When they reached the Bank Floor Grabclaw turned to face Harry. "Your withdraws should be with us momentarily."
"Thank you for your efforts, Senior Teller." Harry replied, bowing to the smaller goblin. His act of respect was noted by all the other goblins on the Floor. Not many wizards had ever shown them respect.
Two other sets of eyes had seen his action, and both widened at it. The one chuckled, thinking how typical it was of Harry Potter.
The other decided to let their presence be known. "Wotcher, Harry!"
Harry looked up to see Remus and Tonks walking over. The former looked like he'd made an effort to neaten up, but was even more haggard and worn. Tonks too was sombre. Her hair was a mousy brown and her clothing plain.
"Hello Remus, Tonks."
"Hello Harry." Remus smiled lightly, but they could see in his eyes that he was not enjoying the reason for the summons. His eyes wandered over the other three teens, one eyebrow rising slightly. "Pardon me, but while I can understand why Hermione's here, I can't see Sirius inviting either Miss Bones or Greengrass to his Will Reading, no offence."
Susan smiled warmly. "None taken. We're just here with Harry to get some money out, before we start shopping for supplies."
Remus nodded slowly, before looking out across the bank. "Where's everyone else? It's almost time..."
Harry smirked. "Yes... and a week early."
"What?" Both adults spun round to look incredulously at him.
"Moony, I believe we are in the beginning stages of Padfoot's last prank, and it's going to be a masterpiece."
While Tonks was still shocked, the darkness receded from Remus's eye, and his lips twitched. "Trust Sirius to use his own Will Reading as a means to prank someone. But who?"
Harry's grin just widened. "If I'm right, Dumbledore, Molly, and the whole world."
Just then a goblin stepped up, holding out two small cloth sacks to Grabclaw. The Senior Teller took them before handing over to Susan and Daphne.
"There you go Mister Potter. Will there be anything else?"
Harry shook his head. "No, thank you."
Grabclaw nodded, before gesturing to one side. "In that case I will leave you in Goldbag's care." A quick glance showed a senior, suit wearing goblin approaching. With that Grabclaw moved back towards the position he had been sat at before they arrived.
"We'd best be going too." Daphne said softly.
"Ok." Harry replied a little sadly. Then to everyone's surprise he pulled the slightly taller blond into a hug, before doing the same with Susan. "Take care, both of you. We'll meet you in the Cauldron afterwards."
"We will." Susan told him before giving him a peck on the cheek as she stepped back. Daphne copied the action on his other cheek before the two of them started walking towards the main doors. Knowing the curious looks on Tonks and Remus's faces, and not wanting to try and explain things - at least until he was more comfortable with It himself - Harry turned to regard the goblin that had reached them.
"Mister Potter?" He asked. Harry nodded, "Miss Granger? Mr Lupin? Miss Tonks?" After they had all nodded he nodded himself. "Follow me please." The four them followed, Harry holding Hermione's hand.
The goblin led them down a corridor to a modest office. "Be seated." He gestured to four chairs set on one side of a table as he moved round to a raised chair of goblin proportions. Once they were all sat he looked between them all.
"Very well. I am Goldbag, Account Master for the Black Family. The fallen member of that Family, one Sirius Orion Black, arranged for this pre-will hearing for the four of you: Harry James Potter, Hermione Jane Granger, Remus John Lupin & Nymphadora Tonks." Over the mutterings of Tonks Goldbag pressed on.
"Mr Black expressed concerns with Gringotts about the current Magical Guardian for both Mister Potter and Miss Granger. He also had several issues concerning authority figures close to both, and to both Mr Lupin and Miss Tonks. He wanted you four to have advance warning of the contents of his will, and what will be revealed.
"As part of these details, Mr Black leased the use of recording spheres from Gringotts." Tonks sat up at that. "The costs for the lease have already been deducted from the Black Family vault." With that he lifted from a wooden box a small, round blue sphere.
