[004]
James 'Jimmy' Junior Potter felt that something was wrong.
He frowned and cut another mouthful of pancakes, chewing slowly as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He felt tired. And he shouldn't feel tired. Not today. Never Today. Honestly, nothing should be wrong. It was his birthday and his birthdays were always great. Always.
No, it was the day before his birthday that was usually weird as for some reason the thirty-first of August always made his parents and Padfoot act all morose. He didn't get it. If anything, the thirty-first always felt anticipatory to his birthday because he ALWAYS felt great on his birthday. He didn't know what it was, just a feeling of energy and excitement that seemed to permeate his whole body or maybe his soul. His parents waved it off as him just being youthful and excited for his presents… and they weren't wrong, he did like getting presents. But there was something more about the day that just felt… special? Argh! He didn't know how to explain it.
The scoot of a chair on the wooden floor interrupted his thoughts as his younger sister sat down at the table and Moxy whisked a plate of pancakes in front of her.
"Thanks, Moxy." Rose thanked the unseen elf as she reached for the syrup then looked over at Jimmy. "Happy Birthday, Jimbo."
Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Don't call me that, Rosie."
Rose snorted at his attempt to give her a bad nickname and smothered her pancakes in an unhealthy amount of syrup. "So… what'd Dad do this time?"
Jimmy frowned. "What'dya mean?"
"The couch is all made up like it usually is when he's done something dumb and Mum's kicked him out of the bed." Rose tapped the bottom of the bottle to get the last of sugary liquid out.
"I dunno, must've done something late last night because they both seemed fine when I went to bed." James mopped up the last of his own syrup with the last bite of pancake before consuming the tasty mouthful.
"Huh…" Rose cut her pancakes into too large portions before taking a bite, her cheeks swelling like a squirrel as she stuffed them in.
Jimmy rolled his eyes again at her behaviour. You would think she was six years his junior rather than just a year and change younger than him with the way she acted sometimes.
Rose swallowed her large mouthful before asking. "So, when's the party start again?"
Jimmy groaned. "It's late this time. Doesn't start 'til eight and with all the speeches probably won't finish until midnight." He grumbled.
"Huh… still gotta be better than last year when it was that whole brunch thing at the Ministry." Rose as she cut another oversized portion.
Jimmy shrugged and reached for his cup of tea. "I guess. Still, I was hoping to do something fun with my friends afterwards, 'Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult' is still playing at the Rio."
Rose paused with the next dripping forkful of diabetes halfway to her mouth. "The Rio?"
"Yeah, it's got nice seats."
"Mhmmm and the fact that you and your friends can slip into the next room to catch Jane March getting freaky in the 'Colour of Night' has nothing to do with it?"
Jimmy spat out his tea as he nearly choked. "How do you know that?!" spluttered before staring at her. "How do you even know about that movie?"
Rose snorted. "I'm friend with both Luna and Ginny." She explained. "Luna is creative and Ginny is repressed from living with her mother. You don't know half the shit we get up to."
Jimmy blushed and was trying to work out how to ask about Ginny without seeming too interested when his opportunity was lost as his father stumbled into the room looking like death warmed up.
James bee-lined to the coffee pot and poured himself a large mug of coffee before he even looked at his two children and when he did his eyes skipped over Rose and locked on Jimmy yet seemed to be seeing through him as if looking at someone else who wasn't there.
"So Dad?" Rose piped up, either not noticing or not caring about mood. "How'd ya piss off Mum?"
James winced. "Ah… I um…"
James trailed off while trying to think of an explanation before just choosing to ignore the question.
"So, James. Excited for the party tonight?" He asked, leaving Rose pouting at him.
Jimmy glanced between his father and sister and decided not to comment on that. "Not really. You know I hate the whole show and dance routine."
James grimaced and took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah, I get that. But you know how people are. They like to see their 'hero' out and about."
Rose snorted. "You mean they like either gossiping like schoolgirls with a raunchy issue of 'Teen Witches Weekly' or they like parading him around to try and get more votes in the next election."
This time it was Jimmy who winced. 'She's not wrong.' He thought to himself.
James just sighed at seeing his daughter's pessimism and his son's agreement of her words but tried to be optimistic. "That may be true, but it does certainly help keeping some of the traditionalists from passing some of their more ridiculous laws."
