Author's Note: To those who were trying to remember if they had heard the name Griltskin before or not; indeed you have. Remember when Teebel was telling Harry about the origin of the sapphire? Check back in Chapter Three if you can't recall.
Harry had read through the journal at least four times already. Some of the diagrams almost made sense to him. Though what their intended purpose was escaped him. The scientific essays were so far reaching and abstract that even on his best day they were little more than esoteric gibberish. Still, he had a hard time putting it down. The frustrating part was that the last five or six pages had been ripped out and so whatever conclusions this man had finally reached were lost. The charts and illustrations had him riveted. It was obvious that they were displaying various parts of 'The Great Machine', which is what the author used to reference the strange beast of a contraption in the large cellar below. From what Harry could tell there seemed to be a lot of references to something called the 'Faultless Meniscus'.
"What on earth is a meniscus?" Harry mused to himself. "Isn't that a piece of cartilage in your knee? What does that have to do with anything?"
It also made reference to something called 'The Chamber'. It seemed that this was the centerpiece of the The Great Machine, but Harry saw no sign of any chamber when he was down there. Perhaps it was referencing the whole room. He decided to start all over and read it from the beginning again. Each time he did, a new piece of the puzzle became more evident. For now though his head was beginning to hurt and it was time to get up and stretch his legs.
As Harry began to walk towards the stairs to make his way down to the main floor, a small head popped around the corner.
"Master, I…"
"Teebel? Remember what I asked?"
"Um, yes of course. Err… Harry?"
"Yes, Teebel, what can I help you with?" Harry asked.
"There is someone here to see you. Would you like me to invite them inside?"
"Someone is here?" Harry knew who it was right away. "Of course, of course. I'll be right down."
Hermione must have gotten his letter. He just knew she would come. He had so much to talk with her about. He checked himself in the mirror to make sure that he had everything where it was supposed to be. After a cursory check and discovering that he still had two arms, two legs and a head on top, he decided that was good enough. Harry quickly made his way down the stairs and into the foyer.
Someone was here to see him, but it definitely was not Hermione. It was an odd looking man. He was wearing a large green top hat and had on a dark purple shirt and a very baggy pair of red corduroy pants. He was a bit heavy around the middle and had a very round face. At first guess, he appeared to be in his late fifties or early sixties. Underneath the top hat was a mess of a hairdo. His curly locks were distinctly salt and pepper in color. He was casually leaning against a dark hued, wooden cane. The most noticeable thing was his warm smile beneath a very bushy, bicycle mustache.
Harry found it difficult to not smile in return. He stepped down and politely reached his hand out. The man beamed as he stuck his arm out and returned with a firm handshake.
"Hello," Harry said unsure of himself, "I'm Harry. It's a pleasure to meet you. Are you my neighbor?"
The man chuckled and answered, "I guess you could call me that. My name is Bilibaum. My friends… and neighbors call me Bili. I live about three miles to the south of here in our summer cottage. I heard from one of my house-elves that someone had moved into the old Leakwood place and I had to come and see for myself. What a shock to discover that the one and only Harry Potter lives here."
Harry found it hard not to blush at the recognition by this lively gentleman.
"Would you like to come in for some tea?" Harry offered.
"Why that's very kind of you. I would love to."
Bili stepped forward in anticipation of following Harry. Harry turned around and began to make his way towards the tea room. He stopped for a moment to get his bearings and then after a second, remembered where exactly it was.
"Sorry," Harry mumbled, "I'm still not sure where everything is in this place. It's a bit larger than I'm used to."
Bili laughed and said, "I've told my wife that exact same thing a dozen times or more, but she insists on living in the largest houses she can find. Though, I daresay your little home here would be more than enough to keep her from complaining."
Harry laughed in response and escorted him to the tea room and offered him any seat that he thought most comfortable. There was a plethora of soft comfy chairs to choose from and Bili selected one near the largest window. Harry sat down in the chair next to it. After a moment Harry realized he had forgotten something.
"I, uh, forgot to check with Teebel. Hold on just a moment."
Before he even stood up Teebel appeared with a large silver tray loaded with two teacups filled with some piping earl grey and a dash of sweet cream. Also, numerous biscuits, scones and shortbread cookies were present as well.
"Thank you Teebel," Harry sounded relieved.
"Of course," the elf responded with a glorious bow.