Harry swallowed, and Hermione squeezed his hand to reassure him. The sphere Goldbag held looked just like the Prophecy Sphere they had fought the Death Eaters over. Seeing that brought back bad memories of that night. Goldbag set the sphere down in a supporting frame that held it neatly a few inches above the desk, before waving his hand over it.
An image was projected in the air before the sphere, facing them. It showed Sirius sat in an armchair they recognised as one from Grimmauld Place from the knees up. It choked them all up to see him once more, still looking a little gaunt, but alive.
"Hi. If everything's going to plan, then Moony, Tonks and Hermione should be hearing this. Hopefully you've managed to get Harry there - here? Whatever - too. But if not, well, I understand. Better than you I expect.
"Now, if you three or four are hearing this, then I've up and died. Likely done something really stupid or something. Therefore, I'm the one to blame, not any of you. Yes Harry, even you. I noticed your tendency to take the blame for everything, something that the Dursleys need to be 'thanked' for. But in this case, unless you actually put a wand to my head and fired off a spell, it's not your fault.
"Now... I've leased this recording sphere from Gringotts because I want to make sure that you got to hear my thoughts before I snuffed it. I've been updating this thing every so often, and will keep doing so till there is no need." The image of Sirius leaned forwards a bit. "But after what I've discovered, that's not going to happen any time soon." He sat back slowly, as if weary, before reaching to one side. His forearm vanished out of shot before returning with a squat glass filled with amber liquid. After a sip he looked up once more.
"Okay, here goes... Guy's, you've got to get Harry away from the Dursleys, Molly and Dumbledore. The Dursleys treat him about as well as Vol... Vo... Bloody Hell! Voldemort would us if he wins. I'm dead ser..." He froze, then closed his eyes as he groaned. "Sorry, wrong metaphor. Anyway, I'm serious about that. Harry needs to get away from those... I can't find the words for them. Oh, and Moony? Be sure to express to them the displeasure the Marauders feel about the treatment of the son of Prongs.
"Why Molly and Dumbledore you ask? Well, I recently learned some rather... disturbing things about those two, and their plans for Harry. From what I've overheard, Dumbledore's got plans for Harry's future, and Molly's in on it. But she's got her own as well, one's I don't think Dumbledore knows about. Dumbledore's convinced you're going to die Harry. He's convinced that you have to die before Voldemort can be beaten. But he's planning on making you a martyr, all to aid his cause. That old bastard's been manipulating things for decades. He may be 'The Leader of the Light', but it's not the Light that most people think of. He's really a Wizard-Supremacist, has been for most of his life. He just goes about it a different way from Voldemort.
"Molly however... I don't know why, but she's stealing from Harry's trust vault." Both Remus and Tonks gasped. "I know how much Arthur makes, and I also know how much Hogwarts tuition costs. There is no way that the Weasleys could have put all their kids through without another source of funds... and I saw Molly make sure she had Harry's Trust Vault key while she was staying here. I also suspect she was using his funds to pay for all the food and stuff the Order used."
From his side Hermione muttered "So that's what that withdrawal was all about..." seeing the looks on the adults faces, Harry mouthed 'later' to them before refocusing on Sirius's projection.
Sirius finished lowering the glass from his lips, before he sat for several second just staring into the remaining liquid within. Then he looked up. "Sorry guys, but Harry really should be there with you for this next bit. I just... can't find the words to do so assuming he's not.
"Harry, after you and Hermione rescued me from the tower... I knew I had to lay low. I already had a place in mind abroad, but I needed a place to stop over before heading to the Black Families tropical retreat. So... I went to your Families ancestral home. The wards still accepted me, as I had lived there for a time before getting my own flat.
"When I got there, I..." He gulped, taking another slug of whiskey. "I still can't believe it. But I found out why your parents wills were never executed. And before you ask, I can't tell you. I was sworn to secrecy. All I can say is that the reason is one you are going to like, and that 'it' is waiting for you at Potter Manor. Goldbag should pass to you the way to get there via muggle means - the manor is locked down against all magical transport right now. Trust me, not evenDumbledore would even consider attempting to break the protections on Potter Manor as they are now." There was a diabolical grin on his face now.
