Capítulo 4: Chapter 4
The sorting feast was amazing. All sorts of interesting food that Harry had never had. After all, he grew up Privet Drive until a few months before his eighth birthday, and was then whisked off to Italy. Harry had never tasted any like a British feast before.
Hermione, happy that all three of them were in the same house, looked at their new friend Ron with disgust. Both Harry and Neville recognized both cadence and tone, and wanted to duck for cover.
"Mr. Weasley. If you don't start closing your mouth to chew your food, I will close it for you with a muggle clamp. You are being very rude, and the prefects are busy with other things. Do I need to take action to defend my appetite?"
Ron shook his head, and slowed down, closed his mouth and chewed carefully. After swallowing, he asked her "When did you meet my Great Aunt Muriel?"
Two red-heads near them started laughing and informed the other first years. "Oh yes, sounded just like her."
"Well, I don't believe I've had the pleasure. I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Harry Potter, whom you danced a jig for, and Neville Longbottom. I don't believe I need to introduce Ron to you as the hair rather gives it away. And you are?"
"Oh, Miss Granger! We are your worst nightmare! Gred and Forge Weasley, at your service, your pranking service."
"Not another one! Harry here has a father who was a great prankster. Found one of his journals and stocked up at three different pranking stores, one of them muggle. Of course, someone got him by pranking his chocolates. Are you doing better, Harry?" Hermione was the epitome of anxious concern. One would never know that she had been in on the whole thing.
"Loads, that potion worked that Percy gave me. Hope he had enough for the others."
"That wasn't us mate, we would never interfere with the snack lady." Fred or George stated. "Does this prankster have a name?"
"Yes, his patronus was a big hart, or deer and so he was nicknamed Prongs. My father, James Charlus Potter. You should see his book, it's brilliant. Just don't let Professor Snape know about it. My father really, really hated him." Harry added quietly. "Thought he was a Death Eater."
The twins looked at each other and put on matching grins.
"We'll meet tomorrow after class, Mr. Potter, if that's alright with you." Gred stated.
"Sure! I'd like that!" Harry smiled, a wide friendly grin on his face that secretly made both Neville and Hermione shudder.
After the feast, the headmaster's words made everyone at their table happy. They were laughing at the huge joke.
Dumbledore, however, was not amused.
"Did he really mean that?" Harry asked after a moment. The twins were with Harry.
"Yes, I'm quite serious, my boy." The great man intoned, looking over his famous half-moon glasses.
The Gyffindors stopped laughing and looked up at the man, the great warrior. The Leader of the Light in Britain, and holder of the highest honor that any non-knight can achieve.
Harry didn't just admire the man, he had studied him, and hoped to be like him someday. It took great power to not have to kill your enemies, and he wanted to learn how Dumbledore did it.
Harry just swallowed and nodded. He knew that it was a possibility that Dumbledore would try something to test him, but as Headmaster here, something so overt was not expected. Harry turned to Ron.
"So, are you any good at that Wizard's Chess? I just had to get a set for myself to try, well, once I was here at Hogwarts." Harry stated. He was adequate at the game, Neville was good.
But it was Hermione who shined at strategy, at least when there was no timer. Harry was better at not freezing when quick decisions mattered.
"Ohhh. I love chess. I'll challenge you Harry, if we can get someone to teach us how to use your magical set." Hermine chimed.
"Did you hear that Ron? There's a girl…" Fred started
"A pretty girl, mind you…" George added.
"That thinks she is good.."
"At chess…"
"A match made in Heaven." The twins said together, getting twin death glares from both Harry and Neville. The nearly empty pumpkin juice started to clatter into the empty milk jug.
"Now, now. What's all of the fuss?" Percy came over and saved the pitchers from exploding.
"Sorry, a bit of accidental magic." Neville said.
"Then it couldn't have been you, Longbottom. Squibs don't do accidental magic."
"Ignore him, Neville. Being so inbred has caused all of the logic genes to disappear in the Malfoy line." Hermione turned to the blond ponce.
"Neville has to have magic. Point one. He got a letter to Hogwarts, that doesn't happen to hedge witches and wizards. Did you know that Head Boy Tom Riddle's mother didn't get a letter? She had enough magic to brew love potions, but that's a different matter. Point two. Neville is very good with magical plants. Squibs can grow regular plants, and might coax some magical ones to grow, but you need a house-elf or wizard for magical plants to truly flourish in a greenhouse. Point three. Neville clearly did accidental magic just now. He was upset about something Ron said. QED, Neville has magic."
"QED? Is that a muggle thing?" Draco Malfoy demanded.
"Quod erat demonstrandum. That's latin." Hermione said patiently.
"Stupid mudblood! That's not a real spell!"
Percy scowled. "Hey! Don't use that word at Hogwarts! Five points from Slytherin, and go back to your table. By the way, QED means that she just proved her point. Malfoys have no logic. Now, continue to display your lack of intelligence by poking lionesses, and you'll have the chief one here to maul you. She is already giving you a look." Percy commanded, getting ready to defend his firstie with magic if needed.
