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Chapter 9

The Goblin Nation

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8 January 1985

Once back home from my meeting with John, I put away the copies of the contract the solicitor had gotten to me so quickly and took out the copy of Gringotts Offered Services and my notes. I had been thoroughly and diligently taking note of any service that I thought would be useful and now would put some of them to work in my plans. The magical people who worked for the Nation were all under various, but extreme, contracts in regards to their work. Most couldn't say anything other than that they worked for Gringotts, some couldn't even say that much. The magics of the contracts kept them silent on anything sensitive and the fear of what the goblins would do if they broke their trust kept them quiet on anything else. Such a thing would be extremely useful to us now.

I had set up a meeting for this evening with Clinkscale at the bank and wanted to be prepared. There were several items that I wanted and quite a lot that needed doing. I wanted to go over every note that I had taken, not just on what my older self had observed but also what my younger future self had remembered from the works of fiction that laid out the lives of the people I now know to be real.

As I sifted through the mountains of timelines and fact sheets I thought about the characters I had grown up with and what made them real in my other life. There weren't many lines that I could directly quote from the original stories…

"Mischief Managed!"

"I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled."

"The wand chooses the wizard."

"Albus Severus, you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."

"After all this time?" "Always."

What few I could were fan favorites, each significant to the character and the story. There was one exception though, a quote that I didn't really pick up on during early reads of the books or even while watching the movies at a young age. It happened because of one of those anti-bullying days at school.

I was going to turn thirteen that school year and, looking back on it, that's probably why they had yet another person talking to us about how to handle bullying. Most of us were slinging messages back and forth, not really paying any attention unless called on for some demonstration. But this one speaker had decided he could connect to us by bringing up something pop culture relevant.

The newest thing that everyone was binge watching was The Marauders, it covered the years just before the adults from the Harry Potter series started at Hogwarts and then a few years after their graduation going on into the war. This speaker used the show as a way to highlight abuse and bullying that the characters either experienced or perpetrated. He even brought up the books, the original Harry Potter books, and started discussing the abuse and bullying in that as well. It was enlightening for me to see my favorites like that, but then he went a step further.

He talked about how much the people in the many stories all failed to stop abuse. That they knew about how Harry Potter and Severus Snape and Sirius Black were being abused at home. That they were denied food, physically hurt, had horrible things yelled at them, and more and that people knew it but did nothing to stop it. He admitted that it would have been harder back then as the protection laws have become better and better, but no one seems to have done anything at all.

In fact the most powerful character in the whole magical universe purposely ensured that great suffering would happen to Harry Potter. He brought out a quote that I will never forget, not because it was emotionally moving or because it was just one of those social things that everyone knew, but because I had never understood so clearly that adults could be so wrong before that moment. Even the adults in the storybooks that I had loved. It was late in the Order of the Phoenix that Dumbledore confessed to Harry, "You had suffered. I knew you would when I left you on your aunt and uncle's doorstep. I knew I was condemning you to ten dark and difficult years."

The speaker had gone on about how sometimes grownups are not as kind or as helpful as they pretend to be. He continued with how sometimes the people that were most vulnerable around were the people who could or would hurt us the most. It was an incredibly depressing if poignant moment in my life. I had understood later what he had meant. That a teacher, a coach, a priest, even parents, might take advantage of someone who felt vulnerable and that there were all these options and ways out that he had shown us. But for a long time all that resonated with me was that the greatest good guy in the whole Harry Potter universe was actually the bad guy. That he would condemn an infant.

My mother told me that the Harry Potter series is one of those series that changes as you age. Much like the stories of Narnia, you find a new meaning when you read it at different points of your life. As a child you think Dumbledore is the greatest wizard ever and he is pure light and goodness. At that age Severus Snape is the absolute enemy, evil incarnate. But as you get older, you realize that all of the adults in the stories are inherently flawed. The older you get, the more you wonder what you would have done.

I never really forgave Dumbledore. The other main characters, though, I have gone back and forth on them for most of my life. If Sirius Black was Harry Potter's Godfather he should never have handed him over to Hagrid, to Dumbledore really, he should have run off and found a safe place for them.

