Gringotts
Apparently one of Harry’s new jobs was to be Kreacher’s dress up doll. At least that’s what it felt a bit like before the appointment at Gringotts. The house elf fussed over making sure each piece of clothing fit just so. Since the being had far more experience for the most part the wizard let him have his way. Robes, tunic, leggings, he even accepted the pendant that copied the crest of his ancestor.
He drew the line at the other jewelry Kreacher tried to push on him. Harry did not need all the flashy bling and was that some sort of circlet? No, just no. Let the fine quality of the clothing and the pendant carry the message for him. Also no, he would not let the house elf make him feel like he was some sort of obstinate child. Because he wasn’t! Well yeah Harry was stubborn but he did let Kreacher dress him so he should get some points for that.
To be fair, Kreacher was serving as his guide and advisor. As much as he wanted to handle it himself, Harry was starting to grasp just how much he didn’t know. How much knowledge he had been sheltered from. Deliberately or accidentally, there was no point now in focusing on that. Right now he needed to concentrate on what he needed to get through the meeting at Gringotts. Thankfully, they were open to the house elf accompanying him.
Harry tried not to think too hard about why that might be.
This meeting was at least important enough to Gringotts that they were allowing Kreacher to bring Harry directly into the bank. Both a blessing and a potential pitfall. True he would not need to face the greater public and the grating feeling of being outside. Also true, no one but Kreacher would know he had even gone to the bank if for some reason the meeting went south. Of the possibilities, he had faith that the house elf wouldn’t have allowed him to go if there was the chance he wouldn’t be returning to the town house.
The transition from the town house to the bank was jarring. Yet not for any reason he would have expected. The actual trip went smoothly. Far less jarring to Harry than any form of wizard travel. There weren't any of the staticky type feelings he associated with being out in public. Instead the air felt smooth, clean, with a hint of music just at the edge of his hearing. He took this all in with a blink and then focused on the employee waiting for him.
Taking in the armed guards in the room Kreacher had popped them into he made sure to quickly focus in front of him on his apparent guide. Placing his dominant hand on his chest, fingers spread to show he wasn’t holding a weapon he gave a half bow. “Harry Potter and associate here to answer the summons.”
Dressed in a nice suit, the being narrowed their eyes at Harry and then turned to walk towards the door. “Follow.” Short and to the point. Which in a way was good that they weren’t going to make him stand there and wait. Which would be a sign that they didn’t think his time was worth anything. As he followed the employee, two armed guards fell in behind him. Well they considered him strong enough to justify two guards. If he was in complete contempt, there would have been none. Either that or it was because Kreacher was with him.
The guide led him deeper into the bank. As they traveled that faint bit of music solidified into a melody with a strong resonance. It moved slowly and Harry got the sensation that he was only hearing the bare edge of it. Nothing in the guide he read said anything about music so he had no idea if he was supposed to bring it up or not. It distracted him enough that before he knew it, they had stopped by a door with a nameplate on it. At least he assumed it was a nameplate. Since it wasn’t written in a language he couldn’t read he was going with his best guess here.
His guide gave a sharp knock on the door to which a guttural voice from within barked out. “Enter!” Opening the door, the guide gestured for Harry to go in. Kreacher walked with him and the guide and guards stayed outside the door. Not far if needed, but individual accounts were considered private business.
Entering the room he saw what looked like a well made desk and what Harry had to guess was a higher up in Gringotts. On the desk there appeared to be multiple ledgers and some sort of ornate box. This was looking to be possibly a long meeting. If the desk had been bare, there would have been no business to discuss, only judgment. So the young wizard would take a long meeting over a short one. The being was bald, with the typical pointed features of their race. The door closed and the timbre of the music he heard had a slight shift.
Once more Harry placed his open hand on his chest and this time gave a slightly fuller bow than he had in the entrance. “Harry Potter and associate here to answer the summons of Gringotts, Warrior.” An honorific that was seen as polite. What he really didn’t want to do was make any assumptions on job title or gender here.
That got him a sharp look and once over. The gaze lingered briefly on the pendant Harry wore. After a beat, “Well will wonders never cease. A polite wizard. Don’t think that because you have learned some manners that your actions against Gringotts will simply be forgiven.”