The twins started clapping for Hermione's clear win of the debate. A Weasley was never going to stand by and let anyone named Malfoy get away with anything. Percy's handling was included in their applause. Of course, the older students just clapped for a firstie defending herself so well.
Draco proved that he did indeed inherit some Black blood and slunk back to his table.
"Most impressive, Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor for defanging a snake without spell casting. Most impressive." Percy added, while clapping for her himself.
Harry leaned over to Neville and whispered. "I knew it was a bad idea to bring her."
The Longbottom heir just nodded while he and Harry clapped for the now blushing maid who sat back for a moment before standing to follow Percy up to Gryffindor Tower.
**OO**
Harry was very pensive as he tried to memorize the passageway. Things looked so very different from a two-dimensional map than in stone, portraits and moving stairs.
He had known that both Neville and himself had a crush on the bushy-haired girl. No knight would marry before twenty-five, so there was no rush in the competition. At least from him.
Neville not taking the squire's belt and oath was a blow, but Hermione had, and her knight expected her to go on to take further vows.
They had never talked about it, but didn't mean that they weren't very aware of the competition. And now, the fact that the other wizards around them seemed to like the strong-willed, brainy type of witches as well? It was a slap to Harry's face. No worse, his heart. And there was absolutely nothing that he could do about it.
Harry made note to himself to recruit more girls to their group. Lavender was pretty enough, but was she smart? He wondered if she were any relation to the monseigneur, but had no polite way to ask without revealing things he didn't want to. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Pavarti yet either.
As Percy led them all upstairs, he pointed out the hospital wing to Harry and Ron if symptoms of bad frogs came back. Soon enough, they were through the portrait. Harry said good night to the girls with a half-bow that Seamus and Ron sniggered at. Harry ignored them, and followed Percy to their dorm room.
Harry went to the bed with his trunk and made a point of using an old key to open the trunk. It was clearly a family heirloom that would bite anyone not of Potter blood, at least, with the wards engaged.
Harry pulled out a silencer that his father had enchanted. Very Victorian looking, it was a wrought iron piece of work that was exquisitely beautiful. It installed easily anywhere. It had a little bell chime that could be rung to let the people outside the bubble notify the people inside the bubble that they were needed.
"That must have been very expensive." Dean commented, whistling.
Harry shook his head and explained the device's history.
Harry had asked to talk to a manager when he had been there with Hagrid. Gringotts had made the appointment for two days before the train was to leave.
A second vault did exist. Friends of his parents had packed the cottage early in the morning after the attack, as looting had already started. Some things were likely lost forever. The missing school trunk was in this family vault. But it wasn't empty. It was full of inventions, as well as some of his mother's first through fifth year's potions books with notes and doodles in it.
"This is a 'Do-Not-Disturb Silencer', My dad invented it. He was a bit of an enchanter and tinkered with things. I get the feeling that he was cooped up and bored when I was a baby, and made things like this to keep busy." Harry said, showing the rest of his dorm-mates how to use it to get his attention.
"Good night everyone." Harry said, reveling in the quiet for a moment.
Harry thought back to finding the trunk. He had tested the silencer among other things. How much fun it was to go through a trunk of things that appeared to be junk, but were inventions from a beloved lost parent. Some had little books of notes of how it was made, some just a page or two of writing. But lots of things that he had looked forward to sharing with Brother Paddy.
Brother Paddy, who Harry was most certain was definitely dead. Harry sniffed, and realizeded he was still dressed in robes.
Harry needed to brush his teeth, so he turned off the silencer. While he got ready for bed, he kept his emotions together until the curtains closed and the silencer was once again active.
He got out his mirror. "Monseigneur Brown."
Nothing. They were worried that the wards would interfere with the mirrors. They had done so on the train.
"Hermione Granger."
"Harry!"
They talked for a while, and Hermione complained about how vapid the other girls were. She had a runic version of his silencer on her bed curtains, so she could talk freely. Harry got the meaning from context, but seriously, Hermione talked like she swallowed a dictionary. It helped him focus. He really, really could not betray a mission. But this was risky. What could he say without revealing too much? He needed to know if he was hurting their potential future together.
"Hermione, is a seat on the Wizengamot something important to you?"
"Oh Harry, there are so many rules and old laws here! Can you imagine me keeping my temper in there? I don't think I could. I think I would be killing people left and right until only I and a few forward thinking people were left."
Harry laughed, and realized that the girl might not be joking.
She was one scary witch sometimes, but he did feel better for talking to her.
"I gotta check in. Sleep well, Hermione."
"You too Harry, good night." As she signed off, Harry realized just how much she meant to him. He was glad that she wasn't stuck on the seat thing. He couldn't tell her though, not even a little. Everyone's reactions had to be real.