Jimmy just nodded as he finished his tea while remembering some of the horrid laws that the Pink Toad had tried to get passed when they hadn't been paying attention to the political field. Thankfully Uncle Sirius had been paying attention, he usually did when it came to werewolves.
"I know Dad. Just wish I could have a birthday to myself, ya'know? Spend it with actually friends and family and just be me and not the 'Boy-Who-Lived.'"
James already strained smile cracked as it became brittle and tender. "Right… right, well, maybe tomorrow we cou—"
Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the chime that announced an authorised activation of the Floo Network and James turned to face the entrance to the den just in time to meet Sirius storming into the room, his expression thunderous.
"Padfo—ack!" Again, James was cut short, this time as Sirius' fist cracked him in the jaw and sent him sprawling onto the floor.
Jimmy and Rose sat there stunned as Sirus stood over their father, trembling with barely repressed rage.
"Yeh Bastard!" Sirius growled at James who was staring up at Sirius in shock. "Yeh told us he died that night! We had a funeral and everything, yeh bloody fucking shite!"
"Padfoot, I can explain!" James tried to talk the man down as he climbed to his feet.
"Explain!? Explain that he never died? Explain that you just tossed him away to live as a fucking slave! Yeh Ma' and Pa' would have been ashamed of yeh! Euphemia especially would have hung you up by yeh balls for what you did!"
"It's not what you think, Padfoot!" James shouted back.
Jimmy and Rose glanced at each other, both unsure what to do and both without their wands to attempt to do anything despite the fact that they weren't even supposed to use magic during the summer.
"It was to protect him! To save his life!" James continued, "Harry was injured! His core was broken, Albus told me he wouldn't last a month if he was constantly exposed to other magicals, that his core would rip itself apart trying to emulate them. The only way he could possibly heal; even as a muggle, was to stay away from magic, away from witches and wizards… away from us. His core would eventually fade and he would be safe." James started angrily and just seemed to get more tired as he spoke.
Sirius struggled as he grappled with Jame's words. "That's bollocks. It has to be. The amount of magic…" he shook his head, "and it doesn't explain why you listened to bloody Dumbledore, why you left him with the fucking Dursleys of all people."
James sagged in on himself. "It was the only way. You didn't see him… see the blackness dripping from the wound. Dumbledore knew what to do, like always." Sirius scoffed and James glared at him yet the heat was lacking from his gaze. "I know you don't like the man but he does know what he's doing. He was able to bend Lily's spell, made it so that it could be kept alive through her sister's blood. It kept him safe from anyone trying to find him to hurt us or Jimmy."
The mention of his second son seemed to bring Sirius to some semblance of his senses as he seemed to notice the kids in the room for the first time. A shamed expression emerging at the sight their shocked and scared faced and his anger fell away and he sank into one of the chairs around the breakfast table.
"Fuck… fuck, sorry. Sorry." He let out a tired sigh apologising to James or the kids or both, or maybe to just the room at large.
James stepped over to put a hand on his shoulder but Sirius slapped it away, anger flicking in the banked coals before it was suppressed again. "Don't. I'm still furious at you and I still have questions. Like why the fuck you lied to us?"
James ran a hand through his messy hair and retook his seat. He glanced at the children and was almost tempted to tell them to leave when he realised that he didn't have it in him to fight with them about it and they weren't the type to leave without answers themselves.
"What was I supposed to do? You were hunting down Peter, Moony was uncontactable on the mainland trying to infiltrate the packs," Sirius flinched, "and Lily was in a coma. I had to make the decision and well… you remember how you were when you finally got back? How Lily was when she eventually recovered? It was… easier on her… for me… I don't know, it was easier to just tell her that Harry had died… I know that sounds awful. But how could I have kept her from him when a hug from his mother would have caused him agony? Would have shattered his core for good and killed him? She would never have forgiven herself. I would have never forgiven myself… it was easier to let her mourn and heal than to let the loss be drawn out so long…"
Sirius snorted. "And how did that work out?" he asked bitterly.
James winced. "Not well. It sounds callous but I never expected it to stretch this long. Either Harry lived a short by happy life as a muggle until his core collapsed or it eventually faded and we would have been able to see him without hurting him even if he didn't have any magic. That his core remained unstable for almost thirteen years was never planned for."
