The past few days had contained a multitude of emotions for Sirius
Black. He had been; proud, worried, angry, anxious and fearful. His
usual easy going demeanour had been discarded and he had been
short tempered and irritable, overall he felt useless. He was currently
waiting for the first meeting of the order of the phoenix to begin and
was sat tapping the top of the kitchen table with his forefinger
impatiently.
He glanced at the members and couldn't help but feel disappointed
at what Dumbledore had managed to bring to the cause. On his left
sat Remus Lupin who was in a similar mood to himself. He had been
silent for the most part but occasionally his eyes would become
canine like and turn a dangerous amber colour and he would grit his
teeth in frustration and apprehension.
Next along were Molly and Arthur Weasley with their son Bill. Molly
appeared to be constantly on the verge of tears and her husband
had an ever-present arm around her shoulders in an effort to calm
her worry.
Bill was quiet, observant and Sirius could see he was like neither of
his parents and could maybe be a good ally to have on side,
particularly as he worked alongside the Goblins and was a very
skilled cursebreaker.
Next to Bill was Kingsley Shacklebolt, a large soft-featured dark
skinned man who was a very accomplished auror, his presence
made sense to Sirius; he was someone who could fight.
Next was his cousin Nymphadora Tonks whom he hadn't seen since
she was a small child. She seemed nervous to be there and would
often shoot him a shy smile that he would return as best he could.
The man next to her made the most sense to him, Mad-eye Moody.
He was a very decorated auror and was a real asset in the last war.
He was not a man to be crossed and had no qualms about hurting or
killing those who threatened him in any way.
Sirius was wary of the man and respected his prestige and
reputation. He sat in silence, his magical eye taking in everyone and
everything around him.
Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape were next along the table,
the latter looking bored, allowing his eyes to roam everywhere but on
Sirius or Remus, there was simply too much animosity there to
expect anything else.
Minerva was her usual calm self and no expression could be
gleaned from her.
The rest of the group seemed to be little more than a few office
workers and ministry staff who, to Sirius, could offer very little to the
group. The only exception was Mundungus Fletcher who had his
finger in every despicable pie in the black market. He was a
cowardly sneak thief all in all and the best that could be got from him
would be information.
Sirius glanced at the discarded newspaper on the table and shook
his head at it disgustedly.
The front page was visible and the headline of the day had served
little more than to annoy him further.
Dumbledore Claims The Return Of You-Know-Who
The article was nothing more than a character defamation piece
claiming Dumbledore had finally gone insane and he should be
stripped of all his titles and should apologise for scaremongering.
It was of course endorsed by the minister himself who dismissed the
claims as all thought he would.
Sirius knew the coming war would be messy, especially if Fudge was
unwilling to accept what had happened. This meant that only those
in the room were fighting against him and that simply was not
enough.
He shook his head again, frustrated at the situation.
He himself felt next to useless, as he couldn't even take a real active
part due to his current status. If he was able he would be out looking
for his Godson and had attempted to several times not caring if he
was captured. It had been Remus who had stopped him, reminding
him of how his recklessness before had landed him in Azkaban in
the first place. He reluctantly stayed put hoping that Dumbledore
would bring news.
His thoughts were interrupted by the man himself who had entered
the room looking as calm as ever.
He took a seat at the head of the table and smiled gently at those
present before addressing them.
"Firstly, I would like to thank you all for coming tonight" he started,
bowing his head to those in attendance.
Before he could continue however, a clearly worried Sirius cut him
off.
"Where is Harry?" he asked clearly fearful of the condition of his
godson.
"This whole thing isn't about Potter, Black" Snape spat. "This is
about the Dark Lord returning. Just because Potter has decided to
disappear and sulk it doesn't mean we should be wasting our time
looking for the brat" he finished feeling smug at the horror on his
childhood foes face.
Sirius exploded to his feet, his face twisted into a look of
unadulterated hatred and rage, all present were reminded of the fact
the he was a Black, the easy going prankster was nowhere to be
seen.
What stood in front of them was a man close to the edge, a man
bordering on instability.
They could feel his rage leaking off him in the form of pure magic
and they blanched at his fury. When he spoke his voice was quiet
and dangerous but carried to all those in the room with ease.
"I don't give a fuck about you, I don't give a fuck about this war and I
don't give a fuck about anything else. The only thing I want is my
godson back" he said choking at his own mention of Harry. "When
he does come back I will be taking him away from here to be
somewhere safe where he doesn't have to worry about any of this"
he finished firmly.