"Sister Gisele."
"Harry, I assume that you activated the privacy device." The lady was now dressed in a Gringotts' uniform.
"Yes, you are so clear! I expected more interference due to the wards from here to London."
"I'm in a room in Hogsmeade. I'm coming up to the school tomorrow morning. Plan on missing your first class or two. Wish I could include the others."
"Why aren't you going back to our school in Italy?" Harry asked worriedly. Why was SHE placing herself in potential danger?
"Monseigneur Brown sent me to Gringotts and will send me to you tomorrow in a different disguise. I doubt the great Albus Dumbledore would remember a half-starved freedom fighter from the trenches even if I didn't wear a glamour. It was more than fifty years ago."
"The plan doesn't include this!" Harry stated. "I just said goodbye!" Sir Jerome had better be on guard! Harry thought to himself.
"I know, it's hard. Look. Talk to me about your contacts. Take a deep breath. You can do this, Harry."
"Fine." Harry went through all of the first year Gryffindors he thought had potential first, and then talked about Lisa Turpin.
"I really wanted to talk to Blaise Zabini, but I didn't get a chance on the train, and now he's been sorted in Slytherin. Some of the girls were gossiping about him being illegitimate, so he might like the opportunity for a fresh start. I'll have to see if he wants to play chess or something." He brushed an errant tear out of his eye.
"Something else is wrong." Sister Gisele stated, did not ask.
"I forgot to find out where the chapel was. I could surely use it right now."
"I hear that it is beautiful, but only has a live priest on Sundays. The rest of the week it has a ghost, oh, don't look at me like that! Ghosts are the echo of the person, the debate of whether or not the mist is really their soul is something for the Vatican, and not for the likes of a school secretary!"
"Sister Gisele, school secretaries who, by the way, act as a deputy all of the time do not carry five different weapons!"
"Well, they do if it's a military school with known enemies. Now, if you want to wait until we are together fine. But I'm a German! I don't give out hugs and cuddles like candy at Christmas! I give out soap-spells!"
"And stinging hexes if we try a prank. You always catch us!"
"Which makes you better in the field. All part of the project."
"I am more than a project, Sister Gisele. Even to you."
"Goodnight, liebchen. Sleep well."
"Sister Gisele, I just thought of something. If you were German, why did you fight against Gellert Grindelwald?"
"He wanted to kill anyone of any faith who had magic. Hitler was killing the Jews, but Grindelwald wanted to kill anyone who believed in a higher power than magic. He would have gladly killed me. He killed my mother, brother and both sisters after all. I just wasn't home at the time."
"And that's when you and your father decided to help the underground? If you were killed, you'd join your family in Heaven, if you lived, you'd help prevent others from suffering the same. That's why all of us are your children. Thank you for telling me. Why haven't you told me before?"
"Because we start phase two tomorrow, early I know, and I want you to know that you are not alone. And if I was to die, as all must get around to eventually, then another would take my place."
"No one can take your place. Oh, sure, do some of your jobs, and tasks. But you are unique, Sister Grumpypants."
"Remind me that I owe you a stinger, my little raven. Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."
The mirror went off, and a ghostly figure of a dog drifted in, sniffed at Harry, gave him a 'woof' of greeting then twirled three times, and laid down on the far corner of the bed, silvery grey ghostly eyes upon him.
Harry tried to hug the dog, and experienced the pain of an ice bath of grabbing a ghost.
"It's true. I knew it was, but didn't want to believe it. Oh, Brother Paddy! Why didn't you listen? I need you, we need you. I love you!"
Wailing now in loss and pain, the Boy-Who-Lived flung himself on his pillow and wept bitter, bitter tears.
**OO**
Neville used the bell to wake Harry early the next morning. Despite the potion Harry had finally taken around midnight, he still didn't rest well. The dog was gone, and that made Harry all the sadder.
None of the other boys were stirring, so Harry invited Neville in quickly, and reset the silencing device.
"So, Sister Gisele is coming. I doubt it's good news." Neville stated.
"No, she didn't seem happy when I talked to her last night. Hermione doesn't like her dorm mates much. They were asking all kinds of personal questions, and she couldn't talk about her research. Not that they would care." Harry informed Neville.
"It's going to get better, Harry. Look, I know that you like her…"
"Longbottom, shut up. You know the numbers. Fourteen years from now. That's more than as long as I have been alive. I'm not going to say anything to anyone. My focus is on getting rid of the last bits of Britain's dark lord, and then helping the world for a while. And hopefully, live through that.
"Not everyone does." Harry finished glumly.
"Just to make it clear, Potter. When I'm fifteen, I'm declaring for her. And she can decide if she wants to take the oath."
"You'd take her away from the Order?"
"To protect her from all of the potential harm? Give her a library to do research in safety? Grow her favorite flowers, and fight the fight in the Wizengamot? You've no taste for it, or so you said. I could vote for both of your houses and mine. Or do you plan on trying to woo two witches when you're out?" Neville sneered.
