HP Family Magics
By ChupacabraTamer
Still not mine. Thank you JK for letting us play in your sand box. These characters are just too amazing to leave them trapped in the books and movies for all time. Enjoy the ride.
See chapter one for more.
Chapter 5 – Echos and Enlightments
"We have an audience with Lord Greengrass at 9:00 this morning. Dobby will you be able to get us to his manor?" Harry held the parchment out so Dobby could read it. Touching the parchment Dobby nodded.
"Dobby can. Parchment bes telling Dobby where to pop you."
Harry nodded. Harry had a couple of hours to kill so he read his family Grimoire. Hoping to fill in the blanks on what he had learned. He felt that he could be doing better but he wasn't sure how. He was so deeply engrossed in the book that he didn't hear Dobby working around the room. Dobby finally interrupted Harry so he could dress for their meeting. Opening the wardrobe Harry was amazed to find all new clothes. The old rags he had been wearing were gone and replaced with custom tailored suits and top of the line everyday clothes.
"Master Harry need look like Lord Potter. Yous wear suit today." Dobby said. Harry smiled. He had intended on wearing his Hogwarts robes but this would be so much better. Harry picked a light grey three piece suit with a white shirt and thin darker grey tie. Dobby helped Harry learn how to tie the tie properly. Dobby added a gold tie bar and he was ready. Harry looked in the mirror of the wardrobe and was amazed at the person in the mirror. Nodding to himself he reached out and Dobby took his hand and they vanished from Privet Drive.
At 9:00 on the dot Harry and Dobby arrived just outside the wards of Green Fields Manor. Harry waited for a moment and Daphne Greengrass arrived to let him in.
"Welcome Lord Potter. My father awaits you in his study. Please follow me." Daphne said in a very formal and flat tone.
"Thank you Daphne." Harry said only to have Dobby nudge his leg and nod his head towards the girl.
"Excuse me. Thank you heiress Greengrass. I appreciate you welcoming me." Harry said. Daphne turned in time to see the elf giving Harry directions. Harry bowed to her and she curtsied and held out her hand. Harry air kissed just above her knuckles and she smirked at his actions.
"It would seem Lord Potter that you have a knowledgable advisor." Daphne said.
"I was raised in the muggle world and kept ignorant of many things. I will endeavor to correct my lack of knowledge until such time, please forgive me if I make a mistake. I will strive to do better." The three walked in silence to the front door of the manor and into the study where Lord Cyrus Greengrass waited. He rose to meet Harry, receiving an odd look from his daughter.
"Lord Potter. How good to see you. I have been looking forward to this meeting for a while."
"Thank you Lord Greengrass. As I was telling your daughter. I have been kept ignorant of much and I'm now attempting to correct that. It was just days ago that I read the letters my parents left for me letting me know you were someone I could trust and should have contacted before now."
"Yes. I was surprised that you never attempted to contact Daphne. I realize the house differences but." Cyrus paused seeing the look on Daphnes face. "Anyway, You are here now. Please let's sit. What can the house of Greengrass do for house Potter?" He asked formally.
"Sir. Would you mind if we dispense with the formalities? I need some help and I really don't want to offend you but" Harry trailed off. Cyrus chuckled which surprised Harry, and from the look on Daphnes face, disgusted her.
"You get that from your father. He could never keep up the formal speak for long either. I don't blame you one bit. Please call me Cyrus and Daphne." Cyrus said.
"Then please call me Harry." Cyrus nodded and Daphne pursed her lips in a very good McGonagall impression.
"What's up Harry. If you just read the letters then something is not right." Cyrus said.
Harry looked at Daphne before speaking. "As I said I've been kept ignorant. I learned much over the past few days and I hate to ask this but can this conversation and the fact I was here be kept quiet?"
The huff from Daphne was evident and she looked like she was about to go off when her father cut in.
"Absolutely Harry. Daphne knows this is house business. This supersedes any petty Hogwarts issues." Cyrus delivered this as he stared down his daughter. Harry was pretty sure this wasn't the first conversation they had about him.
