After being dropped off near the great hall Henryk spent the rest of the morning exploring the castle and its grounds. It wasn't until he was walking near a hut outside the castle that his wandering was interrupted.

"You ruddy dog!" a voice bellowed as a dog came sprinting out of the hut. It nearly crashed into Henryk but slid and stopped in front of him. It looked up at Henryk who smiled and squatted down.

"Well, aren't you cute?" Henryk said as he scratched the dog behind its ears. It huffed and started licking his hand before being startled by the hut's door opening again and racing around the nearby garden. The door now held a man larger than most Henryk had ever seen. His face was swarthy and covered in a large beard. His clothes were a mismatch of fine leathers and his stature was easily ten feet tall. Henryk stood as the man stepped outside.

"Who are ya? Shouldn't ya be in class?" He asked with a small frown as he approached.

"I am Henryk Potter of Kaer Morhen. I have just arrived and don't have a schedule just yet." Henryk introduced himself with a nod towards the big man.

"Potter? Any relation to James Potter?" the big man asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I just learned yesterday he was my father." Henryk answered assuming the big man knew his father.

"Baby Harry?" Hagrid uttered as he looked over the young man in front of him. That bird's nest of a mop on his head and those piercing green eyes. "Oh you are. Why I hadn't seen ya in a age! I remember the first time your parents brought you up here after ye was born. Why ya fit right in my palm ye was so tiny." Hagrid said as he closed the distance. Henryk put out his hand, "Oh pardon me manners. Name's Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts." Hagrid said as he grabbed Henryk's hand and shook it.

Henryk grinned at the big man. "Quite the strength you got there Hagrid."

"Ha says you. Quite the grip strength ye got there." Hagrid said.

"Sword training helps quite a bit." Henryk answered. "So what were you yelling at the dog for?" Hagrid grinned and waved off to the side.

"Bloody menace got into my hippogriff feeding box again. Damn dog shouldn't be eating them ferrets." Hagrid said, "Want to come in for some tea?"

"Sure." Henryk followed the man in and sat in an oversized chair. His eyes raked across the room. Hanging from the ceiling were drying plants and creature parts. Furs lined the furniture and a great big fireplace took up the side wall. All around Henryk could see trophies of different creatures, great big claws, shiny horns, venom sacks, and a multitude of other things. "What are all these trophies from?" Henry asked Hagrid as he set down the tea service. Hagrid looked up in confusion only to see Henryk looking at the animal parts.

"Oh those ain't no trophies. You can find all sorts of things in the forbidden forest." Hagrid answered as he eased himself down into a massive chair.

"Forbidden forest?" Henryk asked as he took a large mug of tea and sipped it quite pleased with the taste.

"Aye that be the name of the forest that surrounds the school. Filled with all sorts of beasties. I even once found that there manticore tail out there." Hagrid said as he pointed out a largish scorpion stinger.

"Manticore? Big insect, covered in chitin, with a large stinger?" Henryk asked, thinking of the gigascorpions Geralt had described from when he traveled through the deserts in the south.

"Well," Hagrid scratched his chin, "there was this one fellow who told me about a manticore that looked like that, but the one I been speaking of is maybe six feet tall, body of a lion, head of a man, and a tail of a scorpion. Lightning fast and deadly to boot." Hagrid said as he took a sip of his tea and ate one of the biscuits he cooked.

From there Henryk asked all about the creatures of this world. Some were similar if a little different. Dragons weren't nearly as varied here, there weren't as many dark beasts, such as the striga, and most of the world was inhabited by humans. This left a strange sense of vertigo in Henryk. He was used to wide open plains, various beasts and creatures prowling and marking out territory. To learn that most of the world was inhabited by humans didn't sit right with him.

"How can there be so many creatures if most of the world is covered in humans?" Henryk asked. Either these people were really good at domesticating these creatures or their numbers were very low.

"Hmm, how do I explain this? Ye see the forbidden forest?" Hagrid asked and got a nod in return. "The forest is much larger than we know. Olde magics at work in many places like this. The woods are much larger than the land around them, meaning they are filled with all sorts of creatures. Some might not have seen the outside world in a hundred years or more. I've traveled far and wide in that forest and ain't never seen the end of it."

Henryk listen to Hagrid talk about the magical nature of the forest and couldn't help but grin. A whole new world, with creatures he'd never seen. It was exciting to think about. Soon the tea was gone and Hagrid had to go and do his duties. "Feel free to come by anytime. Maybe next time yer around I can tell you some stories about your parents in school, ya?" Hagrid said as he led Henryk out of the hut.

