Chapter 6
While the goblins set up the ritual to remove the blocks from Crystal, she and Grinlast sat in his office talking.
"Is there any chance I could take my ladyships and become a legal adult?" she asked. Crystal didn't want to leave this Dumbledore guy as a guardian for even a second longer than necessary.
"You are currently eligible to assume the titles of Lady Potter, Lady Slytherin, Lady Hufflepuff, and Lady Peverell. Lord Black is still alive, and despite being imprisoned, he remains the rightful lord as he was not legally convicted in a trial," Grinlast explained after reviewing some parchments on his desk.
"Wait, what do you mean? Are you saying that Lord Black didn't have a trial?" Crystal was shocked. Even in the Ghost Zone, a trial was necessary for imprisonment—at least after Danny became Ghost King following his defeat of Pariah Dark.
"There are no records of a trial for Sirius Black; interpret that as you will."
"What is he even in jail for? What did he do?" she asked curiously, and was confused when Grinlast hesitated. "What?"
"Are you certain you wish to know?"
Crystal nodded, "Yes, I want to know."
"Sirius Black was once best friends with your father; they were said to be as close as brothers." Here, Grinlast paused, "Please keep in mind, most of this has not been confirmed through a trial, so we are not fully aware of the details."
"I’ll keep that in mind. Please, continue." Crystal had to restrain herself from begging. This test she had taken showed that Sirius Black had blood adopted her, making him her second father. She didn’t fully understand what blood adoption was, but if it meant having a father, she didn’t care.
"It is said that your father made Sirius Black the secret keeper for his family, but Black betrayed him by revealing the secret to the Dark Lord Voldemort, allowing Voldemort to locate the Potters and kill them."
"W-What?" Crystal sputtered. "What do you mean my parents were killed? I was told they died in a car crash because Dad was drunk! I didn’t really believe it after a while, or at least I didn’t believe Dad was drunk, but I never thought they would have been murdered!"
Grinlast froze and looked up at her. "Are you telling me you were unaware of how your parents died or of the events that transpired that night?"
"That's exactly what I’m saying. Please, if you can, explain what happened?"
Grinlast sighed, uncertain of his feelings about being the one to inform the Potter Heir that her parents had been murdered when she was merely a baby.
He spent the rest of the time until the ritual room was ready explaining the truth of Crystal Potter's history as he knew it. He would never admit it, but this child unnerved him slightly when her face went blank.
He relaxed when another goblin arrived to escort her, saying he would return her once the ritual was complete.
When the Potter Heir came back, she looked healthier; she was still very pale but now a bit taller and had filled out more. He would still have her checked over by his sister Karlast, though.
Crystal sat down in the same chair she had been in before and looked down at her hands again. She felt amazing—she had never noticed the bindings on her until they were removed. Now, she felt lighter, as if a great burden had been lifted.
It was replaced with the knowledge that her parents were murdered and that the scar on her forehead wasn't from a car crash but from when someone tried to kill her as a baby.
She shivered as she recalled Grinlast saying that Voldemort, the man who killed her family, wasn't truly dead. His life sphere, deep in the bowels of the bank, hadn't turned black; it was still glowing. This was a sure sign that a person was alive.
It was how the goblins tracked when they needed to release a person's will.
"Now that you are free from potions and spells, shall I present your rings if you still wish to assume your titles today?" Grinlast looked up at Crystal, who nodded in return.
"Yes, I would like to assume them. I would also like to check if I have any homes I can stay in; I refuse to stay with my aunt any longer."
He nodded before placing five boxes on the table. "The first four boxes contain your ladyship rings, and the last box holds the Heir ring for the House of Black. You will need it if you wish to be recognized as Heir Black."
"I recommend taking the Potter ring first, followed by the Peverell, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin rings, with the Heir ring last, on the hand that does not hold the four ladyship rings."
Crystal nodded before opening the first box and studying the ring inside.
It was made of rose gold, giving it a slightly pinkish hue. It featured an orangish-yellowish gem in the center, surrounded by several tiny diamonds forming a small halo. A few diamonds were also set on the sides of the halo on the band of the ring. The inside of the band had the words 'family first' inscribed. She smiled upon seeing this.
As she put the ring on, knowledge of her family's past flooded her mind. She learned they were descendants of the Peverell family, with the youngest brother as their ancestor. There was no one else to take up the mantle of Lady or Lord Peverell, so the title had remained forgotten for over a thousand years until now.
She shook herself out of her shock, vowing to review what she had learned later, before opening the next box, which held the Peverell ring.
The Peverell ring was simpler than the Potter one, featuring a plain silver band with a black obsidian stone at its center. The stone had a peculiar symbol: a triangle with a circle inside and a line going down the middle.
She put it on and shuddered as a cold wind swept through the room. She gained some knowledge of defensive spells—enough to protect herself if someone tried to harm her.
The next ring she opened was Hufflepuff's. It was made of white gold and featured a clear crystal opal in the center, surrounded by small yellow diamonds. It took her breath away.
It had an inscription that was not in English but appeared to be Latin.
'Interdum bonitas satis est.'
"Grinlast, what does this mean? It looks like Latin," Crystal said, showing the etching to him.
He examined it before responding, "It means, 'Sometimes kindness is enough.'"