"Wait." Jimmy interrupted his father, unable to keep listening. "Are you talking about my dead brother Harry. The Harry that died the night You-Know-Who attacked?"
"He's not dead." Sirius replied which caused James to whip his head up to face him.
"What do you mean, 'he's not dead?' Dumbledore contacted me last night to tell inform me that his core eventually fractured and he's passed on."
Sirius snorted. "Yeah, I know. Already had a long talk with Hagrid who was sent to collect Harry's body on Dumbledore's orders. Thing is though, there is no body. Just a lot of strange magic, a weird mix of magical scents and three memory addled waste of breath muggles who deserve to be fucking crucio'd."
James looked at Sirius like he had grown another head. "What? Pads! You don't mean that!"
"Morgana's tits, I bloody well do." Sirius growled. "They're animals! Worse than anything my old bitch of a mother would have accused muggles of being. They tortured the boy, James." Sirius met Jame's eyes with a hard angry stare.
"No. Not that can't be right." James breathed. "Dumbledore would have mentioned… he had a squib watching him just in case…"
"He was living in a cupboard, James. He was living in a tiny, dark box in a house with two extra bedrooms. The Dursleys bragged. Bragged about starving him. Bragged about trying to beat the magic out of him." Sirius spat each word into James' face from across the table.
"But… his core… he didn't have magic." James winced even as he tried to argue against something he didn't want to believe.
"Bullshit! The house was saturated in his magic." Sirius snapped then paused before adding. "…And something else. I smelt… I dunno, like a dragon and Veela rolled together."
James rubbed at his temple. "There was someone else there? Did they take him or his body or… or, fuck, I don't know?"
Sirius sighed then stood up. "I dunno. We're trying to work that out. Expect to be called in for questioning."
"Padfo—" James started but Sirius glared him into silence.
"Don't you 'Padfoot' me, James," he said the word like it was a curse. "I'm still furious at you… Just… leave it for now." He turned and stalked out of the room.
Sirius paused in the hallway and glanced down and to his right where Lily was curled up with her back against the wall, silent tears falling from red puffy eyes and looking like she hadn't slept at all. She had a hand clasped over her mouth to muffle the choked sobs.
"Did you know?" Sirius asked without turning to face her.
Lily shook her head. "No. I thought… I thought he had died that night." She croaked out.
A tenseness left Sirius' shoulders. "If he's out there, I'll find him." He swore.
Lily nodded, eyes pleading. "Did they… did Tuney really…" she struggled to ask and didn't have to as Sirius just gave a silent nod and she broke into tears again. "My boy, my Harry…"
Sirius walked away and left her her pain. There wasn't anything he could say that would help right now. Instead, he had a godson to find. He really hoped that he was safe and not in any danger.
"Fuck!" I dodged under the swing of a bastard sword wielding bastard of a goblin and battered the bade away with a emerald light covered fist.
"Bastard!"
There was a flash and a concussive blast of heat and the sword and the goblin were thrown ten feet backwards, crashing into the other armed goblin who looked like he wanted to kill me.
"Kill the thief! Kill it! Murderer!" The goblin that started it all shouted from where he was crumpled against the wall.
I wanted nothing more than the stomp on the annoying little creature but knew I had to get out of there fast so instead ran out of the office into the hall.
An alarm must have already been sounded because the hall was quickly filling with armed goblins and they were all looking at me with a lethal intensity… to be fair, I was still glowing a dangerous looking viridian.
Against growing might of Gringotts legions of soldiers, I chose the better part of valour and decided to retreat despite the rage inside me that was calling for blood.
I turned and ran down the hall in the direction I remember the entrance to the bank was and still quickly found myself surrounded by goblins waving sharp and pointy weapons at me while calling me such names as 'Thief,' 'Murderer' and 'Veela Slut.' Which… I object to the first as they were trying to steal from me in my opinion. I don't think I've actually killed any of the little shits for the second to apply and lastly, I felt annoyed at for the last because I didn't fucking choose to be a half-veela!
"Fucking little bastards, the lot of you!" I cried and slapped my hands together, releasing a large explosion that knocked many of them down but left be unswayed as my emerald aura neutralised the blast and I used the opportunity to keep trying to reach the entrance.
