Unknown to him the reason no one approached was because he looked close to murdering the person who tried. He walked straight past the hut and into the forbidden forest, unaware he was being watched. He walked deeper until he came to a lake. The lake he and Sirius almost died by from the dementors at the end of this year.
He could feel his anger and frustration boiling over. He was angry. Angry at Snape. Furious even. It wasn't fair. He hadn't needed to confide in them and yet, he had. Not only that but he had helped them. If it weren't for him Lupin would still be under the spells and potions. And what have they done for him? Nothing. They just caused more hassle for him, constantly demanding answers he barely has, demanding his time that would be better spent on other things, demanding updates that they don't reciprocate. All for nothing. They have done nothing to help him. He felt angry, hurt, and… betrayed. Snape had betrayed his trust the same way McGonagle had done in his first year when she hadn't believed him about the stone. Though this time it felt worse. Harry hadn't been ready to reveal those things to the other Lords and Ladys, and now they weren't even writing to him any more. It was all Snape's fault and he had the nerve to tell him that he wasn't happy with the way Harry had acted. Bullshit.
Harry could feel his tails writhing beneath his skin, his fangs trying to elongate, his ears trying to flatten in his anger. All unable to manifest through his stupid glamor. He quickly pulled off the ring and for the first time in the three weeks since he had received his creature inheritance, Harry let go of his restraint. It was like a chain snapping. The second he let go the space around him was engulfed in a swirling stream of red fire. It rapidly changed color going from red, to orange, to amber, to yellow, then slowly it turned to a lime green changing to an AK green and continued to darken until it was almost black, the edges still flickering an AK green. It spun and twirled around him in streams, heating the air and ground around him to the point that it was almost suffocating. The fire was hot. Hotter than the fiend fire he had seen in the room of requirements but just as beautiful.
It went on for several minutes with Harry just watching the flames swirling around as though they were dancing. Eventually he calmed down suddenly feeling drained and the fire sputtered out, nothing left to fuel it. he sunk down to the floor, a bone deep exhaustion settling in as he watched the water. He allowed the gentle ripples of the water and soft breeze to wash over him, relaxing him further. His tails curled around him as he sat there.
His outburst at Snape had been unnecessary. He wouldn't apologize for it but he went a little too far. It was just so frustrating. He wanted to be able to trust them and have them help him but at this point the Slytherins have been more helpful than them. When he thought about it, if he needed something, anything, he would go to the Slytherins, not them. Goyle had given him more information about the Celegen Court and creature hierarchy. Blaise, Pansey, and Tracy constantly kept him in the gossip loop. Crabb was teaching him all about his family's history that was public knowledge. Theo and Mili were helping him with the resurrection ritual, not that they knew that. While Draco and Daphne were teaching him etiquette. They were doing so much for him.
He had grown close to them. Far closer than he ever thought he would, he considered them friends at this point. He had had to take everything he had known about them from their future and throw it away, not one of them fit the mold he had for them. Crabb was somewhat slow and wasn't great at his classes but he worked hard and was an absolute history buff. He fit into the same sort of category as Nott and Bulstrode. All three of them had random and obscure knowledge about almost everything between Crabb knowing all there is about history. Bulstrode Had more knowledge on runes, symbols, magic circles, other magical writings, ward stones, and wand lore, and Theo… Harry was pretty sure Theo would marry the library if he could. If you found a topic he didn't know anything about it would be pandemonium. Harry thought back to when Nott interrogated him on the Selegen court and shuddered.
Goyle was a treasure trove of sarcastic comments and filthy jokes that had Harry cackling and Goyle turning bright red forgetting Harry could understand him. He had gone so long with no one knowing what he was saying when he spoke in gibberish that it was second nature to him to say snarky comments under his breath. He was also very adept at natural magics, like casting intuitively without a wand or spell, but struggled to get his magic to cooperate when using the structured magic they did in class. Harry was sure the boy was a nymph, without a doubt.
Then there was Pansy and Blaise, the gossip Queen and King. if there was a rumor pansy knew about it. Whatever was beneath the rumors Blaise knew about it, and If a Slytherin and a Gryffindor had a midnight meeting in a broom closet that 'no one' knew about then Tracey knew about it. Blaise and Pansy had now officially claimed Tracey as the Gossip Princess and were using her ability to blend into the background to its fullest extent. The amount of blackmail those three held was unfathomable.