"Now, while your Parents will's can't be executed - that's how Dumbledore got control of you, though it's not his fault for that - I was able to have certain items shifted from Gringotts holding to be passed to you at this time. Included is a letter from James. You should have received it when you turned eleven, but I know now that you never did. Dumbledore, as your assigned Magical Guardian, said you were 'not ready for such a burden'. Codswallop. While the Ministry won't overturn my conviction, which automatically renders my Guardianship voided, Gringotts has no problem with me, thus they agreed that for banking matters, I can overrule him. Sadly, there is little I can do without tipping him off, and right now, I really don't trust him to have your best interests at heart. He truly believes those old sayings like 'The end justifies the means' and 'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few'. He did it in the last war, you know. Sacrificed some of us 'For the Greater Good'. Sometimes when it was pointless, and unnecessary." A dark look had entered his eyes, but after a moment he shook himself and looked up.
"Anyway, hopefully by now you're well away from them. And for Merlin's sake, don't either of you two eat or drink anything Molly Weasley makes for you! That woman's been mixing potions; when I caught her once, she claimed she was doing some healing potions. She obviously forgot that I was decent at potions myself... and none of the ingredients she was using were used in healing potions. I'm not sure just what she was mixing, but don't take the chance!
"Now, about my will... Harry, I never thought I'd say this before you came along, but I'm childless. You and Lily changed my outlook on that. But I guess by now it's too late for me. As I'm the last Black, I have to name a successor under some Pure-blood law that's been around for centuries." He rolled his eyes. "Under the law, I have to pick someone who's a blood relation to me. And as the Black Family is Patriarchal, it has to be a male. So Harry, I named you." He smiled tightly. "It's a pain, as there are some... aspects, that I know you are not going to like, but I can't stand the other option.
"Speaking of that..." Sirius's grin turned devious. "There are a couple of things in my will, requests of my Heir, that I really think you should do. While I was slumming around this dump, I found the Marriage Contracts for my cousins. They made very interesting reading. Short version is that the bulk of the wealth of the Malfoys and LeStrange's comes from their marriages into the Black Family, as well as a lot of prestige. But what is really interesting is that there's a clause in the Contracts that allows the Head of the Black Family to annul the marriages because their husbands are Death Eaters. Use it, and you deprive Malfoy of a lot of his influence." His smile was now echoed by the four listeners.
Sirius sighed deeply, draining his glass. "Harry... I know that leaving you pretty much everything I own or am entitled to in no way makes up for loosing me. Despite what Molly said, I always knew that you were Harry, not James. I only hoped to share some of what James was like, and to help you overcome the set-backs you've suffered. I just hope you can use some of the money I leave you to make your life what you will.
"Which brings me to the hardest part of what I want to say." He looked at the empty glass for a long moment, clearly wishing that he still had a drink. After sighing, he looked back up, his expression serious yet uncomfortable.
"Harry... after what I saw and learned of your life at the Dursleys, I can understand why you'd have problems understanding others, especially girls and women. And your own feelings regarding the fairer sex. But I had hoped that after four years at Hogwarts, you'd have started to understand more. At the very least, you'd have seen what's right in front of you.
"I shouldn't really be telling you this, but I fear if I don't, you'll never figure it out and end up in some loveless, political marriage. Harry, there's a young women who's been by your side since you started at Hogwarts, despite everything, because she loves you, Harry. Yes, I'm talking about Hermione. I saw it first when you had gotten me out of that tower. Then last year, during the tournament, she defied the whole school and stuck with you. I honestly thought that sometime last year you would have asked me for help courting her.
"Then, this summer gone I had the pleasure to get to know her better... and the displeasure of knowing Ronald. Harry, you have got to distance yourself from him. While Hermione reminds me of Lily, Ron reminds me of Peter. And the looks I saw him giving her... they reminded me of the way Snivollus looked at Lily.
