Not a simple wizard
Despite Harry’s many, many questions, the Goblins kept telling him that Master Gorluc would answer any questions he had. Harry quickly realized that he would just have to wait, and elected to simply follow Griphook, despite his confusion and anxieties. He was quite glad that the goblin he had met during his first trip to Gringotts was there, it helped him have some sense of familiarity despite everything being so different. They took a different route into the back of the bank than harry was familiar with – the goblin teller guiding Harry through a darkened passageway off to the side of the minecart passageway. He would never have even noticed it if the goblin had not guided him towards it.
Eventually, they reached a lightened doorway flanked by goblin warriors, except these ones didn’t look as ‘human’ as the ones at the front of the bank. Far be it from Harry to judge, he knew the Goblin culture was vastly different than what Gringotts portrayed – mostly because of their treaties with wizard-kind. But still, it was different than what he had ever experienced, and he worried they may have misinterpreted his shock as disgust. So as they opened the door for them, he once again gave them the proper goblin greeting. He did not notice the fleeting glances they spared each other as he moved past.
Once they got through the door – which Harry had honestly expected to take longer than it did, then again, he thought that about this whole venture – Harry was quickly lead down the stone hallway. He tried occasionally to stop and look at the glowing gems and veins of metal seemingly embedded into the wall, but Griphook quickly got him back on track. “I’m sure you only have so much time today, young Mr. Potter, we should be getting to Master Gorluc soon.”
A couple doors further down the hallway, and they came across the two goblins that had left the entrance hall before them. Griphook spoke with them in goblin-tongue briefly, before continuing on and stopping at the stone-hewn door they came out of. He moved into a goblin-bow, Harry following, but did not move upright as Harry had expected. Then, Harry remembered Bill mentioning the ranking of goblins, and the respect each deserved in their mannerisms and greetings. Gorluc must be more accomplished, and thus deserving of more respect, as when greeting a more accomplished master goblins would bow until instructed otherwise.
“Greetings Master Griphook, Young Mr. Potter, and Master Fairy.”
The voice was slightly scratchier than the other goblins he had talked with, and Harry wondered if it might be due to the lack of human interaction. As Bill had explained to him, goblins did not deign to teach proper goblin-tongue to humans. Often times when speaking with goblins from the deeper goblin tunnels, Bill had a harder time understanding them as frequent use of the goblin-tongue made the voice deeper and more scratchy when speaking english.
Both Harry and Griphook rose from their slight bow, moving into the room as the fairy trilled and followed their child companion. Harry took in the room around them as Griphook closed the door – the walls were fashioned the same way as the hallway had been, the light seemingly coming directly from gems embedded in the wall and shining off rivers of metal. In the middle of the room, backed up near to what appeared to be a fireplace, sat an older goblin – supposedly Master Gorluc – who was smiling lightly at Harry.
“Your goblin manners are much better than your father’s, young Mr. Potter, though not quite as refined as your mother’s.” Harry gulped, he had known logically that Master Gorluc would have had to have known his parents, but now he was facing that fact right in front of him. “I can tell you as much as I know about them, but I suspect you have more pressing questions, yes?”
As Harry nodded, the gobliness gestured to the two chairs facing her desk, and a tray with some tea sitting on it on top of her desk next to a piece of parchment and a knife. “Please, sit. Master Griphook is one of my old apprentices, though he now has mastery of his own, he once helped me to manage the Potter Vaults. I believe he even brought you to your trust vault during your first visit to Gringotts.” she scowled as both Harry and Griphook sat in the chairs, fairy choosing to alight on Harry’s shoulder, “I had wondered why you did not claim your lordship that day, though now I have some suspicions. I was told that you were raised by muggles? And that you don’t have access to your key?”
Harry nodded once she had finished speaking, not wishing to offend her by speaking out of turn, and pointedly ignoring that said something about a Lordship. “Yes, Master Gorluc. I don’t know who keeps my key, but I believe it’s either Headmaster Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall.” He frowned, thinking of the Dursley’s, “I live with my aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. They’re muggles.”
He can’t help the shiver that runs down his back thinking of the reason he finally left, and the fairy trilled sadly as a feeling of warmth drifted over Harry. And even though his voice was smaller, weaker than it would have been, he felt more comfortable talking about it with his fairy friend here.