Harry and Bili both sipped their tea and enjoyed the view of the Leakwood garden from the comfort of the indoors. Teebel quickly dismissed himself and stayed far enough away to not intrude, but close enough in case Harry needed him.
"Well, young Master Harry. You are both a spectacularly quiet neighbor and a well-mannered gentleman as well. I do apologize for dropping in unannounced, but my wife was going to have an aneurysm if I did not come and discover who and what was going on over here. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," Harry said truthfully. "I had no idea I had any neighbors. It's very nice to know that I do. I have a friend coming to visit at some point. Perhaps when she arrives you and your wife would like to have dinner with us?"
At least Harry hoped he had a friend coming to visit. Still no word from Hermione, but he was holding on to the idea that she would arrive sooner than later.
"That is quite a wonderful offer. I know my wife would love to meet the famous Harry Potter and his friend. You just send us an owl whenever they arrive and let us know what night would be good for you and we'll make our schedule fit around it."
"I will," Harry promised. "So, you come and visit here during the summer then?"
Bili sighed, "We do. I wish we could just live out here, but my dear wife insists that we spend equal time amongst all of our residences. Damnably inconvenient if you ask me, but I certainly don't wear the pants in this marriage."
Harry could tell that letting his wife run the show, really did not bother Bili all that much. He just complained mostly for the sake of conversation.
"Did you know any of my family?" Harry asked.
"Well, I'm sorry to say that I did not. This manor was sitting empty for much longer than any of the folks, wizards or otherwise, have been alive around here."
The two of them made pleasant conversation for about a half hour when Bili gently brought up that his wife would become agitated if he was gone too long. Harry stood up and they shook hands again. Teebel quietly stepped up to escort the guest to the front door. Just before he had left the room he turned back to Harry.
"You know Harry. There has been some strange goings on around these parts over the past few years. If you decide to leave your property and wander around, do be quite careful."
"I will," Harry answered.
With that Harry's guest allowed himself to be escorted to the front hall and after stepping onto the front patio, apparated off. Harry made note that it was probably not polite to apparate out while inside of someone's house that you are a guest of. He put that little piece of etiquette into his memory and stored it away.
--- ---
The manor felt a bit empty during the early evening. True, Teebel was around, but he was never happy just sitting around. House-elves get uncomfortable if they are not up and about doing one thing or another. It was nice that he had a neighbor and he had stopped by, but Harry was craving close companionship. He had written to Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Neville and none of them had replied yet either. He knew it was summertime and everyone was busy doing their own thing, but it would be nice to get a short note of one kind or another.
He shrugged his shoulders and decided that he would explore some more. He still had not seen all the rooms in this place yet and longed to learn more about it. The manor seemed to have almost a life of its own and it was a life that begged to be noticed. Harry stood up and noticed the red notebook on the end table. Heaglevert Leakwood? Who exactly was that anyways? That name was not out in the family cemetery. Why would that be? For some reason, he began to think of eating something in the breakfast nook. He really was not hungry after already eating dinner, so why did that come to mind?
Like a bolt it struck him. He remembered where he had seen the name before. He ran as quickly as his feet could take him and burst into the comfy nook and stared hard at the two paintings. Sure enough, there was the paintings of his great, great grandfather and great, great grandmother, Heaglevert and Mildred Leakwood. So, the inventor-scientist of the family was his great, great grandfather. The question remains is why would a wizard like him, become so fascinated with blending science and magic. Indeed, what would drive the noble looking fellow in the painting to such an extreme?
Harry tried to think back to what Teebel had told him. He remembered that these two people had children that were both squibs. Then their children also had non-magical children; which ultimately forced them to leave this place. So, what happened that would cause him to embrace this strange and unorthodox way? Did it have something to do with them being squibs? Was it some sort of machine that could make a non-magical person suddenly become a witch or a wizard? That seemed unlikely, because it was not until the next generation of children came along that it would affect their ability to stay here. It was his great grandparents that had to leave, not Heaglevert and Mildred. He just could not figure it out. Maybe if he could just learn what the final purpose of The Great Machine was, then all his questions would be answered.
Harry put the notebook down on the table and scratched his head. He would have to be content that he had plenty of time to unravel these mysteries. There was no doubt that he was going to call this place home now. This is where he belonged and nothing would ever take it away from him.
