When the Blinders are Lifted ~ the World Will Tremble Beneath Your Feet ~

Gringotts; EmeraldFangs Office

EmeraldFang stood in greeting and gave the elder of the two a deep dip of her head. They spoke in their native language for a couple minutes before she was handing the inheritance test over to them. A gasp left the younger healer when they saw his titles. Knowing the reason for the reaction leaves him feeling decidedly wrong footed. Is this what Harry felt like when he learned he was some type of boy hero?

“Thank you for coming on such short notice, sorry if it's inconveniencing you at all,” Dudley said once their attention shifted over to him causing him to shuffle slightly under their gazes. The older healer shared a look with EmeraldFang that he couldn't begin to understand, especially when all the Apprentice did was nod in agreement to the Healer's unspoken question. 

“It is no issue at all Mr. Dursley,” The elder said in a way that made Dudley think that it definitely might have been an issue before he saw the LeFay name on the paper. “I am Lrox, a Senior Healer for Gringotts. With me is Junior Healer Myr. Do we have your consent to perform a health scan that requires one drop of willingly given blood?” 

Squaring his shoulders and lifting his chin without making it seem like he was looking down on the Goblin, Dudley met his eyes, “Yes, you have my consent. Please do whatever you need to.”

He watched the glint in the healer's eyes soften just slightly. He may be the LeFay heir but he realizes now that he never gave any indication whether he would actually take the position. To be fair to himself, there hadn't really been a chance yet. At least treating them respectfully and trusting their judgment seemed to be good enough for the moment. 

The younger healer, Myr, stepped forward while opening a small box and pulling out a blue crystal. Like the bowl, it was covered in little runes, and he itched to get a closer look. “This is a focusing crystal, once used in this test it may only be reused again by you. By adding your blood, a link is created. We can store it in the vaults with the tears or have it destroyed.” EmeraldFang said from where she had reclaimed her seat. 

“The scan itself is simple but may feel slightly uncomfortable. You will add a drop of blood and hold the crystal cupped in both hands. We will begin a chant that will last for 3 minutes, after which we will discuss the results and next steps if necessary,” Healer Lrox explained, picking up on what EmeraldFang was doing by giving them information. 

Dudley grabbed the Athame off the table and quickly pricked his finger. Remembering what the apprentice told him earlier, he squeezed until a decent size drop was beaded on his finger. Wiping it along the side of the stone caused the crystal to glow as it absorbed the blood. Cupping his hands around it like he was praying, Dudley looked up at the healers to see if he was doing it right. 

All he got was a nod of approval before the chanting began and he was starting to understand what Lrox had meant by uncomfortable. His skin was tingling like it had fallen asleep and it felt as if he was being pressed in from all angles. Three minutes seemed to last forever as the glow between his fingers slowly got brighter. The last word of the chant saw the magic around him vanishing faster than it had appeared and the sudden re-awareness of his body left Dudley feeling more than a little high.    

The feeling wasn't helped as he watches the magic coalesce into a ball before him, shooting waves of light around the room's occupants. The ball of magic compacts on itself and pops back as a scroll a split second later. Lrox grabs the scroll out of the air and unrolls it with deft fingers. There must be something they weren't expecting right at the top of the scan because the healer's eyes blow wide and he has a small intake of breath. The concerned expression on his face had Dudleys heart starting to race. Luckily for his sanity, he didn't have to wait long. 

Passing the test to EmeraldFang saw it lifted into the air the same way she had done with the inheritance test. So far, Dudley had just been amazed by the feats of magic and hadn't really questioned anything too much. But why would one of the bank's top healers hand the paper to an account manager apprentice when they obviously have magic of their own? He looked at Marissa, wondering if she would know if he asked her later. 

“Okay, Mr. Dursley,” Myr’s voice came out slightly frazzled. “We will go through the results in parts, and I’ll cover the easier diagnosis while Healer Lrox explains what has us concerned with the scan. To relieve any immediate worry, you are in relatively good health aside from some issues with your weight where it seems you have already begun taking preventative steps.”

Dudley nods his understanding and they adjust their chairs around the table to accommodate two new additions. The scan that was floating for them to see wasn't nearly as easy to interpret as the inheritance test had been. There are numbers and moving pictures that look like wave graphs and color swatches.  He could see what appeared to be a silhouette version of himself that had various areas lit up like a christmas tree, what the colors meant went completely over Dudleys head. There also looked to be an itemization of every injury and sickness he's ever had, including how it was treated and how long it took to heal. 

The elder goblin cleared his throat with a gravelly cough, “I’m sure you saw on the inheritance test the section that states ‘Discernible ritual magic corruption resulting in full collapse of main channeling thread ’.” At the nods around the room he continued, “All magical beings have a core that fuels their life and magic. Coming from our cores are what is commonly called ‘Threads’. A thread is a pre-existing pathway that magic uses to travel from the core out of the body. In general we have one main channel and several secondary and tertiary threads. It is the Main Channeling Thread that a wix uses to be able to wield a wand.”

It was Marissa’s turn this time to let out a small gasp before she all but whispered, “What did she do?” Who ‘she’ was, the boys didnt know, but it seems like the goblins were on the same page as the agent. “Will he be able to cast?”

“Not with a wand, no. With practice and patiences, he should be more than capable of wandless but only if he’s willing to put in the effort. Mr. Dursley, it is rather obvious that you are new to learning of our world, but do you have any inclination on your mothers view on magic or whether she is in contact with anyone in the magical world?” To him the question seemed to come out of left field but looking at Marissa he can see how serious this is even if he doesn't know what the issue is yet. 

“As far as I know, she's never liked Magic. The word was banned in the house and the only times I’ve ever really gotten into trouble was for showing interest in it even if it was just muggle fiction.  But her and dads punishments for Harry are always severe if he does any accidental magic.” That has all three goblins exchanging glances and EmeraldFang sitting up straighter in her chair. “And the only wizard I know she's had contact with is Dumbledore. There are quite a few letters between them that I found yesterday.”

So far this meeting, they hadn't actually had a chance to discuss the case, so this is the first she's heard of any of it. Children, for them, are beyond sacred. Every birth is rejoiced and every death mourned by all members of the nation. Acts of accidental magic are coveted and encouraged. To hear any child punished for such a thing has their ears and lips curling back in barely suppressed anger. 

The sneer on EmeraldFang however has her stone tooth on full menacing display. Something that instead of igniting fear in Dudley, stokes a sense of vindication and eases him with safety and hope. This may not be the meeting that will make the most impact but it shows to him that there are adults here that take these claims seriously. Adults that can guide him and know what to do to get to the end results they need. Adults that have the ability to protect him and his cousin. And honestly? What more could Dudley ask for?

Dudley could tell before the healer even spoke back up that he was doing his best to stay professional in his anger. It was honestly inspired. “We are sorry to inform you Mr. Dursley that it appears your mother, Petunia Dursley, willingly sat for a highly illegal ritual while almost 3 weeks pregnant with you.” What? “We can only assume until she is questioned, that she was unaware of being pregnant with you at the time. It’s here as the very first item on the injury list,” He snapped his fingers and a line on the scan highlighted itself. Dudley would like the repeat; what?

“When a wix baby is growing, the core and main threads are the first parts to start developing. This is because as magical beings, magic is required to grow key functions like our brains, internal organs, and circulatory and nervous systems. The primary purpose of the ritual Mrs. Dursley sat for is to destroy the individual's core completely. It was developed by a dark lord in India almost two thousand years ago because in addition to making eugenics easy, it allows the ritual caster to absorb the magic from the broken core. 

“Now, this was made illegal for many reasons. While it takes a willing participant, it has been historically shown that many of those who sat for it were manipulated, threatened or spelled into the ritual. In the case of Women, squib or otherwise, it will strip all magic from the womb leaving them almost unable to carry. If they are pregnant, like Mrs. Dursley was with you, the ritual magic also attacks the fetus. In the majority of the cases this would result in miscarriage. However, at 3 weeks old, your core was developed enough to sense the presence of invading foreign magic, and in an act to save you, completely shut down the thread it was accessing. The medical term is Decloris Disorder. Named after the researcher who studied the phenomenon around 700 years ago.” 

Dudley shakes his head to clear his thoughts. That's a lot to take in when he’s still physically and mentally reeling from the magic off the health scan. He could see Piers gearing up to ask a question out of his periphery. Bless his beautiful best friend for giving him time to get ahold of himself. 

The elder goblin turns to the other boy as he raises his quill to get his attention. “Hi, my name is Piers Polkis. I'm taking notes for us to review later since it's so much new information. To recap what you said so I can make sure I have it right; His mom participated in a 2,000 year old illegal ritual while she was 3 weeks pregnant.” The healers nod and he continues, “The ritual that was supposed to fully break her magical core also attacked fetus Dudley. Something that would have normally killed him if it wasn't for his own core pulling a self destruct on its main thread thing. And now because of this, he will never be able to wield a wand?”

“Apt summary, Mr. Polkis,” EmeraldFang says kindly. “I would also like to note that your affinities may have gone into hibernation while you were growing up in an attempt to keep you safe. It would explain why they haven't overtly expressed themselves till now. Do either of you have any questions you can think of at the moment?” 

Has Dudley mentioned he loves this goblin yet? He’ll need to look up if it's rude or not to give them gifts. His friend shifted and looked down at his paper, “Uh, yeah, a couple I think. The first is why did his main thread collapsing save him, when there are secondary threads? And the second is, what kind of person would have access to such a ritual and if there is a minimum power requirement for those who can cast it?” Those were good questions, and a glance at the goblins confirmed that. 

Surprisingly it was Marissa who was the first to speak up. “In my experience through work, most rituals require a hefty amount of both magic and casting stamina. You can have a deep core well and still exhaust yourself if you aren't practiced. It’s like a muscle except you exercise it to gain the ability to use your full power rather than exercise to gain the power itself.”

Healer Lrox nodded and added in, “This is due in part to secondary and tertiary threads. They are harder to train and strengthen when compared to the main channeling thread. While the main thread will do the bulk of most of the work, you need the other threads to be any type of proficient in subjects like potions, alchemy, runes and rituals.”

“The results on your secondary thread are really interesting too!” The younger healer Myr chimed in, sounding entirely too excited. “It wasn’t too long ago that I had to study this for my apprenticeship, and while I need to double check, I believe Mr. Dursley only one in 3 people recorded to have survived the ritual under the age of 5 weeks. I think this also partially answers your first question Mr. Polkis. Until about 6 weeks, a wixen fetus is still developing their threads. They all start development at the same time but the main thread takes both the longest amount of time and the most amount of energy to form. Since he was only 3 weeks old when it collapsed, his body was able to redirect the energy to reinforce everything else. However, the other threads would have been barely tangible at that point and therefore not a viable route for the foreign magic if it wanted to reach the core before the ritual was over.”

“What will this mean for my mother?” Dudley felt a little bad for changing the subject the other was so interested in, but he can learn more about his threads or lack thereof later. His question was directed toward both Marissa and EmeraldFang, unsure who would know the answer. He watched them exchange a glance before EmeraldFang answered. 

“I’ll need to look into past cases, but I can tell you that at a minimum all her guardianship rights will be revoked. Depending on how she testifies, she could either be seeing herself facing time in prison or paying a very hefty fine.” Dudley really doesn't know what to think of that. Best think about it later he decides. 

Remembering his self filling cup, he gets himself a new cup of hot chocolate to give his hands and mouth something else to do for a moment. “What else is on the scan that we need to review together? Also, are there any books that would help us interpret it by ourselves later?” 

“I’ll add it to the list I’m putting together,” the Apprentice said. 

“Yes, there are two more issues of immediate concern.” Lrox informs them. “Do you take any muggle medication or potions, prescribed or otherwise?”

“Other than a prank candy last year, no. My inheritance test mentioned potions but I can easily say I've never knowingly taken any.” 

