Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me.
It's for the Best
Chapter 5 - Financial Manipulations
Harry smiled to himself at the last bit of advice Hermione gave him about not rushing things with Ginny. Almost every letter she'd sent him that summer said something like that. She was always looking out for him. The vision he'd just woken up from convinced Harry of a few things. One is that the `blood wards' Dumbledore talked about didn't exist. The other is that Snape is a spy on Voldemort's side. He also knew it was possible that the vision was false, but really couldn't imagine its purpose. He decided to wait until he had actual proof to do anything about it, but he would NOT take any private lessons with Snape.
Harry also decided that if he was going to accomplish half of what he planned, he'd have to get started now. He grabbed some clothes and took a quick shower. He skipped breakfast, intending on getting lunch in London. As he wrote a quick note to the Weasleys, he briefly considered waking up Ginny, but decided against it. He was in a hurry and didn't want anyone to stop him. He took his miniaturized motorcycle (and accessories) and wore his disguise hat with him as he left the Burrow by floo, announcing his destination very clearly as, "Diagon Alley."
-
After dusting himself off and getting up, Harry was happy to find that he was inside the Leaky Cauldron. Making sure his hat was still on, he happily walked out the back door of the pub, glad that no one could recognize him. He tapped his wand on the bricks in the appropriate pattern and walked toward Gringotts, hoping they were open that early.
Before he'd gotten too far, he noticed a sign that made him smile. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes stood out from every other shop in that area. Set against the dull, poster-muffled shop fronts around them, Fred and George's windows hit the eye like a firework display. He had to check it out, figuring that he had a few minutes to spare. "Besides," he muttered to himself, "It'll be a great way to test out my disguise."
As he was approaching the door, he noticed a display of a product called `U-NO-POO' and started to laugh. He was still laughing as he walked inside.
"Harry!" said one of the twins, causing him to turn toward the one who'd called his name. "Sorry," said George. "Your laugh reminded me of one of our friends. What can I do for you?"
Trying to disguise his voice a bit and change his demeanor, he stuttered, "Er, um, hi, I've n-never been to a joke sh-shop before. C-could I h-have a tour."
"Of course, sir," he said happily. "I'm sure you'll be impressed. Verity!"
A young witch with short blonde hair walked up to them. "Yes."
"Would you be so kind as to show this customer around? He's never been to a joke shop before."
"Of course. Right this way, sir."
Harry was happy that their employee was showing him around. It allowed him to let down his guard a bit, but not much. He recognized most of the products from Hogwarts and was pleased with the new products as well. He purchased ten Galleons worth of merchandise, including extendable ears and skiving snackboxes.
Knowing how much help they'd be, he bought Hermione a set of self-inking quills, and then decided to buy some for himself, Ginny, and Ron, figuring they were as convenient as muggle pens. He decided to buy Ginny a Pygmy Puff for her quickly-approaching birthday on the way back, but didn't want it with him while he was out. After paying Verity for his purchases, he left and resumed his journey to Gringotts, carrying a bag with `WWW' written in big flashing letters that kept changing colors. He was very pleased with himself for not getting recognized.
-
"May I help you?" asked the goblin behind the counter.
"Yes. May I speak to someone about my account?"
"Of course, sir. You may wait in that room. Someone will be with you shortly." The goblin pointed Harry toward a small private room.
He walked into the room and found a desk with one chair behind it and two chairs in front of it. He sat in one of the two chairs, glad that it was padded and comfortable. When a goblin entered, Harry stood up. "Griphook," he said, extending his hand.
Griphook stared at him in disbelief. "You remember my name?" he asked, shaking Harry's hand.
"Of course. You took me to my vault the first time I was here."
"I'm honored. Most wizards can't tell one goblin from another. What may I do for you, Mr. Potter?"
Harry was surprised. He hadn't removed his hat yet, although he had intended to. "Y-you know…"
"Goblins can see through most wizarding disguises," Griphook said, chuckling. "Many of our clients use disguises for various reasons."
"Well," said Harry, taking a deep breath. "I'd like to know exactly what I inherited from Sirius Black. Professor Dumbledore said Sirius left me a few Galleons. I'd like to find out exactly what my assets are. I have some muggle relatives that I believe Voldemort is targeting, and would like to help them relocate, if I have enough money."
"Very well, Mr. Potter," said Griphook, waving his hand (claw). A silver device that looked like a funnel on top of a printer with a dozen different colored buttons on it appeared on the desk, along with a small knife. "Simply get a drop of your blood into the funnel. Most clients simply prick their index finger. I'll be able to heal the wound immediately."
