Chapter 2
The last few days had been really exhausting.
(Harry really hated Aunt Marge.)
So, it was a relief to finally be back in the wizarding world. Even with the dread of returning to the Dursleys.
Waking up on his own, in a clean bed, was amazing. Harry stretched and grinned at Hedwig.
"I can do whatever I want," he told her. She hooted lovingly. "After I get some money from Gringotts, that is...."
He wasn't sure how he would be able to get money, though, as he didn't have his key. Harry sighed and got dressed.
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"Do you have your key?" the teller drawled.
"Um, no," Harry admitted.
"Then you will have to take a Magical Blood Test," the goblin said bluntly. "Blackhorn!"
A sneering goblin appeared at Harry's side and beckoned to him. Harry followed Blackhorn nervously to one of the doors behind the desks.
Behind this door was not a minecart system, but a long hallway with several offices. Blackhorn stopped at an office with an obsidian door and knocked.
Someone spoke in Gobbledygook, and Blackhorn gestured for Harry to enter. He did so.
A much friendlier-looking goblin looked up when Harry entered. "You're here for a Blood Test?" he questioned.
"Um, yes. What exactly is a Blood Test?" Harry asked nervously.
"Ah, Muggle-raised," the goblin sighed. "Please take a seat, and I'll explain. My name is Timberclaw, by the way."
Harry sat down.
"A Magical Blood Test tells us your name, your parents, and your titles," the goblin explained. "It requires blood, of course -- three drops."
"Uh..." Harry recalled a few rants from Ron about "Blood Magic." "Isn't that illegal?"
The goblin's smile turned toothy. "In Britain, yes, but you are on Goblin soil."
"Oh. I didn't know."
"Hogwarts education," Timberclaw muttered, and Harry got the feeling that he had used that as an expletive more than once. He pulled a piece of parchment and a needle from the desk and placed it in front of Harry.
Harry took the needle and pricked his finger. He missed Timberclaw's worried expression when Harry didn't react to the pain.
Magical Blood Test for Harry James Potter:
BLOCKS AND COMPULSIONS DETECTED
HARMFUL MAGIC DETECTED
Parents: Lily Potter Nee Evans (deceased); James Fleamont Potter (deceased); Regulus Arcturus Black, aliases Hunter Orion Black (chosen by Lady Magic;living)
Guardians: Sirius Orion Black (godfather; living); Regulus Arcturus Black, aliases Hunter Orion Black (parent chosen by Lady Magic; living); Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore (ILLEGAL MAGICAL GUARDIAN; living); Petunia Dursley Nee Evans (ILLEGAL GUARDIAN; living)
Titles:
Lord of Death (chosen)
Heir of the Most Honorable and Ancient House of Peverell (conquest of previous Lord)
Heir of the Honorable and Ancient House of Slytherin (conquest of the previous Lord)
Heir of the Honorable and Ancient House of Gryffindor (through father)
Heir of the Honorable and Ancient House of Hufflepuff (through mother)
Heir to the Honorable and Ancient House of Ravenclaw (through godfather)
Heir of the House of Gaunt (conquest of the previous Lord)
Heir to the Honorable House of Black (through godfather)
Harry blinked. "Uh..."
Sirius Black was his godfather? Who was Regulus Black? Petunia wasn't his legal guardian?
"Oh, bladvac!" Timberclaw exclaimed, once he'd read the test. "MOTHERHEART!"
"What-" Harry began.
"You have blocks and compulsions, which is not healthy and if not removed soon, will turn you into a Squib," Timberclaw insisted. "While we wait for the Goblin healer, put three drops of blood on this parchment." He handed Harry another piece of parchment, this one silver instead of white.
