Saving Her; Saving Us All

Chapter 2
A Series of Interesting Questions

“There isn’t much I can actually say due to the oaths one takes as a headmaster, besides you have been there for most of it. So instead I will as you a series of questions…questions you will find as interesting as I do.

“Why is it that so many of the light families that supported Dumbledore against Grindlewald, come out of that war with their circumstances greatly reduced? Some of the lesser affluent like the Weasleys entered poverty after that war though they had always been well to do before it.

“Why is it that, as the last of the Princes, you were never directed to even make the attempt to gain your inheritance? The same can be asked about young Lord Potter.

“Was my Great grandson Harry’s magical godfather? If so how could anyone ever believe that he was able to betray the Potters?” looking closely at Remus, Phineas added; “And why is it that one of the Marauders seems to have no memory of an event I’m sure he would have been present at?

Why is it that the heir of one of the riches magical families would not have leave a will? Why would he not leave instructions as to who should be responsible for his young child? And if he did leave one where is it? Who were its witnesses? Who was its executor?

How can the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot not be able to call for a trial for a prisoner who never had one? Especially when he knows that new information has come to light?

Even more, who cast the fidelius charm…if it was Dumbledore, why did he not step forward and say that Sirius wasn’t the secret keeper? And why hide them in Godric’s Hollow in the first place; there were several Potter properties which would have allowed no harm to come to a Potter there?

How did the ‘boy who lives’ shite get started? Why were people allowed to write books and make money off the boy without his knowledge, or permission? Where is his share of that money going?

Why is it that in the last century, the education at Hogwarts has DRASTICALLY declined? Why are the witches and wizards of England becoming more and more sheep like? Why are there no new spell crafters, and charm masters?

And last but most importantly, how many lives would have been saved if the Death Eaters had been dealt with properly in and after the last war? Who is responsible for the fact that they weren’t? why is it that the evil are constantly given more chances to destroy the innocent?”

Severus and Remus exchanged looks. The portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black looked smug, finally these two were thinking. It had to be them cause the only other person Phineas could think of who spent enough time in the muggle world to have picked up Critical thinking was stuck in St. Mungo’s.

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While Phineas was demonstrating his testicular fortitude

A stuffily dressed hospital Administrator pulled Sirius aside. In the 3 weeks since Hermione had been cursed Sirius and Harry had been an almost constant presence at St. Mungo’s, the Weasleys were taking turns and surprisingly enough Kingsley Shacklebolt had been by to check on Hermione almost every day. Today’s Weasleys were Bill and George, though it could have been Fred…he answered to either.

The administrator looked at the exonerated man before him. “Lord Black, it has been several weeks, and the girl is still just holding on stasis. Perhaps you should allow our healers to attempt to heal the girl?”

This arse reminded Sirius far too much of the third Weasley boy. Sirius was yanked from his thoughts but the need to physically restrain his godson.

“Look you pencil pushing toerag, if any one tries any magic anywhere near her before we are ready with the counter, I will take her and the Longbottoms out of here, and pull this building to the ground.” Harry’s eyes shown with such fierce determination, the Administrator took several steps back.

Bill stepped forward, “I’m not sure what the problem is. You have a patient whose only requirement is the refreshing of her stasis spell once a day. Lord Black is footing the rather inflated bill, so might I suggest you walk away.” Well that is about as close as any of Molly Weasley’s children can come to being peace keepers. Once the parchment jockey had left, Bill turned to Sirius and made another suggestion, “Take Harry to Gringotts, he needs to claim his heritage. It hasn’t been done yet.” Seeing the two men once again about to refuse, Bill continued calmly. “You guys haven’t been out of her for more than an hour in three weeks. I’ll stay here and keep those fools from bothering Hermione. You two go-get Harry set in his rightful place. Besides when she is all fixed up- well you won’t want to leave her side to do this then.” Bill hid a smirk. He had finally found the one argument that would get these two to go and see the world outside St. Mungo’s.

Sirius looked at Harry. His time behind the veil and the healing he had found their helped to clear away the confusion he’d sometimes experienced when looking as Harry. He no longer had to stop himself from calling him James; he no longer wanted to transform into Padfoot and give him a ride. “Come, Harry. Bill is right. It is passed time for e you to assume your title and lands. I also think a full checkup is in order.”