"That would be very nice Hagrid. Thanks for the tea, I'll see you around." Henryk said as he waved and moved back towards the castle. It was nearing lunch time and he was eager to get some food in his stomach. Walking into the great hall he noticed that it was still relatively empty so he took a seat at the same place he sat this morning. When he sat, food began to appear around him, much of it similar in contents to what he ate this morning. Grinning he sent a silent thank you to the house elves he felt leave the food before he made his plate. Soon the hall was once again filled with the chatter and movement of many students. Henryk paid little attention to the others as he ate and thought over all that had happened in the last day.

"Heya Henryk!" Astoria said with some joy as she sat next to him.

"Hello again Astoria. How are classes?" Henryk asked with a soft smile. She reminded him of a young girl he had met a year before he wound up here. She was so energetic and full of life. His thoughts darkened at the memories of the town being destroyed by the empire. His mind was pulled back to the present as Astoria started whining about History of Magic being boring. They shared an interesting conversation about the classes offered here until Henryk felt a presence start to move behind him. His hand slowly moved to a throwing knife as he slowly turned his head. He found himself looking at a dour man with oily hair and a large hook nose. His eyes were dark and small, his face seemed to be stuck in a semi-permanent scowl "Can I help you?" Henryk asked him politely. He was already positioning his body to be ready to jump up and attack if the man's look of loathing meant anything.

Snape approached the unknown sitting at his snakes' table. He was ready to lash out at the boy but was shocked when he turned around. Lily's eyes were looking up at him with wariness and confusion. His expression didn't change in the slightest, but his ability to quickly retort took a moment to come back to him. The fact that the bird's nest atop the boy's head could only be attributed to a Potter told him enough. "This is the Slytherin table. Go sit at your own house's table and leave my students be."

"Is it against the rules to sit at another table?" Henryk asked as he turned and looked at two Slytherin fourth years that just sat down, Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis. Both girls eyed their head of house for a moment before shrugging.

"Not to my knowledge. I do know that any feasts require you to sit with your table but other than that? Not sure." Daphne said with some nonchalance as she made herself a plate. Henryk smirked at the neutral answer. He noticed Tracy seemed content to not say anything but Astoria was seconds from loudly answering the professor. Deciding to save his friends the trouble he looked back up at the dour looking man who seemed to only get angrier as more time passed.

"Well sir?" Henryk asked with as much innocence as possible. He saw the man's eye twitch before his face once again morphed to the neutral disdain it normally held.

Snape looked at the young man and only felt angrier and angrier as he saw the likeness of his childhood sweetheart and his greatest foe combined. Slowly the battle he was having against his emotions was getting the better of him. "Mr. Potter."

Both turned to see an older woman with dark black hair pulled into a tight bun, stern eyes, and a neutral face. "Minerva." The dour man said sharply as he swirled his robe and spun on his heel to head up to the head table.

Minerva Mcgonagall looked on at the dour frame of Severus Snape as he stalked back up to the head table. Shaking her head she looked at her new lion and smiled, "My name is Minerva McGonagall, I am the Professor of Transfiguration and Head of Gryffindor house. I'm here to take you out to the alley for some shopping today." She watched as the young man who looked very much like the perfect amalgamation of his parents stood and bowed his head at her.

"Pleasure to meet you Professor McGonagall. I appreciate you taking the time to go shopping for my supplies with me." Henryk said with an easy smile. He turned back to the table. "Sorry to leave you once again ladies. I bid you good day." Henryk nodded at the three Slytherin girls and walked towards Professor McGonagall.

Minerva turned on her heel and led the boy out of the castle and down the road. "We'll be walking down to Hogsmeade and flooing from the Three Broomsticks." Henryk nodded as he kept pace with her. Soon they were entering a quiet little village. Some people bustled about but it was largely empty.

"Seems a little quiet here." Henryk commented. Minerva looked where he was and nodded.

"The village gets much livelier when the students come down to visit. This is the main thoroughfare, it holds mainly shops and restaurants catered to the students of Hogwarts. Beyond this is where most of the villagers spend their time." She explained as she pointed past the main buildings to the side streets. "It's the only totally magical village in Britain."

Henryk nodded as he followed along studying everything around him. Shortly they were entering a pub where a woman with some of the largest breasts he had seen was tending the bar. She evidently knew Professor McGonagall as she sent a short wave to the stern teacher. Henryk found himself standing next to a large fireplace.

"Now, Headmaster Dumbledore told me you had used the floo to go to Diagon Alley just last night, correct?" Henryk nodded. "Good. You go first and I'll follow behind."

Henryk stepped up to the mantle, grabbed some floo powder and tossed it on the fire before stepping in. "Diagon Alley." He said in a clear voice before the swirling green flames shunted him off once again. Finding the flames parting he took a quick step out and bled off his momentum with another two steps before he turned and waited for the Professor. His eyes scanned the bar once again and found it to be much busier than it was last night. Many people seemed to be enjoying a late lunch and the barman was busy dealing with a full bar that he didn't even look up when McGonagall stepped out. Waving her wand she banished the soot on the both of them before she led him swiftly through the crowded bar.