Magical Aura Test of H. J. P.:
Magic: Gray (80% block)
Level: 7/10 (30% block)
Abilities: Parseltongue, Parselmagic (100% block), Necromancy (100% block), Dueling (60% block), Occlumency (100% block), Legilimency (100% block), Herbology, Potions (80% block), Animagus: fawn (100% block), Patronus: unknown
Creature: Naga (10% chance of inheriting; through father), High Forest Elf (50% chance of inheriting; through father), Vampire (10% chance of inheriting; through godfather), Blood Demon (40% chance of inheriting; through grandfather)
Mate: unknown (will know at creature inheritance at 15)
Compulsions:
Trust Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore (applied monthly since July 31, 1981)
Trust Molly Weasley Nee Prewett (applied monthly since July 31, 1982)
Hate Slytherins (applied weekly since July 31, 1981)
Distrust Slytherins (applied weekly since July 31, 1981)
Hate Voldemort (applied monthly since July 31, 1981)
Fight Voldemort (applied monthly since July 31, 1981)
Potions:
Distraction (applied monthly since July 31, 1981)
Recklessness (applied monthly since July 31, 1981)
Forgetfulness (applied monthly since July 31, 1981)
Courage (applied monthly since July 31, 1981)
Other:
Horcrux (keyed to Tom Marvolo Riddle) (50% block)
Block signature unknown. Compulsion signature unknown. Potion brewer/applier unknown.
Harry fainted.
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He had never felt so good. His constant headache was gone; the bruises didn't hurt anymore; and his magic was-
Harry's eyes shot open. He could feel his magic.
It felt like lightning. It crackled and swirled, wild and bright. He shivered.
"Heir Peverell-Slytherin-Gryffindor-Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw-Gaunt-Black, if you'd kindly sit up."
Harry realized he was lying in a stone box, on top of a mattress. He sat up slowly and found himself staring at a female goblin.
"Hi?" he asked.
She laughed. "Hello."
"Are you Motherheart?"
"Yes," the goblin answered. "You no longer have any blocks, malicious potions, or compulsions on you, and I have also healed your physical wounds. However, I could not remove the soul-piece, as only their maker can remove that."
"Is that what a Horcrux is?" Harry asked.
"No, a Horcrux is specifically the object or person carrying the soul-piece," Motherheart corrected gently. "Now that it is not blocked, you will not suffer headaches, and the soul-piece will protect you from harmful magic. It may also prolong your life slightly. There are some rumors you will also be able to communicate to Tom Marvolo Riddle via the soul-piece-"
"I don't want to do that," Harry exclaimed. Voldemort had access to his mind?!!!!
"A majority of what you have heard of the Dark Lord Voldemort is a lie," Motherheart told him. She sat down beside him on the mattress, looking sad. "When he first started as a Dark Lord, his intentions were to bring balance to Magic, give magical creatures and half-humans the same rights as all other wixen, and properly introduce Muggleborns to the magical world. However, he slowly descended into madness. By the time you were born, there was very little sanity left, which was presumably why he attacked a baby. Previously, he would torture anyone who harmed any child."
Harry gaped at her. "But everyone says-"
"Everyone loyal to Dumbledore," she growled. Harry was taken aback at her anger. "That man is a cunning, manipulative, evil gral, and I would like to choke him with his own beard."
"Wh-what?" Harry squeaked.
Motherheart looked embarrassed. "I should not swear in front of children."
"I'm used to it," Harry admitted quietly.
She gave him a concerned look but said nothing. "I'm to escort you to your new vault manager," Motherheart stated, standing.
"'New?'" Harry got to his feet and followed Motherheart out of the room. It led into the hallway of offices.
She scowled. "The previous vault manager was stealing from you."
"Why?" Harry asked, confused.
"I do not know, but I would like to stab his eyeball for stealing from a child," Motherheart muttered.
Harry choked.
She stopped in front of a blood-red door and knocked.
"Enter," said a voice distractedly. Motherheart opened the door.
A huge pile of papers covered the desk and spilled onto the floor. Behind the stack of parchment was a frazzled-looking goblin, who was picking up each paper and scanning it, then cursing and dropping it for another paper.
"Heir Peverell-Gryffindor-Slytherin-Ravenclaw-Gaunt-Black," the goblin said quickly. "Take a seat -- if you can find it," he grumbled, snatching up another paper. "Thank you, Motherheart."
She nodded, smiled at Harry, and left.
Harry waded through the mess of papers and felt around for the chair. When he'd found it, he shoved all the papers onto the floor, taking a seat.
"Aha!" the goblin exclaimed, lifting a paper above his head. "Here, the Gryffindor vaults and properties." He dove into the pile on the floor, making Harry giggle.