Harry took the knife and hesitantly cut his left index finger. He was surprised that it didn't hurt much as a crimson drop landed in the funnel and disappeared as a beep came from the device.
"That means that it accepted your blood," said the goblin as he waved his hand, healing Harry's wound. Griphook pushed four of the buttons and printed parchment started coming out of the machine. Once the four reports were done printing, the goblin patiently explained them.
"This first report lists your most recent inherited property, which is from the Black estate. You inherited five million Galleons, a motorcycle, several personal items that have been moved into your trust vault, and a mansion located at Number Tw-tw. Ah, a Fidelius charm is in place. You've inherited Black Manor, a property located in London."
Harry's jaw dropped. "What!?! Dumbledore said he'd been left the house!"
"Let me print a copy of the will." Griphook pushed another button and looked over the parchment that came out of the printer. "No. He left Dumbledore one Galleon and advised him to stop interfering with your affairs like he did after your parents died."
To say Harry was shocked would have been an understatement. "He lied to both Lupin and me! What, did he think I wouldn't let them have their meetings there? He's the Secret-Keeper! How do I get the house back? What else has that liar done?"
Unrolling another scroll, Griphook continued. "As the owner of the house, you can magically claim it and the control of all charms and protections on the house will be transferred to you. I believe that you'd be able to cancel the Fidelius Charm at that time. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with wizarding magic, so you'll have to find a book on how to claim a house. As for what else he's done, the answer is on this scroll. According to this transaction report, he's made a monthly withdrawal of a thousand Galleons from your vault every month since your parents' deaths."
"What? How? Does that have something to do with my Hogwarts tuition?"
"No. That's an annual deduction that you can see right here." He pointed out the appropriate lines on the scroll. "As to how, I'm not sure. There's only one key to each of your vaults, so he…"
"Vaults?" Harry interrupted. "I only know about one vault. The one Hagrid gave me the key for on my eleventh birthday."
"Well, that explains how he's gotten access," said Griphook with a look of relief. "I was afraid he'd found a way to copy our keys. We can solve that easily." He pushed another button and three vault keys, along with six house keys, appeared in front of the printer. "All existing copies of these keys just disappeared as these replacement keys appeared. The vault keys can't be copied, but the house keys can be if you need to. I believe even muggles can copy those keys. You have three vaults. I think it's a good time to look at your assets." He picked up another scroll and unrolled it.
"So, what do I own?"
"The contents of your three vaults, two mansions, four houses, a motorcycle, and property in Godric's Hollow. Your trust vault currently has 14,382 Galleons 5 Sickles and 3 Knuts. It had 15,000 Galleons the first time you made a withdrawal. With your latest inheritance, the Potter vault now has 25,465,890 Galleons 6 Sickles and 1 Knut. That's after the 176,000 Galleons that Professor Dumbledore has withdrawn over the years. The Potter Heirloom vault has no money in it. Instead, it has several items of either monetary or sentimental value - or both. Here's a complete list of the items." He set down the last scroll in front of the shell-shocked sixteen year old.
After thirty seconds of silence, Harry broke the silence. "Er, um, you said houses?"
"Yes, sir."
"Are any of them muggle? I mean with electricity and stuff. Oh, and do other people know about them?"
"No one but a Potter can get the information from us, and according to the information written here, only Potter Manor was registered with the Ministry. I'm afraid we don't have information on whether the houses have muggle technology or not, but they are all in muggle neighborhoods. We do have addresses and appraised values."
"Thanks for that. I'll need to withdraw some money. Both muggle and wizarding." He took a deep breath. "If I've got that much money, I might as well get some decent clothes."
"I believe I can help you there. I can give you what appears to be a muggle credit card that will withdraw directly from the Potter vault. We charge ten Galleons to set it up, and one knut per transaction after that. I'm afraid that most wizarding establishments won't take that, but I can give you a bottomless weightless pouch that only you can open. You can put as many Galleons as you want in it. We would have it directly take money from your vault, but we don't want to risk a dark wizard managing to steal that and emptying your vault. Most of them wouldn't know a credit card if they saw one, and they wouldn't be able to use it in the only world that matters to them anyway."
-
After getting the Gringotts card (that looked like a regular visa) and withdrawing 1,000 Galleons from his vault (and putting it in his new pouch), Harry (still in disguise) walked around Diagon Alley.