Except… Sirius thought Dumbledore was the safest place for Harry what with a traitor on the loose. Don't parents have to trust that the sitters for their children will take care of them? If Sirius was having the most magically and politically powerful wizard babysit his newly orphaned godson in a fortress like Hogwarts, can he really be faulted for going after Pettigrew? On and on with the back and forth for Sirius Black.

And don't get me started on Severus Snape. Who could maintain a cover for a decade and stay sane? Especially if they were under constant scrutiny from tattling students who would talk about him to their Death Eater parents and a Headmaster that probably talked up how like his worst bully Harry was. If Albus Dumbledore can plan the death of a child, I'm going to accept that he would emotionally abuse his players as a manipulation tactic to get them to do what he wants.

As I closed up my notes to get ready for the meeting I couldn't help but think one sad and serious thought.

The world has never been black and white, not even in fiction.

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8 January 1985

A long, gnarled finger made its way slowly down the parchment, stopping long enough for a sharp claw-like fingernail to trace over blood. Though it had been nerve wracking to walk into Gringotts for this meeting tonight, I was actually becoming calmer with every moment that passed in Clinkscale's cavernous office. The Potters had used the same clan as their managers for hundreds of years and it was fairly common knowledge that Master Clinkscale was the current Manager of Estates when James and Lily Potter had died. I knew that I would absolutely face scrutiny for having brought the contract that little Harry had signed. The only way that this could go badly, however, was if the account managers were under Albus Dumbledore's thumb. All in all, a relatively low risk.

"You are not the first to think they can access the estates of the Potters," came a gravely voice.

I looked up from my contemplation of gnarled fingers to see dark eyes piercing mine. "I understand your reluctance to trust. I am sure that it has protected the Potters in the past and will continue to do so. As I said, I represent young Harry Potter's interests and per the laws of the Goblin Nation Mister Potter has signed the necessary documents to carry out that purpose." There was no quaver or whisper in my voice here as a goblin would find it rather insulting to do something with the intent of hiding or deceiving with no other humans around. Deceiving other humans was acceptable for me to do, but not alone in his office with just him present. Instead I was clear and firm, this conversation would be the building block of future interactions and I wanted to start it out properly.

"The wizards appointed a wizard to take care of Mister Potter."

"Oh? And I'm sure he was so happy to be allowed access to all of the Potter estates since he must have had the proper paperwork for you Master Clinkscale," I said with a raised eyebrow and a bit of a smirk. The Nation doesn't care much for wizarding laws, they would have to follow the Nation's paperwork in order to access such a vast account as the Potters.

"They have all certainly tried," wheezed the elderly goblin before running a palm over his bald head. "But none have brought me something like this. It will be given the most thorough of tests and if it is a lie or in anyway coerced then it will be you who will pay the price."

I waved my hand and shook my head, "That's fine. If it were not for the many security issues the young boy faces, I would have brought him with me. In fact I would like to set up a time to do just that with you and with the healers of the Nation."

"Healers?"

"You said there was a wizard charged with the duty of Harry Potter's care? He hasn't done anything to help the boy. Quite the opposite in fact. He has not seen nor interacted with the boy since that night. Purposely leaving him with people who would not act in his best interests. The child is severely malnourished due to repeated bouts of starvation."

Clinkscale leaned back in his chair, the springs squeaking under his bulk, his eyes going to the wall where his weapons hung. For the most part such weapons were ceremonial, but every goblin regardless of age, class, or gender would have been trained to use them. His gaze turned sharply back to his desk and his nails tapped out a brisk staccato pattern on a smooth rock there before he picked up the contract and swiftly put it in a drawer to his left. There was a slight glow that even I could pick up on and it made me realize he had sent off the contract to be verified.

"How exactly do you know these things?"

"I know them because I am the one who is meant to tell Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore what is going on in the supposedly safe house and I have done just that. I have sent letters and pictures. I have had arguments and angry words. He has done nothing. I will not stand by while he tries to make this child into his perfect weapon." I hadn't done quite such a good job of holding back the righteous fury that had been burning in me for so long now and Master Clinkscale blinked at me for a bit before letting out a sigh.

"While we await the confirmation of your supposed contract with Mister Potter, I would be willing to hear your tale and what it is you wish to plan for in regards to the Potter accounts."

