Chapter Text
After speaking with the minister and finally getting time to rest in Diagon Alley, Harry Potter was left with a lot to think about. Apparently he had performed a great bout of accidental magic, and instead of being expelled and having his wand snapped, he was being granted a few weeks of freedom and relaxation away from his horrid family in Little Whinging. He knew that he was not allowed back for the rest of the summer (probably because the Dursleys were too frightened by his outburst to believe he would continue being a submissive little thing for him). A small little voice in the back of his mind held onto a small piece of hope that they would be too scared to allow him back ever again.
Harry shook his head and banished the small piece of hope from his mind. Of course he would have to return. Professor Dumbledore had explained that he needed to be there in order to gain protection from his blood relatives. He had no reason to doubt that Dumbledore held his best interests at heart, even if he sometimes doubted if he would be more safe away from the hands of his uncle and cousin.
Rolling over in his bed, Harry felt the warm sun filtering in through the window fall on his face and he smiled. It wasn’t very often during the summer that he was able to wake up naturally with the rise of the sun, and he was going to take advantage of it for as long as possible. He could feel the remnants of bruises and pain radiating through his body that hadn’t quite healed yet in the two days he’d been away from the Dursleys, and he had half a mind to find a shop in Diagon Alley that sold pain potions and other tinctures to heal the remnants of his relatives’ “love”.
Hauling himself upright, Harry managed to shuffle out of bed and get ready for the day. Waiting for him lay a large tray topped to the brim with a variety of breakfast choices. Harry smiled, obviously Tom had outdone himself. Sadly though, Harry could only stomach a piece of french toast and a couple bites of the fruit salad on the tray before his abdomen groaned in protest. That was his least favorite part of returning from his relatives home, getting used to eating normal sized portions. Even though he hadn’t been with them for the entirety of the summer, it was evident that his stomach would still face the consequences of near constant starvation.
After waiting for the pain of a too-full stomach to fade away, Harry stood up and rummaged around in his trunk for a few things to take with him on his trek into Diagon Alley. He pocketed his wand and shoved his bag of coins into his front pocket before taking the stairs two at a time down to the Leaky Cauldron.
After trying (and failing) to open the way to the alley, Tom was gracious enough to do it for him, and Harry began his journey on a search for some wizarding pain management. He passed the storefronts he could easily place, like Madam Malkin’s and Ollivander’s. Finally, the one he was looking for finally stood out to him, Slug and Jigger’s Apothecary. Harry figured that if they sold all the ingredients for potions, they might also sell potions.
The heavy door creaked when he finally managed to get it open, and Harry was immediately assaulted by the strong scents and odors of the various ingredients in the store. After his eyes adjusted to the sudden change in lighting, he made his way through the store, hoping to find some sort of sign that would indicate a section for pre-made potions. He failed to notice the large body he was about to walk into as he was distracted by some sort of creature suspended in a jar of yellow liquid. He hit the person with a soft ‘oompf’.
“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going…” He stuttered out an apology, stepping backwards until he took in the appearance of the man he had hit. Tall, dressed head-to-toe in black, and greasy black hair… Harry had walked into none other than one Professor Severus Snape.
“Mister Potter,” Snape drawled. “If school was not currently out of session, I would take it upon myself to take points from Gryffindor for your inattention and lack of decorum.”
Harry winced as he hadn’t been mentally prepared to face Snape in any sort of environment outside of Hogwarts. “I’m truly sorry sir. I’ve only been in here twice before and I can’t find what I’m looking for.”
“If you are currently looking for your ingredients for next school year, I’m truly disappointed by your incompetence, as you would have had to walk past their display on your way over here.”
“Err, that’s not exactly what I’m looking for. I was wondering if they sold any pre-made potions.” Harry sheepishly scratched the back of his neck.
Snape rolled his eyes. “They keep the potions near the counter. However, they have a very limited supply. What kind of potion could you possibly be looking for? You better not be looking to get into any sort of trouble. I would have figured you’d already had enough, what with your little stunt this summer.”
Ahh, so Hogwarts had already been notified of his incident with Aunt Marge. He huffed, “No sir . I’m just looking for a pain potion of sorts. I can’t quite remember what Madam Pomfrey has used for me before.”