“They’re...they’re horrible people. They treat me like a slave, I’m lucky if I get a full meal a day.” He doesn’t notice that he’s trembling, or that he’s curled his legs up underneath himself in a primal defense mechanism at the imagined threat. “Please, don’t send me back. Dumbledore says I have to go back, there’s magic keeping me safe because of mum or something, but if I go back they really might kill me next time.”
He flinches at the hand that pats his head lightly, looking over to Griphook who was trying to comfort him and then over to Gorluc. Gorluc, who...looked both murderous and melancholy.
“I’m very sorry you have had to endure that Mr. Potter – and yes, of course I believe you. Even if I didn’t have the ability to sense emotions, the presence of a fairy claiming you as fae-touched is all of the proof anyone would ever need.”
Seeing Harry’s confused look, she sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I believe that you know some things about the real world, given that you know proper manners.” The ‘unlike other wizards’ went unsaid, but was heavily implied, “But seeing as I am unaware how much, I believe I will have to start from the beginning. What do you know of the fae?”
Harry thought for a moment, “Not that much. We only touched on them briefly in History of Magic and in Care of Magical Creatures. Though my friend Hermione and I, as well as Hagrid, did spend an evening talking about their seeming disappearance.” He looked over at his fairy friend, who had begun nuzzling against his cheek in an effort to comfort him, “Though that is obviously not quite true.”
He looked back at the account manager, “I know that ‘fae’ is a term that muggles use to commonly describe magical creatures, but in our world, it really only refers to the...well, I forget the exact name. Fairies and elves, though they are all related to other magical creatures such as merpeople, bowtruckles, and goblins.”
Master Gorluc nodded, continuing where he left off. “That is mostly correct, the name you were likely thinking of was the ‘Tuatha dè Danann', or children of Danu."
She pointed to a still portrait that Harry hadn’t noticed sitting on the desk. It portrayed many of the magical races harry had mentioned, and many he didn’t or simply didn’t recognize, all surrounding a woman that was seemingly made of a star-studded sky.
“To keep a rather long story short, most of the magical races known to the world can be considered children of Danu, as Danu is simply another name for mother magic.” Without giving pause to Harry’s wonder and shock, she continued on, “’Fae’ to us in fact refer to the subraces of fairies and elves as you mentioned, and some other races as well. The fae are well known for their love of children, and their desire to protect children from harm and abusive households.”
Harry winced, but listened as she continued on. “When a fae recognizes a child as such, they will try to help them or simply steal them away. These children become known as fae-touched, and if ever introduced to the wizard world, are often very powerful and respected, or feared.” She smiled at him, “Thankfully, the Ministry recognized at its inception that the presence of a fae with a child proved evidence of abuse, and the process for immediate emancipation is quite simple.”
She gestured to the parchment in front of him, that he now saw was simply titled ‘Blood Inheritance and Effects test’. “Unfortunately, we cannot move further without knowing your exact identity, so we must do an inheritance test. We would have done this originally when you claimed your lordship, but better now than never. Simply prick your finger and drop four drops of blood onto the center of the paper.”
He went to pick up the knife, but hesitated. He knew he should probably just wait, but he was so curious... “You mentioned a lordship...I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.”
She nodded, “Apologies, young Mr. Potter, I forgot you may not know such things.” She winced, “Actually, that may be more of a problem than I thought.”
She barked out something in goblin-tongue, and a guard that must have been stationed in the hallway opened the door. They conversed, and the only thing Harry Recognized was the name ‘Billius Weasley’, before the guard bowed and left.
“I’ve sent for an employee of the bank, he is fortunately well-versed in wizarding politics and manners, we will be hiring him to tutor you on the rights and responsibilities of your inheritance.” she looked him in the eyes, seemingly holding him in place, “Your father’s full title was Lord James Fleamont Potter, and you were his only heir. Normally, a wizard is only able to claim their Heirship upon their first majority at eleven years of age, but when emancipated or when they are the last of the bloodline, they may instead take up the full Lordship.”