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Clinkscale and I were taking a tea break after several hours of discussion. The goblins make tea like artists paint canvas and it is always brilliant. The contract had finally been verified, confirming that Harry Potter had made me his representative to the Goblin Nation and the Bank of Gringotts. The confirming of the contract was both a relief and a great source of anger for him as it also confirmed that what I had just spent all this time discussing with him was truthful.

"Madam, you are looking to wage a war."

"Actually, it's the exact opposite," I said with a sharp smile. "Albus wishes to inflame tensions between various magical Beings and create war which he can then win by using Harry as his willingly martyred weapon. I want to stop him from doing this and I want to ensure that Harry, and the rest of the magical world, don't have to deal with him or with Tom ever again."

I had told Clinkscale the true origins of Voldemort during our discussion and was only slightly surprised by how unsurprised he looked at the reveal. It gave me hope that the goblins had a better understanding of what was truly going on than the wixen.

But he did not say anything to indicate that he had known the truth of Tom Marvolo Riddle, he didn't say anything at all about anything really. Instead simply encouraged me to keep speaking on everything that I knew. I had left some things out as it would be odd for me to know and other things I had presented more as theories than knowledge, but it was such a relief to feel like I could share this burden with someone.

I knew that Clinkscale needed to be trusted in order to pull off everything I had already planned, and no doubt for everything that I had yet to plan as well. Knowing that the Nation considered the bonds between managers and the account holders as an honored trust, I knew that I could tell him a great deal. After all, I would be considered the account holder as soon as the contract was verified.

"I am intrigued by your idea of removing Mister Potter without actually removing him. Gringotts has in its service several teams that would be most helpful with that, but the issue of the house and family being charmed by Dumbledore would mean that they would need access not just to the house or the family. They would need the family to be in the house and they would need to be able to potentially cast on the family while they are in the house."

"I don't think that will be a problem Master Clinkscale. I've already thought of a few ways to remove the family from the house in order for the necessary changes to be made. I would just need to make sure that these individuals would be under extremely strict contracts so that Harry's location was not compromised further. I would also need them to dress and act appropriately muggle."

"As long as you can get them into the property while the family is there and allowing for minimal casting, then the rest is a nonissue. What will be an issue is that while you will have the complete support of Gringotts Bank as a recognized representative of a major account holder, the support you can have outside of the bank is heavily limited. The wixen government of Britain has imposed their will and made Albus Dumbledore the guardian of Mister Potter. This will effect areas outside of the Nation's control. Including the allocation of some properties."

"I already have a guardianship agreement ready to be signed by the closest blood relative of Harry Potter. According to our own laws if a muggleborn or half blood child is being raised in the muggle world and those guardians sign over the child to someone who is a part of the magical world then it must be recognized by the Ministry of Magic even if such documents were done on the muggle side of the divide."

"While that is quite cunning, you won't be lodging this with either government for some time. Until you are the officially recognized legally bound guardian of Mister Potter there will be some restrictions that we must carefully adhere to lest it get back to certain individuals."

"What are the restrictions," I sighed in defeat. It would be years before I could be legally recognized as Harry's guardian even though we were setting it all up now.

"As the recognized representative you will have access to all vaults within Gringotts as well as to any properties or homes that are being maintained under contract by the Nation outside of the Bank. This includes several estates and their contents which would be of great use to Mr Potter. These specific estates are well hidden and protected, but do not need the young heir to do anything to allow the admittance of a potential unknown like yourself. If it is unnecessary for him to remain in close proximity to the blood relations of his mother then you could both move in while continuing your ruse for Albus Dumbledore."

I might have paled a bit at the idea of living in a fully magical home like those Clinkscale was recommending. An all magic home requires one to have active magic to actually live in it and it is sometimes dangerous rather than just inconvenient to live in such a place. After my parents had died, fucking dragon pox, I had been left with a fair amount of money and a percentage of the property which I was to share with my siblings. Things being as they were, my magically active siblings believed that they were helping me by offering their shares of the family home for me to solely inherit. But that was very far from the truth as I would have been completely dependent on a house elf for everything, even just for making a cup of tea. In the end I convinced them that I was very happy living with my wife in the muggle world and they bought out my share of the property.