Remus put a calming hand on his forearm and looked imploringly at
him. Sirius breathed deeply before taking his seat and looked at
Dumbledore expectantly who sighed deeply before answering the
emotional man.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple my boy" the headmaster began
tentatively. "If you knew Harry then you would know that he would
not leave while Voldemort is alive and it would not be fair for you to
take away his chance to avenge his family name" he continued.
Everyone in attendance was in shock. Did Dumbledore truly expect
Harry to fight and defeat Voldemort? Did the usual man of peace just
talk of allowing a mere boy to avenge his family through killing?
The mood at the table had taken a sudden turn and each wanted to
voice their opinion on the matter. The first to speak was Molly
Weasley.
"You can't be serious Albus" she stated. "He's just a poor boy, surely
you can't expect him to face that monster alone. "What on earth
would give you that idea?" she finished quite hysterically.
Snape was the next to put his view forward.
"Potter?" he laughed. "You really think that Potter is capable of killing
the Dark Lord, tell me you're joking," he said almost pleadingly.
Upon seeing the serious expression on Dumbledore's face he
continued.
"You're serious aren't you?" "You really think Potter can do it," he
said sceptically.
He shook his head but remained silent in his disbelief. Before
anyone else could speak Dumbledore put an end to the dissent with
his commanding voice.
"Enough" he said almost angrily. "There are things you don't
understand that I have to discuss with Harry before I discuss with
anyone else" he said firmly.
He raised his hand to cut off any protest that would surely be made.
"It is his right to know before anyone else and that's all I will say on
the matter for the time being" he concluded.
"You still haven't told us where Harry is" Remus cut in sounding
desperate.
Dumbledore sighed again before continuing.
"I can only tell you what I know for sure" he said. "I should start from
the night Harry went missing so you can all understand as much as
possible" he finished looking a little more warn.
He now had the undivided attention of the room and began his
explanation.
"On the night of the final task Harry and young Mr Diggory both took
the cup at the centre of the maze and were transported to a
graveyard in Little Hangelton. During the course of their time there
Mr Diggory was hit with the killing curse and unfortunately died.
Voldemort then completed a ritual to gain a body back using his
fathers' bone, flesh willingly given and blood of an enemy, Harry's
blood" he finished sadly.
All in the room looked disgusted upon hearing the description of the
ritual and many faces were horrified at the implications.
Dumbledore spoke again before he could be interrupted.
"From the state the Graveyard was in it is clear that quite a violent
fight took place between Harry and Voldemort and from what I could
see, Harry certainly fought valiantly" he said with pride in his voice.
"From here it becomes difficult to decipher what happened" he
sighed. "I do know that the Cruciatus curse was used quite liberally
as was the killing curse", he explained tiredly.
The expressions of those around him were even more horrified than
they had been previously.
He held up a hand again to quell any interruptions.
"Please let me finish. From what I could gather two people were
killed there that night but there was no other body present. It is
possible that Harry killed one of the Death Eaters and they simply
took the body when they left, but that is not what I think happened"
he said placating those who looked worried at the thought of Harry
having to take a life.
"You think Potter was hit with another killing curse don't you?"
Minerva asked eliciting several gasps and concerned looks from
many at the table.
"I do" he said simply. "But" he continued before anyone else could
speak. "Harry is very much alive", he informed them confidently.
Everyone at the table breathed a sigh of relief at his proclamation.
"How?" Sirius managed to rasp through his emotional state. "Surely
he's not immune to the curse" he added.
"Again, that is something I have to discuss with Harry but no I do not
believe Mr Potter is immune" he said sounding slightly amused. "If
what I think has happened then Mr potter will be feeling better than
he ever has and I expect we will see a lot of changes in him. His
magical signature was very strong within the graveyard and it was
not simple passive magic it was mature and powerful and very much
defiant" he chuckled gaining a few strange looks from some. "Mr
Potter was clearly very angry during a large part of the confrontation
and his magic responded quite spectacularly I must say. He did not
submit as almost everyone would, he faced Voldemort the way I
would expect him to" he finished again full of pride for the teenager.
"Where the hell is he Dumbledore" Sirius again cut in.
The amusement Dumbledore had exhibited was now gone.
"I don't know" he answered truthfully. "When I got to the graveyard
he was already gone and all that was left behind was this" he said
removing the two halves of Harry's wand from his pocket and placing
them on the table which Sirius immediately snatched up.
"His wand" he croaked out. "How the hell is he alive?" he asked
desperately.
He suddenly looked very fearful.