"What? No! That's not allowed."
"It is in the Wizarding World, and no, I plan on one wife, one queen to devote my life to. I don't even want a mistress like my uncle Algie keeps. I just thought I would be clear here."
"Yeah, you are clear. And she would be lucky to have a good bloke like you."
"It's going to be her choice. Always." Neville declared, the most fired up that Harry had ever seen. Well, Neville had had decent food his whole life, and was growing taller practically by the minute.
It made sense in this magic dense place that Neville's magic would also bloom.
Harry on the other hand, wasn't. Harry wasn't getting taller even though he was increasing magically in leaps and bounds. The healers were worried that the horcrux in Harry's head had messed with his growth, not to mention his lack of food growing up until he was rescued by Monseigneur Brown.
He'd overhead Monseigneur Brown say something about his magic being stunted too, but he was just as powerful as the other boys, and more powerful than some.
They opened the curtains, and got their things ready.
Harry really, really, really didn't want to be there at Hogwarts, now more than ever. He had never felt so alone in his life.
The future knight wanted to go home, but he was on a mission. Time to go.
**OO**
Harry made arrangements to meet with the pranksters that night. At breakfast, Harry did show them the prank book, and a big pouch that held more than it appeared.
Fred peeked in and smirked, and quickly put the bag away, as there was Percy with the schedules and the Deputy Headmistress was on her way over as well.
"Miss Granger, please inform your instructors that Mister Potter is with me this morning. He might not return to class until this afternoon."
"I'd be happy to. I'll take good notes, Harry."
"Thanks, Hermione. I'll get a copy of them, if there's a copy machine here that is."
"There is not, however, there is a spell. You'll find many advances in magic came before muggle technology advances." The professor informed them.
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you." Harry stood, giving Hermione and Neville his half-bow, and saluting the other boys in farewell.
"With me, Potter." The woman said, vaguely reminding him of Sister Gisele, and finding comfort in that.
Harry followed the women into a nearby antechamber. It had a comfortable feel, with soft chairs and couch arranged around a fireplace, a portrait was occupied by a group of wizards playing some card game.
Harry was having fun, trying to figure out what game they were playing, when he saw an odd move. Before the transfiguration expert had a chance to say anything to the boy, he shouted at the painting.
"Hey! You cheated!" Harry declared. "You changed out a card!"
"What? He did what?" "How?" "Knavery!"
Three ran after the forth, who was spilling cards from sleeve pockets and his socks, and ran away cursing Harry with language most foul for the era.
"Well! That was unexpected!" A woman exclaimed at the door.
Minerva twilled around, and Gisele immediately dropped her disguise. The glamour went so quickly that the Deputy would have had no time to notice it.
"Minerva McGregor! I never thought to see you alive again! I was told you were dead!"
"Gertie? I thought ye were gone as well! Goodness me! It's been so long!"
The women hugged, and wiped tears from their eyes.
"Oh, where are my manners? Mr. Potter, this is Gertrude Wagner. The last time I saw her was near the tail end of the war."
"I thought both you and your husband had been captured and killed? How did you survive?" Sister Gisele asked.
"I'm an animagus, something I kept quiet back then. Poor Jamie wasn't, but he forced me to leave that awful prison to get help. I never saw him again, a muggle bomb had killed everyone, good and evil, in that place."
"Oh dear! I'm so sorry! I would have kept in contact if I had known. As for me, you know we were smuggling out babies, and anyone who had shown magic that wasn't 'acceptable' to that monster. I got caught up in a sweep, but they thought that I was French, so I was sent to prison in Germany."
"Your French was always impeccable."
Harry muttered about all of her languages, but realized that he should not lose himself to the homecoming feelings and lose focus. Especially revealing knowledge he couldn't have yet.
"Mr. Potter, please forgive me. Gertie, after your appointment with Mr. Potter, call for Zeb. We can chat and have tea and catch up. It is truly wonderful to see you, my friend."
The stern witch swept out of the room with only a small smile to show her true feelings of joy.
"Mr. Potter, please forgive my rudeness. Your deputy headmistress and I go way back. She was a demon in the skies."
Her eyes pointed to the nearby painting that had a pair of children now enjoying a picnic after the card players had left.
Mission to start now. Enter, stage right. Harry saw the animal waiting.
"No worries, ma'am. She seems so stern. I haven't had a chance to talk to her, but I am touched to witness your happy reunion."
"Mr. Potter, I represent Gringotts Inheritance department. I don't know if you know this, but your godfather, Sirius Black perished several years ago. He left you all of his worldly goods, and made you his heir when you were just a baby."
"Yes, ma'am. I got a letter, but Petunia only let me respond to it briefly, saying I would have to wait until I was at Hogwarts."
"You inherited some money at the time, but I'm afraid a lot has been lost in, well. Poor management."