There were many ways he could choose to answer that challenge. Thinking them over quickly Harry went with, “Only the foolish would be rude to those that handle their money. Good manners are wise. I would also state that my actions were not against Gringotts, and in fact were at least in part with permission of one of the employees, warrior . . . ?” He let the statement hang. Not having been informed exactly who he was supposed to be meeting with, just that he would be.
“Account Manager Nokrak. I would be most interested to know how and who exactly gave you any form of permission,” Came the swift reply.
Taking a deep breath, Harry decided to go ahead with his gamble. He was about to give away a potential bargaining chip. However, in doing so, he would be showing he at least now understood on some level, and respected, Gringotts rules of property. “Before we get into that Account Manager Nokrak, I would like to formally give my permission for any dverger made items in any vault or property I own, to be retrieved and returned to their makers.”
Because Harry now knew of his hidden ancestry, and was in part displaying it, calling them a goblin would have been an insult. Goblins, to his elven ancestors, were pretty terrible creatures. In order to be respectful, none of the House of Black could use that term. Something that more recent Blacks had forgotten. Ignorant wizards would have been tolerated, considered part of the game they played with humans. Harry would not have. At the same time, displaying that knowledge and respect the young wizard was changing some of the rules by which this meeting would be run.
Nokrak turned his intense gaze to the other being in this meeting. “Fae of the house, did you advise him to do this?”they demanded.
“Kreacher did not. Master Black wanted to learn how to properly behave. Kreacher gave Master book to learn from when asked.” Harry looked over to the house elf noting the puffed up pride that the small being held itself with. “Kreacher did need to dress Master. He is still learning.” And of course the little jerk decided to give them that little tidbit. The young wizard’s cheeks reddened as Nokrak gave a short bark of laughter at that information.
At that the Account Manger sat back and waved at two chairs in front of the desk, inviting them both to sit. “Well Mr. Potter, I was not expecting this. I see no reason against, and every reason for, accepting your offer.” A wide grin spread on Nokrak’s face. “In order to do that, we would need to confirm just what vaults and properties you rightfully own. We will address that first and then deal with the incident.”
A good portion of the tension drained away from Harry at the laugh and statement. He was far from free of any bad consequences to his actions. Maybe he had earned some goodwill by being the one to approach them about this matter rather than just trying to avoid it. “Agreed, how do we go about determining what is rightfully mine?”
Nokrak opened up a drawer pulling out a piece of parchment and a small dagger. “We here at Gringotts are not without magic of our own. To start we need three drops of your blood on the Inheritance test. Depending on the results I may also advise a lineage test.”
Right, something he wanted to do, answers to questions he had. He hesitated only a moment before picking up the dagger and carefully pricking a finger. Really after everything Harry had been through his pain tolerance was ridiculously high. No hardship to perform that action and let three careful drips drop on the paper. A bit of magical energy and the cut healed over. Funny how getting rid of the horocrux boosted his magical gifts. That and eating well, and not constantly on alert for the next threat. Okay he had a shit life up until now but that was besides the point.
Focusing on the paper he watched the information start to write across its surface. At the same time he could hear the faint music that remained in the background shift yet again. Distracting but he needed to read what was on the parchment. Head of House for Potter by blood and magic, expected. Head of House of Black, by blood, magic and inheritance, slightly confusing but also not unexpected. Head of House Peverelle, by blood and magic, slightly surprising but considering everything Harry just accepted it for now.
What was unexpected was the elvish script that started flowing on another section of the paper. With his few days of lessons he could only pick out a possible few words here and there. He could ask Grandfather or maybe Kreacher later what it all meant. Possible Lordships; Potter, Black, Peverell, and then more elvish script. Joy. “Is it supposed to do that?”
Nokrak glanced at Harry, and when the former gave a nod pulled the paper closer to themselves to read. The account manager’s eyebrows went up but that was the only change in their expression. “While not a common occurrence, not entirely unheard of.” Reaching over he pressed something on the desk and the door to the office opened. When the guide from before opened it he directed them to, “Get me the Peverell ledger.”