At that Snape narrowed his eyes. “Why would you need a pain potion?” his voice colder than usual.
Harry found himself flustered by the question and soon he was scrambling to come up with an answer. “I just, uh…” a light bulb went off in his head. “I took the Knight Bus here and I got a bit beat up from the chairs moving all about.”
Snape raised an eyebrow at Harry’s hastily put together. He huffed, “Leave it to you, Potter, to whine about a couple of bruises from the Knight Bus.” He led Harry up to the shopkeeper’s counter and pointed out the shelves of various potions. “Healing potions are on this shelf here Potter. Don’t forget to collect your ingredients for third year potions before you leave.” With that, Snape whirled away in a flurry of robes.
Harry studied the different potions that adorned the shelf, two of which stood out to him. He considered the bruise balm and the burn paste, before coming to the conclusion that he could just get both. He had enough money in his vault, and he figured his parents wouldn’t mind him using the funds they left him to keep himself healthy. He grabbed the two items and made his way over to the shopkeeper that was watching him with wide eyes.
Self-consciously, Harry brushed his fringe back over his scar as he set his items down. The worker jerked her eyes down and started ringing his items into the till with a light blush on her cheeks, “O-ok, it l-looks like your total c-comes to 5 galleons and 12 sickles.” She smiled at him nervously.
Rummaging through his small pouch, Harry quickly realized that he was 2 galleons short. He cursed under his breath, realizing that he had forgotten just how much money he had spent on buying sweets on the train back from Hogwarts. He sheepishly looked up at the shopkeeper, “I forgot to stop at Gringotts this morning. Could you possibly hold the items for me while I run to the bank?” He put on his best award-winning smile he could muster up.
She blushed again and nodded her assent before Harry was rushing from the store with an embarrassed flush of his own adorning his face. Quickly making his way across the alley, he burst through the large ornate doors, and made his way to the first teller that looked to be unoccupied.
Dark beady eyes looked down on him from the desk in front of him and gave him an expectant look. “I was hoping to visit my vault?” he wasn’t sure if he had phrased that as a statement or a question. “I need to withdraw some money.”
How the goblin managed to look any more unimpressed, Harry didn’t know. “Key” the goblin demanded.
Surprised, Harry’s heart froze for a moment. How could he have been so stupid as to forget that he would need his key? “Err, I don’t have my key right now, I forgot to get it back from Mrs. Weasley, and she’ll be in Egypt for a while still.”
“You don’t have your key?” The goblin looked affronted. “You gave your vault key to someone that isn’t one of your guardians?”
Harry snorted at the mental image of Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia trying to visit his vault at Gringotts. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to do that. But, Mrs. Weasley is very nice and I’m positive she wouldn’t take any money I didn’t tell her to.”
The goblin simply raised an eyebrow and sighed. “You’ll have to meet with your account manager to verify your identity. Follow me.” He jumped down from his high perch at the desk and without a look back swiftly started walking towards a door off to the side of the grand hall of Gringotts. Harry struggled to keep up as the goblin led him through various different doors and hallways. For a creature so much shorter than him, it truly walked very fast.
Suddenly, they came to a very sharp stop, and the goblin knocked on a dark wooden door. “Come in,” a deep, gravelly voice requested from the other side of the door. The door swung open and the goblin that had led him there gestured for Harry to enter. Walking in, harry noticed a large, ornate, wooden desk centered in the room, with two leather armchairs in front of it, and another behind the desk, which currently held another goblin. This one was dressed in a dark blue suit, and had dark grey hair slicked back. A pocket watch chain hung from the breast pocket on the suit.
“And who might this be?” The goblin behind the desk questioned.
“He claims to be Harry Potter, but he does not have his key with him. He’ll need to have his identity verified before he will be allowed access to his vault.” The goblin behind the desk nodded along with his words, and then gestured for the other goblin to leave once he had answered the question.
“Thank you Laglok, that will be all.” The goblin that Harry now knew to be Laglok nodded his head and then scurried away. “Mister Potter, please have a seat.” The goblin shuffled around a drawer at his desk before pulling out a few papers and a silver bowl. “As we have not had the pleasure of meeting before, I will introduce myself. I am Rokruff, the account manager for the Potter vaults. We have sent a couple letters requesting your presence, but your magical guardian refused to bring you in.”