"You-know-who must have him" he finished standing and beginning
to pace.
"The Dark Lord does not have him" Snape said firmly. "He was taken
from the Graveyard as the killing curse was fired at him. Someone
broke the wards around the area and fired off some fog to block out
the Dark Lord and apparated in and took Potter" he explained. "He is
convinced that his curse hit and that Potter is dead wherever he is.
He has no idea who it was but we can be sure that it was a powerful
wizard who broke wards erected by the Dark Lord himself" he
concluded.
"So how do you know that Harry is alive?" Sirius asked pointing at
Dumbledore.
"Two reasons" he stated. "Firstly, the blood wards around his home
are still intact, if Harry were to die they would collapse immediately"
he started. "And secondly" he sighed knowing more questions would
be asked. "The night of the leaving feast I received what I thought
was a howler that turned out to be an audio message of some kind"
he continued. "It was from whomever has Harry stating that he is
safe and sound, it was sealed with a magical vow" he finished.
Sirius sagged in relief momentarily before the questions began to run
through his mind. Before he could ask he was beaten to it by Remus
who was looking relived and curious.
"Who was it from" he asked Dumbledore.
"I can't be sure" he answered honestly. "But the voice seemed
somewhat familiar to me" he said frowning.
"Well what can we do?" Tonks asked, speaking for the first time.
"In regards to Harry, all we can do is wait" he concluded sadly. "But
there are many other things we need to attend to in his absence" he
finished flicking his wand towards the door so the gathered
teenagers outside could no longer listen.
(Break)
Two floors up from the kitchen five teenagers were gathered on the
landing, strings hanging from their ears and looks of shock and worry
plastered on their faces. The first to speak was the youngest of the
group, Ginny.
"Do you think he's really okay?" she asked nervously.
It was Hermione who answered although she herself was not entirely
convinced after hearing Dumbledore's explanation.
"I'm sure Harry is fine" she spoke reservedly. "If Dumbledore says
he's fine then he must be" she added more resolutely.
"Then where the hell can he be?" Ron cut in sounding frustrated.
"I don't know Ron" Hermione answered exasperatedly.
She took a breath to calm herself before continuing.
"If I know Harry and if he's in danger he will find a way out" she said
confidently.
"But he doesn't have his wand" George pointed out.
"He killed a basilisk with only a sword" Ginny interjected.
"Yeah because Harry just happens to carry a sword with him at all
times" Ron snarked sarcastically, shaking his head.
They all stood in silence for some time lost in their own thoughts until
Hermione spoke once again.
"His relatives must be really worried about him" she said worrying
her bottom lip with her teeth.
The twins and Ron shared uneasy looks but decided to say nothing.
The look went unnoticed by Hermione but Ginny picked up on the
awkwardness immediately.
"What?" she asked. "What is it" she demanded firmly.
The boys exchanged a look again before one of the twins nodded
and looked at the girls through a curious frown.
"What do you know about Harry?" he asked.
"He's brave and he's strong and quiet" Ginny answered confidently.
"He's the strong silent type" she finished with a dreamy expression.
"That's the crap you read in all your stupid books" Ron said in a very
unsubtle manner.
"What do you know about him Hermione?" Fred asked.
Hermione frowned and thought deeply before answering. She
worried her lip again before looking very confident.
"He's a shy and introverted person who lacks confidence and doesn't
work to his full potential. He's very powerful when he wants to be but
he seems reluctant to stand out" she said nodding at her own
conclusion of her best friend.
"True" was the simple reply she received. "What do you know about
his life away from Hogwarts?" was the follow up question.
Hermione hesitated. "Erm, well not much really he doesn't ever talk
about it, but I do know his relatives aren't very nice people" she
finished lamely.
The three boys again shared a look before Ron nodded to his older
brothers. They seemed to have a silent debate between them before
one of them nodded reluctantly.
"When we rescued Harry the summer before second year we found
him in his room half-starved and there were bars on the window and
he was locked in" he explained irritably. "His relatives hate him and
treat him worse than a house-elf, that's why he has no confidence"
he explained.
He shared a look with his brother before continuing.
"When we got his trunk from the cupboard under the stairs we found
a bed in there and some drawings on the wall that Harry had done,
he must have slept in there for most of his childhood" he concluded
sadly.
Hermione looked a mixture between horrified and furious.
"Why didn't he tell us?" she asked no one in particular. "Surely if he
would have told Dumbledore he would have done something" she
said with conviction.