"I remember when you all came back for Christmas. When you shut yourself away, Ron, your supposed 'best mate'..." the quotation marks were clear in his voice "...just shrugged it off and proceeded to stuff his face, eating like... well, I would say 'like a pig', but that would be an insult to pigs. When I pressed him, he just snapped back saying, and I quote 'Harry's always running off to sulk about things.' It was clear that he didn't care about how you were feeling, just stuffing his face.
"Then Hermione came in. Stormed in, more like. Stunned the whole lot of us, tell the truth. And the first words out of her mouth? 'Where's Harry?' There was this look in her eyes, a mix of determination and concern."
At his side Hermione flushed red and bowed her head. Harry squeezed her hand gently.
"I knew, right then, that she'd came just for you. Left her parents just to help you. Despite everything, the way you'd acted over the summer, she still cared about you first, and loved you. I could see it, in her eyes. I hoped that during that holiday you would have gotten your head out of your ass and asked her out, at least."
Now it was Harry's turn to flush.
"Hermione... I'm sorry, but there are times when despite being so smart, you are quite naive. He's not good at saying it, but Harry is very grateful of everything you've done for him. He's been forced to repress his emotions for years. You are good enough for him, in body as well as mind: in fact, he likely thinks you're the unattainable one. Harry doesn't need a fan-girl for a wife, nor a politically arranged one. He needs his soul-mate, and you're the one. I saw it the first time I saw the two of you together. I know that young women worry about their appearance by default, but you don't have to worry Hermione. Over the summer, I couldn't help but compare you and Ginny. I took note of the way you were different: she fussed over her appearance, spending nearly an hour adjusting her makeup and clothing." Hermione nodded, recalling the sight of Ginny sat before a makeup table, the surface covered in creams, lipstick, hair-brushes and other beauty products. And she was always very picky about her clothes. "You just brushed your hair, threw on comfortable clothing and were done. And you know what? When the two of you were besides each other, you outshone her every time." Hermione flushed a little as she glanced at Harry. It was true: she had considered herself too plain for Harry, not worthy of him.
"Harry doesn't show it often, but he's got a lot of his father in him. Including his taste in women. James couldn't stand fawning, girly girls, most of whom couldn't hold a candle to Lily's intellect. You may not look a great deal like her, but you remind me so much of her that I know you would have gotten along brilliantly. At times, I jokingly thought you could have been her daughter, but then Harry would be party to a level of incest that even the Malfoy's wouldn't stoop to." Harry and Hermione blushed red as they looked at each other. "The last family to go that far was the Gaunt's, and they went mad before dying out thirty years ago.
"The one other thing I have to tell you Hermione relates to your naivety. Despite your obvious misgivings, you followed Dumbledore's orders. And that's your biggest flaw, blind trust in authority. Despite how you felt, you trusted that the Headmaster knew what he was doing. That sort of blindness is going to get you into a lot of trouble in the future, and Harry. Authority figures are still people, and people always have agendas, preferences and opinions. Also, books are written by people. You're smart enough to understand what I'm saying." Hermione sat back, a troubled but thoughtful expression on her face, as Sirius sighed.
"Look, the two of you together are far more than you are apart. I want you to enjoy your life Harry, not spend it moping about my death, however it came about." He paused, lips twitching. "Well... unless it was because my heart gave out during a super hot orgy with three stunning babes. Then crow about how lucky I was till the stars fall."
Both teens blushed as they looked at each other, both thinking back to That Night in the Room of Requirement. In Harry's mind, all three witches could be considered 'Stunning Babes'... though that was a mark far short of reality, not to mention a little crude.
"You will beat him Harry, I believe you will, and Hermione does too. She'll do anything to help you, you know. With that kind of intellect on your side, Mouldie doesn't have a chance." Sirius smiled, before relaxing into his chair a bit.
"Remus, Tonks... sorry for ignoring you two just now, but I needed to get my advice to those two off my chest. You'll both get the details at the actual reading, but I'm leaving you both a substantial amount of money plus a few things that you'll get now, then, whatever... Those you either need a bit of time to put things into place or need right off. And don't try and pull that 'I'm a dangerous dark creature, not worth anything' routine with me Moony! I had had enough of that after five years at Hogwarts! You're only a beast one night a month. Women are beasts for three to five days a month!" Tonks gave a startled yell of disagreement as Sirius sighed.