"Lord Potter. Anything said or imply here will be kept in the strictest confidence I assure you." Daphne delivered sounding like it had been rehearsed.
"Thank you heiress Greengrass. Although I have given you leave to address me as Harry." Harry said which shocked Daphne.
"I'm sorry Harry. I took offense where I shouldn't. This is house business and we will keep your secrets as we trust you will keep ours."
"I would hope after what you hear you will understand my concern." Harry said and then explained about the bleeding of the Potter accounts and most everything that had been withheld from him. He explained how it was that at fifteen he was Lord Potter. Also how Dumbledore had arranged to sell off all the Potter holdings in hopes that Harry had died in the final event.
"Finally I had to break a betrothal contract that Dumbledore had signed between myself and Ginny Weasley." Harry said.
"That bint. Even from the Slytherin table we could all see she was just a fan girl." Daphne blurted out. "I hope you took them to the cleaners."
Harry chuckled. "Daphne, I didn't know you cared." this caused her to blush, the first time he had ever seen that. It also caused Cyrus to laugh at his daughters expense.
"Oh, that was well done Harry. I've never seen anyone get one over on her." Cyrus said. This caused Daphne to turn her glare on her father. He held up his hand to stave off the onslaught that was about to come out of his daughter. "What is said in this room. Stays in this room." This caused her to stop and take a breath. Then a second one.
"I'm sorry Harry. It's just there are so many girls at school that would make a much better partner for you. I would hate to see you trapped with a fangirl like her. I overheard Astoria saying that she saw Ginny writing 'Mrs. Ginny Potter' in her book one time. That was last year." Daphne said.
"She did always give me the creeps. It's like she's making me out to be the Harry that is in those stupid books. I should really find out who wrote them and get them off the market." Harry said. Dobby handed Harry a notebook and biro so he could write it down.
"Well, Harry it sounds like you have been put thru the wringer. Plus it's obvious that certain people are expecting to pick the carcass of the Potter fortune. Good job with what you have done so far. It would seem you have some good advisors." Cyrus said looking at Dobby. Dobby smiled and shrunk back a little.
"Yes. I've found two advisors whose help has been invaluable. I'm not sure why but my father said I should reach out to you. Would you be able to help me understand why?" Harry said.
Daphnes look of shock was evident. It would seem that Daphne understood more than Harry on this topic. Cyrus saw the look and chuckled at his daughter.
"Maybe you would like to explain to Harry why his father suggested he contact our family." Cyrus said. The huff from Daphne was evident that she didn't want to be part of this conversation. But under the searing gaze from her father she relented. Her shoulders slumped.
"Considering I was only one when that letter was probably written I would guess it is our families magic your father was hoping we would share with you. It's not normal for families to share their magic information unless under specific circumstances. Is that what you were thinking?" Daphne said to Harry but finished looking at her father. Cyrus nodded.
"That would be my guess. Usually the only time family magic is shared is several years after a couple has been married." Cyrus held up his hand to Harry as he started to protest. "Usually that is. There are other reason to share family magic. Alliances and life debts can be part of that sharing also. We were aligned with the Potters, Bones, and Longbottoms in the previous war. Our families part was hidden from the world. With your parents gone and Nevilles unable to function it fell apart. Daphne was directed to watch for any sign that you were in need of help. So far we had no reason to believe you were not doing well, that is except in potions." Cyrus said.
"WHAT. Are. You. kidding." Harry got out before Dobby put his hand on Harrys arm and squeezed. Harry looked at Harry and whispered in his ear. Harry nodded.
"My apologies. My … trusted advisor reminds me that much of what the rest of the castle and the outside world hears is filter through Dumbledore." Turning to Daphne "I'm sure you haven't heard what was in the chamber of secrets, or the troll, or the death eater teaching DADA this last year?"