--- ---
Meanwhile, in a much more familiar place there was a soft knock on the door. A young man waited patiently outside, still trying to find the right words to say. After a moment the door swung open. He had wished that Harry would have responded to his letter by now, but he simply could not wait any longer. He just had to tell Ginny how especially wonderful she is. She was a very important and wonderful young woman and he wanted to make sure that she knew it. So, he took it upon himself to come and tell her just that.
"Why hello Neville," Molly Weasley cried, "it's so wonderful to see you. Come in, come in."
"Actually, I was here to see if Ginny was home. I was wondering if I might speak to her," he replied bashfully.
"Oh, I see… oh dear. She is home, but now might not be the best time," Mrs. Weasley said cautiously.
"Of course," Neville said quickly, "she's probably busy. I'll come back another time."
"Well, it's not that she's exactly busy, it's just that she's... with someone right now."
"Oh," Neville said worriedly.
"Apparently, Draco decided to stop by before he left on his trip to France. I just about set a curse on him, but Ginny insisted that I not kill him, so… I didn't. They're just outside in the garden around back. If you'd like to wait…"
"Um, no, that's alright… she… Ginny… she wouldn't want to see me anyways. I'll just, um, go home."
"Are you sure Neville? Well, I'll at least be sure to tell her you stopped by," Molly replied feeling very badly.
"No! … I mean no, thank you. I'd rather she didn't know. She really wouldn't want to know. Goodbye, Mrs. Weasley. It was very nice to see you again."
"It was lovely to see you dear. Please take care of yourself."
Neville turned around and walked away. His stomach was tied in horrible knots and his throat had gone totally dry. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not seem to swallow. He kept on walking, trying hard to pretend that the stinging in his eyes was not from tears.
--- ---
Hermione had just about fallen down when she traveled by floo powder to a friendly little tavern in Gillingham. She regained her balance and took a look around. There were almost two dozen people drinking ale, singing and laughing. This was obviously the tavern to be at for the local wizards and witches. Ron and Luna insisted this was the only way to get to Harry's new home. She would have to find her own way there from here. She dearly hoped that someone would be able to point her in the right direction. A pretty, young woman walked up to her with a smile.
"Pleased to meet you," she spoke loudly to be heard over all the noise, "what can I bring you?"
"Well, I'm really looking for directions. I was told that Harry Potter came through here awhile back and I was trying to find him."
"Harry Potter! 'The' Harry Potter! I'm pretty sure I'd remember if he had come through here. I haven't seen him."
"Oh," Hermione replied disappointedly, "he inherited a home near here and I was told this was the best way to get to Leakwood Manor."
"Oh, blimey! That young fellow was Harry Potter! I feel like such a dolt. I guess I expected that if I met him that he would be around ten feet tall and have a lightening bolt come right out of his forehead and slay anybody in the area who was of questionable character."
She let out a boisterous laugh and announced to the barkeep of their stupidity in not recognizing The-boy-who-lived. After sharing, she turned back to Hermione and gave careful instructions on how to get to the manor. Hermione traded in a handful of wizarding money for muggle money and quickly left the tavern. She then made her way to the muggle train station and bought a ticket.
The train was quite empty this time of day and she had a whole cart to herself. She sat there nervously waiting to stop off at the little town just a few miles away from Harry's inheritance.
She was both worried and highly agitated at Harry. Why on earth would he have not sent a letter to her, telling her about this manor? Was he too busy with his new life to even send a note of some kind? The more she thought about it, the more she decided he had better be in some kind of peril. If not, then he would be when she got there. Did she mean so little to him, after all was said and done, that he would exclude her from this important change in his life? The thought made her feel kind of sick inside. She found it odd that she was really starting to hope that he was in some kind of trouble. The alternative was a much scarier proposition to her.
It had been nice to see Ron again. He and Luna seemed to really be having fun. If they were a couple, they had not let on about it, but it sure was obvious they had a thing for each other. Hermione thought it would be nice if things worked out between them. Ron deserved to have someone special in his life. So, did Harry for that matter, but the thought of him having someone special in his life made her feel uncomfortable for some reason. His happiness was very important to her, but she decided he should be happy without having someone on his arm. With a sigh she waited until it was time to get off at her stop.