“Yes Sir,” came the swift reply. The door was closed and Harry noted he could probably safely think of Nokrak as a he in his head then. Good to know.
“I already expected the Potter and Black and have those here. With those and the vault of items bequeathed to you we should be able to work out a settlement for the incident.” Which is probably why they had been so accommodating and civil so far. The funds probably greatly exceeded any possible fine. They still could have been difficult over it so Harry was very grateful for the actions he took to be respectful.
“Based on this,” Nokrak tapped the elvish script, “I would recommend the lineage test.” Which if it gave Harry more answers, he was all for it. He nodded and another piece of parchment was placed in front of him. “Seven drops this time.”
Taking the dagger he pricked his middle finger this time. Careful and precise, he held it over the parchment letting the drops fall, only withdrawing and healing the small cut after the last drop fell. Unlike a typical family tree, this was the reverse. It started with him and branched out to all his ancestors. His parents, their parents, and so forth. Some of the lines were black, some silver, and some gold. Nokrak tapped the parchment with one finger. “Black for non-magical human, gold for wizard magical human, silver for other magical being.”
His name at the beginning of it all, with all three colors. What surprised him was that his mother’s was outlined in all three colors, while his father just the gold and silver. There was some silver elvish script after his name, and some gold script from a language Harry did not recognize. Slowly Harry traced the lines from each of his parents. His father’s was a complicated mess, which according to his research wasn’t too surprising. Following the Potter line all the way up to where he found the Peverelle family line. There up along that family was a name in the saame elvish silver script he couldn’t quite read yet. But, it wasn’t connected with the Black family. Oh he did see some Black blood with the silver and gold branching in, but the main Potter line itself led to another possibility.
Taking it in, he went back to his mother, and followed up her lines. The tricolored strand from his mother’s father going to a name in gold and silver, Marius Black. “Kreacher,” Harry called out softly, tapping the name to show the house elf. The little being leaned forward. “Master Marius did not receive his Hogwarts letter.” Which meant a squib
“But, he’s still showing he’s a magical?” Harry questioned, brow furrowed.
“If I may,” Nokrak offered, “So called squibs are magicals that cannot use a wand. It does not mean they do not have any magical ability and they certainly have the lineage.” So his strongest Black connection actually came from his mother? Sure enough he could trace the Blacks up from Marius until he found more elvish script which he guessed was his Grandfather. It wasn’t that he didn’t have some Black blood on James’ side. All purebloods seemed to be connected. Just not as direct as a connection. Which he was really glad not to find out his parents were closely related because ick.
Going back to his mother, he saw her mother was in just silver and black. There following that line up through the generations to another name in elvish script. So, he had a triple dose. Three lost ones over time. One coming from the muggle side, so had never interacted with magical blood before his mother, and now him. So what exactly did that mean? Whomever this elf encountered must have been one extraordinary non-magical in order to save, shelter, and marry an elf.
He could puzzle out the elvish script for himself eventually, but not the third language that was in a dark gray by his name. Harry looked up to Nokrak. “Do you know what this means?”
The account manager looked at it, and then sat back in his chair steepling his fingers together. “I do. Which explains the box on my desk. My office is warded enough so nothing should be able to get it. Nothing short of, well, perhaps you should open it and see. If it is what I believe to be, I would suggest you do not pick up the items until you understand the consequences of wielding them.” Well that wasn’t ominous.
Summoning his Gryffindor courage Harry reached to open the lid. There, gleaming in the box, a familiar knobby wand and a dark stone. The wizard stared at them in shock. “But, I broke the wand and dropped the stone in the Forbidden forest!”
Nokrak barked out a laugh. “Those are not the kind of items you can destroy, or throw away once they have chosen you.” He gave Harry a calculating look. “We have a story about the Peverell brothers as well, and not the same one as from Beedle the Bard’s tales.” Looking at Harry’s shocked expression. Leaning forward again he closed the box. “You will take this with you. Otherwise it will just pop up somewhere else in your belongings,” here the account manager scowled, “or mine which I would rather not have some aspect of Death in my office. It would upset the interns and that’s a pain to deal with.”
