Goblins and Gold
Snape was lost for words. How was it possible? The Potters had recent Indian ancestors, a wizarding culture that was known for its highly revered parselmouths, but as far as he knew They did not have any parseltongues in their lineage.
He was pulled out of his reverie by the trembling emanating from the boy’s hand in his. He suddenly realized he was gripping the boy’s hand rather tightly and Harry was starting to watch him with fear. Quickly he released his hand. “Sorry,” Harry whispered.
“No, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Snape soothed. “It just caught me off guard.”
“Do you not like snakes either?” he asked.
No. Severus was not fond of snakes. There were only so many times a man could watch a human be swallowed whole by a large reptile before it affected ones psyche, but the boy did not need to know that. “Runespoors are extremely dangerous snakes. You need to be more careful in the future. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.” Harry seemed sad but nodded nonetheless.
“Now then, I have narrowed down our choices, but I would like your opinion.” Snape indicated the three Kneazles. They had been placed in a large pen with a door for guests to come in and interact with their prospective purchases. He had chosen a large midnight black cat with tufts of fur between its toes and on the tops of its large pointed ears. Its eyes were a luminescent gold as it watched the other cats with disdain. The next was a smaller tortoiseshell with orange eyes and a calm disposition. The last was a half-kneazle with orange fur and a smushed face. It was ugly in Severus’s opinion, but it had an unusually large magical signature and intelligent green eyes.
Harry automatically gravitated towards the mangy-looking orange cat that immediately started purring in his arms. “Well look at that!” the shopkeeper exclaimed. “Crookshanks has been here for almost five years now and never once has he warmed up to someone like that! Poor deer was probably abused. I found him wandering the alley, with singed fur and a broken leg one Halloween night, but nobody would take him in because he was older. Not that that should matter much with a familiar, once bonded they will live to be the same age as their owner when he dies.”
“We’ll take this one,” Severus sighed. He had been hoping for the black cat. At least then the fur wouldn’t show on his darkly colored furniture.
The woman took the cat to the back to find a carrier for the little monster, while they waited at the counter. A white snowy owl was sitting on the perch there and Harry immediately held out his hand in greeting. The bird watched the boy closely before fluttering its wings and landing on the boy’s shoulder. Harry giggled, patting the owl's head gently and Severus’s heart clenched oddly. It was the first time he had heard such a carefree sound come out of the usually reserved and shy child.
The shopkeeper smiled as she set the green crate on the counter. “Artemis, you look to have made a friend,” she said indulgently.
Harry beamed up at the witch. “She’s beautiful! Is she yours?”
“You have a keen eye, young man,” she praised. “She has been my familiar for 30 years.”
“That’s so long!” he said wide-eyed. The owl was bumping his chin for attention, annoyed that he had stopped his ministrations.
“Artemis here is pretty special, I just hope I can find homes for all her chicks when they hatch. Snowy owls are less popular nowadays. They are not native to Britain so many families don’t like the attention the striking coloring can bring. Some countries have banned their breeding because of the risk to the statutes of secrecy.”
“When will they hatch,” Harry asked excitedly, completely ignoring the secrecy issues.
“She just laid her 13th egg today, so it will be a month or so before they hatch. Then it will be another 3-4 years before they have their full adult plumage and are ready to find their forever homes. Some breeders will sell them at 1 year when they are considered adults, but they will be unable to fly long distances until their full adult plumage has set in. It’s irresponsible in my opinion.”
“What if the person you sold them to was reeeally careful and promised not to send them on long flights or make them carry heavy packages until they are old enough?” Harry asked.
Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. “Evan, one animal is enough. Maybe once you're settled into your new home you can come back and see about getting an owl to write to your friends.” Not that the boy could have anyone to write to. The entire wizarding world was out looking for him.
“Ok,” Harry sighed. “But can we at least come back and see the babies when they hatch? Please?”
Snape shook his head in exasperation, “We will see. Now, come along.”
Snape had the Half-Kneazle flooed to their home from the pet shop and hurried Harry to the bank. As they passed, he could see people reading the paper and looking around in outrage. Even a few Aurors were starting to patrol the streets. He wouldn’t be able to take the boy out for some time after this. The conundrum of finding the boy a permanent home was quickly running out of time.