"Well we did speak to mum and convince her to write to
Dumbledore" one of the twins replied rubbing the back of his neck
nervously. "All he did was thank her for raising her concerns and
that's it" he finished looking perplexed.
"Do they really treat him that badly" Ginny asked disbelievingly.
"Listen Ginny" one of the twins started, putting his arm around her
shoulders. "The Harry you read about in your stories as a girl is not
real. He didn't grow up in a castle and he's nothing like how he is
portrayed in them" he said firmly. "The Harry you think you love does
not exist" he continued. "Harry hates being famous and hates
attention, that's just in his nature but he has his issues and they are
down to the muggles who raised him" he finished looking his sister in
the eyes.
"But he's really powerful and brave" she said almost desperately.
"Yes he is" Hermione stated simply. "But he doesn't do the things he
does for fame or attention, he does it because it's the right thing to
do" she finished.
"And what is it he has done?" the twins asked in unison. "We've
heard rumours but you know what rumours at school are like" one of
them said knowingly.
The three younger teens shared sheepish looks before nodding in
agreement and turned to look at the twins who were waiting
patiently.
"What we tell you can go no further" Hermione said in a nononsense
tone.
"We swear that…"
"We won't say a word" the twins chorused.
Between the three of them they explained what they knew of Harry's
first three years at Hogwarts.
The twins remained silent taking in every detail and listened in awe
at what they were hearing. By the end they were dumbfounded and
simply stood mouths agape. Even Ron and Ginny were amazed at
Hermione's description of Harry's patronus the night they saved
Sirius.
"He's really that powerful?" Ron asked shaking his head.
"I've never seen anything like it, it was amazing" Hermione answered
quietly.
"But that's not supposed to be possible" one of the twins said
disbelievingly. "100 Dementors, even the most powerful wizards
struggle with a few at the most, Dumbledore is probably the only
possible exception" he said mirroring his brothers head shake.
"I saw him do it" Hermione answered simply. "Have you ever seen
him angry?" she asked the collective group.
"Yeah" Ron replied. "When he realised it was Sirius who had taken
me in the shack. He was furious and he was terrifying. It felt like I
couldn't move" he finished looking thoughtful.
"That's exactly how I felt" Hermione said. "Even Sirius froze for a
while. It takes a lot to make him angry but when he gets there it
really is terrifying" She finished quietly frowning.
"I don't believe it" one of the twins stated. "Our little Harrikins is the
nicest bloke going" he replied.
"Yeah" the other interjected. "He's not got a horrible bone in his
body".
The group went silent again for some time before one of the twins
spoke up. He looked at his sister questioningly before speaking.
"Are you sure the basilisk was as big as you said?" he asked
sceptically. "You were in shock you know and it might have seemed
bigger than it was" he pointed out.
His sister huffed angrily and took a moment to compose herself
before she answered her brother.
"I know what I saw" she said angrily. "It was massive and nearly
killed Harry, it bit him when he stabbed it with the sword" she said
adamantly.
"But Harry would be dead" Fred pointed out. "No one can survive
being bitten by a basilisk" he continued, stating the obvious.
"Dumbledore's phoenix healed him" she replied through gritted teeth.
"He has the scar on his arm" she finished glaring at her brother.
"Okay, okay" George broke in raising his arms in a gesture of peace.
"It seems our little Harry is quite lucky at getting out of trouble" he
said impressed by the younger boy.
"But luck runs out eventually" his Fred replied.
"Then let's hope his luck holds for a little longer" finished his brother
before they left the landing and headed towards their bedroom.
Ron looked at Hermione for some reassurance. She shrugged her
shoulders before taking Ginny by the arm and leading her away. He
stood alone on the landing for some time thinking of his wayward
friend.
"Where the hell are you Harry" he mumbled to himself before he too
made his way to bed.
(Break)
Harry awoke to find himself in a peculiar predicament. His nostrils
were filled with the scent of both old and new parchment mixed with
a distant smell of frying food. It took him several moments to
remember where he was and what had happened in the last 24
hours. When he did he felt both nervous and relieved once again
knowing he was safe for now.
He roused himself and removed the offending weight from his face
before stretching and opening his eyes. He instinctively reached
towards the bedside table for his glasses but could not feel them. He
double-checked his face only to find they weren't there and began to
feel a slight pang of panic.
It took a few seconds to realise that he could actually see perfectly
without them and he relaxed slightly. Was he wearing them
yesterday? Having been used to only seeing with them on he didn't
check.
He shook his head and stretched and began to reflect further on the
day before. He wasn't long into his musings when the door opened
and in came Arcturus carrying a plate of food and a pile of clothes.