"Albus Dumbledore was supposed to be my representative in that regard. I'll have to ask him. Gringotts was very closed-lipped when I tried to visit my family vaults recently. I have tried to write to Lord Black with no word from him. Are you saying he's dead? But I've never met him, and I thought he was young. Well, for a wizard."
"Yes, normally, wizards live a long time. Lord Black has recently passed away. You now inherit all of the vaults, properties, titles, etc. I brought a few things that you might want at school."
Included in the box was a short coded message that let him know that Brother Paddy had been killed in action.
Tears were leaking out of Harry's eyes. He knew it, he felt it, and had seen the Grim, but this was different.
The House ring was pressed into his hands.
"If you put this on, and claim it, the Head of House will be yours. Mr. Potter, we are very sorry for your family's loss."
Harry took the ring, and was about to put in on, when the doors flew open and Albus Dumbledore stalked in.
Harry noticed the painting. Yep, the girl was still there but the boy was gone.
"Harry, my boy, you can't possibly understand what wearing that ring will mean! No! Don't!"
A quick expelliarmus, and the ring flew from the boy's hand to land and bounce, a sharp tinkling sound on the flagstone.
"Do you make it a habit to spy on House business? I clearly remember setting a ward on the door to prevent eavesdropping." Sister Gisele did not have to act mad. She WAS mad.
"I'm sorry, my dear, but I can't let Harry here put on that ring. He doesn't understand the responsibilities that it would bring him."
"Oh, so I shouldn't wear that ring?" Harry asked, suddenly dizzy as a small brown furred creature came all the way into the room through a crack in the wall.
A little niffler grabbed the family ring, and ran away before any of the adults could stop him.
"Mr. Potter! Anyone can find it now! And if they have Black blood, they can claim the House! Headmaster, how could you interfere like this?"
The upset woman turned to Harry.
"Mr. Potter, I will go back to Gringotts and see if they can use the retrieval spell on that ring. In the meantime young man, you should think about your goals for school. Your father was a prankster, and your godfather with him. I'm told that the Potter vaults are not what they once were. Are you here to waste people's time? Or make something of yourself? Hmmm?" Oh, this was pure Sister Gisele.
Harry looked down and swallowed hard. He was biting his lip and trying to look serious when he wanted to break out laughing. He was being told to prank, prank, prank and prank again by the most notorious prankster hunter the world had ever seen!
"Ma'am, I was set to go to a totally different school. One that I liked DESPITE the grumpy secretary. Then I got dragged back to England, well, Britain, we're technically in Scotland which doesn't matter to most people, but matters to the locals, you know?" Harry said all of this very fast.
"If that ring means that I have to take on a bunch of responsibilities, then I don't want it. No. Yuck!" Harry shouted.
"It's the Black Head of House ring! Think if Mr. Malfoy found it! He has the right blood! He could claim your gold from the Black vaults and your properties and everything!" The woman shrieked, hair and voice raised.
Harry was glad that they had practiced this, because she was a very scary witch.
Fortunately, there was another target of opportunity, one that she hadn't had a chance to deal with. She twirled to face the great man himself. This was no different than scolding a swearing knight fresh from the field.
"So, you come in here, and distract the boy, disarm him and help him lose a very valuable artifact. Are you in league with Lucius Malfoy? Don't you know what that wizard really is? The bribes he paid! Well, it's not my place to spread gossip. I hold you partially responsible for this. Magical creatures running around. A niffler is all cute and sweet until someone's allowance goes missing, or grandmother's earrings. You better catch that thing. Quickly. Imagine, Draco Malfoy sitting on the seat in the Wizengamot!"
"I'm very sorry for interrupting, Harry, Madam...?" Albus queried, wanting to know who she was. She seemed vaguely familiar, but he had met many people in his time on Earth.
"My name is my own, for now. I've spoken too much as it is. Now, I have other House business, and not a lot of time, so please excuse us!"
"I'm truly sorry, yes, there are worse things than Harry getting the Black House ring. Oh my, I am very sorry." The great man apologized.
"Headmaster, did James Potter loan you anything? Books? A certain cloak? There are things missing from the vault. No one at Gringotts would label a warrior of the Light like yourself a thief. I'm sure it was just a case of borrowing. And then waiting for Harry to come to school. Wasn't it?" The woman suggested.
"Of course! Of course! I would never steal from the Potter family! They are as light as can be! Not that I would steal from the Black family, either, just because they are dark. I'm sure that Harry's things are around the castle. I'll have to ask the elves. Again, I'm so sorry about the ring. I just wanted to make sure that the boy understood what it all meant!"
Sister Gisele sniffed at him, but Dumbledore seemed to be telling at least some of the truth.
Too bad for him that they were playing a prank on him.
"Since we are being spied on here, no doubt with good intentions, you, Mr. Potter, will escort me to the ward line. Headmaster, please tell your deputy that I'll be back to chat with her, but I must inform my superiors at the bank immediately so that they can lock down the vaults and properties. All those that are not entailed, as least."