The last two, the ice Queen and the ice King. Daphne and Draco. Daphne was interesting, she showed very little emotion but if you knew her you would be able to read her emotions like a book. Harry had learnt it was mostly in her gestures that gave her away. Simple things like when something displeases her she would smooth out her skirt or if something annoyed her she would tug the edge of her skirt down as if she was just adjusting it. Nothing anyone who didnt know her would pick up on.
Draco had the same mask when he was in public. When not in public he was a dramatic brat and it was honestly hilarious. Goyle had called him a pompous peacock and Harry hadn't been able to get past the comparison. When he had finally received his mothers letter about Harry being his cousin. He had thrown a fit about Harry not telling him. Since then he had been a lot more affectionate, throwing his arm over Harry's shoulder or ruffling his hair, little bits of physical contact as well as calling him cousin instead of his name. When lady malfoy told him that Draco always wanted a cousin it hadn't occurred to him that this would be the outcome not that he didn't like it. The casual shows of affection had been nice.
When he was with them he really regretted forcing the hat to put him in Gryffindor. He regretted it every time hermione 'corrected' his homework, every time he saw one of the Slytherins in the halls send him a pitying glance, every time he had to laugh at one of the idiots jokes, every time he heard Ron's voice, every time he woke up surrounded by Gryffindor red and all he could think of was the red hair of the weasley family who had betrayed his trust. He wondered if Fred, George, Percy, Charley, and Bill were involved. Bill had been there for him in a way no one had and if it had been an act, Harry wouldn't know what to do.
"Harry?" he startled at the voice and turned around, finding Neville standing by the tree line looking worried.
"Nev, how long have you been there?" The other boy still looked worried, not attempting to move closer as he stared at Harry with wide eyes.
"I… um you…" he took a deep breath before continuing. "I saw you coming down here. You looked… well, you looked livid so I followed you to maybe help. Also I haven't been able to talk to you for the last week because of Weasley and Grangers interference. I didn't know if you were able to see the prophet this week but it was something you really should know about." Another thing Snape hadn't even cared enough to talk about with harry. Didn't he say he would tell Harry what he knew about the headmaster. Surely something should have come from this even if it was just his mood. He could feel his frustration building again and closed his eyes taking a deep breath trying to calm himself. The last thing he wanted was for Neville to think he was angry at him. Opening his eyes again he smiled and patted the space next to him. Hesitantly Neville walked forward and lowered himself next to Harry.
"So you saw me throw my tantrum then?" Neville frowned at that.
"Harry, that wasn't a tantrum. You have every right to be upset about everything that is currently happening. Keeping all your emotions constantly in check every second of every day is not healthy." his voice quietened into a whisper. "And it must be even harder for you when you have to hide that you're a Kitsune." Harry jolted, his hand flying to his head where he found soft fluffy ears.
"You can't tell anyone." Neville looked at him sternly.
"I will never tell anyone anything you tell me Harry or anything I witness about you." His eyes kept shifting between looking at his head and slightly behind him. Neville bit his lip. "Could I maybe touch one of your tails? They look so soft." nevilles eyes widened as they snapped back to Harry's face. "I didn't mean to say that." Harry just chuckled, moving one of his tails into the other boy's lap as he spoke.
"They are very soft. Most nights I sleep cuddling one with the rest acting like a blanket. They're soft and warm." Neville slowly stroked the tail in his lap, helping to calm Harry further. It felt nice. They stayed in silence for several minutes before Neville broke it.
"I won't ask what's happening. If you want to tell me I'm here and I will listen, however I won't push you to say anything either."Harry blinked at him. Debating his options. He trusted the other boy more than almost anyone. The Slytherins were getting close but weren't quite there. He decided that, yes, he did want to talk to Neville about it, about everything. Just, not right now. Right now he felt drained and exhausted. He just wanted the silent comfort of a friend and he wouldn't lie to himself, the pets felt nice.
He shifted his tail away from Neville and slowly placed his head in the other boy's lap instead. Neville seemed to reboot and it took a minute for his brain to kick into gear but after that he began dutifully playing with Harry's hair.
"Do you know about what the prophet was saying?" It took him way too long to process what Neville had said with his brain being the puddle of goo that it currently was.
"Yeah. I know what's going on. I also know about the rumors and what people are genuinely thinking." Neville hummed.
"That's good then. I was worried that they had actually been able to keep you away from it. Also gran sent me a letter a lot of Lords are demanding to hear from you."