"Ahh awake are we Potter?" he asked, not really expecting an
answer. "I see you've been reading" he acknowledged, gesturing to
the book.
Harry had indeed read a considerable amount of the book in his
sleepless state. He found what he read quite disturbing and was very
reluctant to even think of casting the spells he had seen within the
tome.
His mind had wandered back to the memories that he had seen and
reluctance slowly turned into a determination to learn everything he
could from the book. He remembered the horrors of the war and
battles he had seen and knew that if he wanted any fighting chance
at surviving he would have to learn all he could. Backed by his desire
to avenge his family and to see to the end of Voldemort personally,
the determination became iron clad and he wanted to learn the same
magic he had seen his Grandfather use and he wanted those who
followed Voldemort to understand why it was a bad idea to pick a
fight with a Potter.
Yes, Harry had witnessed battle, he had seen his grandfather face
down any man who would attack the people who couldn't fight and
those who would attack him and the ones he cared about. He found
a deep respect for someone of his own blood and wanted nothing
more than to live up to the man. He wanted to make him proud and
follow his morals. He would do as the man himself told him; you do
what you have to do to survive.
He looked towards the older man who had fought side by side with
his Grandfather with the determination he felt reflected in his eyes.
"Yes sir" he answered simply, knowing that was all he needed to say.
Arcturus observed the young man in front him for a brief moment
before nodding in reply and handing him the plate of food.
"You have a few decisions to make today Potter" he said in a
business-like tone. "Eat first, the bathroom is opposite this one then
come down to the drawing room at the end of the corridor" he
instructed placing the clothes on the chair next to the bed before he
left the room.
Harry found that he was very hungry, after all he hadn't eaten for
almost four days.
He ate his breakfast with gusto, picked up the pile of clothes from the
chair and made his way to the bathroom. The room itself was simple.
It was slate tiled with a glossy black sink, toilet and shower enclosure
to match. Despite the dark décor it was brightly lit and he found the
atmosphere relaxing. He turned on the shower and stripped down
waiting for the water to heat up.
He caught sight of himself in the mirror and was surprised at his
appearance. He no longer looked emaciated. He was still on the thin
side but he looked considerably healthier than he remembered. He
noticed too that his scar had faded considerably and traced it with
his finger.
He touched his face and found he had fairly high cheekbones,
something that had been hidden by his glasses all these years. He
didn't look so much the little boy he remembered, he was truly
growing and maturing physically. He couldn't recall the last time he
had paid any attention to his reflection; he had never been vain so
he never noticed any kind of changes but now really looking at
himself he could see that he wasn't a child anymore.
It seemed that his reflection was living up to the strides his emotional
maturity had made over the years. He drew his attention away and
stepped into the shower to cleanse himself.
He exited the shower when he was finished and got dressed quickly
before making his way to the indicated drawing room. He paused at
the door and took a breath before knocking.
"Come in" Arcturus replied.
Harry entered the room and was taken aback by what he found
inside.
The drawing room was more of a library. Stacks upon stacks of
books lined the walls placed upon thick oak shelves. The carpet was
a deep green and the furniture matched the shelves perfectly.
Arcturus was sat behind a desk at the end of the room simply waiting
for Harry to take the seat on the opposite side.
"These are all the books I took from the Black library when that sow
Walburga finally croaked" he said seeing Harry staring in awe at the
sheer amount of books in the room. "As long as you are here you
can read whatever you like" he added grabbing the boy's attention.
"Thank you sir" Harry replied gratefully. "How long will I be here Mr
Black?" he asked nervously.
"That is what we need to discuss" the older man answered seriously.
"Now you are not a prisoner here Potter, you can leave whenever
you like" he stated appeasing the boy.
"Thank you sir" Harry said breathing a sigh of relief.
"That being said" he continued. "I think it is best that you remain here
for the foreseeable future. Riddle thinks you're dead and that itself
gives us time for you to prepare. I have already sent a message to
Dumbledore so he knows that you are safe so you need not worry
about that" he added upon seeing a little bit of panic in Harry's eyes.
"I can send Elgar to fetch any of your belongings you will want and
then you can make sure you're ready to make an appearance when
the time is right" he finished.
Harry was torn. It was not that he disliked the man but he wanted to
see his friends and Sirius to let them all know he was ok. But the
more he thought about it the more he knew it made sense to stay
where he was. The less people that knew he was alive the better.
"Yes sir" he answered. "I think you're right, I'm not ready to face him
yet and I need to be" he admitted slightly ashamed.