Dumbledore bowed her out the front door, and then summoned a house elf regarding a niffler loose in the castle.
"Catch them all! Get everyone but the kitchen staff on it! Beds can be made later! Now, Bims, now! I don't know how nifflers got into the castle! I'll be having words with my friend Newt on this issue if he left one of his little friends behind!"
**OO**
"Are you going to stay in Britain for awhile?" Harry asked plaintively. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to stay or flee. It certainly wasn't safe here for the grumpy sister. Death Eaters killed people like her as a training exercise.
"Look, Harry, you know that the previous Lord Black gave up his title in order for today to happen?" Sister Gisele was clearly trying to tell him something more.
"Yes. Monseigneur Brown wanted to tell me more, but couldn't."
"That's right, he couldn't."
"So, someone I never met died, and Brother Paddy died. I'm losing people fast! Can you tell me now?"
"I can't. Just know that you are loved, and that Brother Paddy loved you very much."
Sister Gisele turned her head to hide her tears, and tripped over a stone in the path on the way to the castle gates.
Harry was surprisingly strong for a boy his age and caught her before she could fall.
"I saw his ghost last night. Well, as a Grim. He might have died in his animagus form." Harry informed her.
She nodded. "We don't know the details yet. Chatham survived, but is injured. The memorials for the lost knights will be as soon as their bodies are recovered. I'm so sorry, Harry."
"I got to be with him for a long time. Going back home won't be the same without him." Harry sniffed back tears.
"Sir Jerome is doing something for the Order, you know that I know nothing of it. Don't try to ask." The sister was trying to help him feel safer. "I was able to get us rooms in town. Charles is here somewhere in Hogsmeade as well. I think he's hoping to meet Dumbledore. "
"Another fan-boy. At least I grew up there in Rome, and the knights know I'm not the second coming of Merlin or whatever. They've seen me muck out the stables and wash windows too many times to set me on a pedestal."
"I know that Rock Chatham still thinks highly of you."
"That's just because he cheated and won the last burping contest" Harry scanned the area as they approached the gate. The castle had impressive wards, no doubt with holes, but he felt nearly as safe here as he did at home.
"You are a good boy, Harry, and you can call me every day. I will be here for a few days tying down your non-gold Potter inheritance. The Order will expect at least a token amount, since you committed."
"Sister Gisele, take the maximum amount out that I'm allowed from the Potter cash vault, and save out maybe a hundred galleons. I want to invest in the Weasley twins. No, make it five hundred galleons."
"Yes, I agree. Let's make it a thousand, and the rest can go to the Order." She suggested. She called an elf, and handed over Harry's vault key with instructions on handling the gold. She was focused on other tasks after all.
"Fine. Great idea. I think that I want all of the Weasleys in general to be recruited. And try to get the twins to be some of our secret boffins. Oh, that reminds me. Dumbledore has something dangerous guarding the package. Shouldn't I tell him it's a fake copy of whatever? I don't like lying to one of the good guys."
"No, he's playing one of his games. It will be good for him to be on the other side." Then she remembered. "Zeb!"
A house-elf popped in, distracting both magicals.
"Please tell your mistress I must run to Gringotts, but I will be back tomorrow or the next day to catch up with her."
"Zeb tell Professor Tabbycat. Master Harry, please call on Zeb if you be needing anything."
The elf nodded, and popped away.
She pulled him into a rare embrace, neither noticing the blond man with the cane that had started to come up to the gates, and then backed away.
"You are a great wizard, Harry Potter. Never doubt it! Call me soon."
She never felt the tracker hit, nor did the boy see the spell, as he was within the wards, and she had stepped out.
The boy returned back to the castle, head full of plots and plans, and trying to push down sorrow of pain and loss of his mentor and friend.
The blond man returned to his manor, head full of plots and plans, and tried to stifle the euphoria he felt in finally having a handle on the Boy-Who-Lived!
**OO**
Now, let it be said clearly that the Black wealth was massive.
It was only recently, after many years of healing attempts that Regulus had had the bad news confirmed by the healers. Despite all they did, and could do, they couldn't fix everything. He could sire no heirs, so he had surrendered the House of Black ring to Harry, indirectly, as Harry Potter was the legal Heir to the House of Black.
Harry still did not know the Monseigneur's true identity. Regulus, like Brother Paddy, had told him that he was keeping secrets that he would one day reveal, but Harry honestly didn't even guess about this.
With this diagnosis, Regulus took the highest level of vows, ones that were for life, and fully committed the rest of his own resources to the knights. Not the full Black vaults, but his own personal vault. Of course, he was allowed to keep a modest amount of that.
All of the rest of his personal wealth had been donated to the order. He received a modest stipend, had his meals and comfortable quarters provided for. What did he need of wealth, when the real goal was saving people, keeping families together?