Crystal looked thoughtful as she slipped the ring on, acquiring knowledge about healing herbs and those that could be deadly if consumed. She watched as the Hufflepuff ring combined with the other two on her finger before reaching for the next box containing Slytherin's ring.
This ring was made of white gold and had three small rounded emeralds in the center. The middle emerald was larger than the two on either side. It was a simple ring but slightly more detailed than the Peverell one. It also had an inscription on the side, so she asked Grinlast to translate.
'Flectere praecepta ad gratiam' was translated to 'Bend the rules to your favor.'
Crystal slipped the ring on and gained knowledge of Parseltongue magic and how to use it safely. She opened the final box and looked at the ring inside. This one was made of black metal and adorned with dark purple amethysts surrounding a black opal in the center. It looked beautiful in a dark, mysterious way.
She slipped it on and was surprised when nothing happened until Grinlast explained that Heir rings did not share knowledge.
After that, Grinlast handed her parchments showing her possessions. Crystal decided to examine them one at a time, setting the other three aside on the desk to look at the one for the Potter family.
POTTER FAMILY
Homes
- Potter Manor [Formally Gryffindor Manor] [Habitable]
- The Pottery [Habitable]
- Godric's Hollow [Uninhabitable]
- Privet Drive [Habitable] [Being rented to Petunia Dursley for 50 pounds a month] [Rent has not been paid for ten years]
Investments/Ownership
Magical Side
- 5% in The Daily Prophet [Successful]
- 15% in The Quibbler [Successful]
- 10% in Zonko's Joke Shop [Successful]
- 20% in Quality Quidditch Supplies [Successful]
- 2% in Junk Store [Unsuccessful/Can become successful]
Muggle Side
- 20% in Google [Successful]
- 10% in Nintendo [Successful]
- 3% in Pawnshop [Unsuccessful/Bout to close]
Family Funds
- Trust Fund Vault 687: 1,000,000 Gallons, 1,000 Sickles, 100 Knuts
- Potter Main Vault 356: 3,000,000,000 Gallons, 23,000,000 Sickles, 12,000 Knuts
Transactions
- 1,000 Gallons exchanged into Muggle pounds and transferred to the Dursleys' bank account on the first of every month.
- 1,500 Gallons transferred to Molly Weasley née Prewitt's account every month.
- 500 Gallons transferred to Ron Weasley's account every month.
- 300 Gallons transferred to Ginny Weasley's account every month.
- 200 Gallons transferred to Hermione Granger's account every month.
- 10,000 Gallons transferred to Albus Dumbledore's account every month.
Contracts
- Marriage Contract between Crystal Rose Potter and Ronald Billius Weasley (Illegal)
Crystal stared at the parchment in shock. Who were the Weasleys, and why were they receiving money from her? More importantly, why was there a marriage contract between them?
She recalled seeing something about the contract on her inheritance test but had been more focused on removing the blocks and learning about her parents at the time.
Who was Hermione Granger?
Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and began to process the information piece by piece. She noticed that she owned the home where her aunt and uncle lived.
A smirk formed on her face when she saw that the rent had not been paid since she went to live with them. It seemed they would need to repay the money they owed, plus interest. Looking at the remaining funds, she realized she could now afford proper clothes and food. It was incredible.
Turning to her investments, she frowned. She decided to dispose of the pawn shop in the Muggle world but would explore the possibility of buying out the junk shop in the magical world. Owning a store in the magical realm might be useful in the future, even if she wasn't sure how just yet.
Finally, she looked at the funds being deducted from her account and frowned deeper. The Dursleys had been receiving money, despite always claiming she was a burden. She had never believed them but now had proof they had lied. Worse still, they had been stealing from her.
This was likely how the Dursleys could afford their extravagant lifestyle, as Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon often spent money on unnecessary items to impress their neighbors.
Crystal vowed they would no longer indulge in such luxuries. She planned to reclaim the money and ensure the Dursleys paid the overdue rent, plus interest. She would, however, ensure that Dudley was not affected by this.
Realizing she might still need to live with them to protect her cousin, she decided it was worth it.
"Grinlast, I have a question. If someone is living in one of my properties without paying the rent they owe, would you be able to recover it?"
Grinlast looked up at her with a frown. "Yes, we could. Has someone been residing in your property without paying rent?"
In response, Crystal handed him the papers. "I want all the money returned with interest. I do not want the Dursleys evicted, as I am close to my cousin and do not want him to suffer due to his parents' actions."
"I also want the marriage contract destroyed—shredded, if necessary. It states that the contract is illegal, which means I am not obligated to honor it."
"Furthermore, I want all money taken from my account by the Weasleys, Granger, and Dumbledore returned with interest. I do not care why they took the money; I am concerned that they did, and I doubt I would have discovered it if I had not come in today."
Grinlast finally spoke after glaring at the parchment. "We at Gringotts can handle this for a small fee."
"You may keep 3% of all the recovered funds. Additionally, please handle the disposal of the pawn shop in the Muggle world and buy out the junk store in the magical world, then close it. Although I am unsure what I will do with it now, I want to retain it for future use."
Crystal felt a sense of relief when Grinlast confirmed that the tasks would be accomplished. She then turned her attention to the remaining parchments, hoping they would not reveal any more surprises.