--- ---
Something strange stirred inside of Harry's mind. He started to think more about the diary he had found in the room up in the southeast tower. It was such a sad little diary. She sounded quite young, by the way she wrote and it had been obvious that she was afflicted with something and he could only guess that it had resulted in her losing her life. The thought made him a bit melancholy, but also seemed to add a kind of humanity to the lives of those people who lived here. They had known happiness, success, wealth and perhaps some power, but at the same time they had their share of births, deaths and tragedies just like everyone else. Somehow, it made them all much more real and close. He hated to admit it, but he identified with tragedy. He had seen enough of it in his life to know how it could affect someone.
When he was ready he would go back to that room. Sit down on the edge of that beautiful bed and read that girl's diary from beginning to end. He felt drawn to her and wanted to know her whole story. The same blood that ran through her body ran through his. Again, the word 'connected' entered his mind. Each person he came to know here gave him one more connection to his past and where he came from. Each life that became more clear and real to him, made his own life seem more complete.
These same emotions were the ones driving him to understand what had been going on in the cellar. He needed to know, so he could know what made his great, great grandfather tick. Ultimately, he wanted to know what had become of his grandmother and grandfather. Once he knew more about them, then in turn he would know more about his own mother. Step by step, Harry was becoming a whole person and he never felt more sure that he was in the right place at the right time.
"Who ever thought I would wind up here?" Harry announced to an empty room.
Harry touched the notebook with his left hand and smiled, "And you? I know your name and that you're my great, great grandfather, but what I really want to know is who exactly you are?"
Harry's head snapped up and looked around the room. There was no one there. He stood up and walked around to be sure. He even called out to Teebel, but there was no one. When he convinced himself that he was alone, he quietly walked out and decided to find where the elf was at; just to check on him and see how he was doing. Of course, it was mostly to not be alone. However, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself otherwise, he was quite sure he heard a voice whisper, "He's my papa."
--- ---
Griltskin had once again hidden himself inside his little rocky, seashore cave. He was spending more time here than any other place he had stayed at since the old days. He had long ago lost the ability to blend in to society. The old swamp hag's curse still haunted him. He thought for sure that eventually he would be allowed to die, but that day never came. He even threw himself at the aging dragon Narlroot. Just as he had hoped he had been eaten and swallowed by the creature. It made know difference. He was still alive inside of the beast's great belly. While he was in there he had discovered the raw sapphire that the thing had swallowed long ago. As with all jewels in the rough, it was anything but recognizable beyond being a dull, dark blue rock. Still, it was all there was to do; to just hold onto the thing and see what it might turn out to be once he got free.
Being digested was quite painful, but what could he do, except wait to be processed and then defecated out. Then the strangest thing happened. A noble son of the Leakwood family heard what had happened to the old wizard and decided to rescue him for some forsaken reason. Gathering a large group of wizards the dragon was slain and he had been freed from his prison. Griltskin did not thank Craigen Leakwood, but Craigen knew him well enough not to hold his breath for any words of gratitude. Craigen knew full well the curse that had been placed on him and why, but still the Leakwood boy felt sorry for him. Sadly enough, he was the closest thing to a friend Griltskin ever had. Not that it meant anything to the cold-hearted wizard, but nevertheless it was the truth.
The one thing he had become most aware of was how strangely beautiful the dragon's eyes were. So much so, that when he discovered that the rock he had was actually a huge sapphire, he immediately decided to have it cut to look just like Narlroot's piercing orbs. The only jeweler in the area was a muggle and so he paid the man to do the work. The thing practically shaped itself the jeweler exclaimed after showing Griltskin the end result. It truly was breathtaking; however like all things in his life he eventually tired of it and gave it to one of his brother's grandsons who had somehow managed not to greatly irritate him during his life. Something, very few of Griltskin's family could ever lay claim to. Even to this day, he had no idea of what had finally happened to it. Just another 'thing' that had come and gone in his long, bitter life. Now, all he thought of and all he wanted was the sweet release of death. Each year he would grow a little thinner and a little taller. Even he recoiled at his own appearance. He was no longer human, but nor was he something else.
Only now did he realize his terrible error. The Eye of Narlroot had some very interesting properties, and with it he might be able to find a cure for his curse. However, somehow it had wound up in Harry Potter's possession. The Leakwood Manor and surrounding grounds were protected with very old and very powerful charms; preventing him from simply going in and killing Potter and retrieving the jewel. So, here he waited, hatching his dark little plan. Pulling all the right strings, at just the right times. Soon, he would have what he wanted and he was not above sacrificing whatever or whoever got in his way.