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Sirius side-apparated Harry to the Gringotts apparition point. One needed a certain level of vault to be allowed this privilege. Stepping into the bank’s main lobby, Sirius pulled Harry over to a special window that Harry had never noticed before.
A very officious looking goblin looked out at them. “Well finally, Lord Potter. We’ve been desirous of your presence for some time now. I am Bloodreaper. I am the Chief Probate Superintendent for Gringotts International. Follow me to my office and we can begin. The Potter Accounts Manager will meet us there. Lord Black, I believe there is much to discuss, and very little of it will please you.”

With those words of warning, the window became an archway. Sirius waved Harry forward with a flourish, and then stepped through himself. After they had crossed the threshold, the archway became a window once more. Bloodreaper preceded them into his office. Amazingly, at least to Harry, there was a goblin already there waiting. He introduced himself as Axbreaker, the Manager of the Potter Accounts and Estate. “We have found some irregularities with the Potter Accounts Lord Black. It began with an inquiry the morning after the night of the Ministry Six Battle. It was made by the Chief Warlock in his position as young Lord Potter’s magical guardian. He has managed to pull several illicit transactions on Trust account. It is the only account that anyone other than myself can access, until Young Harry ascends to his Lordship. He used the trust accountant, Dragger, to set up 2 annuities. One for a family named Dursley and one for Molly Weasley.”

“Given fact that by all accounts you are very close with the Weasley family, and live with the Dursley Family, we were not exactly concerned, until a teller came forward with some questions about your welfare. It seems the Griphook took you to your vault on your first appearance here. He overheard some of what your friend Hagrid had to say about your treatment at the Dursley’s. He managed to spy on you several times during that and the last few summers. He was very through in documenting his observations. Unfortunately he only shared his results with Dragger. Who, we believe under Dumbledore’s orders, buried them.

With the account inspection we began upon the aforementioned inquiry, we found his report. We feel, and correct me if we are wrong, but we feel that none of the money given to the Dursley’s was used to support you, as it should have been?”

Harry was aghast. “No. I was a slave, a punching bag, and apparently a paycheck. But the only clothes I ever received were my whale of a cousin’s castaways. I’ve never gotten a single gift; my glasses came from the Salvation Army Shop. I didn’t know my name ‘til the first day of school. Or my birthday ‘til shortly before I was nine!”

Axbreaker barked an order into a communication device on his desk. “Very well. That confirmation allows us to move forward with prosecution of the Dursleys for misappropriation of funds, and I believe that we will add child endangerment, neglect, abuse, and exploitation to those as well. We will also force them to repay every pence of the 316496 pounds sterling; they have received over the last 14 years.”

Harry actually looked like he would try to stop them for a minute. But Sirius spoke up instead. “Yes, you should move on that immediately. Because if I get to them first. I’ll be guilty when they send me to Azkaban this time.”

Axbreaker seemed to smirk in agreement and continued; “the inquiry that sparked the investigation, was in fact an attempt by Dumbledore to instigate a betrothal contract on your behalf. The contract failed to pass the fraud assessments. It would seem that Mr. Arthur Weasley’s signature was compelled, or confounded. Molly Weasley’s and Albus Dumbledore’s signatures however were authenticated.”

“So Arthur didn’t agree with the plan so they tricked him into thinking they were signing something else. What I don’t get is why even try this. I barely know Ginny. I mean we’re getting to be better friends after the fight at the Ministry…but she’s just barely starting to get over the boy-who-lived hype.” Harry’s confusion was palpable.

“We do not know Lord Potter. What we do know is that it was this attempt that lead to us finding out so many interesting things. We have stopped the annuity to Molly Weasley as well and pulled the 1500 galleons back from her vault. If you did agree to this series of transactions, we will of course release the funds.”

Harry could only shake his head. “When did they start?” he asked hoping for the best.

“They began after Christmas of your Second year at Hogwarts.” AxBreaker responded.

“You know what; put it back…not in her vault, in the main Weasley account. I probably owe Mr. Weasley that just for trashing his car, and that car saved my arse in the forbidden forest. Plus I’ve eaten there enough, and I know they don’t really have money to spare. So set up another one, 150 galleons a month. But whatever you do, Do NOT let them know where it’s coming from.” Harry finished. He felt better. That 1500 galleons would cover the car and the tickets to the world cup, he’d kind of felt bad about not being able to help, and now he could.