The door to the office opened and the guide from before carried in more ledges. Setting them on the table they listed as Nokrak barked out something in the dverger language. The guide turned errand person nodded and then left the office closing the door behind them. Then the account manager turned back to his desktop tapping the two documents. They duplicated and one set rolled up and settled on top of the box. “Those are your copies, Gringotts will keep the others.” Again Harry could hear a slightly shift in the subtle music that continued to reverb in Gringotts.
With a thin smile Nokrak opened up the first ledger. “Now, we will go over these Mr. Potter. You do not need to take up the Lordships, that is a wizard thing. We do not care about wizard things. What you do need to do as the named Head of House for three families is go through all the accounts with me, designate heirs, and then we will settle the . . . incident.
Harry did not groan, even though he wanted to. His brain already felt overloaded with the information. Now he was going to deal with finances, and other important manners?!?! Well, at least some of it could be left for later. Much later. Others he would take back to talk over with Kreacher and Grandfather.
It took hours to go through all the ledgers and make all the designations. He was grateful for Kreacher’s occasional advised when asked. It helped make things go more smoothly and prevent the young wizard from insulting the account manager in any fashion.Heirs of his personal wealth were easy. Split between Hermione, Ron, and Teddy. Family wealth and rights were more complicated.
The Blacks the easiest, going to Andromeda first in trust for Teddy. Or if they refused it, to Draco. Andromeda would have all the black training and it really was a way to spite the bigoted and very much not lamented deceased Black individuals. A halfblood were-wolf cub seemed to be poetic justice. When Kreacher didn’t lodge a protest, he considered it a solid choice.
As Harry was the last Potter in Britain, that made disposition of their family wealth and other rights more difficult. There was a cadet branch in the States. So he agreed to pay Gringotts for a comprehensive report on them. As long as the report came back neutral to positive, he would designate them. They would work for both Potter and Peverell, as the lines were now linked. He didn’t have any idea why they hadn’t been fully linked before. And he really didn’t want to think right now that it might be because he now had all the hallows.
Going through and designating heirs probably made Gringotts happy as it kept accounts active. It made good financial sense then as a just in case measure. So it didn’t bother him that they wanted that laid out before they finished settling for the incident. The process between ledgers including investment portfolios, and designating heirs took hours. Thankfully the dverger took some pity on him and brought in refreshments after a certain point. Either that or they just didn’t want to risk him passing out or making a poor choice. They would profit when he profited after all.
They had just about finished up when the door to the office swung open with pairs of Gringotts guards bringing in chests. They set three large chests on the ground and at Nokrak’s nod, threw open the lids. Within shined and sparkled with everything from weapons to goblets and jewelry. “These items were retrieved from the vaults you have control over. Each is a goblin made item. You have freely offered to return these items to us before we enter a settlement over the incident. Do you agree?”
The obvious wealth contained in those chest and the remarkable craftsmanship would make many an individual reconsider. They could be a powerful bargaining chip. Harry did not hesitate to respond. “Account Manager Nokrak, these items are rightful belongings of their dverger creators. They should not be part of any settlement agreement as they are not mine to bargain with. I apologize that my Houses have kept them from their owners.”
Apparently no one had told the guards the full details, just to find and fetch the items. While they were too well disciplined to express any shock, Harry could note some facial twitches in surprise. It settled something in him, knowing that he was doing the right thing. He could see Kreacher beaming with pride at him, and that was more than enough payment. A good, healthy relationship with the house was more valuable than any material wealth. Well that and a good healthy relationship with Gringotts. The dverger could be his greatest ally, or a most terrible enemy to have. The young wizard knew which he preferred.
There was a glimmer of satisfaction in Nokrak’s expression as he waved to the guards. They closed the chests and carried them back out of the office. “You, Mr. Potter, have exceeded the most optimistic of the scenarios we at Gringotts discussed. As such, I believe what I have to offer you will be approved by the Head of Gringotts.” Harry sat up straighter paying close attention.