This broke the ice princess' facade and the shock was evident. The color drained from her face as Harry mentioned the death eater last year. "Moody? He's not a death eater." She exclaimed.
"It wasn't Moody. It was Barty Crouch Jr. using poly juice all year. He's the one that put my name in the goblet. He also confounded the goblet to think I was from a fourth school so I would be the only contestant and get selected. Dumbledore said I needed to compete. I think he knew Moody wasn't Moody and was using that as a way to get rid of me without getting his hands dirty. He seems to be pretty good at that." Harry said. "Thinking about it I bet Dumbledore knew the monster in the Chamber of Secrets was a Basilisk"
That comment had both Cyrus and Daphne sitting up straight and talking at the same time.
"A what?" "Is it still there?" "What happened to it?"
Harry held up his hands to the pair of them. "I killed it at the end of my second year."
"How did you kill it? A monster like that usually requires a team of five to seven highly trained specialists to kill." Cyrus said.
"I stabbed it with the sword of Gryffindor. It did manage to sink it's fang into my arm." Harry said pulling up his sleeve to show the scar.
Daphne looked like a fish out of water as her mouth opened and closed several times before she asked. "How are you not dead?"
"Fawkes was there and cried in the wound and healed me and stopped the poison from killing me." Harry said matter of factly like it was an every day occurance.
Cyrus looked from Harry to his daughter. "That old fossil let a basilisk run loose in the castle for almost six months with all of the students there? Why didn't I hear about this?" Looking towards his daughter.
"We heard very little. I never heard what the monster was and Dumbledore said it had been killed at the end of the year. If I had known it was a basilisk I would have told you." Daphne said "It doesn't help that Professor Snape hates Harry so the few of us with brains believed very little of what he says about you." Turning to Harry. Harry nodded to her in thanks.
"Ok. Back to topic. Family magics. I'm guessing since you have the Potter family ring you have experienced the Potter magic being presented to you?" Cyrus asked. Harry nodded.
"Took me out for two days. Thanks to Dobby here I didn't end up half off my bed for those two days."
Dobby smiled at his master while the other two in the room chuckled.
"I guess you didn't know not to focus on the ring if you weren't ready?" Cyrus asked. Harry shook his head no.
"Have you been successful in using your magics?"
"To a degree. I feel like something is out of reach. I keep trying and I was reading my family Grimoire this morning but it doesn't explain how, just what to do." Harry let a little of his frustration come out. Dobby put his hand on Harrys arm which calmed the teen.
"The Greengrass family is a trading empire. We have been traders for generations. Part of our alliance with the Potters was sharing the secret to our negotiation tactics. You see. We are master at passive Legilimency and Occlumency. Even the dark lord could never break into any of our minds. Something that truly annoyed the death eaters. Daphne has had Snape attempt to enter her mind only to his frustration."
Daphne smiled sweetly at Harry with that comment. The smile looked like that of a madman ready to do harm to the next person that annoyed them.
"Snape thought as a teen I would be easy pickings to get information about my family for you-know-who. He learned that there are some minds you don't want to read." Daphne smiled a feral smile.
"Do you think that Occlumency would help me use my family magic better?" Harry asked.
"Possibly. A side effect is a more focused mind along with the protection. I will say the difficult part is that you will need to trust the person teaching you, as will they. During part of the training you and the one teaching you will be seeing some of each others memories. This can be … uncomfortable." Cyrus remembered some of the memories he shared and saw with his uncle with a slight shudder.
As Harry thought about it Daphne remembered the sharing of thoughts with her mother when she underwent her lessons. The most difficult was the testing last summer and what her mother saw. Her face turned slightly red before she could get her thoughts under control. Thankfully her father didn't see that or he would have insisted on testing her this summer.
Harry felt that comforting hand on his arm again. Looking at Dobby the little elf nodded. This was not missed by Daphne or Cyrus.
"I guess if that is what's needed I will have to endure. I'm assuming the same statement goes with the training as with house business?" Harry asked.
