บท 10: Chapter 10: Guardians, Gringotts and Goblins
"I thought you said Aunt Marge wasn't coming for another week," Harry groaned as he set the dinner table. Aunt Petunia had just informed him that Uncle Vernon's sister was coming over early. The horrible woman was now going to arrive just time to have one last hurrah with Harry before he could escape the clutches of this family forever.
Aunt Marge and her dogs were quite possibly the worst among his relatives. Uncle Vernon mostly just yelled and occasionally hit him. Dudley just beat him and scared away any potential friends. Aunt Petunia waged emotional and psychological warfare but was somewhat reserved. Aunt Marge pulled no punches. She did everything she could possibly get away with to Harry and he had realized several years ago that at times she did actively try to either have her dogs kill him or get him to kill himself.
Needless to say Harry had no intention of going to this dinner unprepared. Screw the Underage Magic laws. He had his freebie back if he needed to use it. He stuck a Concussor, a Lockpick, a Boomstone and a Ninja into his belt slots. Shiva had owled to say the Legal Guardian paperwork would be done tomorrow. Aunt Marge was not going to screw this up for him. Harry wasn't planning on firing the first shot, but he would make sure that he'd be the one firing the last.
"Her plans shifted, boy," Petunia sniffed. "So add that last place setting like I told you."
"You know I'm leaving tomorrow. I don't see why you want me to come to this dinner knowing none of you will ever see me again," Harry said with a scowl. "Can't you just let me have one final night of peace here? We both know Aunt Marge is going to be horrible."
Petunia sneered in response. Harry supposed he should be thankful she hadn't flung the spaghetti pot at his head like she had done a few years ago. He shouldn't have badmouthed Marge. But…he was almost out. It was so hard to keep watching what he said to his relatives…
"I'm so glad you finally placed that boy into the system correctly, Vernon," Aunt Marge said sloshing some of her wine as she patted her brother's arm across the table. Harry glared at his plate counting down until he would be allowed to leave. "St. Brutus' is an excellent first step. I only wish you could put him where he truly belongs."
"As do I, Marge, dear," Vernon agreed nodding.
"Prison may be extreme in some cases but with this…child's antics it is the only appropriate response. He has been nothing but trouble for you and Petunia!"
"Too right," Petunia said. Harry's scowl deepened. This woman was related to his mother? It was almost enough to convince him to never have children.
"That's not quite how I handle things with my dogs though of course."
"What do you mean, Aunt Marge?" Dudley asked shoveling more food into his bottomless pit. Harry smirked at the idle thought that perhaps Ron and his cousin would get along smashingly. Or they'd kill each other over the last plate of food. It was a tossup.
"Well the brat is obviously incurable." Aunt Marge lifted a pudgy finger at Dudley. "One of the puppies in Ripper's latest litter was the same. Completely rabid, unable to be trained or controlled."
'Is she seriously comparing me to a rabid dog?' Harry thought idly. It would almost have been funny if she hadn't been so serious about it.
"Now I didn't just put that dog down. I put down the bitch as well. It's certainly not Ripper's fault that his spawn had issues. But the instability had to come from somewhere." Harry's brow furrowed and he clenched his hands. She couldn't possibly be about to… "If there is a problem with the bitch, there is a problem with the progeny. You put them both down for the good of everyone. You can't let freaks and crazies and rabids like them continue their lines. Any who would shelter them should be put down as well. Because only those who have no morals would possibly defend such an obviously broken and awful existence!" Marge slammed her glass back and leered proudly at Harry. His teeth were clenched and his muscles locked. It was all he could do to hold the table and push the magic that was threatening to flood out back down.
"So, Dudders," Marge continued with a smile, "I'm simply saying that if the boy was one of my dogs he wouldn't have seen his first year. And his bitch mother would've shortly followed behind him."
Harry lifted his gaze to scan the table. Dudley surprisingly was looking rather uncomfortable at the direction things had turned. Vernon however was happily nodding along and Petunia simply gave a little noncommittal shrug. Harry desperately tried to remember why he needed to remain controlled. That letting go would only confirm what Marge was saying about him.
"I hear that you managed to find some foolish woman to take him off your hands, Vernon. It would be only appropriate for her to perish along with him as they leave in the same manner as the brat's parents. It would serve them all – "
"SHUT UP!" Harry screamed. Insulting him was one thing. He was used to it. Insulting his parents was completely different. Insulting Shiva for rescuing him was the last straw. "I've had enough," Harry continued in a voice barely above a whisper. "All I've ever done to you people was be born. I gave up trying to get you to care a long time ago and I understand that you hate me. I don't even really care anymore. But you will not insult my parents! My parents who DIED to SAVE me! And you will not insult the one person in my life who is getting me away from you and your poison!" Harry was standing with his fists on the table. He left the rune stones in his belt so that he wasn't tempted to use them. If he could get out of this without resorting to them it'd be a bonus.
The way that both Vernon and Marge's faces were purpling though…it didn't seem likely. "How dare you, you little freak!" Vernon shouted. "We put a roof over your head for years! We feed you! We clothe you!"
"You throw rags at me that I have to staple to fit into!" Harry yelled back. "You stuck me in a cupboard! You leave me scraps!"
"It is more than you or your precious parents ever deserved!" Marge sneered. "You should've died with those fools that night! I don't know for sure what you are doing for this woman claiming you but it is certain to be unnatural! She should be ashamed of herself to allow her body to be defiled by you – "
Harry lost all control at that. The windows in the kitchen blew out and the table flipped. Marge flew into the wall leaving a whale sized dent. Her dog, Ripper, flew towards Harry for daring to attack his mistress. Harry just ripped off the Boomstone and activated it. The localized silencing charm snapped into place around him while a piercing screech was let off just beyond his bubble. It was strong enough in the enclosed space that Harry felt the sound reverberate in his bones. The Boomstone cut off after a second but the damage was done. Ripper had fled to the backyard, Dudley was cowering in the corner behind the overturned table, Petunia was leaning against the counter for support and Marge was still stuck half in the wall. Only Vernon was up. His ears were bleeding as he reached for Harry but Harry grabbed for his Concussor and held it aloft pointed towards the man.
"Go ahead, Uncle," Harry whispered. He didn't know if the whale could hear him or not but either way, Vernon proved to be mildly more intelligent than Harry had initially assumed: he stopped. "I'm leaving. I hope Voldemort finds you and your family." Harry twisted and stalked out of the room. He pressed the Lockpick to the door of the cupboard and it popped open. Grabbing his trunk Harry stormed out of the house all his belongings held in one little container.
Harry practically ran down several blocks before coming to a halt. He turned back in the direction of Number 4 Privet Drive and scowled. A low whine from behind him had Harry twisting back around in an instant with Concussor held up. Whatever was making the noise was hidden in the bushes. Harry carefully put down his trunk and popped it open pulling out his wand before shutting it again. The Concussor was useful, but not very versatile after all. "Hello?" Harry asked into the dark. Now that he was starting to calm down again he was starting to get worried at the amount of magic he had just performed at his former house. If he could get away with not using his wand, that would be preferable at this point.