Henryk was much more impressed by the now busy alley than he was last night. Stores had their doors open with items of interest on display. Kids were running around with parents being dragged behind them. Owls perched along signs and rooftops. He was brought out of his observations when he noticed the professor making her way down the street to the large marble building. Catching up he soon moved up the stairs of Gringotts alongside her. He gave a nod of acknowledgement to the goblins guarding the door before walking in.

Moving inside, he could see it was much busier than the previous day. Goblins manned every desk and other Goblins were running to and frou delivering bags or leading other people to a nearby doorway. "Mr. Potter."

Henryk turned and looked at Professor McGonagall. "I'm sorry. The alley and Gringotts are much busier today. It's all a little overwhelming in comparison." She just nodded and gave a small smile.

"Well, why don't you find a teller to take you to your vaults so we can get your shopping done." She recommended with a head tilt towards the lines. Henryk nodded and moved towards the Goblin he saw last night. He waited for him to be done with the person in front of him before stepping up.

"Greetings. I need to see my account manager." Henryk stated. The teller looked up and immediately recognized the man from last night. He gave a quick nod before penning something on a piece of parchment before slipping it into a slot on his desk.

"Wait to the side. Someone will be with you momentarily." He jerked his head to the side and looked to the next customer. Henryk stepped off to the side and was soon approached by a younger looking goblin who led him down the halls to the same room as last time. Henryk knocked on the giant door with a bloody fist and opened it when he was bid entry.

"Ah Mr. Potter. Welcome back, there are a few things to talk about and then we can take you down to your vaults." Bloodfist said as Henryk entered the room and took a seat. "There are things about House Potter's origins that must be discussed outside of those not related to them. That is why I had asked you to come back on another day." Bloodfist then turned and pulled out a few different books and leather satchels. Pushing one of the books across the table Henryk picked it up and looked at it. The front was blank with the exception of a large coat of arms, it had two griffins reared up on the sides, the center was dominated by a wand crossed with a sword and hammer sitting handle down inside a pot. The bottom of the crest had 'Potter' written along a banner. The entire crest was surrounded by feathers in the shape of a shield. The book itself was heavy and the cover was a soft but strong leather. Henryk looked up at Bloodfist.

"That, Mr. Potter, is the family Grimoire. It has been enchanted to only open for a Potter and to return to either the main vault here at Gringotts or your family home. Unfortunately the main home for the Potter family was damaged in the war. Luckily for you the Potters are a very old and valued client of us Goblins, so when Potter Manor was attacked, we recovered everything that was in the manor before shutting it down." Bloodfist explained.

"Friend of the Goblins? Were we business partners?" Henryk asked. As he studied the family grimoire in his hands. Bloodfist nodded before leaning back.

"Many years ago, just after the war between the Gringotts clan and the Geldstahmp clan, our people were set adrift. A war between two clans of goblins devastated our homes and populations, leaving us at the mercy of nearby magical and non magical villages. The Gringotts clan, meaning us, were set to be enslaved when a young crafter and his family spirited us away in the night. After a long journey filled with battles and death we found ourselves settling down in the isle now called Britain. Land here was wild and was constantly under different powers, so we claimed a spot of our own and dug our tunnels. We started crafting weapons and armors once again and slowly we rebuilt our homes here. Now Gringotts is the largest of the Great Goblin Clans left in the world and it's all thanks to that crafter and his family. Do you know who that crafter was?" Bloodfist asked as he studied the young man in front of him. Henryk shook his head in denial and Bloodfist smiled a wide toothy grin. "That man, that hero, was none other than your ancestor, Aristeus." Bloodfist chuckled.

"Aristeus?" Henryk asked.

"Oh yes. Aristeus means chief, in other words an ancient king. Your family is now famous for using names of human kings or emperors; Alexander, James, Charlus, Henry, John, etcetera." Bloodfist said as he pulled out a long sheaf of parchment that he unrolled to show a very large family tree. Henryk stood and studied the bottom part of it. His name was at the bottom and a large thick line went up and up, flowing to the top of the parchment where it was still rolled up. There were branches, none still living, but a few. "But many of the Lord of House Potter were named in reference to Aristeus the Potter and were given names meaning, king, chief, head of house, etcetera." Bloodfist paused as he took a drink from a nearby cup.

"But back to the man who saved us, he was a potter. A simple man who used magic to craft works of art with clay. He stood up for our clan and helped us to escape oppression. Thus the Potters were heralded as friends and saviors to our clan. We've worked with your family for years and gained much by association. Yesterday you asked if your family was nobility and it is. Just not Wizarding nobility. Your family holds a very high place in our society. Of course not all of your ancestors treated us well and were welcomed in our halls, but most were good people."

"So what does this mean for me?" Henryk asked as he tried to process everything that was explained.