"With my inability to actively use magic, Master Clinkscale, it would be unwise for us to relocate to a fully magical house."

"I thought as much, however, the other properties that would suit you better are ones that you will be restricted from using. The Potters diversified further into the muggle world than most of the old families, chiefly due to Lily Potter's influence. They bought companies, patents, real estate, and more on the muggle side of the divide. The laws surrounding such things are extremely complex and restrictive. Made even more so as you will not be seen as a wholly legitimate guardian for Mr Potter. This scheme gives you a great deal of legal legitimacy and would be enough according the laws of the Ministry of Magic. However, if you do not lodge it properly, you will not be able to access the muggle side of the accounts. And, Madam Figg, you want access to the muggle side of the accounts."

That had me raising my eyebrows. While it would be nice to have access to muggle based properties the emphasis he was putting on them had me curious. "What in particular do you think I need access to exactly? Perhaps there is a way around the restrictions on that particular part of the accounts?"

"The late James Potter, under the guidance of his wife, bought major shares in multiple areas under the muggle based company Silver Hynd, Inc. This investment company had a wide range of interests and it has paid off in dividends that were then reinvested to buy more shares as per the last directions of the Potters. The Silver Hynd company holds the majority shares for a drill making conglomerate based out of Surrey by the name of Grunnings. Are you familiar with it?"

The laughter had started up slowly, a little huffing giggle, before I eventually was wiping tears from my eyes and barely breathing. Oh, the things that we could do with that. Bless the Potters for such foresight. A prank worthy of a Marauder too.

Once I had calmed down and taken a few more sips of my exquisite tea, Clinkscale felt it safe to continue with his explanation. "However, because it is a muggle based company with muggle based investments there are restrictions on what we can and cannot do without the direction of the Potters or of Mister Potter's legally recognized guardian."

"I understand. You have to work off whatever parameters the late Potters set until someone that is recognized by the Ministry and by Gringotts both can tell you otherwise."

"Or when Mister Potter becomes a legally recognized adult on either side of the divide. While the Ministry of Magic may have forcibly made Albus Dumbledore the legal guardian of Mister Potter they broke their own laws to do it. They have sealed the Will that the Potters left. Gringotts has copies, as is required by such large accounts, but a Will that is sealed cannot be given a legal reading. Without a legal reading the recognized godparents are considered the heir's legal guardian with no recourse for another appointment by anyone. While Alice Longbottom has been recognized as being unable to care for children, Sirius Black has not been removed as the proper legal guardian of Harry Potter."

"Should a guardian be convicted of a heinous enough crime that they are sentenced to life in Azkaban, then they are automatically found unfit," I said with a sly look at the goblin. I had only presented Sirius Black's innocence to Clinkscale as a theory and not a reality, it was interesting that the goblin was already aware that Sirius was innocent.

"Indeed and if the heir Black had been convicted of a life sentence the books within the Nation's archives would have automatically reflected that as such a thing would create havoc for the accounts."

"Okay," I said with a sigh, rolling my shoulders and pushing forward. "Going back to Silver Hynd. The only person that could tell you to do differently is Sirius and he is indisposed and will be for quite a while. Either Harry would have to be a legally recognized adult or I would have to be a fully legally recognized guardian for us to make changes to the company's standing practice."

"Exactly right, we must follow the directives to acquire as much of the company as possible so we are restricted from selling it to you to allow you a way to ruin the company."

There was a brief pause as we drank several sips and let this information sit for a moment.

"What if we didn't ruin the company?" There was a murderous glare thrown my way at such a blasphemous proposition. "Hear me out. The company itself hasn't done anything to harm Harry. It's all the Dursleys. We don't want to ruin the company we want to use the company to ruin the Dursleys."

"How exactly would you make that happen? Doing one without the other would be difficult."

"Only for someone who doesn't know the Dursleys. As a majority shareholder does Silver Hynd have the ability to make decisions for Grunnings? Can you arrange for that under your current directives?"

"There is a board in place to represent the interests of Silver Hynd. They can make some changes, there are still restrictions, but it is possible for some things. What do you have in mind?"