A thin, mangy looking, giant, black dog crawled out of the bushes. The animal was huge, but it looked so sad and…well, pathetic, that Harry dropped the Concussor back onto his belt. "It's okay, boy, I'm not going to hurt you. You seem nicer than Ripper at least." The dog cocked its head at Harry and gave a soft woof before picking itself up and padding over to him. Harry petted the dog's head and it panted its enjoyment. Squirming away from his hand, the dog reached up to lick his face and Harry laughed. The dog then reached out to his hand still holding his wand and nosed it up. "I'd prefer to keep a hold of this for the moment, buddy," Harry chuckled as the dog lifted his arm up towards the street with its persistence.
Barely a moment passed before there was a soft bang and a large purple, double-decker bus sprang into existence out of nowhere and came to a crashing halt on the sidewalk next to Harry. The boy jumped back landing on his ass and the dog gave a woof that sounded practically like a laugh. Shaking his head Harry stared at the obnoxious vehicle.
The doors opened and a pimply head poked out, "Knight Bus at your service, sir. Last respite for the stranded witch or wizard too pissed to apparate home! I'm Stan Shunpike, how may I help you today?"
Harry just gaped at the man. He shook his head before muttering, "Well, I guess that's one way to get to Shiva's." Harry picked himself up and grabbed his trunk thanking his lucky stars that Shiva had mentioned her address in her last letter. "How much to go to Colchester? Say 73 Northgate Street?" Harry saw the dog cock its head at that and let out a small woof.
"Hmm, Colchester eh? 'Bout a galleon. That would include a hot chocolate too."
"Deal." Harry grabbed his trunk and turned to the dog but it had already disappeared back into the night. "Good luck, buddy. Hope your night ends better than mine started."
Harry left the knight bus behind and stumbled up the steps of Shiva's apartment complex working hard to ignore his still flip-flopping stomach. Leaning against the wall outside her door for a moment to regain his equilibrium Harry eventually tamed his body enough to knock.
A muffled curse sounded from the other side after Harry knocked twice more. "Do you bloody know what time it is?" Shiva's voice grouched from within. She opened the door with murder written in her features until her eyes lit upon Harry standing in front of the portal to the apartment. Shiva's anger melted into concern and she wrapped Harry into a hug. "Jeez kid, what the hell are you doing here at this time of night? What happened?"
She pulled him into the apartment and kicked his trunk to the side as she shut the door again. Hedwig hooted amicably from her perch in the corner of the living room and Harry waved at his familiar. Shiva sat him down at the kitchen table and moved to the side. "So, how bad is it and how awake do I need to be for this conversation?"
"Err," Harry said looking down at his rune belt, "somewhere between a 6 and 9? How much trouble I get in will probably end up depending on just how much Mafalda Hopkirk hates me and how much Amelia Bones likes me. In terms of wakefulness probably about a first class of the day level."
Shiva sighed and set a teakettle of water on to boil. "Great. So tea for you and one cup of coffee for me." She plopped down into a chair across from him and Harry finally got a good look at his friend. It was blatantly obvious she had been sleeping before he knocked on her door. Her shoulder length brown hair was arrayed around her face not unlike Hermione's first year norm and her eyes were tired slits. The t-shirt she was wearing was large hanging down to a few inches above her thighs. Harry realized with slightly burning cheeks that she was wearing a pair of tight boyshorts and was suddenly very thankful that at least she hadn't answered the door in panties.
"Why are you green?" Shiva asked squinting at him.
"I uh, took the Knight Bus here," Harry grimaced. "I swear, literally ever form of wizarding transit I've experienced so far hates me."
Shiva laughed in commiseration with him. "If it helps, everyone hates the Knight Bus. My aunt was convinced that it's deliberately horrible to make people less inclined to drink enough that they can't apparate anymore. Considering it's mostly used by minors these days though it seems counterproductive to me." The pot whistled and Shiva poured Harry the tea and got the coffee set up for herself. "Alright, tell me what happened."
"Uncle Vernon's sister, Aunt Marge, came over tonight. She was supposed to come a few weeks later but apparently word got back to her that I was leaving for good and it seems like the Dursleys wanted one last Pick On Harry Day. She's awful. Worse than the other three combined and I still have some scars on my legs from where she used to let her dogs bite me." Shiva's expression darkened quite a bit as she perked up, the coffee in her hands mostly forgotten. "I knew it would be bad so before dinner I grabbed some of my rune stones just in case I ended up needing them. She started going on about how I was incurably insane and evil and other such stuff but I'm used to that so I mostly ignored it. Then she started talked about Mum and Dad and you and how it was good they had died and how she hoped that you and I would also die as soon as we got in the car to leave. I…got a bit angry at that point."
"Go on." Shiva's face was carefully neutral though Harry noticed the way her hands were clenched around the coffee mug.
"I started yelling back at them all for the first time in years. Vernon screamed back while Dudley and Petunia just sat there. I yelled again. Marge…err…she um…she said it would've been better if I'd died as a baby but that wasn't what set me off…"
"And what did set you off?"
"She um…she started to say that the only reason you were taking me in was because I was having sex with you…I kinda lost my temper at that point. The windows blew out, the table flew across the kitchen, and Aunt Marge was knocked into the wall. At that point I got my wild magic under control but I wasn't thinking clearly so I grabbed my Boomstone – the one that makes a lot of noise like a boombox – set it off, partly to make them pay and partly to scare off Ripper. Uncle Vernon started coming for me after it shut off so I switched for the Concussor and threatened him. He backed off, I unlocked the cupboard with my trunk with the Lockpick and left. It was all over in under two minutes but it was still a lot of magic…" Harry was wringing his hands by that point. He hadn't even noticed Shiva had gotten up until he was pulled into another hug.
"You don't have to defend my honor, Harry, but thank you for doing so. Everything for the guardianship is done, signed and ready. I'm just picking up the official document first thing, but it was all already legal by the time I went to bed last night," she whispered to him. "You are never going back to them, Harry. Nobody deserves to be raised by people like that. I can't get them locked up, but we will spend some time thinking about how to make them pay." Harry nodded and Shiva pulled back. "Okay now let's get you to bed. We can go talk to Madame Bones and Hopkirk in the morning after I get the paperwork okay?"
"Can I say hi to Tonks while we're there?" Harry asked perking up a bit.
Shiva laughed. "Sure, kid. Figured you'd be sweet on Hermione not going for the older women!"
"That's not – I mean – she's just nice and funny is all!" Harry sputtered.
"Uh huh."
"And I want to make sure she's okay!"
"Yup."
"Besides neither she nor Hermione are interested in me," Harry finished, crossing his arms.