"Even more. My Uncle and I never talked about what each other saw while training to anyone." Cyrus said while thinking that he wanted to obliviate himself until he figured out how to lock those memories away.
"My mother taught me and we have never spoken of it outside of training times. You can trust my father to keep your secrets." Daphne said. Her father nodded a thanks to his daughter for the vote of confidence.
"I was thinking that maybe it would be time for you to teach what you know Daphne. You taught Astoria some tricks before we had the chance and I feel like you could have completed her training by yourself." Cyrus said.
Daphne looked at her father like he was mad. There was no way Harry would want her to train him and she was almost afraid to look into his mind if half the rumors were near true. Before Daphne could voice her opinion Harry spoke up.
"I'm not sure Daphne would want to see in my mind. Sometimes I'm not sure I want to see in there either. I …" Harry was at a loss for the right words. The idea of a girl his age looking into his mind was more terrifying than facing down Voldermort.
"Is the leader of the Golden Trio afraid." Daphne said defiantly. She had crossed her arms and was glaring at Harry now.
"Not afraid for me. For you. I …" Harry stopped and thought. Dobby squeezed Harrys arm letting him know that he was there. "There are memories that are extremely disturbing and I would hate to expose you to them. I think we could work together if that will help me. As a show of good faith I will teach you how to pick up rocks." Harry ended cheekily. Daphne looked like she wanted to protest but there was something in the way he said it she wanted to know more. He was more intriguing than she had thought and was almost looking forward to traipsing around in his mind and figuring out how he worked. There had to be something strange in that Gryffindor mind of his.
"I think I can handle seeing your memories if you can handle me sharing some of mine." Daphne said.
"Arggg. You aren't going to show me Malfoy in a bathing costume are you? I'll have to burn my eyes." That broke the ice princess and her father and they all laughed till they started crying.
"That is truly disturbing. If there is nothing more Harry it's almost lunch time. Will you join us?" Cyrus said in closing the meeting. Harry agreed and Cyrus unsealed the door. As they walked out Harry motioned for Daphne to lag behind.
"If you don't want to train me I will understand. You don't have to say why. I can ask your father to do it." Harry offered. Daphne regarded Harry briefly.
"No. I'll do it. Plus I want to learn how to pick up rocks." Daphne teased with a wicked smile. "I really want to know what you mean by that because I'm sure it doesn't include walking on the beach." Harry smiled and nodded.
"Fair enough and thank you." Harry replied. This exchange didn't go unnoticed by the head of the Greengrass house as they walked to the family dining room.
Harry met Roxanne Greengrass and found a slightly older version of Daphne albeit significantly more inviting and warm. The lunch was enjoyable and Harry found he liked the razor wit of Daphne and was somewhat looking forward to their lessons together.
As Harry was about to leave Daphne had their house elf, Effie, get a couple of books and an empty journal for Harry. Daphne explained that he needed to start with the top book and follow the direction. "When you finish the fifth chapter and start the exercises we can meet for our first time. The journal will be explained in the first chapter and how to start the exercises."
That afternoon Harry completed the first book from Daphne. With the ideas from the book swirling around in his head he decided to put it aside and had Dobby take him back to the quarry. Concentrating on his family magic helped him not think about other families magics and that seemed to help. The ideas in the book seemed to start working on his mind as he ignored them.
Harry spent the next several days studying, practicing and exercising. He met with Griphook near the end of the month to make sure everything was in place. The Galway place would be ready on the last day of July and so would Griphook. Harry was feeling good and in control for the first time in his life.
The morning of July 31 Harry woke with a smile. Today the shit will be hitting the fans all over the place. Harry hadn't heard from any of his so called friends but that didn't matter. He had his trusted advisors who were now both good friends. His lessons with Daphne, although starting rocky, were going well and Harry could feel his magic responding to his more focused mind. He was starting to think she could be a friend also. Time would tell.
His peace was shattered by the largest of the Dursleys pounding on the door.