He was excited to have so much money, but more than that, he was fuming. He wanted to go back to Dumbledore's office and break the desk itself, followed by Dumbledore's crooked nose. He did his best to rein his temper in so that he could accomplish what he wanted for the day.
He decided to buy a magical trunk with several compartments like Mad-Eye's that could shrink down to a wallet. He could even store things like his credit card in the wallet, so he emptied his old one into it. As both a wallet and a trunk, it was charmed so that only he could open it. He figured it would come in handy for everything he was planning on buying that day. He then bought some wizarding robes, including new dress robes. He bought a wand holster that resists the summoning charm, and he bought a few books from Flourish and Blotts, including one on ancient wizarding homes, which talked about the magical transferring of ownership, among other things. He then walked out of Diagon Alley and drove his motorcycle to the muggle world.
He stopped by a department store and bought all new clothes for himself with his visa, changing into one of his new outfits at the store and putting the rest of his packages into his trunk once he was out of sight. He didn't get elegant clothes that would bring attention to him - just new clothes that were his size. He was currently wearing jeans and a t-shirt that said `Stop reading my t-shirt!'
After that he went to an eye doctor to `get new glasses in an hour.' After his exam, where he found out that he should have gotten new glasses years ago, he picked out two wire frames. He'd decided to get one pair of regular glasses, and a pair of prescription sunglasses. He'd considered transition lenses, but he wanted control over when he was and wasn't wearing sunglasses. He knew that Snape would take 1,000 points from Gryffindor if Harry was wearing sunglasses in class, whether it was against school rules or not. Although he had a slight headache from his new prescription, he could see better than he had in a long time as he rode his bike to the first house on his list.
It was a red brick home that certainly looked normal to him. It was a two story house with a garage. He tried out his keys, and the third one he tried fit in the door. He smiled when he saw a light switch, and turned it on. To his surprise, it worked. The house seemed a bit dusty, but other than that, it was in good order. He walked around and found a phone on the wall. He picked it up and got a dial tone. On a hunch, he pulled the scrolls out of his pocket and found his expenditures. He noticed that a varying amount was transferred every month to a muggle bank account. He was willing to bet that it paid the utility and phone bills for his houses, but decided to double-check it. He further inspected it to make sure the plumbing worked properly, and that the four bedrooms were in good order. He thought the place would be perfect for Aunt Petunia and Dudley, so he decided to wait on inspecting his other houses.
He then drove to a local branch of the bank where the money had been transferred and asked to speak to a representative. He decided to not use his disguise hat in the bank in case he needed to use his driver's license for identification.
"Hello, Mr?"
"Potter, ma'am. Harry Potter."
"It's good to meet you," said the African woman, reaching out and shaking his hand. "What can I do for you? Were you considering opening up an account here?"
"Er, actually…" Suddenly he became nervous. "Well, my parents died when I was a baby and I've been using a trust fund at another bank for a long time now. I just learned about another account that my family has there. I was looking at the records for that account and noticed that some money is transferred to an account at this bank every month. I wanted to know why."
"I see. I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell you too much about the account if it's not yours, but I can certainly take a look. Do you have the account number?"
He gave her the number and she typed it into her computer. A moment after she entered it, she smiled. "That account was owned by James and Lily Potter. You were the beneficiary."
"May I have a report on that account?"
"I'll have to see your i.d. before I can do that."
He showed her his driver's license and she printed out a report. As he suspected, every month there was a withdrawal from both the phone company and the utility company. There was an extra thousand pounds in the account. He wasn't sure how it was set up to be replenished, but he decided to leave things as they were. She updated the information on the account and asked him for an address. He gave her the address of the house he'd just checked, but said that it might change soon. He then went to lunch at a McDonalds and drove to Number Four Privet Drive, making one stop at a hardware store to have a key copied.
-
Petunia and Dudley Dursley were sitting together on a couch in the living room watching the tele when the doorbell rang. It had been a difficult task yesterday for Mrs. Dursley informing her son that his father was dead when he came home after spending the day `having tea' with his gang. They'd both been walking around in a daze ever since, although Petunia had made arrangements with a funeral home that morning. She got up and answered the door.
"Hello Aunt Petunia," said the young man who was standing outside her door wearing sunglasses, jeans and a dark-green leather jacket. He wasn't in disguise, so she could see his scar and dark hair. She couldn't help but notice the motorcycle parked in her driveway.
"H-Harry? What are you doing here?"