Nokrak continued with a serious expression in place. “In regards to the dragon, we will deduct the value of the dragon split between your vaults. For the artifact you took, that came from a vault that was considered in part under the control of the House of Black, so that matter is moot. In regards to the damage to Gringotts, the payment can be met by non-monitary means. You exposed a weakness in Gringotts security, now we have put up measures against it and it will not be happening again. Additionally you uncovered a guard willing to take bribes and circumvent Gringotts rules and regulations. That has also been dealt with.” Harry tried not to wince at that part. He was not responsible for Griphook’s decisions after all.
“We require that you learn of the heritage and responsibilities of the House of Black, and of the items and title that you are now the chosen bearer of.” Kreacher made a small sound like he wanted to protest, but Nokrak just continued. “Afterwhich, you will come back to Gringotts for consultation in regards to a matter you are uniquely able to assist with. One I think unlikely you would refuse or have an issue with.”
Harry was extremely surprised by the offer. He had been prepared to accept a much more punitive settlement. His vaults certainly could handle the cost of the dragon without a major impact. Especially since they were splitting it between them all. Learning about his houses, especially Black considering everything was very important. And exactly what the hallows meant, yes he needed that too. Looking over at Kreacher he noted that the house elf looked anxious, but gave him a slow nod. “I agree.”
Nokrak looked satisfied and moved to depress something on his desk. As the door to the office opened and a guide stepped in he also pulled a bag out of a drawer in the desk and started to put the box and scrolls inside of it. “Grodmog will take you to the Potter vault, and show you one of the new security features you inspired. This bag is expanded and featherlight so you may place as many items in it as you wish. Consider it payment for the consultation you will return for. Not anything you do as said result, but for the consultation itself.”
They must really want whatever it is they think he could do. Which made Harry slightly suspicious, but the bag would come in handy and it was already part of his agreement that he would come back. Nokrak continued, “I need to have a short discussion with your companion here,” He waved a hand at Kreacher. “And then we will meet you at the Black Vault. He will help you retrieve what you need from there, then I will for the Peverell vault.” At Kreacher’s nod of agreement, the wizard left with the guide and the office door closed.
Warily Kreacher regarded Nokrak who had pulled out a new piece of parchment and placed it in front of him along with a quill and ink. “You will also sign off on this agreement.” The house elf’s eyes narrowed at the Account Manager shifting into the native language of the fae of the house. “Master Black is considered an adult, he can make his own agreements,” he replied in kind. Kreacher’s native language was drastically different from english both in structure and sound. Thus he sounded quite different. A fact of which most wizards were unaware of.
“By human and wizard standards, yes,” Nokrak agreed. “However, both you and I are aware he is more than that. If, what I suspect is correct, he is not far from his heritage asserting itself in full. We are very aware of what he has gone through. Lesser causes have brought forth a heritage such as his before. You, as the holder of the Oath of the Blacks can confirm his agreement.” The house elf scowled, but could not argue this point. “Gringotts will not pressure Master Black. He is young, very young, and needs time to learn and understand,” Kreacher replied.
Nokrak gave him a patient smile. Closed mouth to show it was not one of aggression. “Of course, we have waited a long time for this opportunity. It would be of our benefit to give him time to be properly prepared. Though knowing what I do of the boy, he will push himself enough to be ready. Then both your oath and ours will be fulfilled, and all will end up where they are meant to be.”
After a moment of silence Kreacher nodded and pulled the parchment closer to read it over. Taking his time to make sure he understood clearly every bit of it before signing. Nothing in it acted against his job as the bonded elf to House of Black, to his service to Master Black, or against the oath he held. It was more than generous settlement, and as Nokrak noted, something the boy was likely to do anyway. They could have demanded far more. All in clear terms that Harry agreed to. No hidden clauses or loopholes.
While they were going through that, Harry was enjoying his trip to the Potter vault. He actually liked the cart ride. At least until they slowed and he encountered the new security measure, going through a waterfall. It was more shocking than anything. He weirdly wasn’t even wet. What did happen was his glasses appeared to malfunction. Pulling them off he scowled at them as the cart driver cackled. They were cracked, almost falling apart. “The waterfall cleanses and removes many things like polyjuice. It also can interfere with some minor magical things. I was warned it might affect your glasses, here.”