"Strange that none of them have sent me anything." He giggled, if they wanted to talk to him so bad why not send him a letter. Neville pulled at his hair gently, encouraging him to look up so he did.
"You do know that they can't just send you letters? Right?" Harry made a confused face and Neville sighed. "You're of a higher social class than them. You need to initiate contact." And oh that made sense. Is that why none of the Lords and Ladys had sent him anything since the meeting? It wasn't because of what Snape had done but because he told them he was a Grand Duke so he now outrank all of them.
They both stayed sitting by the lake, Harry with his head in Nevilles lap long past dinner and right up till curfew. When they realized the time he shadowed both of them to a passageway close to Gryffindor tower where they promptly collapsed into their beds. a few hours later his alarm went off and he stumbled out of bed, making his way to a bathroom stall, used the time turner before shadowing to the quarters and passing out on the Purple quilt of Ravenclaws rooms.
He woke up around six and thought over what he would do for the day while eating the breakfast Kreacher brought him. He had decided that it was about time to go through the audit reports for his houses. It would probably take him the whole day to go through one report fully so which house should he start with. He looked down at the list of houses before deciding to read through the summary page first to gauge a general idea of what he was working with. He left Gaunt and Slytherin accounts till last. He didn't see them entirely as his property.
Gaunt family Vaults: 552, 553, 554
Coin vault: 552
Contents: 3 galleons, 12 sickles, 7 knuts
Heirloom Vault: 553
Contents: portraits, furniture, wands, staffs (itemized List on page 3)
Library Vault: 554
Contents: books, scrolls, family grimoire (itemized List on pages 4-6)
List of properties on page 2.
Well that was somewhat depressing. Harry was hoping to give back the Gaunt and Slytherin titles to Voldemort, if he came back sane. But giving them back in this state felt wrong. He opened the Slytherin folder next.
Slytherin family Vaults: 213, 214, 215, 691
Coin vault: 213
Contents: 36,285 galleons, 8 sickles, 10 knuts
Heirloom Vault: 214
portraits, furniture, wands, staffs, Jewelry, weaponry, ingots, precious gems, miscellaneous (itemized List on pages 3-6)
Library Vault: 215
Contents: books, scrolls, family grimoire (itemized List on pages 7-19)
Heir vault: 691
Contents: 1,149 galleons, 15 sickles, 11 knuts
List of properties on page 2.
The Slytherin house was better, probably due to the fact that the Gaunts weren't able to claim the title for the last few generations, but it was still in a worse state than the rest of his houses. This needed to be fixed before he gave them back. Making his mind up he shadowed to gringotts. The second he stepped into the entrance every goblin present stopped what they were doing and looked at him with wide eyes. Lucky for him it was early and there were only two other wixen in the bank. Quickly the head teller goblin stepped down from his station and ran, yes ran, over to Harry. The goblin bowed deeply and stayed bowed as he spoke.
"Your highness, what brings you to gringotts this morning." Harry wanted to hit himself. He had forgotten about the inheritance, and By this point the two wizards currently in the bank were paying way too much attention to them, so Harry allowed his ears and tails to come out. That was enough for the two wizards to lose interest. Deeming the interaction to be creature stuff that wasn't important to them and Harry let out a sigh of relief.
"You don't have to bow, I'm just here to see Goldtooth." The goblin led him to Goruks office and quickly left. As soon as he entered Goruk was staring at him with wide eyes.
"When the Lefay name came up in your test I wasn't sure you would be able to claim the full inheritance but it appears you have." Harry raised an eyebrow.
"After what I heard about Nemu I just assumed you didn't want another ruler. I definitely wouldn't blame you for that." Goruk winced.
"Drustan and Bahram were violent with very little compassion and that was what got them killed, Nemu however was very passive and had a lot of compassion for everyone, most would say too much." Hadrian nodded in understanding.
"Compassion without conviction will get everyone hurt. however I am not here to discuss the court. though if you don't mind I will leave the ears and tail as they are. It's more comfortable." Hadrian had found that without the glamor ring it took conscious effort to keep his Kitsune ears and tails hidden from view and it was far more comfortable to just have them out. Goruk nodded and Hadrian continued. "I came to discuss a business deal with you." Goruk looked intrigued and Hadrian put the two audit reports for slytherin and gaunt on the desk, and Goruk picked them up.
"I would like you to make as much money as you can with the amount already there." Goruk looked up at him, slightly confused.