"Fucking goblins. Fucking James Potter!" I growled as I ran down the hall, occasionally have to dodge or explode goblins who appeared out of offices and attempted to attack me with random weapons or… in one case, a chair.
Thirty Minutes Earlier:
Having asked to speak to the Potter accounts manager, I was led through a maze of corridors and hallways to an office and made to wait. Which was fair I guess, it's not like I had made an appointment. That said, the chair was annoyingly uncomfortable and I can only guess that was intentional because the chair, like everything else in the well-appointed office, looked exquisitely made.
The sudden feeling of the Grimoire reaching towards me distracted me from the furniture.
+300 CP
500 CP - Rolling…
Jeweler's Special (Kamen Rider Neo-Heisei Part 2) – 200 CP
You've got a nice deal on Magic Rings...you can choose 5 magic rings you don't already possess that aren't purchasable from the "Custom Phantom Table", you now possess them and can use them with a Wizard Driver or cast them regularly by channelling mana through them.
Accepted.
300 CP Banked.
'How the hell did I earn three hundred CP? What the hell is the metric?' I couldn't help but wonder when I felt the Grimoire linger in my mind.
The gift it was giving was different somehow; like there was something missing before it could hand it over, a question the Grimoire was waiting on being answered. Except I had no idea what it was asking for.
As in response to my uncertainty, I suddenly had the feeling of a giant wheel spinning as if I was on some sort of game show and then the weight of five rings materialising on my left hand and an iron spike of information into my brain telling me exactly what they were and how to use them. I could help myself. I started laughing.
Dress-Up, Replicate, Shibari, Portal and Phone.
Unlike the rings from the Kamen Rider television show, these rings were smaller and looked like normal jewellery of silver and precious stone even if the style was a bit odd. But their design didn't really matter, what mattered was what they could do. Each of the five magical rings had varying magical effects yet all of them were useful.
It was as I was still laughing while examining the sudden bling that the door opened to allow a sneering, portly goblin to enter and take a seat at the large Mahogony desk, his eyes flicking over my poorly fitting muggle clothes and lingering my left hand that was now adorned with a ring on each finger and thumb.
"What do you want?" The goblin gave no introductions.
I took a fortifying breath. "I'm here to access my vault. I know my parent's left money for me before they died."
The goblin scowled. "And you are?"
"Harry James Potter." I answered, grimacing as I did.
The goblin eyed me up and down. "I find that difficult to believe."
"I know." I sighed. "Look, it's been a weird day. I was changed to look like this against my will and it's likely permanent. Is there a way I can prove who I say I am?"
The goblin leant back in his chair as he considered my question. "I am assuming that you are also without your key?" I nodded. "Very well, Gringotts is able to provide a blood test to determine the legitimacy of claimants."
Sweet. It seemed that certain fanfiction tropes held some measure of truth.
"Know, that should you be proven to not be 'Harry James Potter, child of James Fleamont Potter and Lily Jade Potter nee Evans then your claim will be seen as attempted theft from the House of Potter. Should you prove to be their child and the inheritor of their accounts then the fee of one hundred and thirteen galleons will be taken from your accounts to cover the cost of the Blood Test. Are these terms acceptable?" He grinned viciously.
I flinched at the exorbitant cost of the test and tried to see if there were any traps. I knew that I was Harry James Potter. My meta-knowledge confirmed it. The only trick I could see would be if the accounts held nothing, then I would still be liable for the cost.
"Just to confirm, there is at least enough liquid funds within the accounts to cover the cost of the test, right?"
The goblin's grin became even more predatory. "While I am not at liberty to disclose the exact amounts with our clients' accounts, I can confirm there is plentiful gold enough to cover such paltry costs."
Right. Ok. That's good then. Still… I couldn't help but feel like I was walking into a trap as I agreed to the terms and the goblin traced a finger along fine carvings in the wood of the desk causing a small drawer opened from which he brought out a black quill and a piece of parchment.
"Simply write your full name on the line at the bottom of the page." He said as he pushed the parchment and quill towards me."
I took the black feather quill, which I could now see had a disturbingly sharp nib, and swallowed my trepidation before writing out my name on the parchment in blood red ink.