The blur that was Gordmog was holding something towards him. Taking it, Harry realized it was a pair of glasses, at least close to his old look. Putting them on there was a moment where things were still blurry then everything adjusted and his vision was clear. His guide smirked. “Those will adjust to your vision regardless of what changes it might go through in life. They are the last pair of glasses you will ever need. Compliments of the staff for uncovering a traitor.” Apparently they didn’t like Griphook either. The cart sped up again, and the strengthening song the deeper he went into Gringotts distracted him from thinking any more on that.
Stopping at a vault, Harry got out and as directed by Bogrod, put his hand on the door to the vault. It melted away opening to a large room almost filled to the brim. Not just with money. No there were all kinds of things. Furniture, paintings, weapons, jewelry, cases of all kinds, and he spotted a large bookcase. He made straight for it, bypassing the wealth around him for the kind that really mattered and had been denied him most of his life, knowledge of his family.
There were so many books there, how could he decide what he needed? Harry stood infront of the bookcase for a moment thinking. Perhaps his magic could help? Closing he eyes he focused on needing books that would help him. He started to run a hand along the spines until suddenly his fingertips ‘stuck’ to one of the books. With a grin he pulled it out and added it to the satchel. He continued the process, ending up with about half a dozen books. Small in comparison to the totality of them. But if he ended up doing this in the Black an Peverell vaults he could end up with a big haul.
What else should he take? He did grab up a money pouch and fill it, but otherwise he was unsure. Perhaps his magic could help again? Once again Harry closed his eyes and focused. Feeling a little tug he turned in that direction and then opened his eyes to follow it. He had to open his eyes otherwise he would have tripped or ran into something. It led him to a jewelry case. Opening it up in the middle he found a delicate gold necklace. The pendant was a lily cradled between antlers. His eyes pricked as he just looked at it for long moment. Looking around he found a small pouch nearby for jewelry and placed the necklace inside. Then the pouch went into his pocket. This would stay close to him.
Not feeling any more tugs on his magic he made his way back out of the vault to the waiting cart. They went to the Black vault where indeed Kreacher was waiting for him. The Black vault was a far more chaotic mess than the Potter one. Thankfully Kreacher seemed to know exactly where to go and what Harry would need, helping him select books, a few other pieces of jewelry for some reason and he filled another pouch with coins. This he gave to Kreacher for anything the house elf thought they needed.
Back out to the cart again and to the last vault where Nokrak waited. They were deep enough that Harry could almost feel the vibration. Wide eyed he looked around. Nokrak raised an eyebrow, “Is something the matter?”
Focusing on the account manager he hesitated and then decided he had nothing to loose. “The music, where does it come from?” Both his eyebrows shot up and Nokrak asked. “You hear the song of the stones?” Now Grodmog was staring too.
“Um, yes?”
Nokrak turned and pointed at Kreacher. “You will make sure he learns, he is potentially even closer than I thought.”
Scowling Kreacher replied in english. “Kreacher will take care of Master Black. Kreacher takes good care of Master Black.”
With a nod Nokrak waved a bemused Harry to access the vault. “Come Mr. Potter, there are some things you sorely need in here.” Once the vault was opened he briskly led the way and quickly selected books. Compared to the other vaults, especially the Black one, it was far more organized and had far less in it. Harry wouldn’t discount that what was in here might be more valuable, and far older.
Having led him back out of the Peverell vault after Harry had what Nokrak deemed necessary, the account manager stopped and addressed them. “Mr. Here is where I will leave you. Grodmog will make sure you get back to the place you entered the bank, and your fae of the home can return you to your domicile. You may send him if you need further coin from any of your vaults and he will be able to retrieve it for you.”
“Thank you Account Manager Nokrak.” Harry bowed to him, his hand splayed open over his heart. “I will study, learn, and return when I am ready for the consultation.”
With a satisfied nod Nokrak nodded and turned to leave. Harry and Kreacher got into the cart, on their way out of the bank. He had a pile of questions for the house elf, and even more things to learn.
Harry was looking forward to it.