"It will take a while to build up enough money to invest with when there's this little as a buffer so…" Hadrian cut him off.
"You don't need a buffer. Every galleon, every sickle, every knut, use all of it. Do anything and everything, just make as much money as you can with what you have in the coin vaults. I don't care if it comes from the muggle or magical world. I don't care how shady it is as long as it's not illegal. You will receive twenty percent of all profits for handling this. Will you do it?" The goblin gaped at him before nodding.
"You don't mind us using muggle means to make more money?" Hadrian shook his head
"I don't care how you do it. I am handing you vaults 213 and 552 and telling you to go wild, have fun and make as much as you can. The more gold you can make the more you will receive. You have about a year, maybe a bit more to make as much money as possible by any means. The only stipulation I have is, nothing illegal, that's it. Oh and split the rest of the profits so fifty goes into the Slytherin vault and thirty into the Gaunt vault." He was pretty sure Voldemort wouldn't care even if they did something illegal but Hadrian decided to play it on the safe side. Goruk gave Hadrian a manic grin as his knurled fingers traced along the numbers of coins he had to work with, his mind clearly calculating the most efficient way to use it.
"Is there anything else or may I get started." He could see the excitement in the goblins' beady black eyes.
"I regret to say that there are a few more things I would like to cover before you can start your fun." The goblin pushed the ledgers to the corner of his desk as if not wanting to tempt himself with its proximity before giving him his full attention once more. "I would like to hire some cursebreakers. Discreetly. It is one of my own properties however I am unsure if it is under surveillance. If it is, I need them to not be seen." Goruk looked intrigued. "One problem is that I think Parcel spells and curses may have been used. Deadly ones."
"I do believe our Indian branch has a single level five cursebreaker with the ability you need, but it will not come cheap." Hadrian nodded expecting as much, not that he cared. The Peverell volt alone had more than enough for him to live his life a hundred times over in luxury. There was no need to worry about money. He would have just transferred some funds into the Gaunt and Slytherin vaults but he had a feeling that it would irk the dark lord if he did. Doing it this way means that the gold came from his house transactions alone. It was not charity, just good business sense.
"I would need a secrecy contract due to the nature of the object I would like them to retrieve for me. The object is a ring hidden beneath one of the floorboards in the house. There are numerous deadly curses in and around the property, especially on the ring."
"The cursebreaker I am thinking of is a level five cursebreaker. That is the highest level a cursebreaker can be. She has fifteen years of experience and is also the only parselmouth we have working for us. Most go into a career in healing and are highly sought after in most eastern countries, not so much in britain." Hadrian scoffed knowing just how true that was. "With what I suspect, you want her to retrieve another horcrux for you. Which will be dangerous. You want her to also be unseen, a much easier feat. I will get in contact with the Indian branch on your behalf and keep you as an anonymous client. It will cost around two thousand galleons, due to the lethal nature of the job."
"Double it and emphasize the need for secrecy. If allowed, I would like her to be willingly obliviated of the job after completion other than her acceptance and understanding of the criteria. All handled by you of course." the less people who knew about horcruxes the better. Goruk nodded.
"She is not unfamiliar with having a job obliviated so I doubt it will be a problem." Hadrian nodded.
"Take the gold from the black vault and keep me updated through the journal if you need anything else from me. The Last thing I need before I leave you to your new project, is the permanent portkeys you hold for all of my properties barring any held under the Gaunt and Sltherin titles. I would like to be able to visit each and look around." mainly he wanted to visit Montauves Island. an island off the south coast of France owned by the Sayers. Despite them being only a Baron family their wealth was on par with Ravenclaw. Considering Ravenclaw was one of the four Marquess families that was saying something.
If the Emris family hadn't gone dormant for five hundred years the Sayers would probably have been moved into one of the missing Count or Earl positions. Currently, with the amount of families that went extinct in the last five hundred years there were two missing count positions, three Earl, eleven viscount, and thirteen Barons that used to make up the Wizengamot. The problem was that only the Emris family had the authority to promote or demote families. He could think of three families off the top of his head that should be stripped of titles completely. Gaunt, Weasley, and Dumbledore had already been stripped of their lands by their active lords, but they didn't have the power to strip the titles.