Both healers hummed lowly before continuing, “Someone has been dosing you with a low grade influencing potion. Low grade as they may be, the potion still influences your thoughts and decisions to be inline with someone else's. This will interfere with family magics seeking to accept you as heir or lord of its house. A simple purging potion will take care of it for you.” Dudley can’t even find it in himself to be surprised anymore. 

Myr took a moment to open the box they brought with them and take out a vial of what Dudley is assuming is the purging potion. “Normally this combined with the compulsions placed into your house's wards would require a trip to our ritual room, but this is a perfect segway into the last concern found on your scan.”

“Wait, compulsions in the wards?” Piers asked. “We had some assumptions but how can you be sure?”

Healer Lrox points to a weird mesh like image on the scan “You’ll need to send a team to examine the wards,” he says to EmeraldFang. “This scan can not specify what the wards are geared towards but it does show they have mind magics woven in. It is interesting however, the results show a trickle effect that grew exponentially in time with typical core growth. This normally happens when the effects of the ward are specified to target someone else in the home, but the non targeted individual has enough magical sensitivity to catch the throw off effects” 

He’s looking at the scan now like it holds a grand mystery. “You are no longer under any effects of the mind magic as of this last week. While this is a good thing, my concern comes from the fact that the scan shows that the moment they were broken is the same moment you happened to be getting kissed by a dementor…” There was a deep inhale of breath from EmeraldFang. Oh yeah, they hadn't gotten to the part of the meeting where they actually talked about what happened, so she's completely unaware of the attack.

The elder Goblin continued on slightly lost in thought, “Something this test shows us is the state of the soul and how compromised it looks after exposure to dementors or other dark creatures and magic that can damage it. Normally what you see is darkening and distortion. If the individual is fully kissed there is simply nothing there any longer. I can say with certainty, that in the 93 years I've worked as a healer, I have never seen a 16year olds soul look the way yours does.” Panic. Yeah, Dudley thinks, panic is definitely an emotion he can recognize at this point. 

“The soul is an extension of us and our life experiences. Everything we do leaves an imprint on the soul, by 16, it should look like your soul has 16 years of experience, whether its good or bad doesn't really matter in this instance. Your soul however… Your soul looks like it's hardly 1 week old! It’s also sitting just below your surface making it more prominent than I've ever seen before. Did you notice the section about Soul Magics on your inheritance test? Something unexpected occurred when the dementor tried to kiss you and it left you with a purified soul and the ability to harness the magic around it. While it's technically a branch of necromancy and tricky business, I also cannot say I recall anyone ever having an affinity towards soul magic specifically.” He continues to look at the scan in not so mild wonder as the rest of the room's occupants take a moment to absorb the shock. Dudley can say his panic bubble essentially popped when he realized he's not, in fact, missing half a soul or something equally horrifying.  

“That…” Marissa started sounding unsure. “That doesn't sound too bad actually. What about it has you concerned?” 

Myrs, who seems to still have all their abstract apprentice readings freshly memorized, answered. “As far as we know, there is no historical precedent for complete soul cleanses. We cannot say what the repercussions of such would be or if there is anything to look out for. There is also the fact that his soul was displaced from its initial home. Through research we’ve seen the soul shrink or deform but it always returns to the same original resting place. However these case studies were done at azkaban where the wixen are being passively fed on. I don't think there's been studies done on the effects of an unsuccessful full latch kiss,” Dudley shuddered at the memory that resurfaced of the thing grabbing onto his face. 

“So there's no way to know if I should be prepared for anything?”

“I’m sorry but no. We would recommend you come in for regular appointments just to keep an eye on things.” The junior healer said. 

“Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. Who would I talk to to set that up?” Dudley asks, directing the question to EmeraldFang again.

“Your account manager at the moment.” She responds. “Was there anything else to discuss in regards to the scan?” 

Lrox shakes his head. “Just keep an eye on your health Mr. Dursley. Maybe start a journal and note anything that catches your attention. I’ll want to see you here weekly for the next 3 weeks so we can have a month's worth of data to review. After that monthly check ups should be fine for now unless there is an emergency. Make sure you take the purging potion and then update your inheritance test before claiming. If any other complications arise you may send for us immediately.” 

Dudley rises to his feet and the healers prepare to make their exit. “Thank you for your expertise and wisdom on the matter. May your coffers ever grow.” Having experienced it a couple times already, he can feel the slight tingle under his skin that helps to guide his motions as he drops into a bow. The family magic makes it look fluid and natural rather than the awkward mess he would have been otherwise. 

“And may those who cross your path, fall to your blade, young wizard,” Lrox says with an amused quirk of his lips. With little more fanfare, the healers were bustling out of the room. 

“Let's get the purging potion started then take a brief break to collect our thoughts and write questions if we have them.” EmeraldFang says as she bends down to grab a trash bin she keeps under her desk. It had runes in the bottom that automatically banished the contents.

“It works by drawing all potions into the stomach and then purging it by making you throw up. You’ll continue to throw up until all trace amounts are gone from your system. I’ve found that lemon water helps the after taste.”  

Grabbing the bin and situating it between his legs, Dudley took a deep breath as he tipped the viscous liquid in the vial. It looked disgusting and his stomach was already knotting just thinking of drinking it. Dudley pops the top and quickly plugs his nose to avoid triggering his gag reflex. It feels just as thick in his throat as it looked like it would be. Dudley could feel himself choke around the vile fluid before he finally managed to swallow the potion down. He felt a cup being pressed into his hands as he dry heaved over the bin and didn't really think as he brought it up to his lips. Lemon water. It tastes like divinity is chasing away the evil that just evaded his mouth. 

Before he can get comfortable, he’s hit with an overwhelming wave of nausea and then the purging part really starts up. Not even three minutes later, Dudleys panting and sweating but thankfully potions free for perhaps the first time in his life. He uses the rest of his water to rise out his mouth before refilling it and chugging the cup in one go. 

“Are all potions going to taste like that?” He asks, despair leaking into his voice more than he’d like. 

“Some are better, some are worse.” That does absolutely nothing to make him feel better. “Eat and recollect yourself.” She sets a plate of sliced meats, cheeses and bread in front of him. He looks up to see where the food came from when he sees Piers point toward the cart they got the drinks. “We’ll take 10 minutes, update your inheritance test, and then begin on the information intake for the case.”

Dudley sat back in the chair with his plate and takes the given moment to ruminate over just what a fucking day its been already. It hadn’t even been a full 24 hours since he got to Piers house the afternoon before! It feels like a lifetime's passed between now and who he was a week ago. After that final bombshell from the healer, it's finally sinking in that he may not ever actually see his parents again outside of a courtroom. Even through his chaotic emotions, Dudley recognizes the remorse over not giving either of them a proper goodbye. They may be even shitter people than he could have ever fathomed, but they undeniably love him. Even if they didn’t really display it in the best ways… He can't help but wonder if their love for him will hold up in the face of learning he’s a wizard? He may not be able to cast with a wand apparently, but that doesn't change the fact he is capable of magic.

Uhg this situation is bullshit. How does he wake up one morning as your typical surrey teenager, then, in an hour and a half, find out he is some kind of wizard landlord to magical fairytale creatures?! Harry better have his own brand of ridiculous when he gets his tests done because Dudley can't be the only one with their life turned upside down. He chuckled to himself, sounding only slightly bitter.  

Who could have been the one to perform the ritual for his mom? Dumbledore? With everything else it seems like the most logical answer, but is it too good to be true? Maybe Piers would want to start a conspiracy board with him to keep this all straight. He feels slightly sick thinking that this might be the reason he doesn’t have any brothers or sisters. And sicker still when he reminds himself of how often Harry was the one blamed for them not having another child. A twisted thought passed through Dudleys mind for a split second before he tossed it away. Aunt Lily wouldn’t do anything like that. 

Dudley notes, now he’s had a couple minutes, that his body feels significantly better than it had before the hell that was the purging potion. He hadn't realized how stressed his body had been becoming this last week. Maybe it was his whole flip in perspective warring against whatever the purpose of the potions was? Either way, 3 minutes of intense vomiting may just have been worth it even if this was the only result. 

Dudley looks over at his friend to see him focused on writing down what happened with the healers. On his other side, Marissa was pulling out printed documents from her bag and placing them on the desk. He feels his eyes drawn to the inheritance test. Is this what he wants for his future? The swoop of excitement in his chest at the thought answers that question well enough for him. Even if it is something he wants, is it something he’s ready for? Maybe not, Dudley thinks retrospectively. But… Maybe that's what he needs right now. 

He feels so intrinsically different that there would be no way he could fit himself back into his life of a week ago. It's a balm to his nerves to know that no matter what he chooses, he wouldn't be alone. Piers must have felt eyes on him because he looks up and shoots Dudley a sunny grin. Suddenly remembering what the teller had said he turns to Emeraldfang, “Do you think we could do one of the regular inheritance tests on Piers before we leave?”

Marissa's laugh echoed around the room. “I know from me there is an emergency fund that will pop up and a small education vault for if you ever have any magical descendants. I didn't put much into it on the idea that it would gain interest. I doubt there will be anything from your father, but it wouldn't hurt to have a breakdown of your accounts to keep with you.”

“It would also help any future descendants if Gringotts has physical records from you. We may do the test at the end or during a break.” EmeraldFang said. “Do you think you are ready to continue, Mr. Dursley?” At his nod, she continues, “This should be the last time today I will ask you to bleed. It needs one drop placed here.” She indicates a rune at the top left corner of the paper, seated in a hollow of the twined branches that make up the border. 

Figuring that was the most direction he’d be getting, Dudley quickly pricks his finger and presses it to the specified spot on the document. Almost instantly the blood absorbs and the letters under his titles section split apart and swirl back into the paper out of site. The speed of it felt slightly anticlimactic after the show the test put on to create itself initially. 

“Does this mean Dudley can claim his titles now?” Piers asked.

“Should he want to, yes. Taking on family titles is no small matter. As a lord or heir, you are automatically considered a citizen of the wizarding world, and subject to all laws and taxes as such. The house of LeFay also holds several seats on the Wizengamot, meaning you or a proxy would have a direct say in all laws and trials that are put through the government. The Board of Governors for Hogwarts and the Council of Magic were both partially founded by lords of the Flamel family, giving the house one of few permanent seats in both. There is also all we talked about before the healers arrived. Accepting either is not a decision to make on a whim especially when your peers will have years of training to take on their positions. This, however, brings us to the crux of the issue. Having at least one heirship will drastically alter the direction of the case and afford you and yours extra protection. For this to be effective you would want to claim one or both of them today.”

“Would I need to make the decision in this meeting or could I come back nearer the end of the day?” Dudley asks. “How long would claiming the titles take?”

EmeraldFang leaned forward in her chair to better meet his eyes. “The process of claiming and getting set up with the bank only lasts around 30 minutes. I would recommend claiming before you leave this meeting, so we have time to contact a lord to represent you tomorrow and to have the correct name and title on the paperwork for the information intake. In this scenario, you would still need to come back to review your accounts. The 30 minutes would cover the bare bones of claiming.”

“You would also be able to leave this meeting with enough galleons to buy out all the bookstores in the surrounding allies,” Marissa chimed in cheekily. Dudleys surprised his friend didn't strain his neck with how quickly he whipped his head to face him with pleading eyes. He can't help but laugh to himself that the idea of buying unlimited books would be one of the deciding factors. 

Dudley turned his attention to the apprentice that was still closely regarding him. “I do not know this world. While I’ve been aware of magic since I was 11, it has only been in the context as something to fear. But I want this… I want to be able to leave some type of positive impact on the world. To build a legacy I can say I’m genuinely proud of when I pass. I just- I don’t think I can do it on my own.” He feels himself wringing his hands and tries to lay them flat against his thighs. “Could… Could I trust the Nation to help and guide me? There's a lot I’ll need to learn and before I can, I think I’ll be pretty reliant on others to not completely fall flat on my face.”