Shiva slapped a hand to her face and shook her head. "Kid, it is far too early in the morning for me to try and knock some sense into you. Both about women and your general romantic suitability.
"Your bedroom is the first door on the right, mine is the last of the left and the loo is at the end of the hall. Towels are in the closet in case I'm gone already by the time you wake up and there's cereal in the cabinets," Shiva scratched her head. "I think that's about it. Push the brick on the top left of the fireplace to open the Floo for anything beyond calls though I'd prefer to be here if you're going to let someone in. I've put wards on the window so Hedwig and any post owls can get in or out on their own. Also…wait to read the Prophet in the morning till I get a chance to talk to you about it tonight okay?"
"That bad?" Harry asked looking worried.
Shiva grimaced. "Well, it's not like Two Face showed up again but yeah it's kinda bad. It's also rather complicated so I'd prefer to talk about while fully awake. Is that cool?"
"Not Voldemort?" Shiva shook her head. Harry sighed, but nodded in agreement. "As long as you don't just ignore it later, I can live with waiting."
"Sweet." Shiva moved to give him a quick hug and ruffled his hair before heading down the hall. "Night, kid. Sleep well. Try not to stress too much. Night, Hedwig."
"Goodnight, Shiva." Harry looked around the apartment with a smile. For the first time in his life he actually felt like he was home.
Harry had just finished his shower and thrown some clothes on when Shiva walked back in the front door. A manila envelope was held in one hand while her other was balancing a large apple pie. "Brought food!" she called out.
Harry jumped up to grab the pie his mouth already watering. "You are amazing."
"Why thank you," Shiva mock preened. "Tarts are harder to find and I can't bake to save my life. So you get pie instead. I got the paperwork and spoke to Amelia Bones. We have an appointment for 10 which gives us some time to get you clothes that fit. Do you want to go in Muggle or wizard stuff?"
"Err, the only wizard robes I have are Hogwarts…"
"I just said I was taking you shopping, kid," Shiva chuckled. "We only have time to hit up one store first though so: Muggle or wizard?"
"Would it be okay if we went in Muggle stuff?"
"Sure. I need a new set of jeans anyway," Shiva shrugged.
"I thought you were a pureblood?"
"Eh, sorta." Shiva said waving her hand. "My paternal grandpa was Muggle-born so I'm technically considered a three-quarter blood but nobody uses that term. I know most of the basics about Muggle stuff but my dad always preferred the wizarding world so I'm not as well versed as I could be. I can get around though without standing out and I can pronounce most of their terms correctly. Which is honestly a heck of a lot better than some of the so-called experts."
"Like Arthur Weasley for example," Harry said with a small cringe. "For someone obsessed with Muggles you'd think he could say electricity right…"
Shiva laughed. "Yeah, Arthur's special that way. Great guy though and he taught his kids well." Harry raised an eyebrow as he munched on his pie. "Well, okay, he taught his kids besides Ron well." Harry nodded and went back to breakfast. "Don't get used to this by the way, Harry. You're not getting pie for breakfast all the time. Stop pouting. Pie is dessert not breakfast. Just because I can't cook doesn't mean I can't feed you right. And I should probably get you some nutrient potions as well so we can get rid of some of the problems your relatives left. Actually now that I think about it, have you had your inoculations?"
"Like for TB and measles?" Harry asked. He paused and tapped the table in thought. "I don't think I've had those actually..."
"No, those are important but I meant inoculations for things like for dragonpox and spattergroit," Shiva said. At Harry's blank look she sighed. "Why am I not surprised. Okay after Bones, we'll hit Gringotts then get you your shots and potions. I'm going to have to talk to Min about forgetting to get you those."
"McGonagall?" Harry furrowed his brow. "Why would Professor McGonagall have handled that?"
"Well all Muggle-born or raised are supposed to be brought to St. Mungos for a full screening and inoculation set during their Diagon Alley trip."
"Oh. Err…McGonagall didn't take me to Diagon. Hagrid did," Harry said hoping he wasn't about to get his friend into trouble.
"Hagrid?" Shiva's mouth dropped open. Then she muttered, "Dumbledore." She fumed for a moment before calming down and looking back to Harry. "Hagrid is nice, Harry, but he is not qualified to explain the important parts of our world to someone raised with Muggles."
"I can agree with that," Harry sighed. "He didn't even tell me how to get on Platform 9 and Three Quarters. I was lucky I read about it in Hogwarts, A History beforehand."
Shiva just groaned and banged her head on the table. "Neville was right, kid. You seriously have the worst good luck possible."
"Good morning, Madam Bones. It's nice to see you again," Harry said as he and Shiva met Amelia Bones in front of her office at 10. They shook hands and Amelia nodded down to him.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter. Ms. Babbling tells me you had a bit of an incident last night?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"And why does that necessitate coming to the Department Head to explain it?" Amelia asked glancing between Shiva and Harry.
"Well, Director," Shiva said with a shrug, "Hopkirk didn't seem very reasonable the last time there was an incident and Harry wasn't even at fault back then. This time he is and there is a fair bit of magic involved from what he told me. We figured we'd head the problem off at the pass and just ask you to sit in instead of coming with another complaint later."
Amelia sighed and rubbed her forehead letting the monocle fall off her face. "Mafalda does tend to hold a grudge. It's really probably for the best. Not like I have much else I can do at the moment with all of our resources tied up in Black." She waved them inside the office. "Well, sit down. Hopkirk should be here right about…" the older witch stalked in and took a seat without waiting for an invitation, "now."
"Problems again, Potter?" Hopkirk said with a barely disguised sneer. Harry resisted snorting. This woman should take lessons from Snape if she wanted to truly master the art of a good sneer.
"Well, ma'am considering this was my first underage magic event after starting Hogwarts I don't believe it would be correct to say 'again'."
"Play nice, Harry," Shiva muttered.
"Please tell us what happened, Mr. Potter," Amelia said taking out a quill and parchment.
"Yes, Madam Bones," Harry said. He took a calming breath and sat up straighter. "My relatives were having Aunt Marge over for dinner. She hates me even more than the rest of my relatives," Harry stopped for a moment at Hopkirk's snort.
"Is there an issue, Ms. Hopkirk?" Amelia asked glaring at the woman.
"I simply find it hard to believe that The-Boy-Who-Lived's family dislikes him."
"They are not my family," Harry snarled. "They are my relatives. Bathsheda Babbling is far more family than they ever were." Shiva sniffled a bit at that but Harry barged on. "And just because reality isn't what you find believable doesn't make it untrue, ma'am."
"Please continue with your explanation, Mr. Potter," Amelia said before Hopkirk could say anything else.
