-๐๐-
"Shh, come on," Leo whispered, trying to fight off his snickers. Adhara bit her lip to keep from laughing as they slowly crept into Remus's room.
"Go on that side," Adhara whispered, pointing to the opposite side of the bed nearest the window. Leo quickly did as instructed before quietly scooping out some peanut butter and putting it on Remus's hand, then sending Adhara a thumbs up. Adhara smirked as she used the feather in her hand to lightly tickle Remus's faceโthe reaction was immediate. Remus raised his peanut butter-covered hand to his face and splat!
"What theโ!" Remus groaned as he sat up groggily and confused. Leo and Adhara burst into laughter. "Morning!" they chorused, jumping onto the bed. Remus shook his head before he too began laughing.
"Is this peanut butter!?" he snickered, baffled.
"Possibly!" Adhara beamed.
"I regret telling you both about the Marauders and their pranks," Remus mumbled with a smile.
"But you did! So you shall live with the consequences!" Leo smirked.
"Is that so?" Remus questioned with his own smirk.
"Uh oh, run for it Leo!" Adhara stated as Remus launched to get them back with the peanut butter on his hand. Just then, an owl landed on the windowsill and pecked the glass to be let in.
Remus pursed his lips. "Appears I got a letter." He quickly cleaned the peanut butter with his wand and made his way to the owl. The brown owl hopped in and held out its foot that had a letter tied to itโflying off as soon as Remus took it.
"What is it?" Leo asked curiously.
"It appears... Dumbledore would like a word. I'm to Floo to his office," Remus stated as he scanned over the letter with his eyes.
Leo tensed, as Adhara looked back at Remus, curiously.
"Dumbledore's the Headmaster, right?" she asked, excitedly.
Remus smiled. "Yes, the greatest wizard there is."
Leo resisted his urge to scoff, but he didn't bother holding back his eye roll.
"I best get ready, Kreacher can cook up breakfast while I'm gone," Remus added as he quickly made way to the bathroom.
"Wonder what the headmaster wants?" Adhara whispered while in thought.
"To manipulate people like pawns..." Leo grumbled under his breath, quietly.
"Huh?" Adhara questioned, not having heard him clearly.
"Nothing. Come on, I'm starved!" Leo stated as he clasped hands with Adhara and led her to the kitchen. As Kreacher made them breakfast, Leo pondered over what he figured Dumbledore was bound to say to Moony. He needed to somehow prevent him from giving in to Dumbledore's lies and manipulationsโsomething concrete! That would keep Adhara away from returning to the Dursleys. But what!? And then it hit him.
ฯฯฯ
Remus came down the stairs, all showered and dressed. "Hey, Remus. Can Kreacher take me and Adhara to Diagon Alley today? For some more ice cream."
Remus paused in putting on his jacket, thinking it over. "It's a bit early for ice cream, don't you think?"
"Yeah, but I meanโbefore lunch or something... if you're not back from meeting with Dumbles," Leo stated.
Remus tilted his head side to side. "I guess. There and backโshould be fine."
Adhara smiled while Leo smirked. "Thanks, Remus," they chorused.
Kreacher joined them for breakfast when he finished cooking; he barely protested this timeโAdhara just had a way of naturally winning him over. As they ate, Leo couldn't help but continuously glance at the clock.
"Are you that excited for ice cream?" snickered Adhara, as she noticed his constant eye glances.
Leo looked back at her with a caught expression. "N-No, well, sort of ... I also had another thought, though."
"Another thought?" Adhara asked, intrigued.
"Have you ever gotten an inheritance test done?" Leo asked, knowing full well she hadn't. Adhara looked back at him confused as she tilted her head in question.
Leo quickly got out of his seat and ran to his room, grabbing his inheritance test he'd gotten done, before returning and placing it down on the table in front of Adhara. "Go on," Leo urged at her questioning look. Adhara grabbed the parchment and slowly read it over.
"S-So, this tells you everything?" Adhara asked, amazed.
"Pretty much. I mean, if you wanted to do the lineage test to tell you about all your ancestors and stuff ... you could also do that, though it takes a month. Depending on the size of your magical bloodline," Leo stated as he sat back down in his seat.
"A-And this one?" Adhara asked, holding up the parchment.
"Oh, that one just takes a few minutes," Leo stated before taking a bite of his omelet.
"All right. Let's do it," Adhara smiled.
"Great! We'll go after breakfast!" Leo declared as he took another bite of his omelet.
ฯฯฯ
The two of them excitedly ran through Diagon Alley, hand in hand, while an invisible, grumbling Kreacher followed along. They came to a stop outside of Gringotts, Adhara bowing to the guards outside the doors before going in with a smiling Leo copying her. Kreacher waited outside; the goblins were not too keen on elves remaining invisible during business. They found it particularly suspicious.
The two of them walked up to the nearest free goblin teller. "Name!" the goblin grumbled.
"A-Adhara Potter, Sir. I would like an inheritance test done, please," Adhara stated anxiously.
The goblin looked up from stamping the files in front of him to peer down at Adhara and Leo. He narrowed his eyes as he spotted her lightning bolt scar. "Krypki!" the goblin suddenly shouted, and another goblin hobbled into view. The two of them exchanged whispers before the goblin, Krypki, took a step towards them and muttered, "Follow me!"
The goblin led them through a set of large double doors into a long stone hallway until abruptly stopping outside a great big metal door with depictions of warrior goblins standing victoriously in a battlefield. Krypki banged on the metal door thrice before turning and walking away. With a creak, the metal door opened, and Adharaโwith Leo leading the wayโentered. They took their seats in front of the goblin who looked at them.