"Good" was the reply he received. "Elgar" he called out for the
house-elf.
"Yes Lord Black" the elf replied on entering the room.
"Can you locate Mr Potter's property, it may be at Hogwarts or at his
home".
The elf looked a little nervous before he replied.
"Elgar can be checking Hogwarts Lord Black but Elgar cannot be
going to Mr Potter's home" the elf said reluctantly.
"Hmm must be the wards" the older man mused. "Do you have an elf
Potter?" he asked.
"I don't own an elf sir but there may be one that can help" he replied.
"Call it" Arcturus answered.
"Dobby?" Harry called uncertainly.
There was a pop and Harry immediately found himself wrapped
tightly in a hug by a hysterical elf.
"Master Harry Potter sir, Dobby has been worried about you sir, but
sir is ok" the elf wailed.
Harry just sat in shock at the elf's antics unsure on what he should.
That was until he saw Arcturus standing across the desk looking
furious with his wand in his hand.
"What the hell is the Malfoy elf doing here?" he asked angrily.
"He's not a Malfoy elf anymore" Harry explained shielding the Dobby.
"I set him free at the end of my second year" he added desperately.
The look of fury turned to one of confusion and then to one of
amusement and the older man barked out a short laugh.
"Set him free did you?" he asked. "You'll have to share that story" he
said before turning his attention back to the shaking elf.
"Who do you serve elf?" Arcturus asked bluntly.
Dobby looked sheepish and turned a deeper shade of green before
he answered the question. He stood straighter and looked the older
man in the face defiantly.
"Dobby serves the great Harry Potter sir" the elf answered in perfect
English.
He turned to look at Harry looking slightly worried.
"When Harry Potter sir freed Dobby he had to find a new master
quickly as Dobby was weak and he would die. Dobby bonded to the
great Harry Potter sir knowing that Harry Potter sirs magics were
strong and Dobby wouldn't have to serve him to stay alive" he
finished looking nervous again.
"It's ok Dobby" Harry consoled the trembling elf. "All you had to do
was ask and I would have agreed if it would save your life".
Arcturus shook his head at the pair.
"Just like Charlus" he said. "Making friends with creatures, it drove
Dorea crazy when he would come home with another animal to look
after" he added looking thoughtful. "Elf?" he said slipping out of his
thoughts. "Can you get Mr Potter's things from wherever they are?"
he asked, back to his usual tone.
"Yes Baron Black sir, Dobby will be getting it right away" the elf
replied before popping out of the room.
Arcturus shook his head at the elf's personality and turned his
attention to the boy who was still looking quite dumbfounded. He
coughed to get his attention.
"Well if you're staying here there are things we need to get" he said.
"We will take a trip to Gringotts, in disguise of course, and go to your
vaults I'm sure there will be some stuff for you there. You need a
couple of wands and probably clothes I imagine" he finished
scratching his chin.
Harry was relieved at the thought of getting a wand, wait a minute
wands. He looked at the man questioningly.
"You should always have a second wand" he said sternly. "It's not
strictly legal but you need to be prepared for all eventualities" he said
firmly.
"I'm sorry but did you say vaults?" Harry asked.
Arcturus looked confused for a moment before he snapped out of it
and stared at the boy.
"When did you last go to the bank?" he asked.
"Not since second year" he answered confusedly.
"Ahh so you wouldn't be aware of your family vault yet. All families
have a family vault Potter and as the last of your line you can access
it" he explained.
Harry was shocked and excited at the prospect of what he would find
in there. More than anything he was hoping for more pictures of his
family and sentimental things to remind him of them.
Before he could think further Dobby popped back in to the room with
his trunk in tow.
"Professor whiskers be sending master Harry Potter sirs things back
to the fat ones" he said. "The fattest one was not happy to see
Dobby" he added looking guilty.
"He didn't hurt you did he?" Harry asked worriedly.
"No sir" Dobby answered. "Dobby may have cursed him a little
though and Dobby is not sorry" the elf said with some force. "Dobby
be punishing himself if Master Harry Potter sir wishes" he said
hanging his head.
"No" Harry returned firmly.
"Why would the elf curse your family?" Arcturus questioned.
Harry turned red with embarrassment before he steeled himself to
answer.
"Well they're not very nice people" he said lamely pushing his hands
through his hair.
Arcturus scowled at what he said and read between the lines. He felt
anger rise within him but calmed himself quite well before he spoke.