"I spent most of the dinner being berated and insulted. Eventually Aunt Marge got around to saying that it was good my parents were dead and that with any luck me and Ms. Babbling would be joining them soon. I started yelling back at that point and then Aunt Marge insinuated that I was intimate with Ms. Babbling." Amelia's eyebrows rose at that statement while Hopkirk just snorted again. "I had a burst of accidental magic after that which destroy many of the windows in the room and knocked the table over in addition to sending my Aunt careening into the wall. Her dog moved to attack me and I defended myself by using a rune stone which creates a very loud noise. After it cut out I had to retrieve my things with the use of an unlocking rune and left the house."
"And that's when you went to Ms. Babbling's home?" Amelia clarified.
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Ms. Babbling, can you corroborate any aspects?" Amelia's quill was scratching along as she turned to look at Shiva.
"Harry showed up at my door last night around 1 am. He had just gotten off the Knight Bus but was still visibly upset and some clothes were half sticking out of his trunk. It looked like he had left in a hurry. When I asked what happened he told me the same thing you just heard." Shiva sighed. "I was coming to pick him up today anyway. His relatives have a history of this sort of thing, Ma'am."
"Really?" Amelia's quill stopped moving and she turned her full gaze upon Shiva. "And why am I just hearing about this now?"
"Simple, Madame Bones," Harry said. "Nobody cared before Ms. Babbling found out." He shrugged. "Very few people care now."
"Mr. Potter, it is not normal for relatives to behave in such a manner."
"Again, that doesn't change the fact that nobody cared before, Ma'am. I'm done with them now. I don't plan on ever seeing them again."
"You don't actually believe this, Madam?" Hopkirk asked sounding incredulous. "He's the Boy-Who-Lived! No one in their right mind would say such things to him. He's obviously making the entire thing up to get away with breaking the law like a spoiled little child."
Shiva glared at the woman and Harry's eyes narrowed. Amelia just rubbed her forehead and picked up the quill. "Mafalda, I placed you on probation last year because you refused to listen or investigate. You are doing the exact same thing right now. I advise you to stop speaking before I fire you."
"Madam Umbridge would never – "
"I don't care what the Senior Undersecretary thinks or threatens, Mafalda. I run this department. And I don't take being given ultimatums well. Pack your things and get out."
"You can't do this to me!"
"I already have. Out. Now." Amelia pointed towards the door with a scowl on her features. Hopkirk glared at the Director but stiffly stood and walked out of the room. "Damn, now I need to find yet another clerk. Mr. Potter," Amelia said switching gears and turning back to the others in the room, "I believe your story and cannot fault the accidental magic. It's termed accidental for a reason. I can also understand the use of the noise and lockpicking spells though I feel at that point the situation could have been handled better. You are however still only twelve years old so that must be taken into account. Consider this an official warning. No charges or fines will be levied but it will be entered into your record. If there is another incident than you will be likely find yourself fined." She paused and set the quill down. "On a more personal note, I apologize for the conditions leading to this. Am I safe in assuming that Ms. Babbling is looking after you from this point forward?" Both nodded at that. "Okay then. Do you have the paperwork to make that official?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Shiva handed over the papers she'd picked up that morning.
"Hmm…" Amelia quickly scanned the documents. "This looks to be in order for the Muggle side of things. What about the magical side?"
"I'm not sure what you're talking about, Madam Bones…" Shiva said trailing off with a confused look.
"The Muggle paperwork handles official guardianship. The magical side deals with the magical guardian."
"Doesn't that just implicitly follow if the legal guardian is a magical as well?" Shiva asked. Harry could feel his stomach knotting. Of course it was too good to be true.
"Honestly I'm not sure. That's not my field. I never had any issues with my ward, my niece Susan, but...it's always better to be sure. Ask Gringotts. They'd be able to tell you faster than dealing with the bureaucracy here."
"We were headed there next anyway…" Shiva scowled. "Thanks for the heads up."
"Of course." Amelia sighed. "If you do run into problems with it know this, Ms. Babbling, Mr. Potter: your place of residence and physical guardian is resolved in this paperwork right here," she pointed to the documents Shiva was holding, "even should you not be his magical guardian, these make the boy your ward. Wizarding world decisions might be more difficult but he can't be taken away while those exist."
Harry's stomach unclenched slightly. Worst case scenario of being forced back to the Dursleys was apparently off the table. "Thank you, Ma'am."
Amelia nodded. "Of course. Now if there's nothing else, I really do need to get back to dealing with this task force."
"Sure. Thanks again for your time, Madam Bones." Shiva stood up and led Harry back outside. She ruffled Harry's hair and grinned at him. "So slap on the wrist ain't too bad! Don't worry about the magical guardian thing too much. We'll deal with it at Gringotts if we have to." Harry nodded back trying to pat his hair back into a semblance of order. "You wanted to stop by and say hello to Tonks right? Aurors should be this door."
Harry entered the section of the building that Shiva indicated and glanced about the room. He almost missed Tonks at first but then there was a loud crash and muffled cursing from one side of the room. Looking over Harry had to stifle his laughter as one man was face-first in a garbage bin and Tonks was leaning against a desk holding her leg and looking guilty. "Sorry, Dawlish," she said speaking up to be heard around the laughter in the room. "I swear that desk was few feet to the right before. Thanks for breaking my fall though!" Dawlish pulled his head out of the bin, glared at Tonks and stalked out to the bathroom.
Harry grinned and walked over towards Tonks. "Still two left feet, Tonks?"
"Wotcher, Harry. Wotcher, Shiva." Tonks grinned over at the two and dropped into the chair behind the desk still rubbing at her leg. "I could do the two left feet thing. Want to see?"
Harry laughed again. "That'd be a bit weird I think. I see you got some color back." He waved to her dark blue hair.
"Yup. Pink just didn't seem appropriate and all. I'm going to get you back for mentioning the name where I couldn't hit you upside the head you know." Tonks said half glaring and half smiling.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Did the memory help?"
"Actually yeah it did. Thanks for that," Tonks dropped into a bit more of a professional bent. "Hagrid was cleared of most of the original charges on him thanks to you. He still got a sanction for keeping a dangerous controlled magical beast but that was mostly just a large fine which had been paid long ago. Don't know if he's going to get a new wand anymore or whatnot but the option is open to him now." There was a slightly frustrated air about her though she seemed to shrug it off before continuing. "I think he has something special planned for you when you guys meet up again at Hogwarts."
"Cool. Good for him. I'm glad I could help," Harry said.
"So what are you two doing here?"
Shiva slapped Harry's shoulder while his face turned a bit red. "Well, this guy had a bit of a fight yesterday and magic got involved. He put them in their place." She smirked and Tonks laughed.
"Well I certainly hope he did! Did Hopkirk give you any problems?"
"Actually I got her fired…" Harry mumbled.
Tonks' eyes widened, her mouth dropped open and her hair flashed through a rainbow of colors before settling back to blue. "Remind me never to piss you off, Harry."
"It wasn't really his fault," Shiva said with a shrug. "She ran her mouth and ticked off Madam Bones."