"Ah, Miss Potter..." the goblin grumbled, focusing on her lightning bolt scar. "It's about time you came in. I am Throgar, the House of Potter's account manager. I assume you've finally had enough of evading our letters," he sneered.
"L-Letters, sir?" Adhara stuttered anxiously, sinking into her seat.
Throgar looked at her annoyed. "We've been trying to get you to come into the bank since your tenth birthday. We've sent letter after letter, only to receive no response or sight of you." Adhara swallowed a nervous lump.
"I never received any letters, sir. I just found out I was a witch." The goblin's jaw droppedโLeo couldn't help but snort; he'd never seen a goblin shocked before.
"W-What do you mean you just found out you're a witch!? Who have our letters been going to!?" the goblin stuttered, baffled. Adhara just shrugged in response.
Throgar, then in a slight rush, pulled open his desk drawer, pulling out a dagger, a black bowl covered in runes, a spare bit of parchment, and a vial of black liquid. Throgar eagerly held the dagger out towards Adhara. "Go on, child! We must get our answers," he stated impatiently.
Adhara hesitantly took it and as instructed, sliced her palm before letting the blood drip into the bowl. Throgar proceeded to pour the black liquid out of the vial into the bowl as he began chanting in Gobbledegook. The runes began to glow orange as the liquids swirled about, mixing in the bowl. Slowly, the liquids began to rise up before dripping onto the piece of parchment. Throgar, Adhara, and Leo watched with bated breath as the liquid slowly dissolvedโleaving behind words written on the parchment.
โฆ.โฃ.ล
Adhara Lovella Potter
Birth:ย July 31, 1980
Classification:ย Witch/Halfblood/Unidentifiable
Father:ย James Charlus Potter
Classification:ย Wizard/Pureblood
Status:ย Deceased
Mother:ย Lily Jade Evans
Classification:ย Witch/Muggleborn (Rekindlorem)
Status:ย Deceased
Godfather:ย Sirius Orion Black III
Classification:ย Wizard/Pureblood
Status:ย Deceased
Godfather:ย Remus Lupin
Classification:ย Wizard/Werewolf/Halfblood
Status:ย Alive
Godmother:ย Alice Longbottom
Classification:ย Witch/Pureblood
Status:ย Incapacitated
Godmother:ย Dorcas Meadowes
Classification:ย Witch/Halfblood
Status:ย Deceased
Magical Guardian:ย Albus Dumbledore (Illegally Appointed)
Intended:ย Remus Lupin (Falls to the only currently capable Godparent)
Current Guardian:ย Petunia Dursley (Illegally placed)
Intended:ย Remus Lupin (Falls to the only currently capable Godparent)
...
On and on the words kept going. The more that filled the page, the wider Throgar's eyes got.
"Galleons!" Throgar exclaimed in shock, as Leo whispered out, "Merlin!"
"What's the stamp at the top?" Leo asked.
"N.F.I - Needs further investigation," Throgar muttered, keeping his gaze on the test.
"W-Why? A-And what does it mean by Unidentifiable?" Adhara stuttered out.
"Yes, that!" Leo stated before also asking, "And what's a Rekindlorem?"
But Throgar didn't answer as he immediately got out of his seat and left the room.
"W-What's he doing? He's coming back right?" Adhara whispered to Leo, nervously.
"Of course, it is his office after all," Leo stated with a smirk.
Adhara snorted, which made Leo smile wider.
ฯฯฯ
Throgar returned with three other goblins.
"Miss Potter, this is King Ragnok," he stated, gesturing to the goblin next to him, before gesturing to the other two behind King Ragnok, "And these are brothers Glintforge and Flintgrin, our healers."
King Ragnok took a step forward. "Miss Potter, your test has been marked with N.F.I. Therefore, we must look further into whyโour healers will be running a checkup on you, while we clarify some things."
Adhara looked nervously at Leo before glancing back and nodding to King Ragnok. Glintforge and Flintgrin approached Adhara. One handed her a potion to drink while the other pulled out a vial and took some more of her blood after she finished drinking it. The two then left the room.
King Ragnok then sat in a chair next to Throgar. "Now, first things firstโWho have you been living with, Miss Potter?" King Ragnok asked, placing his clasped hands in front of him.
"Oh. Um... I live with the Dursleys. Though, at the moment I'm staying with Leo for the summer," Adhara answered.
"Have you been in contact with Albus Dumbledore while you've been with the Dursleys?" King Ragnok asked.
Adhara shook her head. "No, sir. W-Why?"
Instead of answering her, he asked another question. "And, have I been told correctly that you just recently found out you're a witch? As well as you haven't received a single letter from Gringotts?"
Adhara pursed her lips before answering, "Yes, sirโI just found out from Hagrid. And I've never received anything from Gringotts."
The goblins huffed. Leo then raised his hand and pointed to himself, so he could draw their attention to him as he asked, "Would you mind filling us in?"
The goblins narrowed their eyes at Leo before turning back to Adhara. King Ragnok then asked his final question, "Miss Potter, were you being abused?"
Adhara's eyes widened as she tensed before looking down at the ground. She didn't answer, but she didn't need toโthe goblins knew just by the way she reacted. Adhara flinched as the two goblins from before entered carrying a stack of parchment. One quickly handed the parchment stack to Throgar, as the other began whispering viciously to King Ragnok.
Leo reached over and took Adhara's hand to comfort her, seeing how nervous she was. The two goblins then left, as King Ragnok and Throgar perused the parchments in front of them, while whispering to one another.
"C-Can you tell us what's going on?" Adhara stuttered out.
ย