1,004Hagrid lead Harry towards the large white marble building that overlooked Diagon Alley. Harry couldn't help but admire the building before him, before he thought of Hagrid's words earlier in the day. If his parents were so wealthy that they left him so much money, and they really weren't drunkards and all the other nasty things his aunt and uncle told him, then why was he always told that he was a strain on them and that his parents were broke? Why was he even with the Dursleys in the first place if his parents, and himself by extension, were considered heroes? There must have been someone out there that wanted him. Harry had many questions and few answers, and he had a feeling that Hagrid wouldn't be able to answer them all. He seemed pretty nice, but Harry could tell that he wasn't a wealth of knowledge. But Harry decided to see if he could get anything more out of the gently giant.
"Hagrid, how will I be able to get the money out of Gringotts?"
"I have your key right here in my pocket Harry." Harry looked at him hoping that he would explain further, but it looked like Hagrid thought that was really an answer.
"How do they know that the key belongs to me? And how did you get my key? Does that mean that anyone who has my key can take money from my vaults?"
"Well, the key is tide to your family and the goblins are able to tell which key belongs to who and which vault. The headmaster was the one to give me your key since he's your magical guardian and only you and he can get into you trust vault. Your family vault will be opened when you turn seventeen." Hagrid had a look of concentration trying to explain everything to Harry. He was slightly confused to why Harry would be asking all these questions before he was distracted by another question of Harry's.
"What's a goblin?"
"Goblins are little creatures that take care of the banks in the wizard world. They are very fierce warriors that you don't want to mess with. You're able to get your first look at them right now." Hagrid gestured to towards the bank that they were in front of. Up grand steps stood a gleaming, white bank that took Harry's breath away. And in front of the imposing building, was an even more imposing sight. Hagrid was right when he said that they were small, although everything compared to Hagrid was small, but they differently had an air about them that told of a warrior status. Harry couldn't help but slightly shiver while passing them. Thankfully he didn't see the grin that the guards shared when they noticed. They waited in line and then came up to a free teller, waiting for him to finish his work.
"What do you want?" The goblin's voice was scratchy and harsh while he looked at them with a sneer.
"Where here to make a withdrawal from Harry Potter's vault and pick to up a package from this vault for Dumbledore." Hagrid handed over a note and Harry's key. The goblin looked at the note and nodded before shouting something in a language Harry didn't understand. The goblin then looked at the key and then Harry. Harry had to stop himself from stepping back from his gaze. The goblin nodded again before shouting again.
"Hardclaw will take you to the retrieve the package while Griphook takes Mr. Potter to his vault." The goblin handed Harry his key back while two other goblins walked up. The teller was about to go back to his ledger but was stopped by the small voice of Harry's.
"Excuse me Mr. Goblin, but is there someone who is in charge of my accounts? I'm very new to this world and I would really like to understand it a little better." The goblins around him, and even Hagrid, were a little surprised by this. Hagrid was surprised because he thought that he answered everything he needed to and Dumbledore didn't tell him what to do in this type of situation. The goblins on the other hand were surprised that someone would be so polite to them and someone from a family as his didn't know anything. He should have been getting monthly reports from them since his eighth birthday. This was going to cause heads to roll.
"Griphook will take you to your vault and then to the goblin that will help you with your account Mr. Potter. Anything else?"
"Yeah, could all keys to my vault be accounted for, or is that for the other goblin?"
"That will be for the other goblin."
"Oh, okay. Thank you." The teller nodded before pointing to Griphook. Harry nodded in thanks with a shy smile before following the goblin appointed to him. By the time Hagrid got over his shock, Harry was halfway across the lobby and the teller was gone with a 'closed' sign in his place. Hagrid shook his head and followed the sneering goblin impatient with all the waiting.
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The teller that handled Harry on the other hand was rushing down the halls to Ragnorock, the leader of the goblins, to tell him what he learned. To say that the message he was about to deliver was unpleasant was an understatement. The goblin just hoped that he wasn't about to lose his head over this while nocking on the door.
"Enter." Ragnorock was sitting at his huge desk doing whatever leaders of the goblin race did. The teller walked up to the desk and waited to be address. "Why are you not on the floor teller?"