"In the wizarding world? Not much." Bloodfist said with a chuckle, "We goblins have few rights, but all gold flows through these halls. We have made sure the Potters were well taken care of in remembrance of what we have due to their actions. Many times your family stood with us when other clans moved in or Wizards tried to snuff us out. Of course not all goblin leaders thought well of your family, but my family has been working with yours for neigh on a millennia. I just wanted you to know that if you need something you can come to me. I may not be able to help you, but I can point you in the right direction." Henryk stood up and put out a hand. Bloodfist smiled and grabbed it shaking it, "Welcome home Mr. Potter. Now let's get to your finances"

The next hour was dominated with explanations on currency, the holdings in possession of the Potter family. Houses, businesses, land, vault after vault, and best of all, the portraits.

"When Potter Manor was attacked and the wards destroyed, we moved in and gathered everything from the home. We even slew a few opportunists who tried to make off with your family's property." Bloodfist said with a wide grin. "We opened a vault near your heirloom vault that holds the entire inventory of Potter Manor, amongst them are the portraits of your grandparents and other ancestors. I recommend bringing them with you, they can teach you anything you need to know about your family." Bloodfist stood and moved around the table. "Come, let me show you the vaults and get you set up with a new Gringotts wallet."

"Wallet?" Henryk asked.

"Ah yes, you'll find out soon enough that this world is very different to the world you grew up in. The non-magical have made great strides in something they call science." Bloodfist explained with a bit of a frown, "Fools the lot of them. Their inventions are certainly marvelous, but magic weeps at the destruction they wrought on the world. A wallet is a modern term for a leather folder to hold your money in the non magical world. We goblins used our vast holdings of precious resources to open non magical banks and have offered linked services between the magical world and the non magical world for the newbloods and halfbloods. The wallet I mentioned will allow you to access wizarding money and non magical money." Bloodfist took him down the hall as he talked, and soon enough they were standing in a cave-like tunnel where they both entered a metal box. Henryk was baffled when it shot off and sped down the barely lit tunnels. He let out an involuntary whoop when they took a particularly hard turn. Bloodfist just grinned as the young Potter sat in awe of the carts.

Henryk watched as other goblins and carts sped the other way. People walking to vaults, the roars of a dragon, huge waterfalls that don't leave you soaked, and the massive caverns all around. Soon they were slowing down as they stopped. Goblins of all sizes were seen moving around, a nearby area was hosting a bazaar of some sort. Bloodfist led Henryk to a nearby tunnel as other goblins stared at him. When they approached the tunnel two goblin guards crossed their halberds and growled. Bloodfist was about to raise unholy hell until he heard the soft sound of a blade being pulled. He turned and saw Henryk staring directly at the guards with his sword in hand and his body ready for battle. Smirking, he turned back, "Move. We're headed to the Potter vaults."

The guards were startled out of their staring match with Henryk when they heard that and stepped aside quickly. This time they looked at the young Potter with respect instead of suspicion. Henryk sheathed his blade and nodded to them both before following Bloodfist down the hall. The tunnel behind them was mostly empty but after a minute opened into a large cavern, dead center of which sat a massive griffin. Henryk marveled at the creature as it slowly opened its eyes and looked at them. It let out a roar like squawk, deep and loud it pounded against Henryk's chest like the bass of a drum. Henryk stepped forward almost robotically and before long was staring directly into the eyes of the griffin. Its head sat several feet above even his own, its feathers were a rich brown, with black colorings on its head and legs, the massive paws below it housed claws sharp enough to tear steel, and its eyes were an endless lake of darkness. Slowly its massive head moved downwards as Henryk stared into its eyes. Moments passed before it moved forward and butted its head against him, knocking Henryk out of his stupor. Henryk's mouth opened in a grin as he lifted his hands and rubbed the massive beast's head. It let out a loud purr like sound before it turned back and sunk into its sleeping position again. Henryk slowly moved around the creature and approached Bloodfist who was grinning at him.

"That's the Potter vault guardian. He's been here for as long as my family has." Bloodfist said with a shake of his head and a fond smile, "Can always count on him to let us know who's trustworthy." Bloodfist said as he led Harry to the vault on the far left of the cavern.

"What do you mean?" Henryk asked as he inspected the room. The vault doors were massive and had intricate tumblers laced throughout the door and frames.

"If he likes you, he'll let you know, much like he did with you. If he doesn't he doesn't even look up upon their first visit." Bloodfist explained as he took an ornate golden key from around his neck. "Tells us plenty, because the worst of your family has never been acknowledged by him, ever." Bloodfist finished as he finally opened the vault. Henryk watched as the door opened. Stacks and stacks of gold were everywhere. Bags filled with coins were spread throughout the room, a large bookcase with parchment, scrolls, folders, and books lined the sides of the room. "Welcome to the finance vault Mr. Potter."