"Ah, yeah that makes sense. Bonesy has a bit of short temper at the moment. Fudge is coming down on her hard over the Sirius Black case and it's not like we have anywhere close to the amount of people we need with the recent budget cuts."
"Fudge again?" Harry's visage darkened. "Who voted for that guy?"
"Malfoy." Shiva and Tonks both said at the same time.
"I really hate that man…" Harry grumbled.
"Agreed," Tonks said. "Look, it's been fun guys but I really do need to work this case a bit. He is my cousin after all. It's pretty much my responsibility to find him."
"Sure, we'll let you go. I just wanted to say hi." Harry waved at her as he and Shiva turned to make their way back outside.
"Later, Harry! Bye, Shiva!"
Harry and Shiva were almost to the front of the queue at Gringotts when she turned to him. "Remember, goblins take smiles with teeth showing as a sign of aggression. Be polite and direct because they don't like to waste time."
"I know, Shiva. I talked to Flitwick about proper conduct regarding goblins before I left for the summer. I got it covered," Harry said waving off her concerns. The goblins weren't that bad. They at least were blatant in their dislike of most people. He could respect that. Stepping up to the free teller Harry nodded and said, "May your gold ever flow, sir."
Harry didn't notice it but every goblin within earshot paused for a moment at the traditional greeting being spoken by a wizard child. The teller blinked down at the boy and his original, automatic sneer twisted into a confused frown. "May your hoard be increased, patron. What is your business with Gringotts?" His words were just as short as before but the tone sounded far less ornery than the first time Harry had been here.
"I need to visit my vault and I'd also like to speak with the Potter Account Manager. I have had a recent change in guardianship and I need to ascertain that she is added to my accounts as well as any necessary paperwork is in order."
"Harry," Shiva whispered with wide eyes, "you don't have to do that."
"I know. But I want to."
The teller blinked down at the two again. "Potter?" Harry nodded. The goblin frowned then snapped his fingers. A smaller goblin hurried forward from behind the counter. "Follow the Vaultrunner to the meeting room."
"Thank you, sir. May your enemies fall before you," Harry said with a small bow.
"And may their blood wet your blade." The teller responded with another surprised head nod.
"Hello, Griphook. I hope you've been well. May your gold ever flow," Harry said as he turned to the goblin they were to follow.
"You remember me?" Griphook's eyes had widened considerably and the pause in the surrounding goblins was noticeable to all nearby this time.
"Of course."
"That was two years ago, wizard." Griphook sounded dumbfounded.
"You were the first goblin I ever met," Harry said with a bit of chuckle. "It made a bit of an impression."
Griphook just nodded and shook his head before turning to lead the way back through the bank's corridors. As they trio moved off many goblins heads watched their progress. It had been a long time since wizards from a prominent family had bothered to remember their names. Or to give proper greetings. Or to even truly be polite. Perhaps Harry Potter would follow in his ancestor's footsteps after all…
Harry and Shiva were led into a small office and after greeting the goblin behind the desk took their seats. "I am Snapfist, Mr. Potter. It is good to see you have finally found the time to deem a response to my questions was warranted. Though a simple owl would've sufficed."
"Wait, questions?" Shiva said furrowing her brow at the goblin.
Harry scowled. "Let me guess. You've sent me owls for years and I've never replied to a single one?"
Snapfist leaned back with a barely concealed sneer. "We have sent letters since you first turned 11, Mr. Potter. At least one letter every month for nearly two years now."
"I haven't received any of them, sir. I apologize for any offense taken as I assure you none was intended."
Snapfist's eyebrows furrowed at the little wizard's response. This was highly unexpected. An arrogant heir was perfectly normal. A lying wizard was also perfectly normal. Both were exceedingly easy to spot. Harry Potter instead appeared nearly as frustrated as Snapfist himself. It certainly helped the child's case that wizard heirs as a rule never apologized; certainly never to a goblin.
"You don't sound surprised by this, Harry," Shiva said.
"I'm the bloody Boy-Who-Lived. Shouldn't I have gotten letters from half the witches and wizards in Britain with everything from simple thanks to marriage proposals? The first letter I ever got was from Hogwarts. The second was from Hermione. No, Shiva, it doesn't surprise me at all that someone's been stealing my mail."
"If you suspected this, Mr. Potter, why did you not say anything earlier?" Snapfist asked, eyes narrowing.
"Because, Snapfist, if I started getting letters while still at the Dursleys I'd be in for an even rougher summer than usual. I was waiting until I was free of my relatives. Now I am." Shiva was glowering at the situation as Harry explained.
Snapfist gave a low growl. "Tampering with one's mail is a criminal offense, Mr. Potter. Tampering with official Gringotts communications is an offense against the Goblin Nation." Shiva stiffened but Harry just snorted. "We will find the guilty party and ensure adequate punishment is meted out. Who may we address your letters to in the meantime?"
"Bathsheda Babbling." Harry nodded towards Shiva. "She's my legal guardian as of yesterday. Which is actually one of the reasons why I'm here but we can go over that later. What were you trying to get ahold of me for?"
"Three primary reasons, Mr. Potter. First, we were sending account statements detailing your holdings. Here is a copy now." Snapfist handed across a piece of parchment to Harry who glanced at it and passed it to Shiva. "The summary of the information is thus: your trust vault is refilled to 2,000 galleons on the first of June each year. Your family vault remains open to perusal however all items must remain inside including gold, jewelry and heirlooms. Documents may be copied but the originals must remain in the vault. These restrictions will dissolve upon you reaching your age of majority and any items remaining in your trust vault will be deposited into your family vault. Your Muggle holdings investments have been mostly profitable with the largest producer being a company termed 'Apple'. Your current approximate holdings amount to 150,000 galleons of liquid assets, along with an additional 250,000 pounds in Muggle holdings. This figure does not take into account the jewels or jewelry in your family vault nor your family heirlooms or properties. In addition only the 2,000 galleons inside the vault are available at any given time until your age of majority."
Harry's mouth was gaping and he turned to Shiva who was looking similarly dumbstruck. "I'm almost a millionaire…"
"It's not quite enough to live on for the rest of your life without a job – especially while supporting a family – but Merlin, kid…wow," Shiva shook her head. "Don't spend everything in one place…"
"You mentioned properties, Snapfist?" Harry asked almost afraid to turn back to the goblin.
"That was the second issue we wished to discuss," Snapfist said nodding. "The Godric's Hollow home was officially claimed as a historic monument and your magical guardian signed off on this. The Potter Manor summer bungalow on the coast of France is still in good order and well maintained as per the original agreement."
"Summer bungalow?" Shiva asked with a slightly strained voice.
"Yes," Snapfist pulled some papers out of his stack to examine. "It is a small property. One floor, three bedrooms, two restrooms. The primary advantage is the location as it resides on a cliff overlooking the ocean. I am told it is quite the view though I have never visited myself."