"I want to give Vernon Dursley a promotion. I want to give him everything he ever thought he wanted. I want Petunia Dursley to think that she is on top of the world and that nothing as good as this has ever happened to her. I want them to be ecstatic at the opportunity. And then I want to rip the carpet out from under them and leave them stranded in conditions that are only slightly more humane than what they did to Harry."

Clinkscale showed all his teeth in a vicious snarl that must have reflected the one on my own face as he nodded along. One should never do harm to the children under a goblin's care.

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9 January 1985

It was early morning by the time I returned to my home on Wisteria. Meeting with Clinkscale in the evening had meant that I hadn't left his office until it was so late that it was the next day. For a fee I was offered the use of the floo exclusively reserved for large account holders, it was a steep fee but so worth it. I stumbled around putting things to right for the hungry cats, taking my evening potions, and going to bed without even showering. Things would move much quicker now.

By this coming weekend we would know the measure of what Albus had done at the Dursley's and to the Dursleys. The Beings that would accompany myself and John would be disguised so that their features were not distinguishable, a common approach these teams used while in high muggle areas, and they would disguise their equipment to look like muggle devices that worked with our scheme. We had even mapped out getting the Dursleys camera ready and how this time could be used for the diagnostic spells the team would need to perform on them while they were in the home. They would also use the time to ready set ups for the physical changes that we would be making to the house. The flashes from their wands would be easily disguised as camera flashes and tests of ambient lighting for their photoshoot.

While they were off doing that I would be fast talking the Dursleys through a hundred or more pieces of paper that looked like official muggle legal documents. Some of them would be exactly what I told them they were, especially the first few, but most of them would be disguised documents that Clinkscale had worked up to ensure that the Dursley family wouldn't be an issue later on. There was also the muggle contract that the Dursleys would have to sign which was basically a shared custody agreement.

The wording worked out by the solicitor was altered slightly by the legal team that was apparently on call at all times for the large account holders at Gringotts. Though the copy we had given them did not have Harry's name on it they were able to adjust the wording so that it would be even more aligned with the magical laws that allowed someone the complete guardianship of a half blood or muggleborn child being raised in the muggle world. After the Dursleys signed it all I would have to do was lodge it with the Ministry of Magic. They would either have to admit that Sirius Black should still be his rightful guardian or recognize me as such.

The Dursleys would sign anything that I put in front of them and be happy about it by the time we got to that document. John would be happy because I would repeatedly be asking them to read the documents that they were signing. Gringotts would be happy because they could get some greater movement on the Potter accounts and protect the future of the estate. Harry and I would be happy because it would mean he would be free from the terror of the Dursleys.

Clinkscale and I had gone over the short and long term plans for the Dursleys. They needed to be there long enough to deal with Albus, but not so long that they became a nuisance. They also needed to be horribly punished for the things that they had done, but we didn't want to cross lines into doing anything illegal per se.

We both agreed that the best ways to accomplish this was a year long campaign on the Dursley family. Starting with the Disney Scheme. This accomplished getting into the house and around the family at the same time and got them out of the house for a long period of time. The contracts that they sign will include allowing the changes and the remodeling of the house while they are away. Which allows for a safer place for Harry to exist in if he must stay with Petunia and her blood. The big win also gave them a positive emotional lift.

After the Disney Scheme would come the Little Troubles Scheme. Designed to give everyone small bits of bad luck from bad hair days to stepping in gum and escalate from there, this part of the campaign would have the Dursleys nostalgic for their time abroad. Since Harry would already be safe from the wrath they would build up, they would have no one to take their bad moods out on.

Once they were primed, the Board of Directors would announce that they had been searching for the best of the best amongst all of the companies in their umbrella and only Vernon Dursley would do. They wanted him to be the one to open up a whole new market for a new branch, it wouldn't be drills, but his commission and bonuses would be incredibly handsome. They would have to move right away though. The Snap Scheme would only happen if we were certain that Harry could live without Petunia's constant presence to add to his protections. But when it did the Dursleys would find themselves living in a small, thin walled studio, with their income completely dependent on whether or not Vernon could sell tacky commemorative plates of British historical figures to the people of Japan.

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