A cutting stinging on the back of my hand traced the same words I had written letting me know that the quill was a blood quill and the red ink my actual blood. Even as I was rubbing the fading pain from my hand, the blood that made up my name started bleeding outwards, forming twisted lines upwards on the page and tracing out the beginnings of a family tree.
I watched, fascinated as first my parents' names were reviled, 'James F. Potter — Lily J. Potter (nee Evans)' traced out above my name with a connecting strike to show their union. The lines kept spreading upwards and also, curiously, downwards again.
As 'Fleamont E. Potter — Euphemia B. Potter (nee Rosier)' appeared above James and 'Christopher H. Evans — Marigold G. Evans (nee Gardener)' appeared in more faded letters above Lily, more names were appearing below my parents and alongside my own.
'James (Jr.) C. Potter' and 'Rose E. Potter' traced themselves into existence beside my own and below our parents… our parents? I had a brother and a sister?! How the fuck did that work? Were they born before me or… oh, no. oh no, oh shit.
"Hmmm it seems that we will not be able to skin you alive and sell the leathers to the highest bidders. A shame, veela leather does so well at auction." The goblin, whose name I had never actually gotten, sounded truly disappointed.
"Yes, well…" I didn't have a witty comeback for that.
"At least there is the matter of the hundred and thirteen galleons you personally owe to the bank… ah! My apologies, one hundred and twenty-four actually. I didn't add my consultant fee's."
"Ah… what?" I asked. "That's to be charged to the accounts."
"That would be the case if you were the inheritor to the accounts. Unfortunately, despite truly proving yourself to be one 'Harry James Potter' son and or daughter to James and Lily Potter, it is a fact that James Potter, as the head of his family, disinherited you three years ago on what would have been your eleventh birthday; the earliest legal age at which a wizarding child can be disinherited." The creature's smile was cutting and cruel.
"I…" I wet my lips as I found my tongue suddenly dry. "Sorry, are you saying that James and Lily Potter are currently alive?"
The goblin barked a harsh laugh. "I should assume so seeing as James Potter was in this office not two weeks ago to review his investments."
My mind was racing. My parents were alive? Then why was I left with the Dursleys? Why was I disinherited? It didn't make any sense? "But… I'm the Boy-Who-Lived." It was the only thing I could think to say and the goblin answered with more laughter.
"Boy-Who-Lived? I think not, Girl! That would be the second child of the Potters. The chosen Heir, James Junior."
Huh? I… I didn't know what to say. My mind was stuttering and starting as it tried to piece together the reasoning for the current situation and my heart was thundering away painfully in my chest at the feeling of Betrayal that permeated the ever-churning storm of power.
"Now, girl. How will you be paying your debts? Should you not have enough coin, I'm sure we can find some use for you. Wizards pay good gold for Veela. A week or two on your back paying your debt, with interest, should be too hard." The goblin sneered victoriously. "Or, if that would be too distasteful, I could perhaps be interested in a trade, two of your rings would surely do."
It was at that moment I realised that this had always been the goblins plan from the moment he walked in the door. Not the whole song and dance but he was always going to try and trap me for the rings that must appear magical and unique to the discerning eyes of the underfolk.
He knew that Harry Potter had been disinherited before he had even offered the Blood Test. Either I was proven to not be who I claimed I was and could be persecuted as an attempted thief or I was who I claimed I was and he would still be able to fleece me for at least a hundred or so gold. Win-Win for him.
"No." I pronounce with a calmness that belied the roiling anger and betrayal inside.
"You think you have a choice, child?!" The goblin spat and slammed a hand against the desks causing two armoured goblins to enter the room.
"No." I repeated. I wasn't going to just let these filthy green little creatures use me or take what was MINE.
"Hand over the rings." The goblin sneered as he leant over the desk. "You don't have a choice."
My eyes flashed green lighting. The storm raged. The winds howled defiance and I stared unflinchingly into the eyes of the creature that thought I could trap me in chains of trickery.
"No." the word was a spell unto itself as I released my hold on the storm and it picked up my Variant Detonation on the way out and the wind that was not wind of my magic flared outwards with a verdant aura of destruction that violently threw the leering goblin backwards and against the stone wall hard enough to crack his head against the stone.