Harry was slightly shocked. “Um, sorry sir, but did you say vaults? I just have the one my parents left me. Also, what is a magical guardian? I only have my aunt and uncle, but they are muggles.”
Rokruff gave him an inquisitorial look, “Mister Potter, you have three vaults. The one you have visited before was the trust vault that your parents set aside for you once you were born. Many pureblood families and those with lordships set up these vaults for their children to supply them with money for frivolous purchases as they grow up. You will gain access to your other two vaults once you come of age and claim your lordship. As far as your magical guardian goes, are you to tell me that you have not met with them before? They were meant to meet with you every so often as you grew up to educate you about the magical world and ensure your welfare. It was required by the ministry before they would let you be raised by muggles, as they would not let an heir to a noble house be raised without knowledge of the wizarding world.”
After that barrage of information, Harry was stunned. “No, I don’t believe I ever met one. I wasn’t aware that magic was even real before I got my Hogwarts letter. I mean I had my suspicions, but my aunt and uncle did everything they could to convince me that magic was not real.”
Rokruff looked very surprised. “Well, this is most inconvenient. I will have to notify the Department of Child Welfare.”
Immediately Harry was worried. If there were people, magical people nonetheless, investigating his home life and the Dursleys, it would make the rest of his time spent with them hell on earth. “No, no sir. You really don’t have to do that. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding is all. I’m sure we can just reach out to whoever my guardian is and figure everything out.”
Despite all his protests, Rokruff seemed unperturbed. “Nonsense. I am legally obligated to report any instances of suspected neglect. As the manager of your accounts, it is in my best interests to ensure your welfare.”
Harry groaned and hung his head. He knew he would be in for an unpleasant greeting the next time he had to see his relatives. Rokruff continued, “Before I report anything though, let’s quickly verify your identity, and then we can discuss your account and vaults.” He pushed forward the sheet of paper, which Harry just now noticed was quite thick and slightly yellowed at the edges. He also pushed forward the bowl, which was very shiny, almost as shiny as the silverware Aunt Petunia makes him polish.
Giving Rokruff a confused look, the goblin quickly explained. “I will provide you with a small dagger, and then you will deposit five drops of your blood into the bowl. Afterwards I will mix it with a specialized potion, and then the entire mixture will be poured over the paper. I believe you will learn of this specific procedure and potion in your sixth year.”
Harry nodded in understanding. He figured that it must have something to do with the DNA in his blood. His account manager withdrew the said dagger and passed it to him handle first. Quickly, before he could get himself worked up about the pain, Harry nicked the tip of his index finger. The blood quickly welled up to the surface, and Harry held the appendage above the bowl letting five drops of his blood plop against the metal. He slid the bowl back towards Rokruff, who withdrew a shimmery looking potion from another of his seemingly endless drawers.
Once the potion had been mixed, the goblin gently poured the mixture over the parchment. From where Harry was sitting, he could see the beginnings of black ink taking shape before Rokruff lifted the paper, obstructing his view. Harry watched the goblin’s face, and started to worry as Rokruff’s already wrinkled face started wrinkling even more as he drew his eyebrows together in confusion.
A minute passed before Harry decided to break the silence by clearing his throat. Rokruff startled and then looked up at the young wizard sitting in front of his desk. “Well Mister Potter, it looks like I will have to notify a couple more people before we will be finished today.” With that, the goblin placed the paper down before flipping it around and pushing it towards Harry’s side of the desk.
Harry immediately noticed what had obviously confounded the goblin when he took in the words on the page. His stomach started twisting, and Harry was starting to regret the large breakfast he had eaten that morning.
Gringott’s Official Identification Test
Name: Hadrian Cygnus Malfoy (Blood Adoption: Harry James Potter)
Parents:
Lucius Abraxas Malfoy
Narcissa Callisto Malfoy nee Black
James Fleamont Potter (Blood Adoption)
Lily Jade Potter nee Evans (Blood Adoption)
Siblings:
Draco Lucius Malfoy