"Remus... you're just as deserving of happiness as the next man. Stop torturing yourself about being a werewolf, there are several women out there who don't give a damn about that... and I strongly suspect one is sitting right next to you." Both Harry and Hermione looked across at the older two. Remus's eyes had snapped open before looking rapidly towards Tonks, who was blushing fit to catch fire. Her hair was turning as red as her cheeks.
"She may be closer to Harry's age than ours, but damn it Moony you can't throw a chance for true happiness away over such a minor thing. Take hold with both hands and don't let go. If you pass this up, then I'll come back, haunt and prank you for the rest of time." Sirius paused for a moment. "And buy some new, decent clothes damn it!
"Tonks... I ask only two things of you. One I know you'll do anyway, but the other... I suspect you'll have trouble with." Tonks was looking apprehensive now.
"One, look out for Harry. I remember how you were with him in that first year, despite only being six yourself. We never really thanked you or your mother for looking after Harry on those few nights when me and Moony managed to get James and Lily to take a night off and relax! She was devoted to you pup, doting almost, but not pampering." Harry hung his head a little at Sirius's words.
"Right now, Harry needs all the help he can get, as he's besieged from all sides. Voldemort's the obvious threat, as he wants Harry dead. He's convinced that Harry is all that is stopping Him from attaining everything he wants. He and his Death Eaters are a threat to everyone while they're alive. Azkaban didn't dampen their hatred and spirits. Seriously, and all joking aside, the Order has to get serious about taking them out... permanently.
"The second threat to Harry is our own Ministry. You know about what Umbridge is up to at Hogwarts, and we all know just how corrupt Fudge is... and how spineless he is. Once Voldemort reveals himself, the fop will fall in seconds. Until then, he'll continue the smear campaign against Harry. And after, he or his successor will likely try and use Harry as a symbol, but he'd be a puppet, dancing to support whatever the Minister's stance and agenda is, while not actually doing anything to stop Voldemort. You told me that you joined the Auror's to bring criminals to justice, make a difference, but the rampant corruption was getting to you, so you know I speak the truth.
"The final threat to Harry is Dumbledore. Yes, I ask you to distance yourself from him, before he binds you too tightly to him to think for yourself. That's what he doesn't want, people who think for themselves. And I just know at some point he's going to start asking you to use your talent to further his own ends. You were raised by a muggle-born cousin, so you should know about how they are brought up. The magical world is so far behind the Muggle one in so many areas it's not even funny, but the old man wants us to step back to his time, putting us even further behind. That way lies disaster."
Sirius leaned back in his chair now, hands in his lap. He sighed before speaking again. "Whatever happened to me, I want you all to live long, happy lives. I know, better than most that sometimes it's not worth it just to exist. Don't spend the rest of you lives in grief and sadness... and don't you dare try and get yourselves killed! I'm going to be with my best mate, no need for the rest of you to join us for many, many years yet." He suddenly jumped, looking beyond them.
"Got to cut this short, Dumbledore's back. I just wanted you all to know that I wish you all the best, and that me and James will be cheering you all on. Harry, marry that genius bookworm and live a long, happy life. We'll be watching over you. Remus, lighten up. Tonks... feel free to use a collar and leash." With one last grin he raised his wand.
"Mischief Managed." And with those words his image faded away.
For the next couple of minutes, everyone was quiet as they absorbed Sirius's words. Hermione kept her arm around Harry, giving him comfort while she thought over what Sirius had said. In many ways he had mainly confirmed their own thoughts and suspicions regarding Mrs Weasley and the Headmaster. But it was nice to have a second opinion.
She could see that both Remus and Tonks were affected by what Sirius had said, though Remus appeared to be wavering between grief and outrage, while Tonks had a giggle at the corners of her mouth. Hermione was sure that was due to Sirius's comment about a leash.