"I have some upsetting news about one of the noble and ancient houses that are under our domain, my lord."
"Explain."
"Harry Potter, from the Noble and Ancient House of Potters, came into the bank today in old, oversized clothes. He looked underfed and it seems that his mail from us was either intercepted or never sent out since he has no idea of his birthright." Ragnorock wasn't pleased by this, but it seemed that the teller was about to make him even madder. Unfortunately, he was correct. "That is not all, my lord. It seems that Dumbledore did it on purpose because his pet half-giant was the one who had his key. Mr. Potter wishes to speak to someone in charge of his accounts. I thought to bring this to your attention rather than Riphound."
"Wise decision, teller." Ragnorock pushed a rune on his desk and a runner goblin came in a second later. "Bring me Riphound immediately as well as the master ledger for his accounts." The little goblin ran when he saw the look on his face. Whatever Riphound did, he highly doubted that he would make it without being sent to the dragon pits, if not worse. "Where is Mr. Potter now?"
"He is making a withdrawal from his trust account at the moment. When he is done, I will send him to whomever you choose, Lord Ragnorock." Ragnorock reclined in his chair while he thought. There were many that he trusted but this was a very special case. If Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, went to the press and lumped them with the others that have done him wrong, than the relations with the British wizards would be even worse than it is now. It took all of his control to keep his Britain brothers from attacking the arrogant wizards that they have to deal with on a daily bases. But if handled properly, they could use this to be there advantage. With that in his mind, he made a decision.
"I want Mr. Potter brought to me. This is something I will have to handle to get even close to the results I want." Before either one of them was able to think of that further, there was a knock on the door before the runner and Riphound came into the office. "You may go runner and teller, myself and Riphound have much to discuss about his performance here at the bank." Riphound couldn't help but gulp. He had a feeling that one of his shadier dealings was about to reviewed. Hopefully it was only about one of the lesser family. His hopes were dashed when Ragnorock spoke.
"How are the Potter's accounts coming along?" Riphound paled at that. He was so going to get beheaded. "By the look on your face, not very well. Since Mr. Potter is in the bank at the moment you're going to give me the shortened version. If it matches your master ledger, then your death will only be painful. But if I find that you were lying to me or you've done this to other high accounts, then you will be wishing for a long and painful death. Let me tell you now though, that any lie will only lengthen your torture at my hands." The sinister look on Ragnorock's face made him start confessing quickly. Hopefully he would only be tortured for a week before he was killed.
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The bank teller went back to his desk right before Mr. Potter and Griphook came back from the carts. He opened his teller desk and motioned them over. It looked like Griphook was answering some general questions while the teller studied them. Usually when one of the little humans were curious, they irritated the goblins they were asking. With idiot parents, it wasn't that much of a surprise, but this time it didn't seem to be the case. The teller had to think that it was because the little human was respectful to them. With that thought, he turned his attention back to the two coming towards him while some of the other patrons in line got even more irritable for having to wait a minute longer. He spared them a sneer before looking at Mr. Potter and Griphook.
"Take him to Lord Ragnorock. He will be handling Mr. Potter's accounts until further notice." Griphook widened his eyes before schooling his features. Griphook nodded his head before leading Harry towards Ragnorock's office.
"Who is Ragnorock?" Griphook looked towards Harry before looking straight ahead.
"Ragnorock is the British leader of the goblin nation. The only time that he personally deals with an account is if one of our more bigger holders have been wrong. I have a feeling that you fall under that description." Harry nodded at that. With the amount of gold that he had in his trust account and learning that he had other accounts that he would receive once he turned seventeen, which was the legal age in the wizarding world, Harry realized that he should have known at least the basics pertaining to his wealth. Harry just hoped that nothing too bad happened with his accounts, but realized that if he was going to be going to the goblin leader than it might be something big.
"I'm guessing that the manager of my account isn't going to be around for very long?" Griphook's answering smile was the only answer he needed while they walked through the maze of halls. After walking for another minute, they made it to Ragnorock's office. With a knock from Griphook he left Harry with a nod. Harry went into Ragnorock's office that he was in awe of. It was large office with weapons lining the walls and some artwork between them. Harry's attention was brought to the goblin behind the large, wooden desk when Ragnorock cleared his throat.