Preventing the creation of more Harry Potters and Neville Longbottoms of the world, orphans without parents or caring family.
And hopefully preventing another Tom Riddle as well.
Long ago, long before Harry Potter was named heir, all of the non-entailed Black vaults were moved to Gringotts Rome. Of the entailed vault, the gold was slowly and carefully withdrawn from Britain once Harry was named heir. Every business venture that Dumbledore 'suggested' for Harry Potter had been well funded in Britain. And then it failed.
Every galleon 'lost' was just cycling the money into Gringotts Rome.
There were only a thousand or so galleons left in Gringotts London. The one Black entailed home on Grimmauld Place had been left to fall further and further into dust and decay. Boggarts infested dank wardrobes of moldering clothes. Doxies nested in the draperies.
Neither boy originally born Black had wanted the house. Too many bad memories, too much evil. Far too dark magic seeped into the very walls of the home and dungeons.
Taxes hadn't been paid in years, and the floo bill was well past due.
In other words, there wasn't enough gold left to fund any project to save the home. After Walburga's death, all valuables had been stripped from the house. Between Kreature and Regulus' knowledge of the hidey holes, there had been quite a bit of gold and muggle money gathered up and taken to Rome.
Harry Potter legally inherited the gold that secured the Black seat. If for some reason, some else got the Head of House ring, say the Malfoy heir, they would not be able to use the current deposit. And the best part was that for Draco Malfoy to claim the Black seat in the Wizengamot, he, or rather his father, would have to deposit a million galleons to be held in trust, invested by a team of diverse account managers.
The funds would grow, slowly, and interest would be paid. Eventually.
Neither Dumbledore or James Potter were able to get the rules changed so that the Potters could further fund the Order of the Phoenix. No one could change those rules.
With the Malfoy accounts currently sitting at well below their pre-war standing of eighteen million, they could only boast just above one million. One point two to be precise as of that morning.
Narcissa had been known to spend twenty thousand just on flowers for one annual event.
The plan was to hobble the family, all the while, they would be accused of stealing from Harry Potter, the Boy-who-Lived. And the boy who now, with the real death of his godfather, was one of the wealthiest wizards in the world, and until he was fifteen, he had access to only a portion of it.
Another part of the plan that Harry wasn't told about was tarnishing Malfoy's reputation even further. For he would likely 'demand' repayment from Harry Potter for the missing money, and his regents would be able to show everyone the ledgers, and how Harry Potter was a victim as well.
And all would think that Lucius Malfoy had emptied the Black vault upon his son gaining the ring, and then try to blame an eleven year old muggle raised child of theft.
When no theft had ever taken place, not even of a certain house ring in possession of a known furry thief.
**OO**
Simultaneous to Harry escorting Sister Gisele to the castle gates, a certain 'trained' niffler was entertaining the Slytherin first years by bouncing around the room, grabbing buttons and being a nuisance. Then, Millicent Bulstrode managed to catch and shake said kleptomaniac furry beast.
All sorts of items came out of the magical marsupial's pouch but Draco's eyes gleamed when he saw the Black ring. Millicent tried to get it first, but Draco's thugs intervened, and stomped on the reaching hand, sending the screeching witch to the infirmary to get her broken hand mended.
Malfoy grabbed the ugly gold blobby ring, and thrust it on.
Well, the compulsion for others to allow Draco to take it and for him to put it on was still strong.
"Wait, I don't feel any secrets! It's not working." Draco whined, even as the ring shrunk to fit him.
Professor Snape stalked in just then, and paled a bit when seeing the ring, and whose finger it was on, but said nothing.
"Mr. Goyle, I'm told that you injured a fellow student."
"Bulstrode was trying to steal my heritage!" Draco Malfoy had the support of everyone around him.
"She was the only one not helping others give it to Draco." Pansy chirped. "Maybe she is part troll. The family magic clearly wanted it to go to Draco! All of us felt it. Well, except her."
"I see. May I cast at you Mr. Malfoy? Make sure that the ring isn't cursed?"
"Of course, Professor Snape. And thank you for asking."
He cast several spells, and eventually stopped.
"Congratulations, Mr. Malfoy, or should I say Lord Black. Please note that Hogwarts policy for the last thousand years allows for titles to be used or ignored by professors at their whim. It will be a good way to see who supports you, after all. And who does not." His baritone voice intoned a warning there.
His eyes gazed around the common room.
"There will be backlash from Gryffindor over this. I just came from a meeting with the Headmaster where he agreed that he had interrupted Mr. Potter putting that ring on and somehow a niffler got it. Has anyone seen it? The elves are trying to catch it now."
"Yes, Millicent caught it and shook it, but it got away when her hand got stomped flat. Draco picked up quite a few treasures!" Pansy added helpfully.
"Please, Professor. I only took the ring." Draco said, holding up a random assortment of shiny bits from the animal.