His own words about herself and Harry however were forefront in her mind. Even after they had decided to try being a couple, she had been constantly fighting away her own self-conscious issues and worries. Despite everything that Harry, Susan & Daphne had said, and the unexpected but welcome change from the Curing, the old insults and put-downs from her first school and Hogwarts lingered in her mind. 'Buck-toothed, bushy haired, beaver bookworm' still echoed in her ears, along with others like 'Mangy Grangy' and 'Bossy know-it-all nightmare'. For years, when ever she looked in the mirror, she only saw her imperfections. It was part of the reason she never lingered before one, never cultivated an interest in beauty products.
But now Sirius, who before his stay in Azkaban had been known as a bit of a player, had outright told her that she was prettier than Ginny without even trying. That made her pause. Ginny Weasley was considered to be one of the prettiest girls in their year bracket, and up there for the whole school. She was tempted to dismiss Sirius's claims that she was prettier out of hand as it had become habit, but she found herself hesitating. Sirius had pointed out several things that she knew were true. Ginny's habits regarding her appearance, Ron's lack of concern for Harry...
"He's right." Harry's quiet words pulled her from her thoughts to look at him. His emerald eyes were damp at the corners, but he looked steadily at her. When she raised an eyebrow in question, he nodded slowly. "You are pretty... No, more than that. You're beautiful."
She hung her head, smiling even as her face heated up. "Harry..." She began,
"No Hermione, you are beautiful." He cut her off before lifting her chin with one hand so that he could look into her eyes. Hermione looked back, allowing herself to sink into those shimmering emerald depths. Deep within, she saw the truth of his convictions: he truly believed what he was saying. Under that gaze, those voices curled up, whimpered and died, un-mourned and forgotten.
A deep, but polite, clearing of a throat made them both look to see Goldbag sitting there, patiently waiting for them to return their attention to him. From the corner of her eye Hermione could see that Remus and Tonks were glancing briefly at each other, but before she could divine the root cause Goldbag spoke.
"As part of these proceedings, I am to distribute the following." He lifted a small bundle of envelopes from his side before passing them out, one at a time. The first slide to a stop before Harry, and he picked it up as another slide over towards Remus. A thick, heavy one stopped midway to Tonks, who had to lean forwards to reach it as another stopped before Harry. After one came to her a third came to Harry.
Both of them stared at the third envelope. The parchment it was made of was yellowed with age, and on the front were the words 'Harry James Potter' written in an unknown, elegant male hand. With a trembling hand Harry slowly picked up the old letter, setting the other two down between them as he did. Hermione, after a quick look to Goldbag, placed both in her handbag to review later, but her thoughts were fixed on the letter in Harry's hand.
A gasp from the other end of the table made her look towards Tonks, who was staring open jawed at several sheets of parchment in her hands. Besides her Remus was looking at a set of documents he held, tears gleaming in the corners of his eyes. In his other hand were a set of keys.
"The late Sirius Black requested that these be distributed at this time, to ensure that certain parties would not be able to contend. These will be made official in the Official Will Reading next Friday. You four are to have a copy of the attendees." He passed out four folded sheets of Parchment. Seeing that Harry was still looking at the old letter, Hermione took hers and Harry's for now.
"That concludes our business today." Goldbag stood up from his chair. "I expect to see all four of you here in a week's time for the official reading of the full will." The look he gave them clearly stated that he would be very irritated if they did not show.
Hermione nodded, then noted that Harry was still staring at the unopened letter in his hand. Shaking her head slightly, she rested a hand on his shoulder before giving him a shake. "Harry?"
Blinking he slowly looked up at her, his eyes distant.
"Come on, it's time to go."
Harry looked at her blankly for a moment, before slowly getting to his feet, the letter still held in his hand. Sighing, Hermione led him out of the bank, nodding goodbye to Tonks and Remus before turning to face him directly. "Harry?" she asked, worry entering her tone now.