A grin, as genuinely bright as it is intimidating, spreads across Apprentice EmeraldFangs face. “You have my word, Dudley Dursley. The family of the LeFays will always find assistance and safe passage through our hallowed halls.” 

Dudley reached over and grabbed Piers’ hand again. He gave a nod, more for himself than anything else. “Should we go over it now or at the end of the meeting?” 

“I will send a notice to the LeFay account manager and he will meet us here. It would be best to do it before getting into the case information. Most likely, Ragnok would stay for the duration of the meeting to oversee that everything is happening in your best interest.”

“r-Ragnok?!” Marissa choked out the name. Her eyes are bugged out as she stares at the Apprentice.

“Ragnok? Whose Ragnok? Are they like a big deal?” Piers asked, looking between the two women.

EmeraldFang gave a good natured scoff. “Whose Ragnok, he asks,” she grumbles. The boys exchange glances. Did she just…  “Ragnok is the Chief of the British branch of Gringotts. He does not oversee many accounts, but the LeFays have been tied to his clan for well over a millennium.” EmeraldFang quills a note onto a piece of paper and they watch as there's a moment before inked letters begin to show up under her message in response. “He’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Wait! How am I supposed to act around the person who runs the whole bank?!” Dudley asks, feeling slightly hysteric over the change in events. He eases up on the grip he had on his friend's hand when he notices Piers' subtle flinch.

“I would recommend just continuing as you have been. The Chief does not need platitudes, honest respect speaks the strongest.” She took a moment to clean up the papers that had scattered across the desk over the last hour. “Now, every house is different when it comes to family charters. I am not familiar with the specifics of your families but in general, there are Heirship rings and Lordship rings. Unless specified in a charter, a lordship cannot be taken until the Wixen has reached their majority. Heirships are taken up around one's 11th birthday.” 

“Okay. Okay, so I should expect to get the Heirship rings since I'm only 16? Actually, when is the magical age of majority?” It’s almost overwhelming how little he knows, and he's just throwing himself farther into the deep end with this. 

“17 unless magically emancipated but it still comes down to the charter. The LeFays are both ancient and have been considered dormant for several hundred years. It’s more than likely that their practices differ from more modern families. The Flamels will probably follow the more modernized charters. You will leave here as either the heir of both families or the Lord. If one allows you to claim lordship, you would be considered ‘of age’ and capable of claiming the second.”

“This is crazy,” Dudley rubs at his forehead with his free hand. “Do you know any books that would be the best to start with? And authors to avoid?” 

“I’ll add an ‘Authors to Avoid’ section to the book list.”

A knock sounded on the door for the 4th time since the beginning of the meeting. Rabbla, looking slightly frazzled, walked into the room to hold the door open for the Goblin behind her. Dudey wasn't sure what he was expecting from the chief of Gringotts, but somehow, the man before him checks off every imaginary box he can think a Goblin King would look like.  