He entered Gringotts in a bit of a rush and walked up to the first teller he recognized. “Griphook, may your gold ever flow,” he greeted respectfully. It was always wise to be polite to the man in charge of monitoring all your investments.
The Goblin nodded, “And may your enemies ever fall, Mr. Snape. How may I be of assistance?”
Lowering his voice Snape explained, “I am requesting to review a will in which I was named caretaker of a child to ascertain the proper chain of custody.”
“And to whom does the will apply?”
“Lily Potter ne Evans,” he said in a hushed voice.
“Follow me,” the Goblin replied curtly. They were led to a private room, where Griphook snapped his claws and a sealed form appeared on the desk. The Goblin sat down at the desk and touched the seal with confusion. “This will appear to have been sealed from the public, by command of the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot five years ago after the Potter's deaths, but as one of the named recipients you are entitled to see the contents.” He ran a sharp hooked claw under the seal, removing the spelled wax, and handed the document over.
Will and Testament of James Potter and Lily Evans Potter- Dated September 21st, 1981
To Sirius Orion Black- we leave vault 2022 (Unclaimed)
Personal effects contained- Vinyl Collection, Antique Liquor Cabinet with Infinite Extension Charm, other items unlisted
Pensived memories- unlisted
Gold- 20,000 gallions
Notes: We know you don’t need the money, Padfoot! Just make sure to throw us a good party, yeah?
To Remus John Lupin- we leave Vault 1267 (Unclaimed)
Personal effects contained- a lifetime supply of wolf’s bane potions, other items unlisted
Pensived memories- unlisted
Properties associated- Dark Wood’s Cottage (in stasis)
Gold- 80,000 gallions
Notes: Mooney, don’t you dare try to refuse the gifts! You're one of my best mates, and you deserve to be happy and healthy. So take the damn money! If it makes you feel better, use it to spoil your godson.
To Peter Percival Pettigrew- we leave Vault 6898 (Sealed from access due to Broken Vow)
Personal effects contained- specialized cat repellent, other items unlisted
Pensived memories- unlisted
Gold- 60,000 gallions
Notes: If you are reading this will, I know that Peter died trying to protect us. The gold and memories enclosed are for any possible heirs Peter may have had. And if by some miracle, you managed to outlive us, Wormtail, Lily had included her recipe for that repellant that has kept her Kneazle from eating you alive all these years!
To Alice and Frank Longbottom- we leave Vault 1289 (Waiting in Lew of death for Longbottom Heir to review)
Personal effects contained- assorted baby clothes and toys, other items unlisted
Pensived memories- unlisted
Gold- 60,000 gallions
Notes: Alice, you better make sure our boys grow up to be best friends like we always talked about! Little Harrison is going to need a good friend, just like you were for me. I know you haven’t told your mother-in-law about your little girl that's on the way, but I included a bunch of outfits for her and Pandi’s little girl in case I can't be there for both of your baby showers.
To Pandora and Xenophilius Lovegood- we leave Vault 1482 (Unclaimed)
Personal effects contained- assorted potion equipment & notes, other items unlisted
Pensived memories- unlisted
Gold- 60,000 gallions
Notes: Pandi, I hope your lovely little Luna is happy and healthy. I included all the notes and research I have done on the foresight potion we were working on before I had to go into hiding. There is a slight instability in the formula that I think I may have fixed. Make sure you grate the wormwood instead of chopping or it may react too quickly with catastrophic effects. I wish I could be there when you complete it! Just thinking about the possibilities of a potion that can grant someone Seerer abilities, even temporarily, is mind-blowing. It will change the world forever!
To Severus Snape- we leave Vault 2083 (Unclaimed)
Personal effects contained- Assorted rare potion ingredients, other items unlisted
Pensived memories- unlisted
Properties associated- Tinker’s Cottage (in stasis)
Gold- 60,000 gallions
Notes: Severus, I know that when last we spoke it was not on good terms. I was mad for a long time, longer than a mature adult probably should have been… I just want you to know that I’m sorry for holding such a petty grudge for so long. I should have told you I had forgiven you long ago, but I was embarrassed once I realized how childish I had been. I should have talked to you sooner, maybe then we wouldn’t have ended up on opposite sides of this stupid war.
I know it probably isn’t a proper apology, but I’m giving you my potions lab and all that it entails. It’s on a lot of land with TONS of naturally occurring potion ingredients. I just know you're going to be one of the greatest potion masters of this century, Sev! And I want you to know how proud I am of you! Your friend, always, Lily.
To Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore- we leave Vault 9870 (Claimed)
Properties associated- London Flat (Details limited due to Fidelidus Charm)
Gold- 160,000 gallions
Notes: Protect those that we cannot.
To our son Harrison James Potter- All other assets, including properties, vaults, and personal effects (Unclaimed)
Personal effects contained- Assorted Books, Family Histories, Photo Albums, Potter Heirlooms, Lord/Heir/Wedding Rings, and other items unlisted
Pensived memories- Memories of their son’s birth, first steps, first birthday, first Christmas, memories of reading children’s stories together, riding Padfoot like a horsie, and other unspecified memories.
Properties associated- Potter Manor, Potter Villa, The Beach Hideaway, Peverell Castle, Godric's Hollow, Jaipur Estate, Aberdeen Cottage
Gold- 128,4530,033 gallions total in collected vaults
Notes: My baby. There are no words to describe how much we love you and how much we will miss you. We have both pensive every memory we could think of that would show you how much you are loved and cherished in the hopes that you will know how proud we are of you. We love you with all our hearts. Always.
Chain of Custody*:
Sirius Orion Black (in prisoned)
Remus John Lupin (rights waived)
Alice and Frank Longbottom (Deceased)
Pandora and Xenophilius Lovegood (Pandora Deceased)
Molly and Arthur Weasley
Severus Tobias Snape
Minerva Gaile Mcgonagall
Peter Petigrue (deemed unacceptable, due to broken vow)
*Disclaimer: Under no circumstances is Harrison James Potter to be placed under the care of Petunia Dursley ne Evans, or any relation to her person.
Severus didn’t know how to process it all. There was so much to take in! Broken vow? What broken vow? What had Peter done to get himself written out of the Potter’s will before his death? Not only that but Lily and Pandi, his two closest childhood friends, had been working together on an experimental potion. Severus had been devastated to hear of Pandora’s death mere months ago. He had wondered late at night if he could have stopped her death just as he could have Lily’s. If they had still been friends and not separated on two different sides of this war, would he have been able to stop her from making that fatal mistake? Now, to find out that this will could have held the answers that would have saved her life? How dare Albus seal something so important as this away!!!
Yet those revelations were nothing in the wake of his realization that Lily had forgiven him. He had spent five long years thinking his best friend had died hating him. To find out she too had wanted to mend their friendship and had in fact been embarrassed by her stubborn refusal to accept his countless apologies… He didn’t know how to feel. If they had made amends sooner, maybe he would have made different choices. He felt anger and sorrow warring together over what might have been. Maybe he should just be grateful to know that she had forgiven him, despite all his horrible life choices at the time, but anger was slowly winning out.
The longer he stared at the page the more he realized. Albus had known. He would have encouraged the Potters and many of the other Order members to update their wills during the war. Probably heavily implies that they left behind to help bolster the war efforts. Albus would have had to have been their witness, otherwise, someone else would have known the contents of the will and claimed their inheritance. Yet Albus had claimed his share and proceeded to seal the will from everyone else involved. Why? What had he to gain?
Severus had to bite back his rage to focus on the list he had originally come here for. He was right in his assumption that Lily would never have let Harry live with her hateful sister. Petunia had tormented Lily relentlessly ever since receiving her rejection letter from Hogwarts. She had been spitefully jealous after realizing she couldn’t force her way into the school for magic. If she couldn’t be special, no one could. And she made it her life’s mission to elevate the ordinary and condemn the extraordinary.
That slight vindication was snuffed out quickly as he reread the names. Alice, Frank, Peter, and Pandora were all dead. And without his wife, Xenophilius was in shambles. Severus had never liked the man, Pandi, and been far too good for such an unreliable and unremarkable man, but he hoped he would recover for their daughter’s sake soon. Black was out for obvious reasons. Not that Severus would ever trust the idiot with a child. The Weasleys and McGonagall were too close to the headmaster to be safe, especially with all that he had learned. If only the damned wolf wouldn’t have been stupid and self-deprecating enough to waive his rights…
Severus had no choice. He would have to go with plan B.
Setting the document aside, Snape met the goblin’s eyes. “Griphook. I know the practice is somewhat antiquated, but do the goblins still perform Blood Adoptions?”