"Open up you freak." Vernon screamed at the closed door attempting to break it down. Dobby popped in and waited for Harry. "What did you do Freak?" The pounding continued.
"Dobby thinks land whale wants in." Harry chuckled.
"Yes. I'm sure he does. I take it Griphook delivered the information personally?"
"You had that little freak do his freaky stuff and steal our house." Vernon screamed through the door.
Harry nodded. "Yup. Seems like Griphook was right on time. Ready for some fun good buddy?" Dobby nodded in reply.
The door opened and Vernon tried to lunge at Harry. He met the invisible wall and crumpled against it.
"Ouch. That looked like it hurt Uncle. Are you ok?" Harry decided to play the innocent card for fun. It would really wind his uncle up. His uncle was already at the purple stage in his face and Harry was enjoying the power he now had.
"You can't evict us. Where will we live?" Vernon bellowed.
"Not my problem. Careful or I will have the Goblins adjust the rent to market value before they take it from your accounts. I'm being gracious in letting you have it for the original price set eighteen years ago. It's not my fault you neglected to pay for the past fourteen years. Oh," Harry rubbed his chin like he was thinking. "I could ask for interest on that money too. My advisors recommended it but I just want you out." Harry said.
Petunia arrived and not so gently pushed Vernon aside to face Harry.
"What can we do to keep our home?" Petunia pleaded.
"MY. HOME. NOT. YOURS." Harry bellowed and allowed a little magic to leak out with the words.
"You have spent every minute of my life telling me I was a burden to you and costing you money you didn't have. While all the time you were living in my house and using my money for yourself. The Goblins even found the check you sent to Marge to build her kennels. So my money paid for her to breed that vile dog of hers that you let attack me. Why should I do anything for you?" Harry finished his rant. Dobby leaned against Harrys leg giving him strength. Harry felt better than ever before mentally. The exercises from the books Daphne had sent were helping him remain calm while this tense situation unfolded.
"That is private information. You can't" Vernon started only to be cut off by Harry.
"When there is a criminal case what is private is also discoverable. The Goblins have found every little bit that you two have been doing since my parents died." That stopped them both from talking. They believed that the magical world would never be able to get into their accounts so they never bothered trying to hide anything. This was would be their downfall.
"Just be glad I didn't allow the Goblins to take you to their court. I've heard the mines where convicted criminals and child abusers go is not pleasant." Harry gave them the recurring evil smile.
"Now you have until noon to be out of my house. Too bad it's a Saturday as the entire neighborhood will be watching. At one minute past noon the Goblins will arrive, looking very human, and aided by the bobbies, will finish removing what is left and leave it on the front lawn. I would suggest you move." Harry said.
"If I get my hands on you boy." Vernon bellowed.
"I'll leave your head through the wall this time." Harry said softly. This stopped the verbal abuse from the largest Dursley. Vernon remembered his arm stuck until Dudley came home and had to break apart the plasterboard to get him free. He spent the next two days getting it fixed and repainting the hall and bedroom.
"Boy. I warn you."
"Uncle. The clock is ticking. GET. OUT. OF. MY. HOUSE." Harry ended loudly making sure that he was heard outside the house. This caused his aunt to shrink back at the thought and pulled Vernon downstairs.
"I think it's time to get out of here for a while Dobby. You ready to move?" Harry asked his constant companion. Dobby nodded and with a snap all of the upgrades were gone, along with everything Harry owned. Looking at the despicable state of the room and broken toys Harry shook his head.
"How about we leave the block on the door till just after noon. That way the Goblins will have to remove the stuff from this room in front of the entire neighborhood." Harry smiled evilly at Dobby.
"Master Harry being all Slytherin on his enemies."
"Not enemies. They barely rate as obstacles in my life."
"Harry my boy. Are you up there?" A new voice called. A voice that he didn't want to hear for a long time.
"Now Dobby." Harry said as the head of a wizard in long garish robes just peaked up the stairs determined to talk to him. Harry waved and was gone before the wizard could do anything.