Towering above the messenger, he stands easily at the height of Dudleys shoulder. His bespoke suit fitting across broad, defined muscles like a second skin. Similar to the Apprentice, Ragnok has a stone clasping the top of his shirt together, but unlike EmeraldFang, his was an absolutely massive blue diamond. 2in meticulously cared for claws gleamed in the room's lighting, with gems of all colors decorating his fingers. The Chief's face, gnarled and scar’d, held a look of practiced apathy as he observed the occupants in the room. EmeraldFang dropped into a low bow that Dudley instinctively followed. He missed the raised eyebrow Ragnok gave him for the action.

~~~

Ragnok had been having a rather annoying day of back to back meetings when he was interrupted by the head of the law department barging into his office. The typically stoic goblin was out of breath from the clearly frantic pace he had taken to get here. Deciding to ignore the ping on his calendar reminding him of the next meeting, he turned his attention to what he’s hoping is an interesting distraction.

Realizing his actions, the goblin dropped into a quick bow, “Sorry for the interruption sir, but I have big news!”

“Obviously, Master Attorney. What news have you?” The last time anyone barged into his office was when there was a devastating explosion in one of the mines. A simple look at the man's face however, tells him this ‘news’ will be of a lighter flavor. What could cause a goblin of this age and status to lose himself so completely for a moment?

He could not have prepared himself for the answer, “The LeFay Heir Apparent has been found!” Compared to his earlier boisterous energy, it was said in a near whisper, as if he almost couldn't believe his own words.

“What?” Ragnok demanded, all thoughts of meetings completely fled when he heard that statement. 

“Apprentice EmeraldFang is currently in an information intake meeting for a new case and did an inheritance test,” the words were said quickly, The department head took a deep breath before continuing. “Dudley Darcy Dursley, a 16 year old muggle-raised boy, is the Heir Apparent to both the House of LeFay and to the House of Flamel.”

Heir apparent… Big news indeed. After all this time, for the LeFays to show back up as a muggle-raised almost at their majority, is either the fates spitting their prayers back at them or granting them in a decidedly unique way. “Do you have any other information you can share?” If it's an intake information meeting, then the other may be limited by a secrecy contract. 

“EmeraldFang only commented that the test results were very interesting, and that she has sent for the healers.” 

“Healers?” Ragnok sat up a bit straighter. 

“Requested by Mr. Dursley, I believe for part of the case. Shortly before her note was sent to SliverClaw, I had been hearing whispers of a boy with interesting magic that was in the lobby. I can only assume it to be Mr. Dursley.”

Ragnok stood up from his desk and began to pack a binder with information relevant to the LeFays. Hope. He hasn't felt that in quite a while. “Kriik!” He yells.

A small, unassuming goblin scurries into the room to stand at attention. “Reschedule all my meetings for the rest of the day. If there is an emergency, direct it to the council hall.” 

“Yessir!” Kriik responded before practically running out. 

Walking to the back of the room, Ragnok stands before a podium encasing an ancient looking book. Duplicates, just as old, are spread throughout the goblin nation. Its sole purpose is to exchange and record information of extreme importance. The very book that told the Nation of the death of the LeFays was about to be the very same to tell of their rebirth. 

Unbinding the locks on the casing took but a moment for the Chief. Using a blood quill, he writes,

Heir Apparent to the Houses of LeFay and Flamel, Dudley Darcy Dursley, 16yo, has been found by Krvhann ‘EmeraldFang’ of clan Nok. 

His name, title, and the date filled in by itself when he finished the entry. And as simple as that, for better or worse, it's been marked into their history. 

Sealing the book back up, Ragnok turned back to his desk to write a couple missives. The first was to convene the Council of Chiefs later that evening. Despite the LeFays being a British family, they have massive swatches of land all across the globe. Their return would impact more than just the clans on the isles.  

The next missive was for the Flamel account manager telling him to prepare for a routine surprise audit inspection. It should hopefully keep him distracted long enough for Ragnok to meet the boy without him. It isn’t often two houses combined in such a way, and when they do, it almost always leads to inter-clan conflicts. Account Managers receive a small portion of the profit from the accounts they oversee. The wealthier the family, the more the Goblin is able to take home with some of it going to clan finances. 

Ragnok felt a grin spread across his face as he strode through the door with missives in hand. Luckily, Clans Nok and Ohg have hardly been cordial for the last couple hundred years, so it's really no hardship to him and his if he rips away their largest revenue account. Under normal circumstances, the only way for accounts and clans to part is if the manager is fired or they commit treason. However, the houses combining under one person gives Ragnok the rare opportunity to obtain the Flamels bank contract since it was put under stasis after Nicholas Flamel's passing. Simple politics really. He just needs to make sure the other account manager isn't present if the boy decides to claim his titles. 

“Kriik,” Startled, his assistant whips away from the scheduling book on their desk. “Send these missives and deal with any calls that come as you see fit. A precipice is upon us, the LeFay Heir has been found and they are in the bank.” Each word had his assistants eyes growing wider. A timid little thing they may be towards him, Ragnok’s seen them dress down some of his fiercest warriors for treading debris over the office floors or for setting their weapons on Kriiks desk. Kriik could be trusted to keep the office running without him there for a couple hours. 

Muggle raised. By the gods, this will either be a nightmare or a pleasant surprise. Hopefully EmeraldFang is able to give him a clearer picture. Ragnok and the department head made their way through the halls towards the law offices. The apprentices temporary office is there and he would prefer to be close in the off chance she calls for him. Mr. Dursley's reason for being here is also a concern to consider. 

“What information do you have about the case?” When they see muggleborns it's often for abuse cases, and he really hopes this isn't the case even if it would make it an easier decision for them to come to the wizarding world. Being the Lord of two wealthy families is definitely its own incentive in this situation. 

“It is the one that has the big meeting tomorrow between us, Amilia Bones, Jack Hallow and the lead agent on the case Marissa Polkis, and a team of lawyers. If Mr. Dursley accepts his heirships, then a Lord will be called in to stand as an advocate due to the child's lack of knowledge of both his status and the magical world as a whole.” The goblin had hurried his steps to walk in line with the Chief as he spoke. “They had signed the secrecy contract for a high profile individual before they did the inheritance test, I’m under the assumption this was because of a second party and not Mr. Dursley himself.”

Interesting. Ragnok can't help but be curious, he is a goblin after all. “I briefly reviewed the file when it came to me this morning. There wasn't much information, I was going to take a trip to you this evening to review the intake before tomorrow but it seems that may not be needed any longer.” It wasn't very often that the no-mag agency presented a case that demanded any level of secrecy, let alone what was requested for tomorrow's meeting. The case file drew his attention enough that he had decided to keep an eye on its progression. 

The other goblin mused thoughtfully for a moment, “This morning, Director Hallow seemed almost giddy when he was requesting the meeting. And I can easily say that the only times I’ve seen him like that is when the case is going to be an absolutely royal headache for the wizards. Truly a strange man, that one.” 

The Chief only gave that a hum of acknowledgement. Jack Hallow really is a strange man with unconventional yet successful work methods and propensity to flirt with anything on two legs despite his proclaimed married status. Actually, Ragnok has witnessed the man try to sweet talk a semi-sentient flying carpet at a conference in New Delhi, and he still doesn't know what to do with that memory. So legs obviously have nothing to do with it. At least he puts effort into learning cultures open mindedly before interacting with them and seems to instill that philosophy in his agents. 

Rounding a final corner brings the two into the heart of the law department. It was a large open hall decorated in shining polished silver and intricate tapestries to cover the carved stone walls. There were various tunnels that lead to other sections of the bank or to the law offices. A couple clerks were milling around or filing papers. In one of the chairs for the rare guest, sat SilverClaw. 

The typically distinguished goblin had what looked like coffee stains on the front of his light gray suit, and his hair was flying in all directions. The goblin himself is staring at the small notebook in his hands with an intensity the Chief hasn't seen from his old friend in a very long time. The sound of their approaching footsteps has the head case manager looking up at them with wide disbelieving eyes.  

“Ragnok! Thank the gods you're here, you won't believe how events are turning,” SilverClaw jumped to his feet. His excitement could be felt in the magic rolling off him like a thick fog. What more news could he have gotten? 

“Let's head to a conference room first.” The three head to a room off to the side. Grivver, the law department head motioned for a messenger to bring them a refreshments cart. 

They were hardly settled down when SilverClaw was starting to speak, “EmeraldFang has been sending me updates sporadically since she received the inheritance test results. The last she sent was to say the healers had arrived and they are performing an in depth scan.” They won't be able to see results since it will be covered by the case's secrecy contract. “Before the healers arrived she was giving him an overview on what the titles meant and the impact on him accepting them. Here you can look at the entries.” The goblin pushed the book towards the chief to have a look himself. 

The first was the anticipatory proclamation that Dudley Dursley is the Heir Apparent to the two families. There aren't many entries and what is there are more like character statements than anything else. Each one he reads builds that little flicker of hope just a little brighter. Respectful, interested and willing to learn, deferring to a goblin for their opinion and knowledge when there was another option present. It almost seems too good to be true. 

A knock sounded on the door, “Ah that must be the refreshments cart,” Grivver said before bidding them entry. “Gripli?” Instead of the messenger he sent, it was the head teller pushing the cart into the room. 

“I was heading here to discuss an interesting teenager I talked to at my podium when I crossed paths with the messenger. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Gripli responded, noticing who all was in the room. “Chief Ragnok,” he says with a bow. 

“Not at all actually,” SilverClaw says. “I believe we are all here for the same reasons. What can you tell us about him?” 

The elderly teller sat himself into a chair across from the chief. “The moment he stepped inside you could feel his magic. It felt like it was demanding to be noticed, and notice I did. He was accompanied by Agent Marissa Polkis and her son Piers Polkis who happens to be Dudley Dursley's friend. They seem to have created an inside joke about Mr. Polkis being his Emotional Support Muggle, ESM for short.” That drew various responses of snorts and gawfs.      

“From what I could gather he is very new to magic but not necessarily to the idea of it. It was the most notable difference between the boys. His friend has obviously only learned of our world recently. This is also his first time in the alley, and the three of them will be staying at the leaky for a couple days.” Gripli sips on his tea as he thinks over the interaction and others he's had with the no-mag agent. 

“Marissa and I have become tea friends over the last couple of years and Mr. Dursley has been mentioned in conversation before. It’s been a while and at the time I thought him to be a random muggle boy and as such not information to retain, but she had expressed concerns over her son spending time with him as they grew older. I do however mostly remember the resulting diatribes she went on about his parents and all the ways they're disgusting humans who have failed their child and nephew.”

“Nephew? Did you ever get a name?” Ragnok asks. This was a confusing turn of events with that character statement about the Dursleys but lends to the abuse theory from before.

The Teller thought for a moment before shaking his head, “No, I apologize sir. I want to say it started with an H but I’m not sure. It’s a boy, a year or so younger than Mr. Durlsey, who lives with the family and is a supposed troublemaker.”

“What was your impression of his character and personality from your interaction?” Hopefully they can get a clearer picture or who the new LeFay is. 

“Not what I would have assumed from prior knowledge. He was respectful in a surprisingly genuine way. He seemed overwhelmed and was quick to accept any help that was offered to him whether it was my recommendation for tests or physical contact from Mr. Polkis. It was also very interesting, while I’m sure that Agent Polkis instructed them on how not to instantly insult us, Mr. Dursley picked up nuances of bows and closed mouth smiles like it was natural for him.” The Teller was getting progressively more curious what could have drawn the Chiefs attention to the child. There must have been something rather unexpected on his inheritance test.

Ragnok leaned forward in thought, “what tests did you recommend?” 

“The most in depth ones we have to offer. I mentioned before but his magic was practically begging for someone to pay attention to it. It felt close enough to a patient that had just woken up from a long term coma that all my alarm bells were ringing.” That really got the attention of the room's occupants. “May I ask what's brought him to your attention?”

The Chief smirked at the genial goblins' question. Oh how he loves being able to say, “Dudley Dursley is the Heir Apparent to the Houses LeFay and Flamel.” The reactions truly are adding needed entertainment to his day. And the following choking and gasps did not disappoint. 

Gripli mouths heir apparent as he sips his cup to clear his throat. A moment passes and he gives a slightly hysterical laugh that's joined by SilverClaws. “Who’d have thought I’d live to see the day.” A statement they all agree with. None of them could be considered young anymore. 

Their moment of silence is broken by Grivver, “I have to say, I’m more than a little excited to see what Director Hallow will have planned for the Wizengamot when he can wave these types of titles around. If he was that excited this morning without even knowing of them then he’s probably going to go neurotic when he finds out.”  

“Arhg!” SilverClaws joyful expression slips into a scowl. “I can’t stand the man, I thank the gods often we don't have to interact regularly.” That got Ragnok to chuff out a laugh, more than aware that the dislike of the man stems from when his friend went to the lobby to meet his wife and she was in conversation with the Director and blushing like the young dame she hasn't been for over 50 years. 

The reminder of the case however had changed their thoughts away from the titles themselves. All but Gripli would be involved in some way with the proceedings. What was already considered a high profile case being elevated even higher was a stressful thought when you didn't know what any of the details were. 

A soft glow drew their attention to the book on the table. Ragnok reaches for it before SilverClaw could and gasps as he reads the words on the paper. That little flicker of hope immediately grew into an inferno that left him momentarily breathless. Wordlessly, he pushes the book out so the others can see for themselves. The shocked silence lasts but a moment before the words sink in. 

Standing from his seat, the Chief addresses the room, “Well Gentlemen. It seems I have a young new Heir to introduce to the world.” With that he strolls out of the room and towards the Apprentices office.

There's a messenger, who he’s normally seen assigned to Gripli, standing outside the door.  He must have given her orders to stay after she escorted them to the room. She gives him a bow when she sees his approach. Ragnok notices her well hidden surprise when he stops before her instead of continuing.

“Chief Ragnok! Are you here to see Apprentice EmeraldFang? She's in a meeting at the moment.” He almost feels bad for flustering her but there are more pressing matters behind the door. 

“I am here as part of the meeting, Messenger.” 

She squeaks minutely before ducking her head, “Sorry sir! Right this way.” She turns swiftly to open the door and enter the room before him. 

Inside the room, Ragnok immediately spots EmeraldFang. She was as put together as always and he found himself almost smiling at the jewel clasped to her shirt as a display of her position in his clan. The other occupants were not quite what he was expecting. He could tell the older woman was striking as far as humans can be concerned. The smaller of the boys obviously being her son, though a bit more mousy in comparison. 

It was the 3rd that he was again unprepared for. Perhaps he should have asked Master Gripli for physical descriptions before leaving the conference room. Despite being shorter than most of the lords that he encounters, it is not often that the Chief feels truly dwarfed by a human. Obvious exceptions being the Crabbe and Goyle’s. The boy, and he is a boy, took up an incredible amount of space as he rose to his feet. You could see his arm muscles flexing under the long sleeve he wore as he moved in tandem with the Apprentice to execute a flawless and natural looking bow. Ragnok couldn’t fight against the quirking of his brow if he tried.  

“Thank you Messenger, you may be dismissed.” He should see about getting her a bonus for having to be present during all this. Once the frazzled Messenger had shut the door he turned his attention back to the room. “I am Ragnok, Chief of British Gringotts and Account Manager for the House of LeFay.” He gives them, mainly the large boy in the center, a small nod of his head.     

“Ah- Hello! My name is Dudley Dursley and these are Marissa and Piers Polkis. Piers will probably help me ask questions if you don't mind. There's been a bit too much for me to keep entirely straight, and he’s taking the notes,” Dudley says sheepishly. 

Ragnok moves to sit in a chair next to EmeraldFang behind the desk. “That is no issue Mr. Dursley. I need a moment to review your inheritance test and health scan then we may proceed.” At the boy's nod, the Chief turns to EmeraldFang and switches to the goblin tongue. “Anything that stood out of the ordinary?”  

“A significant amount of things actually.” She hands him the inheritance test. “Will the Flamel manager be joining us?”

“Not likely with his recently acquired workload. Now let's see…” His eyes traced over each letter in the title section, burning them into memory. Starting back at the top, he skims over the parental information for now. Level 5? It's not too surprising considering the family magics, but for a child of two squibs? Wixen magic is rated into 6 levels with most of the population scoring a 3 or 4 on the bell curve.

When was the last time there was a Lord with Decloris Disorder? Not in Ragnok’s lifetime. The implications of a Flamel with reinforced secondary threads is beyond thrilling however. The family is heavily tied to wandless branches of magic that require fine training of threads.  Curious what affinities Dudley got from the family magic the Chief skips to the bottom. 

Ragnok has to read the final line a couple times before clearing his throat. “EmeraldFang. Does this say Dementors?” It's years of practice that lets him keep his voice calm and even. The Apprentice, while admiral in her attempt, was not as successful. 

“I can explain what the healers said when you get to the Health Scan, but he hasn't disclosed how the encounter occurred yet.”   

“Is it part of the case?” If a kid was attacked in a no-mag community by dementors, it would explain part of the secrecy around the case. Can’t have any government officials catching wind and trying to cover their tracks even more.

The Apprentice nods her head slowly, “The health scan shows it happened within the week, and the results are… Interesting to say the least. I thought Healer Lrox was going to start crying when Mr. Dursley agreed to come back in for monitoring and data collection.” She points back down at the paper in the vaults section, “One last surprise. I haven't had a chance to ask about it or check the family tree, but I assumed it would be mentioned in the information intake.”    

Looking at where she was directing his attention, Ragnok felt his eyebrow raise without his permission for the 2nd time in 5 minutes. An education account from Lily Potter?! A tap of his claw at the bottom of the document caused the ink on the paper to spiral out of sight before reappearing as a detailed family tree. 

“Woah.” The whispered word had the two goblins looking up to see that both boys were watching them and the test with rapt fascination. The way they leaned forward unconsciously to see the paper better was almost cute. He’s starting to see why his ward has taken a liking to them. 

And there it is, just to the left of his mothers name, Lily Potter nee Evans and below her, one Harry James Potter. The only nephew to either Dursley parent and therefore the nephew that probably lives with the family. “Oh…” The quiet word from EmeraldFang drew him away from the tree. “The poor child.” 

EmeraldFang grabs the health scan. “When the healers saw what rituals caused his main thread to shut down, they asked about his mothers view on magic. It didn’t paint the prettiest picture for what a childhood would look like for a wix in their home.” 

“Make sure to ask if he doesn’t bring it up himself. This looks like Mr. Dursleys in good health for the most part, what did the healers have to say?” As he asks the question, his eyes lock onto the shifting white sphere that represents the soul. Ragnok flicks his eyes between the scan and the child in front of him as if it would suddenly make sense. For his part, Dudley just shifts uncomfortably under the attention but seems too interested in their language to care much about being stared at.

~~~

The goblin chief is intense. Dudley doesn't know what other word would describe him better. Everything about his presence and voice draws attention. It was really interesting to hear him and EmeraldFang talk, especially when he can pick his last name out in the conversation. He watches as the test and scan are set aside in exchange for the secrecy contract that is promptly signed.  

“Everything seems to be in order, Mr. Dursley. Let's review the family charter together shall we?” Ragnok reached into the folder he brought with him and pulled out the first document on the pile. “Please place your hand on top. It will test your family magic and reveal additional information. What's currently shown is the information the bank is allowed to know without a family member present.” 

Glad it isn't blood again, Dudley sets his hand on the paper. He could feel his palm begin to tingle before it changed to the sensation you get from pulling spider web or glue off your hand. Like the paper was drawing part of him into itself. A light bulb went off in Dudley's head and he couldn't help but feel like an idiot even if it did occur to him relatively quickly. This must be what it feels like to have your magic pulled. Would it feel the same feeling if he is intentionally pushing it? With practice, could he be able to tell how much is being taken and how fast? 

He lifts his hand when the feeling comes to a stop and looks down to see the words shifting down and more phasing in to replace them. Dudley doesn't think he’ll ever be able to look at normal paperwork again without being disappointed. “Let's see…” Ragnok trailed his finger down the newly revealed sections. “There should be a section pertaining to your situation. Ah- Here we are.” 

Dudley leaned forward to get a better look. A claw was pointing at the section ‘Stipulations on Claiming Lordship’. “Since there is no current lord and all the assets are in stasis, we can skip the top half for now. It has always been considered the height of foolishness for a family to not plan out every contingency. This is what we need, a sub-section pertaining to ‘Claiming Requirements for Rediscovered Heirs After the Death of the Previous Head of House.’ Rather mouthy I’d say.” Ragnok grumbles out the last part.