Harry shifted in place, wondering what that meant for him. But before he could ask, she answered, “Being a lord is important politically, and socially, but day to day responsibilities are quite small. In fact, for things such as voting in the Wizengamot or making business deals, Lords have the ability to appoint proxies to make decisions for them.” Her eyes shined at him, “Most of the Potter business is dealt by myself and the occasional apprentice. As for your wizengamot votes-” she gestured towards the parchment, “whomever your magical guardian is and the proxy they chose will be shown here, and as Lord you can nullify or change any decisions made by a previous Lord or magical guardian.”
Nodding, Harry finally took up the knife. He still had questions, and he was probably more than a little worried, but he knew that he would finally get some answers with this test. He pricked his fingers, following the goblins’ instructions. He was too entranced by the self-healing wound and the surprisingly clean knife to notice the shocked expressions of the goblins as the parchment expanded in size until it actually ended up on the floor with how long it had become.
His attention was drawn to Gorluc, who was now holding the parchment, when she began speaking in Goblin-tongue. Though, by the way Griphook’s face paled, he felt it was not something he wanted to understand.
“Thankfully, young Mr....Potter-Black, none of these issues are too pressing, given your apparent magic reserves, but as soon as this meeting is over you are having a full cleansing ritual and a healing session with one of our goblin healers.” Her tone and look left no room for argument, though Harry felt fine, but he acquiesced anyway. As long as he got his questions answered, he’d let them ‘cleanse’ and heal him.
She slid the paper over to him, before calling for a guard again, and only a few lines down his eyes were already boggling out of his head.
Blood Inheritance and Effects Test
Hadrian James Hydrus Potter-Black (Legal Name)
‘Harry James Potter’ (Given by A.P.W.B. Dumbledore)
Magical Guardian: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (Forced)
Blood Inheritance:
P = Paternal, M = Maternal, ??? = Other
P: Heir of the Ancient and Most Noble house of Black (By will of Lord Sirius Orion Black) (4 votes)
Current Lord: Sirius Orion Black, ineligible (Azkaban)
Current Wizengamot Proxy: A.P.W.B.D.
Properties: Grimauld Place (S.O. Black)
Vaults: Head of House (S.O. Black) | Trust Vaults (4: D. Malfoy, N. Malfoy, H. Potter, & B. LeStrange)
P: Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble house of Peverell (Last of the Legitimate bloodline) (4 votes)
Last active Lord: Ignotus Peverell, 1291
Current Wizengamot Proxy: Inactive
Properties: Peverell Manor (Destroyed, land occupied)
Vaults: Head of House (ex: James Potter) | Trust Vault (H. Potter)
P: Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble house of Potter (Last of the bloodline) (4 votes)
Last active Lord: James Potter, 1981
Current Wizengamot Proxy: A.P.W.B.D.
Properties: [200 year LEASE] Potter Cottage, Godrick’s Hollow (Partially Destroyed, under charm) | Potter Manor (destroyed, under Fidelius, secret keeper: Dowager Longbottom)
Vaults: Head of House (ex: James & Lily Potter) | Trust Vault (Harry Potter) | Guardian Vault (A.P.W.B.D.)
P: Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Noble house of Gryffindor (Last of the Legitimate Bloodline) (6 votes)
Last active Lord: Ignotus Peverell, 1291
Current Wizengamot Proxy: Inactive
Properties: Godrick’s Hollow (Leased Properties, managed by Gringotts account manager), Gryffin’s Rest (Location unknown, under charm), Hogwarts (25%), Ollivander’s Wand Shop (50%)
Vaults: Head of House (ex: James Potter)
M: Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Noble house of Slytherin (Last of the Magical Bloodline) (6 votes)
Last active Lord: Corvus Gaunt, 1782
Current Wizengamot Proxy: Inactive
Properties: Slytherin Manor (Destroyed, land occupied under Lease), Hogwarts (25%)
Vaults: Head of House (ex: Corvus Gaunt)
M: Lord of the Imperial house of Emrys (Last of the Magical Bloodline) (6 votes)
Last active Lord: Merlin Emrys, 759
Current Wizengamot Proxy: Inactive
Properties: Unknown, hidden under charm
Vaults: None
M: Lord of the Imperial house of LaFay (Last of the Magical Bloodline, no female blood-relatives) (6 Votes)
Last active Lady: Morgana LaFay, 724
Current Wizengamot Proxy: Inactive
Properties: Unknown
Vaults: None
???: Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Noble house of Hufflepuff (Bequeathed to Ravenclaw house upon extinction) (6 votes)
Last active Lady: Lyra Hufflepuff, 1290
Current Wizengamot Proxy: Inactive
Properties: Hogwarts, 25%, Hufflepuff Manor (location unknown, under charm)
Vaults: Head of House
???: Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Noble house of Ravenclaw (Bloodline Extinct, Recognized Lord by Lady Magic) (6 votes)
Last active Lady: Mera Blackley, 1476
Current Wizengamot Proxy: Inactive
Properties: Hogwarts, 25%, Ravenclaw Manor (location unknown, under charm), Raven’s Nest (Leased Properties, managed by Gringotts account manager)
Vaults: Head of House
Magical Powers:
Natural Metamorphmagus (birth, will inherit over time. Blocked 90% Oct. 31, 1981 , A.P.W.B.D.)