I turned towards the two guards in the room just as one swung a bastard sword towards my head.
Current Time
Despite the armed and fucking homicidal little shits attacking me from every direction, I had so far managed to escape serious injury other than a little bit of bruising when one of them had taken me by surprise. The little fuck had leapt out of a side office and to attack me with a dagger and I had flinched, the blade missing my face yet the hilt still catching my cheek painfully. I had lashed out myself in turn as the storm inside me had flared in response to the pitiful creature's attempt to harm me and my fist had thrown the little monster against the wall so hard that an awful crunching sound was heard that cause the other soldiers to redouble their efforts.
I'd had to fight my way back to the entrance and was now sure that I had taken a wrong turn somewhere as it hadn't taken near this long to get to the office and had resorted to utilising what skills I could. Power Overwhelming had made me strong, Half-Veela had made my body perfectly flexible and Variant Detonation both helped me keep my distance and seemed to come with some basic hand-to-hand combat skills which was a godsend… or would that be booksend?
As if the idle thought had summoned it, I felt the Grimoire reaching out and filling my soul with something new and I pushed it back. Metaphorically slamming the pages shut before the Grimoire could offer something. I didn't have the attention span to fight and accept something new. For all I know it would be another body transformation and then I would be screwed.
Still… the attempt of the Grimoire to give me another gift did remind me of the rings that currently adorned my left hand and as I continued running and occasionally blasting attacking goblins away, the barest beginnings of a plan formed in my head.
I turned another corner as I put together my haphazard plan and almost cursed as I saw a gathering of dozens of armoured goblins at the end of the long stretch of Hall. Still, I smiled as it wouldn't prevent me leaving now.
As I ran, I raised my left hand in front of me and focussed on the second ring, the one on my pointer finger and pushed my magic into it causing it to shine with ethereal light.
In front of me a circular magic design composed of silver starlight appeared and I smiled at it, knowing it intimately and yet having never seen it before now. The centre of the circle contained my crest, a star hanging over an open book. It was the Celestial Grimoire. It was a part of me and defined me and would be in any magic circle that the rings utilised. Beyond the centre, the runes and glyphs that ran around the outer edge of the circle described the spell that the ring was focusing.
I didn't hesitate and leapt through the circle as I ran down the hall and as I passed through, I could feel the magic scanning me, analysing me and most importantly, replicating me.
So, when I landed from my leap through the magic circle that was now fading behind me, I did not land alone as an exact duplicate of me landed at my side and we continued running together, the both of us throwing out our left hands and summoning forth another silver magic circle each and each leaping through our own.
One magic circle: two kick ass motherfuckers. Two magic circles: four kick ass motherfuckers.
By the time we had neared the group of goblins at the end of the hall, I had jumped through four magic circles and so, following the math: sixteen widely grinning, green glowing, wild-eyed teenage girls were facing off the platoon of suddenly fearful looking little bastards.
I slowed and allowed my clones to overtake me. They knew the plan; they knew their purpose. Each of them flared their magics and the emerald glow around them grew even brighter. I, on the other hand, focused on my fourth ring, the one on my ring finger, and pushed magic into it while trying to keep a clear mental picture in my head.
Like with the Replicatering, a magic circle spun into existence before me. The central image remained mostly the same except that this one seemed to twist slightly as the rings of the circle created a slight funnelling effect as they turned. The outer circles, to the untrained eye, might appear the same but with the knowledge I had gained from the perk, I knew this one explained an entirely different effect.
I gave my clones one last look as they reached the gathered goblins and then I leapt through the circle just as the clones all spread their hands wide and brought them together unanimously in an eye-searingly bright conflagration of fire and pressure that exploded outwards and filled the hall with flame. Yet I was already though the portalwhich was spinning closed behind me as I emerged from another glowing circle of light to the shocked stares of wizards and witches in the alley. Behind me, a block away, a distant 'Twump!' was heard and the entirety of Gringotts bank shuddered.
"He HE HA HA MWAHAHAHA!" I laughed at the sheer adrenaline rushing through my veins! 'That'll teach the little fuckers!' I thought victoriously.
So distracted by my euphoric success; I didn't even notice the red stunner that hit me in the back and rendered me unconscious.
Small edit to James and Jimmy scene. Removed mention of Remus.