About ten minutes later, the papers had all been organized, and the goblin had found all of the papers containing all of Harry's properties and vaults.
"What's all that, then?" Harry asked, gesturing to the huge stacks of paper.
"All the money Dumbledore stole from you," the goblin said sourly.
"Why is it so many papers, then?"
"Because he cheated our system by getting ten Galleons, ten Sickles, and ten Knuts sent to him every week. From each vault. It would have been flagged had it been more often or more money," the goblin explained, sitting down behind the desk. "The previous vault manager is currently being beheaded."
Harry started.
"My name is Bloodfang, and I'm your new vault manager," he added. "Hired me with no warning," he grunted, "and with no help to organize this shit."
Harry giggled.
Bloodfang smiled a little and opened a drawer in his desk. From it he took a small, black box. "Before we discuss anything, you will have to take all of your lordship and heirship rings." He opened the box and pulled out a jet-black ring with a blood-red symbol on the front: a triangle, a line down the middle, and a circle.
"Lord of Death," Bloodfang whispered reverently. "This one doesn't require any vows but expect Lord Death to visit you at some point."
"Wait, wha-"
"This is the Gryffindor ring," Bloodfang continued, pulling a golden ring with a lion from the box and handing the Death ring to Harry. He continued giving Harry rings until the box was empty. "Now for your vow: 'I, Harry James Potter, do solemnly swear to uphold all of the laws and expectations befitting a Lord and Heir, so mote it be.'"
Harry repeated him dubiously. "What if I don't agree with some of the laws?" he asked Bloodfang.
"When you come of age, you can take the Lordships and change the laws," the goblin pointed out dryly. "Well, some of them; some laws need all of, or most of, the family members' agreement to change. For example, the Blacks are only allowed to marry a Pureblood of the opposite gender."
"I am definitely changing that," Harry muttered, then blushed a little.
Bloodfang smiled knowingly, then said, "We need to review all of your vaults and the amount of money that Dumbledore and a Molly Weasley Nee Prewett stole. Would you like to press charges?"
"I don't know," Harry mumbled.
"Well, they would have to have stolen more than 1 mil Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts each, anyway," Bloodfang said wryly. "The main vault and property pages don't say how much they took, just how much money is in the vault now. I would have to find every withdrawal form and add all of the stolen money together." He cast the piles a pained expression, making Harry laugh. "Who knows how long that will take." He paused. "Oh, except for the Black, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Peverell, and Gaunt vaults. Regulus Black has been minding the Black and Ravenclaw vaults for his brother, although he's known to Dumbledore as Hunter Black, and the other three vaults were overseen by Serpenttooth until a few days ago, he despises Dumbledore."
"What happened to Serpenttooth?"
"No idea. Would you like me to count up the money that has been stolen from you over the next few months, and get back to you about whether you can press charges or not?" Bloodfang asked.
"Yes," Harry agreed. He still wasn't sure whether he would press charges or not, he just wanted to lay low, but he still wanted to know how much money had been taken.
"In the meantime, let me give you a list of books you need to read for your Lordships and Heirships and Pureblood traditions and shit," Bloodfang added, handing Harry a list. "And might I suggest a new wardrobe? Lords and Heirs are expected to wear better-quality cloth."
Harry scowled a bit.
Bloodfang grinned toothily. "You don't need to be froofy-" Harry giggled "-just not wear pajamas."
"These aren't pajamas," Harry corrected. "These are my cousin's hand-me-downs."
"Oh, I thought they were made for ogres, but I wasn't going to say anything," Bloodfang remarked, and Harry snorted. "I suggest shopping at Moxy Mayhem, if you want better but not stuffy clothes. And there are lot of clothes that will make Purebloods horrified, but they won't say anything because technically you're following the clothing guidelines." He smirked, and Harry laughed again. "Oh, a lot of those books won't be in Diagon, as they're technically banned except for in Pureblood houses. If you want one, there's a bookstore in Knockturn you can go to: Noir Novels." Bloodfang's eyes were twinkling with a secret, but Harry's eyes were on the list, and he didn't notice.
"Okay," Harry said distractedly. "How much money do I need for all of that?"