Axbreaker simply nodded. He was finding himself liking the boy more and more. The more he spoke with him the more he was reminded of Lily Evans Potter; one hell of a temper mitigated by a wonderfully compassionate heart. “Consider it done. As I was saying in the investigation pursuant to the inquiry we discovered that in his position as Chief Warlock, Dumbledore had sealed the Potter will. This was supposedly done to protect a war time secret. The only –quote/unquote- secret information was found upon review is the naming of the Potter’s actual secret keeper. It did also point out that Albus Dumbledore was the person who performed the fidelius charm. He was also listed as one of the three required witnesses.” Axbreaker went on to explain the bequests left in the will, and he executed them all as well.

“The will, of course, set forth who should have seen to your care in the event of their deaths, mentioning by name that you should never have been left with Petunia Evans Dursley or her family. Their first choice was of course Lord Black; followed by the Frank and Alice Longbottom, it would seem that their son Neville was in fact your mother’s godson. Next was the Tonks, their daughter was should have been a seventh year when you entered Hogwarts. Finally were the Weasleys; there were several stipulations to your placement in that household. Your mother also included a further “not even if Hell froze over” list, including the Malfoys and any person carrying a dark mark.

Axbreaker finished explaining the details of the estate and presented Harry with the Potter Signet ring. “Lord Potter, allow me to welcome you to your rightful place in the Wizarding world. Your Godfather will explain further to you what this means. Your mother was scheduled to do a heritage test less than a month after her death. I believe that she would appreciate it if you would take the test in her stead.”

Harry actually smiled; his first in three weeks. “Okay, I don’t know anything at all about my mum. Just that she was the brightest witch to attend Hogwarts since Rowena Ravenclaw…well until my Hermione.” Harry got quite again at the thought of his unconscious friend. Quickly Axbreaker called for the ceremonial dagger and a treated parchment. 3 drops of blood and three minutes later and the results were there. The Evans and Potter Families all the way back to their beginnings. 2 names stuck out. Glinda Gryffindor, the eldest child of Godric, had married the heir of the second generations of Potters. The other was Syria Slytherin the eldest grandchild Salazar. Syria became the first of the Evans line.

“I believe, Lord Potter, that we should see if the Gryffindor and Slytherin rings recognize you as heir. The direct patriarchal Gryffindor line died out a little over 100 years ago. The Slytherin ring only reappeared in the last twenty; Sometime between the 1980 and 1990 audits.” A few words of gobbledygook and two more ancient looking ring boxes appeared before Harry. One looked to be made of a hammered copper, though it had no real patina of age it felt ancient. The same could be said for the other box it seemed to be hewn from a petrified wood. “Do not worry, should you not qualify, the boxes simply will not open.”

Harry looked at Sirius, only to find the old dog looking back at him. “Well as the yanks say---nothing beats a fail but a try.” The copper box seemed to almost jump into Harry’s hand and opened with the slightest touch. It contained the Gryffindor ring. Sirius ran a quick scan for dark magic, when it came up negative; Harry slipped the ring onto his slim finger.

A presence swept through Harry’s mind. While the presence was less abrasive than Snape’s during his occlumency lession; but strange none the less. It was only a matter of seconds before he heard a voice proclaim him worthy. The ring resized to fit Harry.

Sirius performed a scan of the Slytherin ring, and quickly put himself between Harry and the ring box. The older man looked at the goblin in consternation. Axbreaker called for a curse breaker. And all four men moved back from the desk. The curse breaker arrived in seconds, after performing several more complex scans he began to curse fluently in Gobbledygook, English, and Mermish.

“My Lords, sirs it would seem that the last holder of the ring turned it into a horcrux.” At Harry’s questioning look, the goblin curse breaker took a moment to explain the true villainy of the horcrux, adding that each separation of the soul made the person less human, and less sane. “I cannot simply banish the fragment of the soul without knowing who it was. What I can do is move the fragment into something else and destroy it.”

Bloodreaper gave him the go ahead. “Put the fragment into one of the walking dead. I would know who created this abomination and if there are others.”