"Anything else?" Harry asked controlling his breathing.
"The primary Potter Manor is the only other property. It is also the reason for the summons. The Manor was heavily damaged during the Blood War and while provisions were set up for the Manor's repair they were never activated."
"Why not?"
Snapfist rubbed his head. Apparently some gestures crossed species. "A very frustrating technicality. James Potter had arranged for everything as well as already completed payment. However, he had yet to sign the revised paperwork acknowledging agreement with the upgraded warding schemes prior to his death. We were unable to move forward without that signature or official release in his will to perform the work. As James Potter's will was sealed prior to being read our hands were tied. As the eldest Potter you, with your Legal Guardian's signature, may authorize this work."
"My father's will exists?" Harry asked his lip twitching. "I was led to believe my parents' wills had been destroyed the night they died."
Snapfist frowned. Could nothing be normal with this child? "I assure you, Mr. Potter. Both James Potter and Lily Potter nee Evans' wills are safe in our records."
"I want to read them." Harry's hands had clenched into fists and his knuckles were going white.
"That is not possible at this time," Snapfist said apologetically. "James Potter's will was sealed by order of the Wizengamot and cannot be read without a counter-order or release by the Head of House Potter. Lily Potter's will was never activated to begin with and cannot be read until this condition changes."
"You just said Harry could sign to start the work on the Manor, why can't he unseal the wills?" Shiva asked laying a calming hand on Harry's shoulder.
"The paperwork to repair Potter Manor was completed and signed by the Head of House. That an addendum was added to incorporate a definition of the ward scheme is what is preventing work. It is a technicality that allows for any Potter to complete the work by accepting the addendum as sufficient. The wills would need to be released by the Head of House. Harry Potter is not considered the Head of House until he reaches the age of majority and assumes the title Lord Potter."
"Well can't I unseal them? I have the paperwork proving I'm his legal guardian." Shiva got out the documents and handed them over.
Snapfist however shook his head after a quick scan. "These are Muggle forms. Mr. Potter's magical guardian remains unchanged and only he may authorize the release. As it was he who initially sealed the will I rather doubt you will gain cooperation from that direction."
"Dumbledore right? He's my magical guardian isn't he?" Harry growled.
"That would be correct, Mr. Potter," Snapfist snarled. The old wizard had trampled over many Gringotts policies through the years and did not engender warm feelings.
"How do I change it?" Shiva frowned as Harry spoke. This was a problem. She had initially assumed Dumbledore simply had in loco parentis guardianship while Harry attended Hogwarts not that he was an official magical guardian.
"It would need to be a Wizengamot decision to strip his magical guardianship rights and grant them to another," Snapfist explained.
Harry just growled in response. Snapfist found himself growing to genuinely like this little wizard. It was rare enough to meet a magical that could be polite. It was even rarer to find one capable of a respectable growl.
"Snapfist," Shiva asked slowly, "just what kind of power does Dumbledore have as Harry's magical guardian?"
"Primarily, financial control over any transactions more than 50 galleons though he cannot perform any transactions regarding the family vault or your investments," Snapfist said tapping his fingers on the desk. "A magical guardian also has the right to accept or deny any magical contracts including marriage contracts."
"That's still a thing?" Harry said scowling even deeper. "What the hell is wrong with this world?" Snapfist had to hold in laughter at that question. Many goblins had asked the same thing regarding wizards.
"They're really rare, Harry," Shiva said but then frowned. "Snapfist, has Dumbledore signed any magical contracts or marriage contracts in Harry's name?"
Snapfist shifted a few more papers before shaking his head. "No. There is a draft marriage document for one Ginevra Weasley with Molly Prewett's signature already stamped however Albus Dumbledore has yet to sign."
"Thank god," Shiva leaned back with a sigh. Harry's face was starting to turn colors that only Vernon had ever reached. "What was the date on that one?"
"November 5th, 1981."
Both humans gaped at that and looked at each other. Harry unfroze first. "I am going to strangle that old man with his own beard."
"At least he didn't sign the bloody thing. Snapfist, is there any way to block that from ever getting signed?"
"Well..." the goblin tapped the desk again thinking. A scary grin split his features as he recognized an option perfectly in line with bank policies. "We could place it into the family vault. As a draft document it would be required to be either destroyed or signed before any other marriage contracts could be formed."
"And Dumbledore isn't allowed in the family vault despite being a magical guardian," Harry said. Snapfist nodded, noting with approval that the predatory grin spreading across Harry's features mirrored the goblin's own. "Can I give access to that vault to Shiva?"
"No. Not until you reach your age of majority. Currently you are the only one allowed access to the Potter family vault."
"Oh. Well it was worth a shot. Wait," Harry frowned, "by locking away this contract I'm screwing Ginny aren't I? She seems nice enough and I don't want to stop her from dating anyone until I turn 17 or something..."
"In one manner you are limiting her options, Mr. Potter. Miss Weasley would be unable to enter into another marriage contract the same as you. However, that does not mean neither of you can form relationships. It simply means neither of your hands can be bought or sold," Snapfist said.
"Shiva?"
"Do it," she nodded to him and gave a thumbs up. "This is definitely the best option until we can get you out from under him. I just wish I knew why Dumbledore seems dead set on managing your life."
"Maybe he's just senile," Harry muttered. "Was there a third thing, Snapfist?"
"Yes. A Wizengamot proxy."
"A what?"
"Shite," Shiva said softly. "I didn't even think about you having a seat on the Wizengamot. It's a hereditary one I assume?"
"It is," Snapfist agreed. "It is generally not a topic Gringotts handles however with the sealed will we have been...forced," Snapfist made it sound like a curse, "to bring up the issue. Currently the proxy is Albus Dumbledore in his role as your magical guardian. You are unfortunately unable to change this fact without his consent."
"Fantastic." Harry sighed. "Well this sucks. If you guys manage to figure out a way for us to change magical guardians before we do let me know please."
"I will ensure we do, Mr. Potter." Snapfist nodded to them both. "Before we conclude...it has come to the attention of Gringotts that you are in possession of the Sword of Godric Gryffindor. Is this true?" His eyes were beady and his stare intense.
Shiva narrowed her eyes at Snapfist and stopped Harry before he could speak. "Yes," she said. "The Hogwarts' Founders' artifact chose Harry as a champion and bestowed the Sword of Godric Gryffindor upon him in his hour of need." Harry shot her a questioning glance but Shiva just shook her head.
Snapfist frowned, deep in thought, before slowly replying, "You claimed this blade during a crisis?"
"Yes," Shiva said.
"Mr. Potter, please explain."
Harry again looked at Shiva. She just sighed and motioned for him to go ahead. "My friend and I were fighting a basilisk. Nothing was working against it so I asked for help. Fawkes, the phoenix, showed up with the Sorting Hat. I put the Sorting Hat on and the Sword came out. I used it to stab the basilisk. I think I hit the venom sack and the brain when I stabbed it."