“Why does it say Head of House rather than Lord?” Dudley asks curiously. 

The Chief gives a hum of acknowledgement before answering, “The LeFays are of the minority in the UK where Wizards and Witches have equal rights to Heirship. On your family tree, you’ll find rather interestingly, that around 80% of first borns in every generation are female. So while there are Lords of LeFay like yourself, the house has actually seen far more Ladies than any other family in the Isles.” 

“Thank you, sorry for the distraction!” He’s definitely going to need to go over his tree with someone who can point those types of things out. 

“Hmm, there is no Dowager of the estate, we can skip those. You are not under the age of 11 but you are under the age of majority. You have no siblings and are the Heir Apparent not Presumptive. So that brings us near the bottom. ‘In the event an Heir Apparent over the age of 11 but under the age of Majority is found after the house has been placed in stasis, two of the following may occur. First, the individual, 11 or older, may claim and hold the Heirship until their 15th birthday or one year past the age of majority. Second, the individual, 15 or older, may choose between claiming Lord/Ladyship outright or the Heirship until one year past the age of majority. See sub-clause on guardianship and proxy requirements.’”

Dudley could hardly believe the second statement even as he read the words himself. He had barely paid it much mind when EmeraldFang said this could be a possibility, firmly believing that he would have a year before he could be called a Lord. To think if he had known about this last year.. Nope. Dudley is more than okay with never thinking aboutthat particular what if.  

Ragnok clears his through to get their attention, “First order of business is finding you a magical guardian. The sub-clauses state that regardless of emancipation, a Head of House under the age of majority needs either a board of advisors consisting of at least 3 individuals or a singular magical guardian.” 

“Oh, Um.” Dudley wasn't really expecting that but it makes sense he guesses. “I don’t really know anyone in the magical world. Do they have to be wixen cause that really narrows it down even farther?”  

It seems it is Ragnok and EmeraldFangs turn to hear something they weren't expecting, if the astounded looks he’s receiving is anything to go off. Was it a stupid question? They hadn’t reacted this way to any of his others. 

“Not if you had a council. They would only need to be wix if you chose a magical guardian. Would you truly be okay with a non-wixen council?” Ragnok said, still sounding more than mildly disbelieving. 

Dudley shrugs, “The wizards I’ve met so far have been either barmy or sus, and it hasn’t inspired much confidence.”  Piers snorts and mutters something about lime green pimps. 

They could see EmeraldFangs eyes scrunch slightly in amusement at the comment. “Could you give a list of anyone from the magical world you’ve interacted with? There are some stipulations on who can be council but they aren't very stringent.”

He has to think for a sec before he turns to Marissa, “Would there be a list for the wizards in your notes? It’s not been many but I feel like I might miss one if I go off the top of my head right now.”

“Yes, one moment,” She responds as she starts to leaf through the documents. 

“I do know that at the beginning of the summer, when we went to pick Harry up from the train, there were more adults around him than usual. Almost like bodyguards, it was weird, and the guy covered in scars with the weird eye and wooden leg and Mr. Weasley were threatening my dad. So the eye guy is the newest wizard I’ve had an encounter with.” Dudley shifts as he thinks over the last week and more specifically that morning so far.

“Then this week, I met Gripli the Teller, Rabbla the Messenger, EmeraldFang, Healers Lrox and Myr, and now you. And I gotta say, with 6 for 6, I’m going with goblins any day of the week over the mess of illogical chaos that seems to be general wizarding society.” The grin he watches spread across the Chiefs face is damn near feral. 

“Then I think, Mr. Dursley, that we have everyone we may need right here in the bank.” A snap of his fingers sees a quill levitating to his open hand. “Now, until the case is over, Agent Polkis would be disqualified considering it could be seen as a conflict of interest. However, if you would like to add her to your council after the case finalizes, that is up to your discretion. Similarly, since you and I have a business contract, I would also be disqualified but may still act as advisor should you need it in regard to your accounts.

“EmeraldFang and Gripli would both be acceptable options. I will send a missive to Lrox to see if he would both be interested and have the time.” Before he was even done speaking, a small piece of paper is flying towards the door that opens just enough for Rabblas hand to sneak in and snatch it out of the air.

“Woah! How did she know it was coming?” Piers asks, because it was totally badass to see it happen without any words said between them.

“Intent based proximity spells and years of practice,” EmeraldFang supplies. There is a reason this messenger is assigned to an important senior employee after all. 

“Will you write to SilverClaw and request he send Gripli here. They were together when I left them.” That’s interesting, Dudley thought. They must have been preparing and gathering information behind the scenes in case he decided to take up the Heirship. He wonders what could have already been put into motion that he’s unaware of. 

Ragnok stands to walk to the cabinets in the back of the room. As he places his palm on the wood, they can hear the stone start to shift. When he opens the door it's a bit of a disappointment for the boys that it looks like any other filing cabinet. “There's a basic premade contract already created that we can add or subtract from should you wish.” The Chief places a document on the desk as he sits back down. “I would like to preface that many muggleborn and raised have magical guardians that they have never met when they first enter our world. However I want confirmation on whether you are in agreement with Apprentice EmeraldFang, Master Gripli and Master Lrox as your initial council?”

“I agree to have the three form my council. But if by chance, Healer Lrox isn't available, would Rabbla be able to? She just seems pretty cool.” The Messenger might not have said much to them, but Dudley could see her as someone he and Piers would get along with well. 

Dudleys decides that there has to be some magic at play with the weirdly timed knocks throughout the meeting. The door opens and Rabbla pops her head in before wordlessly sending a return missive towards the desk. Before the door could close the Chief calls out, “Messenger! Step in for a moment please.” 

Clipping the note between the tips of his claws, Ragnok unfolded the paper to see what the healer had written. The man sending a note rather than coming to the room himself speaks to the answer in itself. “Lrox sends his sincere gratitude but has to decline due to workload. He’s currently overseeing six junior healers and running the training ward.” He turns to Rabbla, who's looking like a deer caught in headlights. Dudley has to stop himself from chuckling since he’s the one to put her in this position in the first place. 

“Could you introduce yourself to the room?” It didn't really sound like a request. 

She squared her shoulders and lifted her head, “Yes, Sir! I am Rabbla of Clan Nuul, Master Messenger for Gringotts Bank.” 

“Rabbla of Clan Nuul, the Heir Apparent of the House of LeFay, offers a request for you to join his Council of Advisors,” If Dudley didn’t know better, he’d think the Chief is enjoying this a bit too much. “What say you?” Who’s he kidding, this man is totally pleased with himself. 

“L-LeFay??” Her eyes immediately glue to Dudley as he gives her a small wave and an awkward smile. He could see the uptick in Rabblas’ breathing as she registers exactly what was asked of her. “I- I am honored to accept,” she says barely above a whisper. 

“Perfect! Now Gripli will be here soon and it seems our group has outgrown the room. I recommend we adjourn to a larger conference room before continuing the meeting.” Ragnok claps his hands and the papers on the desk lift to collect themselves into a pile. He walks to the back of the room again this time with the family charter. The Chief places his hand and the document on the cupboard, and this time when he opens it, it looks more like a little vault rather than the previous filing cabinet. Plucking two little boxes from the vault and shutting the door, Ragnok finally seems ready.    

While the Chief was collecting what he needed, Rabbla was alternating between staring at Dudley in wonder and at EmeraldFang in what could only be a desperate plea for an explanation. Piers was unsuccessfully hiding snickers behind his hand. Goblins might be intimidating to the extreme but they’re a fun chaos to be around. The gangly boy rose to his feet to stretch before offering his hand to his friend. If they’ve been here this long already it's no wonder they were given such a long estimate on the length of the meeting. 

“I’ll go get another messenger to take my potion and meet you in the conference room,” Rabbla says as she exits the office in a hurry.

A deep chuckle drew their attention to the Chief. “I think she may have been a great choice, Mr. Dursley. It’s good to have a council that comes from all walks of life. If we have all our things, let's relocate to a larger space.” Piers hadn’t noticed while he was sitting down, but the older Goblin was about his height and easily twice his size. Were his parents just as large?! 

Quill and parchment in hand, Piers follows his mom and Dudley into the hall. He looks back to see EmeraldFang starting to push the drink cart out behind them. “Would you like me to take that with us? I have mostly free hands,” he says wiggling his free fingers. The apprentice had both a bag slung over her shoulder, a large box tucked precariously under her arm, and folders gripped by her thumbs and forefingers.  

She looks up at him with surprised eyes. Was it really so uncommon for someone outside the Nation to treat them like equals or offer help? Piers feels his heart twinge. This woman has been so extraordinarily kind and patient with them, and doesn't seem to be expecting the same to be returned. “Here, it’s no problem,” Piers gently grabs the cart from her. “That all looks like a handful.” 

“It is appreciated Mr. Polkis,” EmeraldFang says. And if she sounds unsure, well Piers isn't about to call her out. 

Instead he shoots the apprentice a smile over his shoulder, “You can call me Piers. Mr. Polkis sounds like I'm in the principal's office.” He ignores the raised brow he gets from Ragnok when he enters the large meeting room with the cart. The older teller and Rabbla are already sitting at the table reading over a contract.

“Hey Duds, how are you holding up?” Piers asks as he sits down next to his friend. He can’t imagine what he’s going through at the moment. To find out your own family was trying to control you and your mind was affected simply by living in your family home. 

“Trying not to dwell too much right now so I don't break down. But I think I’ll need to talk it out tonight if you're open to that?”

“Of course dude. It's been a while since you had a cheat day, we can cry while vegging out on wizard candy when we get back to the room.” Dudleys chuckle comes out sounding wet. Piers leans over to bump his friend's shoulder, “You’re gonna be alright, okay? Look around you. It's only been a day and you already have all of us doing our best to help. It may seem like everything just got flip turned upside down, cause it did, but I don't think you’re as unprepared as you think you are.”

Dudley scoffs good naturedly, taking it as a joke, “How could I possibly be prepared for any of this Piers?” 

“Well…” Piers stops to collect his thoughts. “While you may not have been raised to be a Lord, you were still put in positions where you needed to learn and act a certain caliber in order to be around your father's clients and coworkers. You’re wicked at math and soaked up all the lessons in business you had to sit through. You’re used to dealing with snooty, underhanded people and can give back just as good as you get. I think a lot of that might transfer well to this world. You're also not totally bereft when it comes to running a house and finances.” He couldn't help the small smile that twitches at his lips when he sees his friend relax just a little bit. “You just really need to get an in-home chef.”

A cough gets their attention. “Gentlemen, the contracts have been signed by the three assigned advisors. All that is left is for you to review and sign yourself, Mr. Dursley,” Ragnok tells them. 

“You mentioned that it can be adjusted, is that still possible if there are signatures on it already?” Piers asked, not wanting to risk his friend being taken advantage of. 

The Chief gives a small hum as he looks at him appraisingly, “Very good Mr. Polkis. This is the case, yes. Should Mr. Dursley decide to change anything in the contract, it would become void and another would need to be signed. This would be of no consequence, but would take a few minutes longer if that is what he decides.” 

Nodding their understanding, Dudley reaches forward to take the contract. It seems pretty straight forward as he reads through it. As advisors they are mainly there to work through all large decisions with him and be his voice when he cannot himself. They are also his shield so to speak. As a minor, his council would collectively fill the role of guardian. It gives individuals less power over him compared to if he had chosen a sole magical guardian, but offers him more well rounded security.

However there was one section he kept coming back to. “It says the amount paid to the advisors was listed in the family charter. Was it updated to match inflation?” It just seems… 

“Yes, inflation was taken into account. The amount is rather liberal compared to what most charters offer, is this an issue?” EmeraldFang responds. 