"Did they hurt you?" he asked quietly and Harry could sense the
danger in his voice. He really did not want this conversation to
happen but knew he had no choice.
"Only sometimes" he replied barely above a whisper. "But its ok" he
added quickly. " I won't have to go back there until next year" he
finished feeling a little sad.
Arcturus growled and his nostrils flared at seeing the reaction of the
boy to the subject of his relatives.
"You won't ever have to go back there" he said resolutely. "This is my
idiot grandsons fault" he growled. "Oh I will be having words with him
soon enough" he said to himself. "And we" he said indicating
between himself and Harry will be having a conversation later" he
finished in a no-nonsense tone.
Harry gulped but nodded knowing that Arcturus was very serious and
there would be no compromise.
"Now" the older man began again after he had calmed down. "It's
time for us to take a trip, but first we need to hide who you are" he
said beckoning Harry forward.
He removed his wand and pointed it at Harry's face, who couldn't
help but flinch, and waved it a few times before turning his wand on
himself and repeating the process.
"No one will recognise us like this" he said summoning a mirror.
Harry now had light brown hair and brown eyes. His cheekbones had
lowered and he was slightly fuller in figure.
Arcturus looked similar to him only much older with blue eyes. They
looked as though they were grandfather and grandson and Harry
had to agree; no one would recognise either of them for who they
really were.
Before he could comprehend what had happened Arcturus had
grabbed his arm and had apparated them out of the house.
They appeared in an alley just outside the large, white marble
building that was the bank. It took a moment for Harry to gather
himself from the unexpected apparition but his disorientation passed
quickly.
"When we go in let me do the talking" Arcturus said seriously before
taking Harry by the arm and leading past the two heavily armoured
goblin guards and into the bank.
It looked just as Harry remembered. There were two very long rows
of desks on either side of the bank and one large at the end placed
in the centre of the gangway.
They approached the desk completely unnoticed and Arcturus spoke
to the goblin who looked quite displeased at being interrupted.
"I wish to see Barchoke, the goblin in charge of the Black accounts"
he said in a low voice flashing a ring on his right hand in to view.
The goblin looked surprised but covered it quickly. He looked intently
at Arcturus and then at Harry his bushy eyebrows rising significantly
at the unlikely duo.
"It has been some time Baron Black" the goblin replied in an equally
low voice. "Don't worry" he added seeing the concerned look on
Harry's face, "We pride ourselves on our discretion as Baron Black
can attest to" he finished proudly.
With that he left his desk to fetch the required goblin leaving Harry
and Arcturus alone for a brief moment.
It wasn't long before he returned with a confused looking goblin in
tow. When he saw Arcturus an evil smirk appeared on his face but it
did not look sinister, in fact it looked very gleeful.
"Ahh Baron Black" the goblin started. "It has been 5 years since you
last graced me with your presence and that only happened because
the matter was both urgent and delicate, I assume this is the same"
he stated nodding towards Harry.
"It is indeed" he replied neutrally. "However, I must insist on the
same level of discretion as previously, I'm sure you are aware of my
companions' current status" he said giving the goblin a sharp look.
The goblin bowed his head in understanding before answering. "I am
indeed Baron Black" he answered. "Perhaps we should discuss
things in a more private setting?" he asked seeing a few other
goblins taking notice of them.
"That would be appreciated" Arcturus said gratefully.
The goblin beckoned them forwards and the y followed him through
a set of doors to the left hand side at the end of the corridor. The
walked through what appeared to be a labyrinth of hallways before
reaching a large brown door in which the entered.
The room was a conference area of some sort. It was simply
decorated with a large table in the centre adorned with 12 matching
chairs. There was a fireplace but the walls were bare and painted a
neutral magnolia.
Harry and Arcturus sat opposite Barchoke to begin their business.
"What is it I can do for you Baron Black?" the goblin asked sounding
slightly suspicious.
"As you can see I brought company today" Arcturus answered. "He
would like to access his family vault to receive some gold and any
items of his choosing" he finished simply.
The goblin looked relieved at the simplicity of the business with the
older man. He was curious about his accompanying the Potter boy
however. "May I ask as to why you are bringing Mr Potter?" he asked
quizzically. "Does it concern your previous visit" he asked with what
appeared to be concern.
Arcturus nodded in response but did not address the second
question vocally. "A certain Dark Lord as resurfaced" he stated. "Mr
Potter here has already had a run in with him and he needs to be
prepared" he finished giving the goblin a knowing look.
The goblin breathed out a sharp burst of breath before addressing
Arcturus.