The curse breaker made a motion and his assistant came in. it took less than half an hour for one of the goblin nation’s prisoners, a slightly built wizard with magic suppression runes carved into his very flesh, to volunteer to end their sentence early. Apparently the goblins believed that every prisoner should serve hard labor…even if they were slated for death. As he was brought in Sirius put a restraining hand on Harry.

Sirius needn’t have worried. Harry wasn’t thinking of objecting. The events at the ministry and on the train had fully opened Harry’s eyes. He now understood that some people deserved to die. A short yet complicated spell later and Harry was once more speaking with a revenant that identified itself as Tom Marvolo Riddle.

“You know it’s really impossible to be scared of a toss pot so afraid of death that he is willing to splint his soul into pieces. Good God, I would have welcomed death with open arms any day from ages 4 to 11…probably earlier if I had understood the concept. So how many of those things do we have to destroy?” Harry ranted.

“Why on earth should I share that information with you? You do not understand anything. It is not fear of death; it’s a mastery of it. I am the heir of Salazar Slytherin---greatest of the Hogwarts four.” The shade remarked.

“You are a stupid scared little boy. Playing with peoples’ lives because it makes you feel important. You are weak and you are pitiful. I’ve disembodied you at 15 months, cast you out at 11, destroyed part of your soul at 12, fought you to a draw at 14, and sent you running just a few weeks ago. So tell me what I want to know; before I get angry.” Harry fumed; the reality was that Harry had been angry for weeks.

Axbreaker was growing tired of the argument. He pointed a finger at the possessed thing in front of them. Using the goblin form of legilimency, without any of the subtlety he would have usually used, he ripped into its consciousness. Finding what he was looking for he pulled back. With a nod to the curse breaker, he signaled him to destroy the revenant. Turning to the humans he calmly reported, “This was the fourth Voldemort created. A diary, Helga Hufflepuff’s cup and---”

“It doesn’t matter, as long as the boy lives, so shall I” the shade shouted out as the curse breaker finished the complex spell to destroy it. Quickly there after that piece of Riddle’s soul was no more.

Neither Sirius nor Harry liked the implications of that. Harry began to curse loudly and vehemently. “Check me. Check me and see if that stupid motherfucker left a piece of his bloody soul in me.” The curse breaker acquiesced to the command with alacrity.

“Unfortunately it would see that you do. However, the process for its removal is a bit easier now. I would not need a vessel since we know its name. Unless you would like to question it as well?”

A Quick debate later and Bloodreaper called for another of the walking dead. This piece of Voldemort was the oldest and probably the least sane. However it was the most closely tied to Riddle. The botching of the ritual caused by the disembodiment had allowed a connection to remain, one that was not present in the other horcruxes.

This time as soon as the soul fragment was In the new host, Axbreaker and Bloodreaper took the information needed. While Riddle’s occlumency cold have protected him from even the most determined of wizard; but there was nothing outside of GOBLIN taught occlumency that could stand up to the legilimency of the goblins. The curse breaker once more worked his magic and destroyed a second piece of the soul of Thomas Marvolo Riddle.

After the excitement settled down, Harry accepted the Slytherin ring. The presence this time took no time at all to announce that by right of conquest as well as by right of blood, Harry was Lord Slytherin. It was only after the goblins had given Harry all the information they were able to glean from the revenants of the self styled Lord Voldemort; that Harry had a horrifying thought. “I don’t have to have three wives or anything like that…right?”

The adults all laughed. “While polygamy is allowed in our culture, there is no requirement; even in your unique situation. Should you wish to separate the titles, you simply need to have a son for each. While the Potter title allows for matriarchal or patriarchal succession, the other older titles do not. It is also possible to keep the Potter and Gryffindor titles tied, and separate the Slytherin title, which came to you primarily through your mother.” Bloodreaper explained.

“Oh good, because I refuse to marry some bloody fangirl, or barmy blood purist.” Harry said decisively. As he and Sirius were leaving, Harry surprised the goblins, by not only recognizing Griphook, but also by the pulling him aside and thanking him for his concern and for helping to build the case against his muggle guardians. Realizing that it had been more than four hours since they’d left the hospital; Harry and Sirius made one quick stop by Flourish and Blotts to grab a new book to read to Hermione and the hurried to return to her side.