He was getting distracted. He wanted to visit Montauves Island because he was hoping to get Sirius to go there after the end of the year. It was a private island so no one would be there who wasn't meant to be, the climate should be warm due to its location, there should be enough outdoor space so he didn't feel cooped up. The only thing he really needed to check on was the condition of the manor and grounds. From what he knew it was about twenty years since the last Lord died so he hoped it wasn't too run down.
Goruk nodded to his request and called for a runner goblin to retrieve what he asked for. It wasn't long before they came back with nine boxes ranging in materials from wood, metal, and one looked like crystal. They were all placed in front of him and the goblin left. Curious, he opened a large dark oak box. It was carved all over with what looked like roses and peonies and the lid was inlaid with the golden crest of the Sayer family. Once open it showed a velvet lined compartment split into small sections each held a ring and a small plaque with the property name on it. Some of the rings were rather plain, others were ornate. The one for Montauves island was a silver band inlaid with small aquamarines the whole way around, and had Montauves engraved on the inside of the band. He was so used to portkeys being whatever was lying around that all of this seemed like overkill.
"Each family has their own unique portkey traditions. The potters use gold coins engraved with an image of the property and the name. The sayers use rings, Hufflepuff uses a stone taken from the property that is then polished and engraved with the destination name. All the families are different." Hadrian nodded, putting the ring back in the box before shrinking all of them and putting them safely in his satchel.
"Well. That was all I came for today. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I will leave you to the rest of your day." He dipped his head in a short bow and left the bank. He shadowed back to Salazar's office.
Once back he pulled out the portkey for Montauves, finding the activation word written on the velvet lining in gold. He slipped the ring on to his finger and spoke the activation word. Not soon enough for his liking he was stumbling and face planting an unforgiving rough stone floor. Slowly he stood up, finding himself standing on a stone dock looking towards a horizon, the ocean beneath it shimmering in the morning light. He stood there for a moment drinking in the sight before he heard a pop behind him and turned around. Standing there were several elves but that wasn't what got his attention. What did, was a massively grand manor house he could see in the distance. There was a thick line of trees at the back of the property that looked like it could be a forest. The house itself looked like a large Georgian style mansion with exposed brick and white accents.
"The new Master be's here to claim us?" his attention snapped back to the elves at his feet. There were five in total.
"Hello, my name is Hadrian. I am the new lord of house Sayer. I just came to check the condition of the property. I might be having a few people living here towards the end of the year." the elf that spoke before nodded.
"I's be Coral, head elf here on Montauves Island. We's been keeping house and grounds spotless for the next masters' arrival." Hadrian looked over them.
"Is this all of you?" Coral shook her head, twisting her fingers together nervously.
"There be two children, Master Hadrian." he nodded, smiling gently at her hoping to convey that it was fine.
"Are they alright to be on their own?" Coral nodded.
"They be not old enough to work but old enough to be on theirs own." he nodded again.
"May I know the rest of your names?"
"I's be Jasper, I takes care of the horsies."
"I's being Beril, I's run the Kitchens."
"I's be Opal Sir, I's do the cleanings."
"I's be Drusy Sir, I's tends to the gardens." one by one they stepped forward introducing themselves and Hadrian took note of all the names, not wanting to forget them.
"Kreacher." Kreacher popped next to him with a bow. "This is Kreacher. He is my personal elf. I might pass instructions through him from time to time. I hope you don't mind." The five Sayer elves bowed to Kreacher while Kreacher stared at him with big slightly wet eyes.
"Kreacher be Lord Black's personal elf." Hadrian thought that had been obvious but apparently not, so he nodded in answer to Kreachers question and turned back to the other elves. "Would a tour of the island be possible?"
The tour had taken the rest of the day. It was a relatively large island to the left side was a large white sand beach. To the back of the island passed the house was a forest that led to small cliffs. There were stables that had seven horses currently with two foals, and five horses. Apparently they had been given permission to continue breeding them until the next master came along. Hadrian allowed the elves to continue maintenance of the property exactly how they had been. Meaning they were still allowed to have children of their own and that they could bread the horses. It irked him that he had to give permission for them to have children like they were animals, but he ignored it. There was also a full sized quidditch pitch that he would definitely be making use of.
The house had been well kept. It had large windows allowing light to fill the house, something he thought was essential for sirius. He wanted it to be the opposite of Azkaban. With its warm climate and bright interior. All the rooms were well furnished with old fashioned yet very comfy and good quality furniture. There was nothing that needed changing, it was all fine. He just hoped it was good enough to help Sirius adjust to being out of Azkaban.