“Not at all, well not really, it’s just a lot lower than I was anticipating.” Dudley looks back over the number on the contract and misses the astounded looks he’s thrown from every goblin in the room. It was stated that each member only got 500 galleons a year. Running the easy math through his head, realized that's about 12.5k in pounds. A high number for some, yes, but for what they would be doing for him; it seems like a pittance. 

“I am changing the contact,” He states confidently, but not overly loud. “I may not be familiar yet with what is and what is not normal when it comes to how economics works in the wizarding world, but there is one thing I do know without a shadow of a doubt. And that’s I will not be able to accomplish a damn thing without each of your help. With this contract, you are taking on responsibilities that will directly impact not only my future but that of my entire family line. I refuse to offer a pittance in compensation for the mountain we'll have to climb together.”

In the silence of the rooms, he continues, “500 galleons is also quite frankly total bullshit. That's how much I’ll give out as a gift to each member working my case if we can get Harry safe. I want every person who joins my council of advisors to receive a yearly stipend of 3,000 galleons to be deposited in quarterly increments. It’ll hardly affect my accounts in any case.” 

The silence stretches between the goblins for long enough that he's starting to think he insulted them by accident. Chancing a glance at Marissa, he’s taken aback by the overwhelmingly proud look she was leveling him with. He doesn’t think an adult has ever looked at him like that before and the teen couldn’t stop the clench in his chest if he tried.                   

“I, for one, am absolutely okay with this.”

“Rabbla!” Gripli exclaims in exasperation. The Messenger just shrugs her shoulders unrepentant. The older goblin groans, “Look lad, I don’t think any of us will turn down such an offer just…” He looks at the Chief, lost on how to express it in words.

“That is exceedingly generous, Mr. Dursley. But please understand that your amount is more than what the average magical makes in a year's worth of wages.” Ragnok tries to explain further. This kid just kept shattering his expectations, and he couldn't be more pleased with how a future partnership was shaping to be. 

“It really will barely dent my accounts and with the right investments I’ll see it back in no time. I mean, with the exchange rate being roughly 1 to 25, I’d essentially be a billionaire in the muggle world. And keep in mind that I am almost entirely ignorant to anything magical, it won't be a simple advisorship and I don't plan on treating it as such. Your time, work, and effort will be compensated to the fullest.” Dudley wanted to make sure they understood his point on the matter. He has more money than he could have ever dreamed for and it would be ridiculous not to pay those employed under him what they are worth. 

Dudley and the Chief stare at each other for a moment before Ragnok nods his head in acquiescence. “Very well,” he pulls a fresh contract out and makes the adjustment to the section on advisor pay. At the same time EmeraldFang floats the first contract in the air before burning it with a snap of her fingers. 

Passed around once again, the contract creating a Council of Advisors is signed by Gripli, EmeraldFang, Rabbla and Dudley. Witness signatures are added by Ragnok and Marissa. Once the final signature was added, the document flared nearly white in color before it settled back to normal. 

“What next?” Dudley asks. 

Rather than respond, the Chief sets the two little boxes he pulled from the cupboard onto the desk in front of the teen. “These are the Lordship rings. You’ll start with the LeFay ring then move to the Flamel if you are accepted.”  

The ring boxes looked inconspicuous with their plain leather casings. Nothing to denote which went to what family. Grabbing the one on the left, he opened the lid. The ring inside is undeniably feminine in design. The family coat of arms, a Rowan tree, is surrounded by intricate white gold filigree and imbedded with tiny diamonds and rubies. 

“Is it coincidence or was my ancestor Morgana LeFay the same person as the Morgana LeFay in the no-mag Arthurian Legends?” Dudley had thought about it when EmeraldFang first mentioned her name but he had been leaning towards coincidence until seeing the Coat of Arms.   

He looks up to see the Goblins trading surprised glances before EmeraldFang spoke up, “I do not believe we are familiar with them having these Arthurian Legends so we cannot say. Perhaps the topic can be revisited in a non case related meeting when we’ve had a chance to look into it.” 

Marissa was looking up in contemplation, “I’ll pick up a book or two about it to bring in for you. I hadn't thought of that before but there is a concerning amount of parallels between the stories and what's been said of Dudleys ancestor so far. Might be interesting to look into.”

Dudley rubbed at his forehead. Great, another possible mystery. He reached over and grabbed the second box to have it open and ready. The Flamel ring is sleek platinum that tapers up to the Coat of Arms. Both sides have a matching rune engraved into the metal. The top, circling around the outer rim, was a seamless ring of sapphire. It is as simple as it is elegant. The Coat of Arms was a Shield surrounded by various wild flowers, on the shield was an image of some type of bird he didn't recognize.

Dudley drew in a shuddering breath. This was it. Unless he abdicated the Lordship, there would be no going back once these were placed on his hand. Pulling the LeFay ring out of its case is an experience in itself. He could feel the magic reaching out, already trying to mix with his own. It felt frenzied, with no trace of hesitation as if it had been waiting for this moment for a long time and couldn’t believe it was happening. Which he kind of guesses it has waited. This ring hasn’t been able to reconnect with the family magic in centuries.   

Steeling his nerves, Dudley finally slips the rings onto his right middle finger, slightly surprised it fit his large hands. For a moment, nothing happens and he almost thinks that the ring will reject him, before in a snap, the band squeezes around his finger, cutting into the skin and making him cry out. He has hardly a second to catch EmeraldFangs equally wide gaze before his vision whites out completely.     

The static building in his ears gives way to the sound of rustling leaves and water lapping at a shore line. Dudley finds he can't move as ghostly hands cup his face and a kiss as light as air brushes his forehead. As the hands recede, Dudley tries to call out but can't find his voice. The white fades back into the meeting room as he looks around blinking wildly. The ring on his finger is back to a size that fits snug but not overly tight. No blood in sight from when it broke his skin. 

Dudley only realizes he’s panting when Piers places a cup of water in front of him and grips onto his shoulder in support. “What. The hell. Just happened?!”

“Don’t know dude! You yelled as the ring cut you, then your eyes went all white and foggy and stuff, all the blood seeped into the ring and resized, then you woke up super out of breath!” Piers was flailing slightly as he described it. “Couldn't have been longer than a couple seconds from start to finish.”

Catching his breath enough to speak, he turns to Ragnok. “Are these rings haunted or something? Because this totally feels possessed.” 

Both the Chiefs brows shoot up, Dudley chuckles internally about them being the only thing to betray the goblins' emotions. “No, not typically. Maybe your affinity with soul magic paired with the magical flare that accepting the lordship creates, allowed the veil to momentarily thin. It could also be a magical imprint, similar to how we create portraits for after death. Could you explain what happened on your end?”

“I-I don't really know how to explain it. Everything went white and I could hear tree leaves and water but couldn’t see anything or speak. Then someone cupped my face and kissed my forehead. They didn't say anything, but it felt…” Like something private he didn't want to share. He feels seen and accepted as he looks down at the ring sitting so prettily on his large hand. The magic he felt before was now calm, content, and slightly buzzing. Like it was happy to finally be ‘home’. 

After a slight hesitation, Dudley grabs the second ring. Compared to the excitement from the LeFay ring, this one felt almost lethargic. Like it was being woken up just after it had fallen asleep. It pokes and prods at him with interest and open curiosity as it livens under his hands. They can see the band shrink as it slides down his pinky. While Dudleys thankful that he kept all his senses this time and there was no blood, the feeling of the Flamel magic rushing up his arm and wrapping around his heart is something he thinks he could have lived without. It pulses in time with his heart beat for a few seconds before spreading through his circulation system and sinking into his bones. He shivers at the unfamiliar feeling before it passes. 

The colors in the room seem more vibrant when he looks up and finds he is super aware of everything he’s touching, smelling, and hearing. “The synesthesia will pass shortly, it’s a common side effect when someone accepts more than one lordship.” Ragnok tells him. “We will move onto the information intake when you’re ready, Lord Flamel-LeFay.”

“Oh, that's weird,” Dudley groans. “If we’re not around other people, could you call me Dudley please?”

Gripli chuckles, “You’ll get used to it eventually. Everyone you encounter now will refer to you as the Lord of one or both houses. Any Wixen worth their gold will recognize those rings in a heartbeat.”    

EmeraldFang was posed with a quill in her hand and another was standing upright by itself on a piece of parchment off to the side. The box she carried in with her was propped open, letting him see row after row of crystal vials. “The steps to the information intake are simple. A dictaquill will record your statement while I write down questions and other relevant information. During this, we will collect a copy of your memory of the events. Memories are regarded as highly personal. As a witness, yours will only be seen by the need to know personnel on the case. In court, you will have to give permission for certain ones to be shared with the Wizengamot. Do you have any questions so far, Lor- Dudley?” 

“No Ma’am,” Dudley shook his head. 

“Keep in mind this is a preliminary information intake. We’ll cover as much ground as we can in this meeting, and tonight the gringotts case team will review the information. This allows us to better direct the larger meeting and have time to delve more into the details of a particular event. Today is more of an event overview, and memory collection. Tomorrow will be event details and more specific memories if needed,” The Apprentice explained further.

With a snap of her fingers, the free standing quill starts filling out the case info and date at the top of the parchment. “Let's begin with the most recent event that’s had you coming to the magical world.”

Dudley drew in a shuddering breath, feeling nauseous all over again. It had been hard enough last night but at least he had a better understanding now then he did 20 hours ago. “On Monday the 2nd of this week, Me, Piers, and some friends were at the park in our neighborhood.” All eyes shift quickly to Piers before back to Dudley. “I had been mocking my cousin, something I’m extremely ashamed of now. Especially given the context,” He murmurs just loud enough for the goblins to barely make out with their great hearing.

He smiles gently when Piers grabs his hand, shaking slightly. His friend may not have been there for the attack itself but he didn’t get away unaffected either. “I had gotten Harry angry enough to draw his wand just as the sky went dark and the wind picked up. Understandably freaked out, I accused him, but he was just as concerned if not more so than I was. Thats-” He couldn’t keep from stumbling over his words. “That’s when we felt it. Them. I don’t know. It got cold and the fear I had felt turned to terror and despair. My friends immediately ran but Harry and I were rooted to the spot. If it hadn't been for Harry quite literally shoving me into action, I might have stayed where I was. We ran fast and hard, and never once did my cousin leave me behind even if he easily could have. If I stumbled, he was there to catch me, telling me to keep going. That no matter what, I couldn't stop.”

The Goblins were on the edges of their seat having already assumed what was chasing them. Boy Who Lived and Lord LeFay or not; two Muggleraised teenage kids with 4 years of education between them, escaping a dementor alive, is, without a doubt, an extraordinary tale.  

“We made it to the center of an underpass corridor before we slowed down. Harry had his wand out and looked both way too collected and scared out of his mind. I’ve thought about it alot this week and there is absolutely no way this is the first time he’d defended himself from them.” Dudley took a second to fill his cup with Hot Cocoa. Thinking of the attack was leaving him cold and discomforted. The sound of the dictaquill scratching at the parchment filled the background.  He couldn't be more thankful at how patient they were with him. 

“It was silent except for our panting when the lights started to flicker and ice began crawling along the walls. A dark shadow had swooped into the tunnel on Harry's side but when we went to run, another came in on my side blocking us in.” Rabbla gasped as she gripped the arms of her chair hard enough for the wood to groan in protest. “I can remember for the most part what happened but I was practically catatonic. Couldn't move, don't know if I screamed or not. I was just trapped in a mix of the nightmare of the current situation and a montage of all my worst memories growing up. There was nothing I could do as it grabbed my face. The last thing I remember before passing out was managing to look over right as Harry screamed a spell with all his strength. And it was the single most ethereal, magnificent thing I’ve ever seen.” He’s more than aware his voice took on a slightly reverential tone. “A shining white ghostly deer chased away the dementor attacking Harry before barreling towards me as my eyes slipped closed.” 