Well, that and Draco kept all of the galleons, but there were sickles and knuts along with lots of watches and other jewelry in the pile he did hand over.
"Please, can you give this to the Headmaster. The ring wanted to be mine. Magic even sent a niffler to bring it to me! Please! And think of the disaster averted! Can you imagine? A half-blood as Head of House Black?"
"You cannot force him to turn over any but the main Black vaults. Sirius Black was a womanizing philanderer and spendthrift. You may find yourself with no coin there, Lord Black." Professor Snape warned.
But Draco wasn't listening.
Severus Snape gathered up all of the other treasure, and looked at the jubilant child.
"Please use my floo in my office if you wish to inform your father of this news. An owl won't get there until morning."
"Thank you Professor!"
Malfoy went running off, but as soon as Severus was around the corner, he sent his boss a patronus.
"Disaster. Monitor my floo right now. Malfoy messaging home. On my way. SS"
**OO**
Magical forms were impossible. Being in two places at once, even with a time turner, was impossible.
Scampering about and 'stealing' girls jewelry was impossible if you were male. The wards were set against males, even in animagus forms.
Harry Potter had gotten up early, and changed forms, several times. The corbie had flown to several girls' windows. He promised himself he would repay the theft with little gifts later. After getting it all gathered, he changed into a niffler and stored everything in his pouch. When the timing was right, he went scampering off with the family ring. He then went back in time and was there to talk to Neville. He wished he could have told his friend about the plans.
Neville, after all, was a possible Black Heir. He had close enough ties.
The House ring was a horrible piece of work. Ugly, clunky, dark, nasty, and had a snake on it. Evil men had worn it for generations, and it smelt of Dark Magic.
So, Harry gave it to Draco, willed it to him while alive, and gave him some gold to go with it as was protocol.
So, alright, he didn't give him millions, only about a thousand in the vault, and a lucky baker's dozen of galleons then, but he had plenty of time to escape, change, and make his way back to the meeting point in the antechamber.
All with the help of a very illegal to buy or sell, but not illegal to own, time turner.
There had been a moment yesterday, when he thought about getting off the train, and trying to rescue Brother Paddy. He knew when it happened. Somebody had to know where. But they all treated him like a child. A child doesn't make the kinds of decisions that he and Neville make, that Hermione makes.
But he wasn't an adult either.
Either way, the House of Black and Malfoy was now muzzled. The Light oriented would fight Malfoy tooth and nail only because of the way Draco 'stole' the seat, and the lack of money would stop most of the family supporters.
Malfoy was going to have to be very, very careful, or he was going to lose the patronage of the Minister of Magic.
Harry sat in the comfortable meeting room, watching the children eating their picnic, tears flowing down his cheek. He knew that he was Heir to the House of Black, but had never met Lord Black, and now that wizard was dead. His mentor was dead too. So, he grieved for them both.
He would have loved to give the Black seat to Hermione. Imagine! The three of them fighting evil together politically. But Harry had no taste for it, and had suggested that Neville vote the Potter seat once he obtained the Head of House Longbottom ring himself.
Yes, the Order of Merlin would be getting a huge donation soon. Harry didn't have access to the Black vaults yet, not fully, plus they were in Rome. Hah! And Malfoy had no access to the Potter wealth at all. Which was a good thing, as Harry had not moved the vault to Rome yet, not wanting to give away his location in case someone spied on the transfer. Rumors were that some of the London Gringotts goblins could be bribed for such information.
Harry really had no reason to keep anything at all from House Black, a very dark family. He wouldn't get full access until he was seventeen, though. He would withdraw the maximum amount out at Christmas from the non-entailed vaults, and donate it to the Order. Let their gold help the Light. He was limited in how much he could take out, but he would donate all he could.
He remembered the small box of treasures that Sister Gisele had brought him. More tokens than anything that had significant value. Things he might want at school.
He kept a couple of things for gifts, and had sent the rest back with the sister to be taken back to Rome.
One thing Harry kept of the Black treasures was a woman's ring. Made for Andromeda as her parents planned for her to marry an older man, a potion maker by trade. Wealthy, a pureblood of an old but not noble stock.
But she had been in love with her secret fiancee Ted Tonks, and had run off to elope. The ring remained unclaimed by any. Harry took it, knowing that the potion maker was a good person who tried to help others, and had just wanted to marry a nice pureblood girl. Not a lot of those around.
He put the treasures in his emergency supplies, then took the ring back out.
Harry Potter was not a Gryffindor for nothing. And he was no infant.
Mission two for the Order was a success, no one died. No one was injured, either well, except Bulstrode and that had to be her ancestry. Trolls were magically hard to attack, along with ogres, giants, and other hybrids.
At least potions would work on her, so she would be healed soon.
Best get to class. He didn't want to whine about Dumbledore, it was supposed to be Snape that interfered. The man had sort-of apologized. Oh well, still, Harry had followed the plan.
And now to see what would happen next.
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