Slowly he drew a deep breath before looking at her, the normal spark not fully back, but without the blank, lost look he had had before. "Sorry Hermione... it just..." he glanced at the letter again before passing it to her. Understanding his unspoken request, she placed it in her handbag with the other letters. "What now?"
Hermione looked at her watch. "Just past half twelve... lets head up to the Cauldron. I know you want to speak with the twins some more."
Harry nodded as they started walking. "Yeah. I think some of what they've made could be useful in another situation like... the Ministry." She squeezed his hand when he hesitated. Hermione understood that it was still a raw event for him. They walked the rest of the way in companionable silence.
Reaching the shop they stepped the narrow alley to the side, down to the private entrance. Once more Alicia opened the door for them, gesturing them inside. Within they found the twins had come down to the rear, workshop area of the store. And on the table before them were a number of items and vials.
"Welcome back Harry!" They chorused.
"Hi guys." Harry answered them simply. Hearing the lack of cheer in his voice the Twin's turned serious. Harry gestured to the table between them, raising an eyebrow.
"Harry..."
"...Esteemed benefactor..."
"What we have here..."
"...is a selection of what we can offer." The left twin lifted up a plain, muggle baseball cap. "For instance, this ordinary cap..."
"...is now a Weasley Shield Hat!"
"Stops minor school yard hexes..."
"...and weakens nastier ones something fierce!"
Hermione cut in before they could continue. "How do you do that?"
The twins looked at her, then Harry, before finally each other. After a few seconds, one moved to a side bench and lifted out another hat from a box. Bringing it out he handed it to Hermione upside down. Looking at it, she could see that an inner seam had been opened, allowing the excess fabric to be lifted. In his other hand he held a narrow strip of something.
"Rune's engraved into a thick bit of card..."
"...charmed to be impervious, of course..."
"...hidden under the brim."
"We layout the runes..."
"...the ladies engrave." One waved towards Alicia and Angelina, who were off to one side while the other passed over the strip. Hermione ran her finger along the surface. She could just feel the engraved runes, very finely carved into the surface. A few she recognised right off, but a few were unknown to her.
Harry was looking between the hat and the former chasers with a speculative look. "How are you at engraving metal?"
Half an hour later they stepped back outside, Hermione with a perturbed expression on her face. What had happened rankled her upbringing, but that same upbringing emphasised freedom of choice. How could you argue with someone who willing chooses to be slave?
The former chasers had admitted they needed to practice, but were confident they could achieve the same thing in metal. Harry had said that was fine, as it would take some time for him to get the items he was thinking of to them. The sudden 'Pop' had startled all of them, but the following conversation had startled her more.
Dobby had arrived, asking if 'Master Harry Potter Sir' wanted things moved about. When Harry had said yes, Dobby had told them both that he could and would do so... if he could become 'The Great Harry Potter's Elf.'
Hermione had been horrified, and Harry clearly flabbergasted. However he had regained control of his mouth first and asked the vital question 'Why?' Dobby had, with much praise of Harry, told them how House Elves needed to be part of a Family, to be bonded to a witch or wizard, to maintain their magic. When Hermione had pointed out he clearly hadn't lost his magic, Dobby had told her that the ambient magic in Hogwarts had sustained him. And he so wanted to be Harry's elf.
They had both thought he was happy to be a Free Elf, but then he'd said something that had stunned them both.
"Dobby is very happy to be free of old, horrible master. Old Master made Dobby punish himself all the time, and used Dobby for target practice."
It was a few seconds later that his full meaning had sunk in. It wasn't being free per se that Dobby had been happy about; it had been being free of the Malfoys. When Harry asked this, Dobby had confirmed that he had been ecstatic to be free of 'Old Master', meaning Lucius Malfoy. Mistress however, had not been as bad. While she had never treated him as an equal like the Great Harry Potter, she had also never ordered him to punish himself, and had thanked him on occasion; more often in the later years. Young Master however, had been even crueler than his father.
Harry had looked at her then, and Hermione had realised that he was asking her permission. Horrified, she'd told him no, he couldn't enslave another being. Dobby had told her that the House Elf Bond was not slavery, but a bond formed based on trust. Dobby would become Harry's most trustful servant. It was then that Harry reminded her of Susan's family elves.