The atmosphere in the room was stifling for a moment before Gripli, who til this point had come across as nothing but a gentle and kind old man, slammed both fists on top of the table and snarled so loud that had it not been for the silencing spells, the whole bank may have heard. “Those incompetent, insufferable, bigoted, godless imps! Sending those creatures in pursuit of children, I’ll take off their trice damned heads! ” He trailed off with grumbles of progressively creative forms of bodily mutilation.

None of his coworkers seemed phased in the slightest by the outburst. EmeraldFang and Ragnok had been hoping that Dudley had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time while the dementors were tracking a convict. That doesn’t seem to be the case however. What would have happened if Harry Potter had been at home rather than on the outskirts of the neighborhood? How many people would have died before they got to him? 

“Who from the Aurors department came to take your statements?” Ragnok asks, wondering why hadn’t heard about it if it had been several days ago. 

“Aurors?” Dudley tilted his head before remembering they were like magical police. “Oh no, no one came. The only acknowledgement was Harry receiving a talking letter saying he was being expelled from Hogwarts for underage magic performed in front of a muggle. A muggle who was not only in the know about magic and family, but was watching the damn letter they sent with his equally assumed muggle parents.” He threw his hands in the air. It didn’t make sense to him how any of it was logical. “They mentioned something about prior violations. Which I do have some questions about. There was only one occasion where we had ministry personnel at our home for an incident and it had been accidental magic. So there should be no prior events of him knowingly casting a spell outside of school before this.”

“We’ll come back to the underage magic portion later, for now, are you sure there has been no magicals to your house in the last week? Could they have come but your parents turned them away?” EmeraldFang asks. 

“Until last night, I’ve been home the whole time since Monday, and I would have heard if someone came to the door. I also think that despite how much they hate magic, if a wizard came to the door expressing concern for me after the incident, they would have hesitated but eventually allowed me to be checked out. Magic makes them act irrational but they were a different kind of scared after the event. For the first 24 hours I was almost catatonic between moments of borderline hysteria,” He grimaces.

The Apprentice scratches some notes down before grabbing out two of the crystal vials. “Let’s collect the memories of the attack and the letter arriving.”

“Oh! There was a second letter that came right after the first. It was rescinding the previous expulsion but stating that he is instead to be tried by the Wizengamot.” He watches as EmeraldFang pauses before reaching a grabbing a third vial.

“The vials are charmed to extract the copy of the memory for you. Think on it, then place the end to your temple. You’ll remove it when you have retraced the memory.” Seems simple enough.

For the next two hours, they went over most of the same information he had given to Marissa and Piers the night before. His revelations and discoveries after finally coming out of the shock of it all, and how it led to him running away to his friends house to get some air. How his parents treat Harry and the conditions he grew up in and still lives in. His first interaction with the magical world through the letter, Hagrid, and all the wizards in the years that have followed. Memory after memory was collected to corroborate his testimony. 

A loud growl from Dudleys stomach interrupts the lull in conversation after he’d finished describing the change in his mental state from before and after the attack. “How about we break for a late lunch before going over the documents you brought with you?” EmeraldFang asks as she sets down her quill and rubs at her hand. She’d been taking nonstop notes for almost the entire two hours. “We’ll have it brought here and you can use this time to ask any questions you have. It doesn't need to be related to the case if you’d rather have the distraction.” 

Rabbla stood to fiddle with something on the drink cart. A second later she had a small stack of parchment that she handed around. Looking at it when it's in his hands, Dudley realizes it's a food menu. Pressing his finger to the items he wants, he sets it off to the side. “Um, are there any properties from either account that are currently livable? We’re staying at the leaky for a couple days, but I’ll need a more permanent place after.”

“We can absolutely go over those options. All the LeFay properties will need heavy remodeling to fit in modern comforts such as plumbing. We also don’t know the state of the houses themselves. It’s been so long that some of the preservation charms may have failed, or not have been placed to begin with.” Ragnok says as he shuffles through his folder before pulling out a stack of parchment. “The top page is a summary list of all the properties for the Flamels. To keep the records up to date, there was a full property inspection right before the stasis went into effect. If you find any that you're interested in, you can see a more detailed breakdown in the pile.”

Dudley slides the stack over to start perusing. It looks like there are properties all over the world, which makes him wonder what sort of customs he’d have to go through to visit one of them. There are two in London that peak his interest due to them being the closest options. He decides to check out ‘Peregrine Cabin’ first. 

“I have a question!” Piers pipes up. “Is there really no no-mag technology that works around magic?”

Rabbla shakes her hand in a so-so gesture, “They can be reverse engineered to work off magic if you have the time and dedication. There was actually an event about 3 or so years ago of a flying car that didn’t go invisible until it had already created a hell of an issue for the magic reversal squads.” Dudley has to try not to crinkle the paper in his hand when he hears that. Piers very unsubtly whips his head around to look at him. That part hadn’t actually come up in this retelling, he can’t believe he forgot. Must have been him being caught up in remembering the cake and all the weird noises around that time. 

“Yeah, about that…” He trailed off. 

Rabbla let out a choked laugh, “Please say you know who it was, the ministry was never able to track the car back down after it went out of sight. It remained a mystery, despite many people trying to find out who managed to successfully make a car run on magic in such a way.”

“I really don’t know how I forgot to mention it, but remember me mentioning dad had put bars on his window and was refusing to allow him to return to Hogwarts before his second year? In the middle of the night on Harry's birthday, we were all woken up to the stupidly loud sound of those bars being ripped off the side of the building. When we got to the door, Harry was handing his stuff out the second floor window to two redheaded kids who I now know are the Weaslys, while a third was in the driver's seat. It ended with my dad falling out the window into some bushes after trying to hold onto Harry's leg. I really don’t know why all my experience with magic before now have been so dramatic but I think I blame my dad. If he hadn’t added those bars, we probably would have never known Harry escaped via flying car.” By the end of the story, everyone in the room was either chuckling or smiling slightly. EmeraldFang just sighs and hands over another empty vial.  

A soft glow from the drink cart leads to several meals floating around to the occupants. Dudley can feel his mouth already salivating when he sees the perfectly seared steak with a side of fried cabbage and a large bowl of salad. As he digs in, he tries to turn his attention back to the properties. The cabin is a stunning 2 story 5 bedroom building in a forest just south east of London. Sitting in the middle of 25 acres of property, he wouldn't have to worry about nosy neighbors... There wasn't too much to the cabin other than a large lounge area, an office, a small library, and a decent sized greenhouse in the back. Plenty of room but obviously built to be a vacation home by the previous owner. 

Pulling the next set of papers out for the other property in London, Dudley has to catch his jaw from dropping. It was an excessively large but extraordinarily gorgeous blue and brick victorian style manor. He gently pushes the pictures towards Piers to get his opinion. “No way dude,” His friend whispered back when he saw the house. “How many rooms does that even have?” 

Looking at the detailed breakdown, “17. What would I even do with 17 rooms?” Dudley looks at his friend bewildered. “It’s even got a ballroom!”

“Oh really? That may actually be pretty handy if you try to make connections.” Piers peers down at the list of additional rooms. “Billiards room, didn't realize wizards played.” 

“They don’t, at least none I know. It must have been a hobby the previous Lord picked up.” Marissa piped up from where she was dipping a bread roll into her soup. 

“A conservatory and a sunroom? That just seems excessive.” Dudley flips through the provided pictures. There wasn’t one for every room, but enough to get a feel for the house. “Oh I wonder if that phonograph is still there! I’ll need to invest in a bunch of records until we can figure out how to get a radio or the internet working around magic.” A thought has him lighting up, “Are there any bands in the wizarding world that are on tour right now or doing concerts?”

“I hadn't even thought about that, I’ll add it to our list of things to look into! I wonder how different it’ll be to what we’re used to.” Piers was nearly vibrating thinking of wizard music. Did they have different instruments? What would the lyrics be about? “What do you think of that place? It's kinda a lot and makes me fear for how big the LeFay manor is, but it could be a great starter home for entertaining guests and having visitors. You could probably have a whole family there and never run into them!” 

“I’m not sure, I’d be there by myself most of the time.” Dudley shrugs and skims over the pictures for the cabin.

“You could always, I don't know, rent out a portion of it? Maybe get some hired help and part of their contract is to hang out with you?” Piers withered slightly under his friend's incredulous look, “yeah okay, no paying people to be your friend… but renting out part of it wouldn’t be a bad idea if you didn’t want to be alone.” 

Dudley scratched at his jaw line in thought before addressing Marissa, “What are the chances of Harry being able to live with me? There would be more than enough space that he wouldn't have to see me often if he didn’t want to.” He wasn’t under any illusion that the past 14 years will suddenly be water under the bridge between him and his cousin. Dudley had gone too far too many times.

“It’s actually likely to be the best option since you're his closest living magical relative. Due to both of your ages, you’ll have regular check ups from someone from your council or Harry's magical guardian.” She tells him. “Me and Piers could also stay with you till school starts back up if you need.”

Dudley chews on a bite of salad as he thinks it over. Location wise, if he went with the manor, he would be able to get a car. It had roads that were a 20 minute drive to London. The cabin was built completely separated from society. The only way in or out was hours of hiking or magical travel. 

He could stay in the cabin but commute to the manor if he wanted to have a social event, but that would defeat the purpose of a main house near London… Dudley pushes the papers away to focus more on his food. He can finalize a decision tonight. 

“Are there any stores in the surrounding alleys you recommend we check out today?” Piers asks the group. “We want to try to hit a couple before going to the bookstore.” 

“I think for your first time exploring you should go to the Menagerie and Eeylops Owl Emporium. Many of the animals will be familiar to you, but I’m told most aren't seen in No-mag pet stores,” Gripil says. 

“Dudley could test if he’s capable of talking to the snakes at the menagerie,” EmealdFang hummed softly. “Also, I’ve thought about it while creating the reading list. When you go to Flourish and Blotts, ask to speak with one of the owners. While the Flamel Libraries might be up to date, the LeFay libraries definitely are not. If you are interested in revamping either, I’m sure they would be ecstatic at the idea of helping.” 

“I hadn’t even thought about that!” If books are anything like in the non magical worlds, then him having very very old libraries, means he probably has rare or one of a kind volumes. Before the commercialization of publishing, only the wealthy had the ability to hoard knowledge. There's no reason to think the magical world would be any different. “What do I need to do to get inspections started on the LeFay properties?” He addresses Ragnok when he asks the question. 

“It’s just a matter of choosing the properties and signing a payment contract,” the Chief says, “I would recommend waiting until we have more time to delve into the entire portfolio, but we could get an inspection started today on just the LeFay Manor if you would like. Standard price for the size of property is 40 galleons.”

Dudley turns that over in his head. “Okay that sounds good, let's throw in all the bells and whistles for this inspection though. I’ll take the time to go over the option for the rest of the properties, but if this is the main LeFay property then it's probably better to be thorough,” he says, putting the conversation to a close for the moment.   

“How many wizards and witches have pets?” Piers asks following the previous conversation, also wondering what the most common pets were. 

“Most households will have at least one owl or other birds for carrying mail,” Rabbla explains.

Gripli speaks up when it's obvious she wasn’t going to elaborate, “Magic has a tendency to create bonds between magicals and animals. They become more than simple pets after a time. Mostly owls, kneazles, and crups, but you’ll find a good number of rats, toads, and various other animals.”

Dudley doesn't think he’s heard of kneazles or crups before, but they might just be a magical version of something he's familiar with. He always wanted a pet but he stopped asking after seeing how his parents reacted to Harry's owl and hadn’t wanted to risk bringing another animal in the house. Maybe after he settles into a new home? Having a pet to come back to, or even bring around with him, sounds really nice. They’ll definitely need to stop and get an owl this weekend however. Dudley has a feeling he’ll be sending regular letters sooner than he thinks.    