Snapfist stayed quiet for some time. "You have claimed Right of Conquest and Right of Bequeathment then?"
Shiva nodded. "He has."
"Very well," Snapfist sighed. He shook his head with a resigned growl of defeat. "The Goblin Nation recognizes your claim and your right, Harry Potter. You maintain uncontested ownership of the Sword of Godric Gryffindor for your lifespan."
"Okay one of you has to explain what is going on because I'm pretty sure I've missed a very large chunk of this last part," Harry looked between the two others getting annoyed. "Obviously something delicate was just decided and I don't appreciate feeling like it was done without my input."
"Harry," Shiva said softly, "goblins view any items they make as belonging to the crafter and the crafter's descendents after they pass. In their view any items made for a witch or wizard are merely rented. When the owner passes, the period of rent is up and they expect the item returned to the crafter or his family. We don't agree with that. We feel we paid an extreme amount for a very finely made item and we own that item so we pass them along to our children."
"Okay," Harry looked between the two again. "So you thought I was cheating you by not giving the Sword back?"
"Correct, Mr. Potter," Snapfist nodded.
"So...what made you change your mind?"
"Two things. You claim the Right of Conquest and the Right of Bequeathment. The Right of Bequeathment is valid as you did not ask for the blade yet it was delivered to you all the same. You were chosen as a champion of Hogwarts. We respect that choice and the judgment of your abilities and character. The Right of Conquest is equally valid as you accomplished a feat many would die failing to perform in your place. A basilisk is no easy prey. This marks you and your ally..."
"Daphne Greengrass," Harry supplied after Shiva elbowed him.
"...Daphne Greengrass as Warriors in our eyes. A Warrior is entitled to the spoils of his kill as well as the instruments used to perform said kill. We recognize and respect your Claims, Harry Potter." Snapfist leaned forward. "But be wary, Warrior Potter. Goblin steel will imbibe that which will make it stronger. You say you punctured the venom of the basilisk? There are very few substances stronger or deadlier than that venom. The blade is likely infused with its properties. Take care not to cut yourself," the goblin finished with a sly grin.
Harry's eyes widened at the implication that he had wrapped up a blade that could kill with a nick in an old sweater and then tossed it into his trunk...a scabbard was immediately required. Above any other errand today. Shiva gulped besides him. 'Oh good. I'm not the only one mildly freaked out by this.'
"That concludes the business I had." Snapfist nodded at the two and then held out a piece of parchment to Shiva. "Ms. Babbling if you will please place a drop of blood on this parchment Gringotts will recognize Warrior Potter as your ward as well as give you access to his trust vault. Do you have anything else you require?"
Harry turned to Shiva who shook her head. "Nope. Thanks for your time and help, Snapfist. May your enemies fall before you."
"May their blood wet your blade."
Harry and Shiva left the office leaving an exhausted goblin behind. After composing himself, Snapfist left to meet with Director Ragnok. His liege had to be informed of the events surrounding the Potter Heir.
"Snapfist," Ragnok rumbled as he walked into the chamber. "So are the whispers true? Does the Potter child have honor?"
"My lord, Harry Potter is – to all appearances – as honorable as his mother before him." Snapfist's declaration was met with raised eyebrows. "He knew the appropriate greetings and dismissals and did not blame Gringotts for failings beyond our control. He treated the Goblin Nation as knowledgeable and fair. He has performed a feat justifying the label of Warrior but does not lord this fact as wizards are wont to do."
Ragnok considered before asking another question, "And how does the boy explain his lack of communication?"
"He claims his mail has been tampered with and that he has received no letters, my lord." Snapfist saw the expression on his liege's face darkening so he hurriedly continued. "I believe him, my lord. He seems to be operating under the assumption that Albus Dumbledore is the one who prevented his mail. It is possible this was not a malicious act however if true..."
"Yes, he would still have intercepted Gringotts business," Ragnok growled. "Investigate. Is Albus Dumbledore still the Potter magical guardian?"
"He is, my lord. We have been asked to inform Warrior Potter of any means of changing this situation if we determine one."
Ragnok laughed. "Oh so the child chafes at the bit. Did his companion seem capable?"
"She is his new guardian in the Muggle world, my lord. While not at the same standard as Warrior Potter she was more courteous than most."
Ragnok nodded. That had been expected from the reports received. "And the Sword?"
"He has claimed Right of Conquest and Right of Bequeathment, my lord." Snapfist bowed and nodded his head. "His Claims are valid. The blade was gifted to him by Hogwarts herself and he used it in the slaying of a basilisk. I recognized Harry Potter and his ally during the battle, Daphne Greengrass, as Warriors for this feat."
"Hmm a worthy predator," Ragnok thought for a few seconds before smiling. "In that case we would not be able to maintain a grip on the blade anyway even should we attempt to reclaim it. He could simply summon it back whenever he wished." Ragnok burst out laughing. "I am growing to like this child!"
"I feel the Nation would be well served by maintaining an amicable working relationship with Warrior Potter," Snapfist ventured.
"Yes," Ragnok nodded, "I believe so as well. Snapfist, put out feelers for the magical guardian issue. Let us make this a race shall we? Goblin vs. wizard. Who will find the loophole first I wonder?"
Harry and Shiva made a stop at St. Mungos after leaving Gringotts. He received vaccinations for everything Muggle and magical as well as a prescription for nutrient potions to reverse some of the malnutrition left over from his years at the Dursleys. Shiva had received several dirty looks as the results of Harry's deep-scan were revealed though the two quickly corrected the healers that Shiva was actually the one responsible for removing him from that environment. After that the Healers were far nicer and agreed to their request to keep the visit quiet for the time being. It wouldn't do for the majority of the wizarding community to start hating Muggles just because Harry's relatives were the worst of the lot.
After the medical appointment was a shopping trip through Diagon Alley and the nearby Muggle shopping center. It had been an experience for both of them; Harry had never been to one before as the Dursleys always left him at the house when they went shopping. Shiva on the other hand had a relatively willing young man to play dress up with.
After a few hours Harry had stopped being amused and requested to return home.
"Let's go for a walk, kid," Shiva said tossing the bags they had accumulated on the couch and waving towards the door.
"We've been out all day!" Harry grumbled. "Can't we just sit down for a few minutes?"
Shiva sighed and shook her head. "Come on, Harry. We need to talk about that thing in the Prophet I didn't want you to read."
"And we can't do that on the couch why?"
"Because it's a beautiful evening for once and there is a nice park a block away. Stop complaining, we can sit down a bench in five minutes."
"You will be the death of me, woman," Harry said standing back up and following her out. True to her word, Shiva had them on a bench in the park near the house before five minutes had passed and with snacks to boot.