"Mr. Potter, it is a pleasure to see you. Unfortunately it seems that your account has been mismanaged. It also seems that your magical guardian has been neglecting his duties to you."
"Yes, Hagrid said that a man named Dumbledore was my magical guardian, but I've never seen or heard from him. Not to mention that my aunt and uncle lied to me about my parents. I have a feeling that I'm going to need a lawyer as well as my regular school supplies."
"You can do that through us for a slight fee, depending on the amount of work we need." Harry nodded at that. "Now, since I've only had such a short time to look at your account, let's go over that first and then we can go over the reasons why you want legal counsel and anything else that might come up. Do you have any questions at this point?"
"Yes. I really don't want to go to my relative's home, which will be relevant to the legal counsel. I was wondering if there were other inns other than the one I came through?"
"Yes. I can make a reservation for you at the Sight Inn off of Vertical Alley. It is more high in than the other inns here." At Harry's nod Ragnorock wrote on a piece of parchment to his right side. The ink disappeared and Harry assumed that it was the goblin's version of written communication. "Anything else? Good, then we can go over your accounts. Now since the knowledge of the wizarding world has been denied to you, I want to explain to you that usually, when there is only one person left within a family line that is under-aged, their accounts are managed by their magical guardian. When the heir of the line turns eight, they start to receive account reports of everything they have, although they still don't have any control over anything except for any heir vaults that they may have. Any questions so far?"
"Do I have more than one heir vault?" Ragnorock went through some papers before finding the one he wanted.
"It seems that you have the Potter heir vault through your father as well as the Black heir vault through your godfather who left you everything." Ragnorock's brow crunched in confusion.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Sirius Black was appointed your godfather and your appointed guardian should anything happen to your parents. It is said that he betrayed your parents, which is the reason you are an orphan. If he truly is your parent's betrayer, then it is strange that he left you his heir even if he wasn't the Black Head at the time."
"Is there a trial transcript that I can review?"
"I will look into it for our next meeting." Harry nodded at this and Ragnorock moved onto his previous explanation. "Now, you should have received monthly reports about your holdings once a month but your teller has informed me that wasn't the case. Be assured that the account manager is being … investigated as we speak."
"He's still alive?"
"For now, Mr. Potter. Now, back to your holdings. Usually a heir can only become the head of their family on their seventeenth birthday, which is the age of maturity in the wizarding world. The only exception is when there is not another living, of age relative, blood or married, to be regent. This applies to you, meaning you can gain control of all the Potter vaults when you turn fourteen and apply for adulthood. You won't be able to gain the Black vaults until your seventeenth birthday. If Sirius Black hasn't died by that time, then you can petition the courts that he is incompetent due to him being in jail and gain control of the Black vaults then, minus anything distributed through his will." Harry nodded his head in understanding before realizing something.
"Did my parents leave a will? I have a feeling that I wasn't to go to my aunt and uncle."
"It seems that Dumbledore said that he was in control of you and your account manager illegally allowed it. Your parent's wills were never read, although if what you say is true, then Dumbledore will be in serious trouble. Unfortunately, he has a lot of power in the wizarding world and will probably only get a slap on the wrist. That means that at most he will have to give you a hefty fine, on top of whatever else he might have done."
"How was he able to get away with this?" Harry was starting to get angry at the man that made almost a decade of his life a living hell. Until a few days ago he was living under a cupboard. No regular meals and his whale of a cousin's cast offs as clothes was only the peak of his life with the Durleys. Ragnorock's sigh brought Harry out of his brooding.
"Dumbledore defeated a Dark Lord named Gellert Grindelwald before Voldemort became a problem. He was hailed as a hero. Not only that, but he holds an important part in your government as well as being the British representative to the worldly wizard nations as well. Throw in being the headmaster of Britain's premier school as well, and you have just about every generation listening to him. It will take a while before he isn't held in strong regard, but this will be a start."
"Fine. Is there anything else that we need to go through before your investigation starts revealing anything?"
"Yes. It seems that Dumbledore withdrew money that was supposed to go towards your care. By the look of you, we'll be visiting our healers before you leave today. We will be collecting that money back as well as a fine for the theft. That is something we can do without the courts getting involved."