“Do you know where I can find a list of school supplies I should be trying to gather while I’m in the alley?” There was no way in hell he was going back to Smeltings. Even if he had to learn entirely through tutors, Dudley would make sure he got a magical education. If he has to do a mix between regular and wizarding school and take longer to finish both, then that's what it’ll take. He has a lot of studying in his future if he wants any chance at holding the respect of his new peers.

EmeraldFang nods in affirment, “I’ll have it for you before you leave the bank.” Pushing her empty plate away from her, the boys watch amazed as it pops out of existence. “I can begin reviewing the documents you brought with you.”

Marissa hands over the folder she pulled out of her bag back in the other room. Sometime last night or this morning she must have printed everything off, Dudley muses. 

“As you know from the memories he’s shared, Dumbledore never came to their home and was unknown to both Dudley and Harry Potter until Hagrids arrival. However, there are years worth of letter correspondence between Dumbledore and the Dursley parents.” As Marissa explained, EmeraldFang had already pulled out the first letter that Harry had been left with. 

“Were these letters written on parchment?” The apprentice addressed Dudley. Since they were scanned she couldn't tell immediately.

Dudley shook his head, “Only this first one, the rest were scans on printer paper.”

Piers suddenly sat up from the position he had taken over his food and pointed at EmeraldFang, “When you burned up the contract, can that be a delayed spell? Like the letter auto destructs after it's been read?”

Ragnok spoke up while looking at the teen curiously, “There are hundreds of spells that can be added to letters and plenty could be used to destroy a letter post delivery.”

“Have-” Piers broke off, and steepled his fingers under his chin as he thought. “When people believe something is useless or harmless, they don't take precautions to test its limitations. I think this may be the case with the magical world and technology. Almost every person I know in the non magical world has access to scanners and printers. So, I guess I’m just wondering if anyone has done research on whether or not charmed letters can be scanned? Or what charms they can get around.”

He rubs at the back of his neck a little self-consciously when the goblins all look deep in thought. These were the type of questions he’d had circling around in his head the more magic he’s exposed to. The fact they haven’t outright shot down any of his questions yet or laughed at him definitely helps his confidence in speaking up. While Piers still isn't entirely sure they aren't just humoring him since he’s Dudleys friend, their thinking over it seriously eases some of the feeling. 

“I’ll need to reach out to the clans in the States. MUCASA has taken more steps to integrate themselves with the no-mags to better hide since their population is more spread out.” Ragnok muses aloud. “We’ll also send a team out to perform a couple tests before the meeting tomorrow. It's a good thing we have at least one that's written by hand.”

EmeraldFang handed the stack of letters to the Chief before picking up what looks like the first of the bank statements. As she flipped through them her frown grew more pronounced. Once she got done with the last statement and saw the contract for the house however, the Apprentice was so still the boys could have mistaken her for a life-like statue. 

“Chief Ragnok.” Her voice booked no room for question as it came out deadly calm and lethally serious. “Begin a treason investigation on the Potter account manager immediately.” 

She spoke a couple sharp words in the goblin language while pointing angrily at the contract and a couple of the bank statements she had set aside. Ragnok's face had turned to stone the second the apprentice had said his name. Shoulders squared, the Chief of Gringotts rose after giving the Apprentice a single decisive nod. The man was releasing enough magic that Dudley, with his understanding and senses of magic still being new, could feel it starting to coat the air in the room. 

“I may not be back by the time you leave today,” Ragnok dropped into the same formal bow that Dudley's magic had influenced him towards. “I look forward to our next interaction and hope to see you soon to review your accounts. May your fortune continue to prosper and the flow of gold grow.” 

“And may those who seek what isn't there's within the hallowed halls you protect, feel the vengeance of your judgment upon their neck,” he replied solemnly, returning the bow in kind. Dudley could see Marissa almost choke hearing his more than violent parting, while Piers was trying to hide his grin behind his notes. “Thank you for your time today, I should be able to come to the bank the day after tomorrow for however long we need to review my account information.” 

The Chief gave him a nod of approval that was paired with a frankly terrifying closed mouth grin. Yeah, he can absolutely see why they didn't smile with their teeth in most friendly situations.  Without further comment, the Chief was out the door and the magic that had permeated the room slowly started to dissipate. 

“Could-” Dudley hesitated, not knowing if he was allowed to ask, “Are we allowed to know what that was about?” Marissa didn't seem overall surprised, mostly like it confirmed something she had been wondering about since seeing the documents the night before. 

“All I can say is that there are stipulations that go into the release of funds for underage wizards, especially for ones that don't physically live with their magical guardians. There are also stipulations when contracts such as the one that allows your parents to take up residence in the house are made. Some of these fall to the responsibility of the family account manager. 

“Solely in the case of the contact for the house, the manager should have been personally going to the residence or sending an inspection team to ensure it was being kept in specified condition. This alone, if it had been adhered to, would have alerted the goblin nation to your cousin's living conditions.” It wasn't much but Dudley could just see the anger simmering behind her eyes as she spoke. Gripli and Rabbla seem similarly agitated by the change in events if their tense faces and white knuckles were anything to go by.       

She took a deep breath before continuing, “Whether some of us like it or not depending on the house or the individual, our responsibility is to the account holder and safety of their funds and assets. Because of your evidence to the Potter Heirs living conditions and the fact the contract was not renewed after his eleventh birthday, we have more than enough cause to begin an investigation.”  

“How often does something like this happen?” Piers asks. 

EmeraldFang hesitates for a second and shoots a look at her coworkers who just shrug in return. “Very rarely. The threat of beheading can be a powerful motivator even if you lack honor and integrity.” 

Dudley can’t help the snort he releases at that, “I’ll say.” Pushing his plate away from himself finally, he turned his attention back to the documents in front of the Apprentice. “Most of the rest of it is pictures of the house. I tried to take pictures of everything, not just Harry's room and made notes as I went. I could probably add more memories to give a better idea of how life in the home was growing up and how it changed after Harry's school letter.”   

The next 45 minutes was spent sorting through the photos and Dudley adding more memories of events over the years while he, Marissa and EmeraldFang labeled and sorted everything. Piers took the time to go over all the appliances and technology that was visible in the picture with the two other Goblins. While some had been familiar to them, most things that had been created or heavily modified in the last 40-50 years were unknown.

“So, how does the memory review process work again?” Dudley asks. It had grown increasingly more daunting to see the sheer amount of vials they used. 

The Apprentice gently set her quill down and interlaced her fingers with her elbows on the table. “After our meeting, I will personally bring the box and an even more secure secrecy contract to a specialized team we have here in the law department. The memories are reviewed, sorted, and a summary is created to capture relevant information. Once the process has been repeated after the meeting again tomorrow, the Heads of the departments will perform their own review.”

“During the trial for Harry, is it just the memory shown or would I have to testify?” 

“Your lawyers will be able to go over trial options with you and what would be the most useful in the situation. It will likely be a combination of both.” Her expression softened just slightly from the hard edges it had formed during the meeting. “After I drop off the memories, I’ll contact the lawyers to bring them and SilverClaw up to speed on the developments. As for the meeting tomorrow, do you have a preference for a specific political faction I should contact within to help with your lordship?”

That got Dudleys head spinning again. He had known theoretically there was a whole separate government for the magical world, but to suddenly have factions and politics thrown on top of everything else just hammers home how real this all is.

“Could you ask him a couple questions based on the party's goals and ideologies that would help us narrow it down?” Piers askes. Because of course his friend realizes he’s reaching an information overload at the moment. Dudleys always knew his friend was smart, but how had he not realized how observant Piers was as well? He uses the moment to focus back on the task, grateful to his friend for taking over. 

There was a thoughtful hum before, “Do you think those entering the magical world should learn the local customs and traditions?” 

“Absolutely. It’s extraordinarily disrespectful to go to another country or culture and expect them to change to what you're used to.”

“Do you think the magical world should remain separate from the mundane?” 

“I think…” This one had him pause, “I think that it is dangerous to not keep up with the scientific, technological, and societal progression of the Non-Magical world. So I guess yes and no. I believe that while magicals should be able to successfully blend in in all ways, in general there should be minimal interaction between peoples.”

“Do you think First Generation Wixens, those born of supposedly non-magical parents, should be allowed to enter the magical world?”

That would mean him wouldn’t it? “Well, yeah. Otherwise you're severely risking the statue of secrecy. And it would only help the population and economy if they were brought in and stayed.”

“Thoughts on creature rights?”

“That they should have them?” That one got him various small smiles from the three goblins.

“Light versus dark magic?” 

“Are they on a spectrum or absolutes?” 

EmeraldFang pauses on that, “Depends on who you ask.” 

“And if I'm asking you?” Dudley questions further. 

 “It’s a naturally occurring spectrum. You can’t have the light if there is no darkness, can you?”

“And a shadow is only as dark as the light that creates it.” It’s weirdly philosophical but makes sense to him.

The bark of laughter the Apprentice lets out has him jumping slightly in his seat. “I’ll reach out to someone in the Grey faction that votes in line with your answers. Now,” she swivels to pin Piers with her intense gaze, “I think someone was wanting their own inheritance test before you headed out of here?”

Dudley will never let him live down the honest to god ‘squee’ that leaves his mouth in his excitement at the question. “Yes please!” Marissa just chuckles at her sons antics. 

“Three drops into the vial,” EmeraldFang hands a silvery potion across the table. Piers picks up the athame that was slid across and quickly nicks his finger. The potion started bubbling the moment blood hit the surface and turned a dark purple. “Dump it onto the center of the parchment.”

Unlike with Dudleys test, the ink did not sink into the paper. It sat in a pool for a moment before doing the spider web thing as it moved across the parchment to fill in words. Dudley looks over to see Marissa frowning more and more as it fills itself out before her eyes blow wide in surprise.

A quiet and confused “oh” from his friends has him looking back down at the almost-finished test. “Mom, did you know?” She was already shaking her head before answering.

“I’m not even sure he knew himself. Your father was adopted as a toddler and didn’t know his parents.” 

“May I see?” The Apprentice asks him gently. Her eyebrows decided to go on a journey up her forehead as she read the accounts information. “Well, I think congratulations are in order Mr. Polkis. Looks like you’ll have plenty of money for your own books.”

“Are you familiar with the name by chance? Or where I can maybe start looking?” Piers' father passed away before he was born so he had been given his mothers last name since they hadn’t yet married. 

“Both,” she was looking at him as if she was trying to match his features to someone else's. EmeraldFang looks at Marissa, “How familiar are you with the Dark Lord Grindelwald?”

The corners of the older Polkis’ mouth immediately turn down, “To prepare myself in the last war I used him for my research into strategies and what offensive magics to look out for.”

“Then you know the name Vinda Rosnier.”

Her lips pinch into a sharp line as she answers, “Yes.” 

“Is she… My grandmother?” Piers asks uncertainly. His mom's reaction caused his stomach to sit heavy. 

EmeraldFang sighs heavily, “Great-grandmother I believe. There were rumors she had a child in the years before her arrest but they were only substantiated when her will was finally read. To the horror of the family, there was nothing they could do to access any of her fortune since everything was left to a person they couldn't find.” 

Piers looks back at the account information on the test, “Am I allowed to access this even though I'm not magical myself?”

“Yes,” She nods to him, “It was her personal account separate from the family. It doesn't hold the same requirements that main family vaults do.”

“I can tell you about her later and we can find a biography,” His mom said after giving his arm a gentle squeeze. “Is there anything else for us to do before we head out of here?”

EmeraldFang is about to shake her head no when Gripli leans over to whisper something in her ear. “Well… There may be one thing,” Her eyes glinted mischievously.   

~~~

The three make their way down the Gringotts steps with the sun beating down on them as Piers excitedly unrolls his new scroll for the fourth time since receiving it. Signed by EmeraldFang, witnessed by Rabbla, and notarized by Gripli; it reads,

Official Emotional Support Muggle Certificate 

Awarded to one

Mr. Piers Polkis