Hermione had no counter for that. Susan was warm, caring and morally centred. It had been abundantly clear that she had cared deeply for the elves bonded to her family. And Harry also reminded her of what she and Daphne had told her, back at Hogwarts just after Harry had been cured. She had looked at Dobby, staring up at her with those large eyes, and found herself asking herself; could she really deny him what he wanted?
The final nail in her resistance was Dobby informing her that a House Elf magic's power was in proportion to the power of the witch or wizard they were bonded to, as was their health, hence why Winky was slowly wasting away, as she had no bond. And she already knew that Harry was scarily powerful.
In the face of such facts, she relented. Reluctantly, grudging, her ingrained sense of righteousness and upbringing protesting, but she had agreed to allow Dobby to form the bond. But ONLY if there was an exit clause that Dobby could use at any time. But one look at his face told her that he would never use it. He'd become Harry's Elf, and would die as such.
After swearing the bond oath, Dobby had visibly shaken with power before popping away... only to return a second later with the boxes from the Jewellery store. It appeared that even he was amazed at the power he had now, as he was looking at his own hands in wide-eyed amazement. Hermione had also noted that he seemed to have gained some weight in just that brief period of time. His arms were more muscular, his face less gaunt. And she would swear he'd gained at least two inches in height.
Together the four had gone over each piece, discussing what protections and other enchantments to put on each. Alicia and Angelina had both been shooting envious looks at her as they took notes, but also curious ones when Susan's and Daphne's names had been mentioned. Finally it appeared that they could no longer stand it and hauled her out of the discussion and through a door in the back. The room they entered looked too modern to be part of the shop. Alicia had explained quickly that they were renting the muggle flat that backed onto the twin's shop - one of the reasons they went for that shop in the first place - and were using it for the muggle stuff, such as the engraving. Before Hermione could question more however she had been barraged with questions regarding her, Harry and the other two witches. Under their dual assault, she had been forced to admit to the multi-way relationship they were exploring. They had in turn congratulated and commiserated her about it. Alicia had jokingly asked if there was room for another, but at Hermione's shocked expression she told her not to worry about her, but they had better consider that some other witches might try to get in it as well.
It was as they emerged into the Alley itself that she was brought back to the present. "Harry! Hermione! Mind lending a hand with this?"
Both looked up at Daphne's exasperated call to see her and Susan standing in the middle of the Alley, each one with several bags in each hand. It was clear that they were struggling. Harry took a step forwards, but before he could go further Dobby appeared next to the two witches. With a snap of his fingers the bags vanished, leaving them holding their handbags and receipts. He was gone before any of them could say a thing.
Daphne was staring at the spot where the elf had stood. "Was that Dobby?"
Harry nodded. "It was. He'll be around a lot now."
Susan looked at him acutely. "You took him on?" She asked softly.
Harry nodded once more, sneaking a guilty look towards Hermione.
Hermione sighed, deciding not to make an issue of it right now. "You two done?"
Daphne nodded. "Yes. We were just on our way to the Cauldron."
"So were we." Hermione waved a hand behind her. "Just finished up with the twins. They're doing the enchanting of the jewellery Harry got."
Susan eyed the shop with a slightly worried expression. "Are you sure that's wise? They do have a reputation..."
"They won't do anything like that." Harry said with total conviction. "In matters such as this, they don't play around." He linked his arm through Hermione's; the three witches had agreed beforehand that publicly, Harry would only be dating Hermione. "Come on, let's eat."
In the Ministry, Arthur Weasley looked up as he heard the door to his tiny office open. It took him a moment to register that it wasn't Perkins who stepped through, but his eldest son Bill. He started to smile, but then Bill's expression became clear; a mixture of shock, regret and disbelief.
"Bill? What's happened? Why aren't you at Gringotts?"
Bill sank into the chair across from him. Collapsed, more like. He looked distraught as he looked up.
"Father, I have some bad news..."