"Is there going to be an audit involved as well? Griphook said that old families have other things in the main vaults other than money." Ragnorock nodded at that and wrote that down.
"We will call back everything that belongs to you and put it in your heir vault. Dumbledore will also be fined 1,000 galleons for every item that is a Potter heirloom. These will also be made public knowledge which will be issued in the Daily Prophet and other publications. Since both of you are high profile people, it will probably make the front page, so be prepared Mr. Potter. You are going to see just how important you are. I suggest that when you get your school books, that you also get books on wizard law, customs, history, as well as mind magicks. These will help you in the future." Harry nodded his head in understanding while trying to think of anything else he might need. In the end Harry decided to just see whatever caught his attention.
"Do you happen to have my parent's wills?"
"No, but we will find it and have it read. You will get an owl when we are ready."
"How is that going to work since all other mail hasn't made it to me?"
"Good point, Mr. Potter. We will give you a mail box free of charge for the next ten years. After that it will cost the yearly 5 galleons. All mail will be redirected to the mail box and check for any curses, hexes or potions attached to them and nullified with a report. The box only handles incoming mail. All outgoing mail will be dealt with your own owl that you can find in the pet shop on Diagon Alley. That is all that I have on your accounts at the moment. Are there any other questions before we go further with your legal representation?"
"How long do you think it will take for the investigation? I'll be going to Hogwarts soon."
"As the last living heir, you can inform your head of house that you have business with us as long as you give them a 48hrs warning. If they stop you, they can be arrested for interfering with an Ancient and Noble House. Remind them of that and they will back off. You'll also get a portkey, which is a form of transportation, which will get you here once you're outside the Hogwarts' wards with an activation word. Now, for your legal counsel. When your parent's wills are read, Dumbledore is going to be in trouble. How much will depend on how much of the will he disregarded. The least he'll get is a number of fines and some discretization. The best we can hope for is him losing one or more of his positions in the ministry and possibly his headmaster position if we can swing it as him being a danger to the other students. Do you have any questions or anything else to add before taking you to our healers?"
"Yes. My relatives didn't really treat me with the best of care." Ragnorock narrowed his eyes at this. The mistreatment of children was something every goblin and wizard took seriously. It was one of the few things that both species agreed with. All children were to be cherished and treated with care. "For all of my stay there, excluding the last week or so, I've lived under the stairs in the cupboard."
"WHAT! Those filthy muggles dare to treat a child like that?!" Harry leaned back within his seat. He had a feeling that this part of the conversation was going to raise the goblin's blood pressure.
"Umm, you might not like the next part I'm about to say." When it looked like Ragnorock got control of himself, Harry gave him an overview of what he lived through. The starving, the beatings and neglect from his relatives as well as the two times he tried to get help only to be beaten and thrown into his 'room' for days on end with only water and a handful of bathroom breaks so he didn't completely stink the house up. Harry also told about the impossible chores he had to do and the punishments he would get when he didn't complete them or did them wrong. By the time Harry was through, Ragnorock looked like he was willing to hunt down Harry's relatives. It took a while for Ragnorock to calm down enough to talk somewhat calmly to Harry.
"We will get the evidence we need from the healers and then charge them with child abuse. We have contacts in the muggle world to do this. Then we will go after Dumbledore as best we can, but as I said, he is well connected. At least this will set him up for future attacks when we are presented with an opportunity. A man like him probably has more secrets that need to be brought to light." The furious look Ragnorock gave made Harry almost feel sorry for Dumbledore. Then he thought about his life and any sympathy was immediately scorched.
"I'll call a runner to lead you to the healers while arranging everything else we've talked about." Harry gave his thanks and was then lead towards the healers. Ragnorock took a breath, and a calming draught, before getting to work. First with ordering a total work up for Harry, have a portkey made, and then have one of the wizards working for Gringotts to take Harry around to get everything. After that the legal aspects needed to be started on before Ragnorock could go back to Harry's account along with the fifteen other accounts that were robbed from. Riphound was so going to pay for this and Ragnorock wasn't going to give him death until after everything was sorted. And with all of his other duties, it was going to take a while.