"We appreciate the warning" he spoke sincerely. "And of course as
Mr Potter is one of our more significant customers it is in our best
interest to keep your visit as quiet as possible" he added. "However,
as far as Gringotts is concerned, due to the nature of a certain
tournament this past year and the fact that Mr Potter is the last in his
line, he is considered an adult wizard as of now" the goblin finished
clicking his fingers.
"I was hoping you would see it that way" Arcturus replied, offering
the goblin a bow of his head. "I would like to request a health check
on Mr Potter also, he had quite the traumatic experience recently
and as you can imagine, St Mungo's would not be ideal currently" he
explained gesturing towards the young man.
"Of course, though are healing skills are rather different" the goblin
warned.
Arcturus simply nodded.
The goblin stood and made his way towards Harry and looked him in
the eyes. He took hold of his hands and closed his own, a look of
deep concentration coming over him. He then placed his hands on
his head his thumbs pushing gently into Harry's temples.
Harry felt a warm tingle spread throughout him that finished as
quickly as it begun. Barchoke then made his way back to his seat
and looked curiously at Harry.
"Your magic has undergone significant changes recently" he stated
simply. "Your body also seems to be in the process of changing
physically and will continue to do so in the coming weeks, it's as
though it has been stunted and held back by a few factors and is
now catching up on itself" he finished turning to look at Arcturus.
"Him?" he questioned.
"I believe so" Arcturus replied. "He was hit by the killing curse again,
is it all gone?" he questioned the goblin.
The goblin nodded. "There are no signs of any other magic
influencing Mr Potter in any capacity" he answered. "There are
however a couple of curious things I came across" the goblin said
looking curious. "And he will need to be fitted for a new wand, his
magic is different his old one may not be a fit any longer" he finished.
"What curious things?" Arcturus asked frowning.
"It appears that Mr Potter has traces of both basilisk venom and
phoenix tears in his blood" the goblin answered. "It is curious how
they got there and how the venom did not kill him" he finished
looking intently at Harry as Arcturus was also.
Harry looked nervous and didn't know how to answer but knew that
honesty went a long way with the older Black.
"I fought and killed a basilisk in my second year. Someone opened
the chamber of secrets and it was petrifying students. It petrified my
friend and my other friends' sister was taken in to the chamber so I
went to get her out" he said looking at the floor. "I got bit by the
snake as I stabbed it and Fawkes, that's Dumbledore's phoenix,
cried into the wound" he finished breathily.
Arcturus shook his head. "It seems we have much more to discuss
Mr Potter" he said. "How did you find the chamber" he asked.
"We spoke to moaning Myrtle in the second floor bathroom. She was
killed by the basilisk the last time it was opened in there so we
figured the entrance was there. It was using the plumbing to get
around the school" he said.
"Hmm" Arcturus mused. "And how did a 12 year old enter the
chamber when many more experienced wizards have failed to even
find the entrance" he asked even more curiously.
"You have to be a parselmouth to open it" Harry replied quietly.
Arcturus coughed in surprise but schooled his features again quickly.
"So you're a parselmouth?" he asked quietly.
"Yes" Harry answered ashamed. "Dumbledore says that I got the
ability from Voldemort when he hit me with the curse the first time
and it backfired" he explained.
"There have been parselmouths' in the Black line but not for several
hundred years" Arcturus explained firmly. "We are related to the
Slytherins by blood but very distantly now. We married into a lower
branch of the family centuries ago so it may be a blood trait. Your
magic has changed and I am guessing if that ability came from
Riddle then it will no longer be there" he said looking questioningly at
the goblin who had been very quiet for the past few minutes.
He shook himself from his stupor before answering.
"I believe that would be the case. Any traits both positive and
negative would have been removed along with the… essence left
behind" he sighed noticing a look he was given by Arcturus. "There
is only one way to find out" he stated summoning a small adder.
"Speak" he added to Harry.
Harry looked at the snake and gulped before clearing his throat to
speak. "Hello there friend" he hissed.
" A ssspeaker" the snake replied. "You have the ssscent of the great
one about you. How may I ssserve?" the snake finished questioning
Harry.
" I jussst needed to know if I could ssstill ssspeak to snakesss" he
began. "My magic hasss changed and I wasn't sssure if I could
anymore" he finished.
The snake shook its head looking amused. "Silly human thiss iss a
part of your magic only thossse from the sssnake line can ssspeak it
but even in the line it is rare now, too much mating with your own
kind hasss soiled the magic" it finished eliciting some laughter from
Harry.
"What did it say" asked the goblin