Parseltongue (birth, blocked 100% Oct. 31, 1981, A.P.W.B.D. Broken Jun 23, 1991)
Creature-Speak (birth, blocked 100% A.P.W.B.D.)
Magical Effects:
Fae-touched protection (May 14th, 1994)
Magical Core Block, Partial (Oct. 31, 1981, A.P.W.B.D. | January 1, 1989, DMLE)
Maternal Blood-Magic Protection (Oct. 31, 1981, broken Nov. 1, 1981)
Blood Adoption (Jul 31, 1980) - tied to Sirius Orion Black
Curses, potion effects, hexes, etc.:
Soul Shard, <1% (Oct. 31, 1981)
Broken fingers, wrongly healed (2+ years)
Fractured Skull, wrongly healed (2+ years)
Malnourishment (2+ years)
Puncture wounds, mostly healed (<2 days)
Recommended Actions: Full Cleansing Ritual & Full Med Scan
By the time Harry was done reading, there were 4 other goblins in the room, all talking with Gorluc in goblin-tongue or reading what Harry assumed was a copy of his inheritance test. When the goblin realized he was done reading, she held up her hand and the conversations stopped.
“Young master Potter-Black, as you can see, there are quite a few things on this test that were...not expected. While I was aware of the Gryffindor and Peverell lordships, I was unaware of all of the other ones. These are the master tellers who manage the various bank accounts – despite there not being an heir to these vaults for a long time, Lady Magic recognized the lines as intact, so they were never deactivated.”
She glanced at his confused expression – though honestly Harry was still just trying to wrap his head around everything. He was confused about more than one thing. “Lady Magic will, on occasion, bequeath extinct houses to close families or family friends, or specific people. Nobody knows the why, just that it happens.”
One by one the various goblins bowed and introduced themselves, before excusing themselves to go back to their normal work. They and Gorluc assured him that he would not need to talk with them often, just when decisions regarding the various vaults or businesses needed to be made. Once they all left, Bill Weasley walked into the room, looking quite confused before his eyes rested on harry, and his face slipped into a grin.
“Making some trouble, are you Harry?”
Harry laughed lightly, but his mind was still quite reeling from...everything really. As he felt the panic setting in, he made an executive decision. “Sorry, Master Gorluc, but as you might imagine this is a lot for me to take in. So maybe we could move on to the cleansing you mentioned?” He winced, “I’m going to assume with all of these vaults the payment won’t make too much of a dent in my money.”
The elder goblin nodded, getting up out of her seat. “Of course, Young Mr. Potter-Black. I will inform Mr. Weasley of all of the revelations of the day, when you are done with your ritual and healing session, he can answer any questions you have. And do not worry -” She added, somehow seeing Harry’s anxiety, “He will not speak of any of this outside of the walls of Gringotts. All employees here take a privacy oath regarding our patrons. Even Legilimency cannot get through the bloodwards.”
“Meanwhile, I will file your emancipation paperwork with the proper authorities and begin compiling summaries of your vault contents. Hopefully by the end of the day you will have an idea of your properties and what everything entails. Then we can talk about your plans moving forward.”
She looked up to the fairy that was still nuzzling Harry’s cheek, “Young Master Fairy, you may accompany Mr. Potter-Black or wait here for him to return.”
With a trill, the goblin chuckled lightly as the fairy seemed almost affronted at the idea.
“I expected nothing else. Well, Young Mr. Potter-Black, I will see you when you return.”