She handed Harry an ice cream cone as she took a seat next to him. Harry raised his eyebrows but attacked the dessert. "This is definitely going to be bad if you are bribing me with ice cream before even starting."
"You know about Azkaban right?" Shiva said wincing at his comment.
"Yeah. The prison. Horrible guards that literally suck out all good feelings."
"Yeah, that's the one. It's also supposed to be impossible to escape from," Shiva paused as a large black dog poked its head out from the nearby bushes.
"Hey, boy," Harry said holding out the remainder of his ice cream to the dog. The dog seemed to consider it for a moment before slowly padding out and licking the cone. "You're a long way from home, buddy."
"You know this monster?" Shiva asked squinting at the dog. It was huge but very underweight. The poor thing's fur was somewhat matted as well. At least it seemed friendly enough.
"He was there when I took the Knight Bus to your place. I figured he'd just ran away but I guess he jumped on the back or something."
"That...seems odd, Harry."
"He's a dog Shiva. Not an evil mastermind. If he was an animagus trying to kill me he could've done it when I first ran into him the other night." The dog's tongue lolled out and he sat down promptly next to Harry. "He's obviously smartly than a regular dog though – probably as smart as Hedwig if he managed to follow me here. He was probably some wizard's familiar or something and the guy died leaving the poor guy alone. Can we keep him?"
Shiva sighed. "I don't think so, Harry. You already have a familiar and I'm more of a cat person. We're not really supposed to have dogs at Hogwarts and we can't exactly just leave him here while we're gone for months." Harry's face fell. "Tell you what, I'll ask around a bit. Maybe one of my friends in Hogsmeade will want to take him in. Then you can visit him during the school year."
Harry smiled at that and the dog yipped. "Okay, that works. Thanks, Shiva!"
"No problem, kid." Shiva gave the animal a scratch. "You should probably name him."
"How about Blacky?" The dog growled at that making Harry laugh. "Guess not. Thunder? Hmm, Snuffles? Oh, you like that one. Okay, Snuffles it is." The newly minted Snuffles licked Harry's hand. "Alright, enough stalling I suppose. What were you saying about Azkaban?"
"A prisoner broke out a few days ago." Shiva leaned back on the bench and stared off into the distance. "His name was Sirius Black."
"You say that like I should recognize the name," Harry said while scratching Snuffles who had fallen silent.
"You were just a baby when he was locked away. Sirius Black was one of your father's best friends, Harry. He was also your godfather." Harry's eyes narrowed and the dog whined a bit as his scratching got more intensive. "When your parents went into hiding with you they were under a charm called Fidelius. It works to hide the existence of a secret – generally a location but it could be anything – from the world at large. Only someone called the Secret Keeper can show or tell others the secret."
"And Black was the Secret Keeper for where Mum and Dad were?" Harry asked quietly. Snuffles whined beneath him but Harry gently shushed the dog.
"Not a lot is known for sure about that night, Harry. All we know for sure is that Sirius Black was the most likely candidate for Secret Keeper. From what everyone said he and your dad were practically inseparable. They were basically brothers in everything but blood. Neither your mum nor your dad could be the Secret Keeper since they lived in the house. Black was the next person they'd trust most."
"And Voldemort walked right up to our door." Harry said nodding. "So he knew the secret."
"Yes. Even more damning...their other friend, Peter Pettigrew apparently hunted Black down after that night. Pettigrew caught up to Black on a street in Muggle London. There was a battle; Pettigrew yelled out about how Black had betrayed your family and then Black cast a curse that caused an explosion, blowing up a large section of the street. 12 Muggles died and the only thing recovered from Pettigrew was his finger." Snuffles put his two front paws over his head. Shiva slung an arm around Harry and pulled him close to her before continuing. "The Aurors caught up to Black almost immediately and found him laughing in the destroyed street. He didn't even put up a fight. They stunned him, snapped his wand and tossed him in Azkaban. Nobody ever looked back. A few days ago, somehow...he managed to escape. According to the guards, he had been whispering for several days beforehand that 'he's at Hogwarts'. The Ministry is assuming that he's coming after you; to finish the job that he and his master started over a decade ago."
Harry was quiet for a few minutes, just scratching Snuffles and leaning against Shiva. "So," he finally said softly, "I have a second madman after me. Fantastic." He chuckled and shook his head. "Want to put a bet on whether he'll be our DADA teacher this year? The first one was possessed and tried to kill me and the second tried to obliviate us all. It'd be par for the course for Sirius Black to wrangle the job." Snuffles started a low growl and a nearby squirrel jumped away before he quieted down.
Shiva snorted. "You do seem to inspire murderous thoughts in our Defense teachers, kid."
Harry shrugged as best he could while leaning against her. "It's a talent. Shiva…I think I'm going to start working on more offensive runes this year…"
The older woman sighed but nodded. "I can understand that. Promise me you'll consult with me before going for anything too dangerous?"
"Promise." Harry nodded. "I think the most volatile design would be more Feedback stones. They'd be like the one I used against the basilisk. Directed failures; magical grenades. I've been a bit scared to work on them before after the whole troll incident thing but...I think I have enough of a foundation now that I can do them safely. And I can always go to my legal guardian for advice both in and out of class now," he finished grinning up at her.
"Damn right you can, kid," Shiva said laughing. "Any other ideas I should be watching out for?"
"Well I'm going to have Comm Stones finished before we get back to school." Harry frowned and said, "Muggles have mobiles now. They can contact almost anyone in moments and it's not a one way channel. It's stupid that we don't have something like that in the magical world." Snuffles cocked his head at Harry and Shiva found herself nodding along. "I worked out how to make a cluster that could function the same while at the Dursleys. It's restricted to audio and has to be tied to specific people at the moment but each stone can be tied to multiple others. I can work on making a completely open, untethered cluster later. Can you pierce one of my ears?"
"What?" Shiva asked blinking at the non sequitur.
"Like for an earring? I'm going to miniaturize the Comm Stone. You know, make earrings out of them. The magic flowing through them should be small so the stone can be tiny without worrying about failure or breakage. I was going to make one for me, Hermione, Neville, Daphne, Tracey and you. I'm thinking I might make one for Tonks too so that we could call the Aurors fast when we need them. Maybe one for Susan and Hannah too, but I want to talk to them first so those will probably come later."
Shiva shook her head laughing. "You really don't do things halfway, Harry! I'll take you to get a piercing in a few days. Wait till I tell Bill you got an earring!"
Harry snorted. "Hey, his dragon fang one was awesome!"
"He thinks so too," Shiva commented still laughing. Snuffles started chuffing along with the humans. "Alright, kid, dog, time to head back home."
"Yeah. Let's go home," Harry smiled at Shiva as he stood and stretched. "Thanks for telling me this stuff, Shiva. And thanks for supporting my ideas."
Shiva smiled back at him as Snuffles fell into a trot beside the two. "Anytime, Harry. Anytime."
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