IV
They continued their walk towards the vault, the dragon cautiously backing away as they approached. Despite his initial shock and anger, Harry couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size and opulence of the vault before them. This was more wealth than he had ever imagined, and it was all part of his inheritance. Maybe it was just his lack of money before this, or he was ready to spend a huge sum of coins. And by the vault door’s appearance alone, Harry could tell there must be a lot to spend.
The vault door was massive, made of glistening gold and encrusted with precious gems that twinkled in the torchlight. Right in the center of everything, the Potter emblem was engraved proudly, dragon roaring ferociously at all who looked. It had a strange, ancient kind of beauty that reminded Harry of the pictures of treasure hoards he had seen in storybooks. Maybe there was a reason a dragon was guarding this. It was hard to believe that all this wealth was his—he who, until today, had lived in a cupboard under the stairs at the Dursleys.
Griphook gestured towards the door, and Harry stepped towards it carefully. He placed his palm on it instinctively, and with a loud, echoing clank, the door slowly swung open. The sight that met Harry's eyes was nothing short of breathtaking. Inside the vault, piles of gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts reached almost to the ceiling. There were also jewel-encrusted goblets, golden statues, and a variety of other valuable artifacts like books, paintings, trunks, and was that a giant egg?
Jayden, who had been quiet for a while, let out a low whistle. "I knew the Potters were wealthy, but this...this is beyond anything I could have imagined."
“You and me both..” Harry murmured. He suddenly grew angry. Where was all this when he was a little boy, huddled against the wall, trying desperately not to die from exhaustion in his little cupboard? Where was it when he was wrapped in his too-small, too-ratty blanket in the dead of winter, shivering? To think, he had it all and didn't even know it.
Griphook smirked, clearly amused by their astonishment. "This is just the beginning. There are still more vaults to visit."
As Harry peered at all the riches surrounding him, he suddenly felt very, very overwhelmed.
“Well?” Jayden squealed excitedly. “Take a look at everything.”
Griphook handed Harry a simple leather pouch. “You can get a different one later, but this is a standard expandable pouch. Put as much as you want in it.”
Harry took the pouch carefully out of the goblin’s hand. Feeling a pull on his magic, he let it guide him right over to the huge egg he had noticed earlier.
“What is this?” he inquired. “Some kind of huge, magical chicken?”
Griphook stared.
Harry slipped the egg into his pouch and carried on.
After the goblin explained the wizarding currency, he slipped a few of the knuts and a lot of the galleons into the pouch as well.
Jayden was wandering around aimlessly when he suddenly screamed.
“HALF BLOOD DARES TO ENTER-”
“CHARLUS, WHO IN MERLIN IS THAT-”
“GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!”
It seemed like all the portraits had come alive, and they were all screaming at Jayden, who looked about ready to piss himself.
Next to him, Harry, who had been examining a particularly shiny goblet, jumped at the sudden chaos. "Jayden!" he called, rushing over to his friend's side. The portraits continued their tirade, their shouts echoing off the vault walls.
Looking around, Harry saw that all these portraits had a certain resemblance to him. That one had messy black hair, that one had his nose, that one his cheekbones-
“You're my ancestors, aren't you?” Harry said, awed.
They all quieted down. “Indeed, I suppose,” a female with his eye shape said. “You must be Hadrian, yes? I would say it's a pleasure, but you're probably here to burn all of us. Wouldn't be surprised after my son took all our portraits down.”
“You're demonstrating exactly why I did so, Mother! Acting so bitter and still wondering why I took you right off my bedside… Honestly.” The one who looked most similar to him spoke. The same black, messy hair was present, but Harry noticed that it was near to the man’s mid-thigh.
The woman who spoke first silently glared at her son before her piercing gaze shifted down to take in Harry.
“Merlin, what horrible attire. Muggle by the looks of it. Tell you what, my son may be near worthless, but at least he has style. Take his portrait, shrink it, and let him guide you through getting some attire acceptable for the Lord of the Potter line. Goodness, it's as if you were raised by a rock.”
“You could say I was,” Harry sighed.
The woman narrowed her eyes at him but gestured wildly to the vault around them. “Take what you must, I suppose,” she drawled, inspecting her immaculate nails. “Might I suggest a few things?”
Harry followed her instructions to a T, leaving the vault with a few portraits, at least a dozen books, a trunk belonging to his great-great-great Uncle Hildred, and a few more random objects, wearing a simple black robe enchanted with ‘bottomless pockets. He put all his loot into said pockets, including the bank-issued pouch.
Griphook handed the two wizards the Clankers once again. Cringing, Harry reluctantly shook it a few times before nearly sprinting to the death cart. The vault door slammed behind the group.
The goblin didn't waste a second, starting the cart as soon as Jayden was in. They zoomed through the underground part of the bank. This time Jayden fared better but still looked uneasy when the cart came to a stop.
“Vault 921, Ocylums,” Griphook drawled, jumping out. “We’ll get you a key soon. In the meantime, place your hand on the center of the vault. There will be a slight sting where it draws a drop of your blood.”
Harry did as Griphook said. He barely felt anything, but the vault swung open to reveal a decent amount of money, books, and a few trinkets.
Jayden waited at the door this time with something mumbled about scary ancestral portraits. He still peeped inside though, and advised, “Take a wand or two, Harry. You can't get one until you're eleven, and it will still have the Trace on it. Better to get one without now.”
Griphook nodded his agreeance. Harry picked up a few wands until he found one that made his magic sing.
“This won't be your permanent wand, mind,” the goblin beside him informed. “It may seem like it's your true match, but there are wands out there that will match you better. A custom-made one, perhaps.”
Jayden’s eyes widened. “Those are, like, mad expensive though! Three hundred galleons a wand!”
“You will be pleased to know that Lord Potter here is quite literally a billionaire. It will be no problem to get a wand that fits his magic,” Griphook answered smoothly. Harry watched in awe as the goblin still managed to deliver it with a sneer. He was hit with a sudden urge to learn how.
Sighing, he pocketed only the wand. “We can get a custom-made one later. Let's go.”
They visited all the vaults under Harry’s name. Each one had something intriguing about it that Harry just had to bring with him. A few books, various charmed robes, and even a goblet he found in a Black vault that Griphook had to disenchant to give him. Now that he thought about it, it sounded weird, but he could kind of hear the goblet singing to his magic.
Finally, they exited the bank. “Oh Merlin, I forgot! We have to visit a healer for all that on your papers. That's… not humane.”
“Do we have to? We can just go shopping for stuff,” Harry requested with a groan.
“Absolutely not! Let's go!”
And they were off.