He sighed. "May I come in to explain?"
"Of course."
Before Harry had taken two steps into the house, Dudley shouted, "What are you doing here, freak! It's not enough you got my father killed. Now you want to do the same to us!"
Harry's guilt over Uncle Vernon's death outweighed his anger over Dudley's statement. "You're right, they were after me, but I'm not taking all the blame! The house was supposed to be guarded against an attack, both by a wizard and special magical wards. Neither was there, thanks to Dumbledore! He had the same guard who left his post a year ago when we were attacked by those Dementors and I think he was just lying about those wards to keep me here! I just don't know why!"
"He, he promised protection in the letter he left with you!" said Petunia.
"He obviously lied about that!" Harry took a deep breath. "I have very good reason to believe that this house will be attacked again, soon."
"What?" said both Petunia and Dudley together, looking terrified. "Why?" asked Petunia.
"Because for better or worse, you're my only family. Not to mention the fact that he wants revenge for the Death Eaters that were captured and killed yesterday. Anyway, I've got a house that no one knows about that I'd like you to move to."
"Where'd you get a house, freak?" asked Dudley sarcastically.
"Actually," said Harry, glaring at Dudley. "I just found out that my parents left me a lot more than I've been led to believe, including that house. I've just been there. It's in good order, but is kind of dusty. It has electricity and phone service, although I'd advise you not to give the address out." He turned to his aunt. "Are you coming?"
"Yes. We'll need to get packed."
"Just take the essentials. I can get an `of age' wizard to come here later to magically pack everything else."
"Alright. You're not planning on us all riding that…thing you brought here, are you?"
"No. You follow me in your car. By the way, here's a key for the house."
"You said it was dusty. I'll need my vacuum and duster. Probably all my cleaning supplies."
"I just wish Dobby were here. He could make things a lot easier."
His aunt looked confused. "Who's Dob…?"
"Harry Potter called Dobby, and Dobby came!" exclaimed the excited house elf who just appeared with a `pop.' He immediately hugged Harry. "Dobby is sorry Dobby is taking so long to answer Harry Potter. Dobby is having to take care of Winky."
"Is she still drinking?" he asked with a frown.
"Harry Potter is a great wizard to be caring about the problems of elves! Dobby is afraid Winky isn't stopping drinking until she is bonding with another family. But that's enough of Dobby's problems. Why is Harry Potter calling Dobby?"
"I'm moving my aunt and cousin someplace that has to be kept a secret, and I was hoping you could pack all their stuff and move it there."
"Dobby is happy to!" he said eagerly. "Where is they moving to?"
Harry told Dobby the address and he snapped his fingers. The house was suddenly empty of everything except for the occupants. Dudley was still sitting on the couch when it disappeared and fell to the floor. Harry let out a snort. Harry briefly thought about hiring Dobby and Winky, but didn't want to upset Hermione. He'd talk to her about it first.
They left soon afterward, and Petunia drove her car (despite Dudley's license and history of being spoiled, she honestly was scared to ride in the car with him driving) and followed Harry to the new house.
"Harry Potter, you has come!" he said excitedly when they opened the door. "Dobby is waiting for you! Dobby is cleaning the house and arranging the furniture exactly the way it had been on Privet Drive!"
"That's good, Dobby. Thank you very much. How much do I owe you for your help today?" Harry pulled out his new pouch.
"Oh, no. Dobby isn't taking money from Harry Potter who is freeing him!"
"But if Hermione finds out I had you do all this good work for nothing, she'll never speak to me again. I insist you take a few Galleons. Think of how many socks and other clothes you can buy with it." He pulled out five Galleons and handed them to Dobby, who immediately started crying.
"Harry Potter is too generous! Dobby cannot accept it!"
"Then give it away to the needy. I don't want the money back. I've got to go. The Weasleys will probably be mad at me for leaving without telling them. Goodbye Dobby, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley. Dobby, would you mind getting Aunt Petunia's mail from Privet Drive every morning at ten and bringing it here?" The house-elf nodded. "Thanks. Aunt Petunia, do you think it would be alright for me to come to the funeral? I won't if you think it would be best. I know how Aunt Marge feels and what you've told everyone about me. I don't want everyone uncomfortable there, thinking I'm about to rob them." He wanted to add, "When it's Dudley who's likely to do that," but thought better of it.
Petunia hung her head down in shame at the lies they'd spread about her nephew, and realized he had a point. "I, I suppose it would cause trouble at the funeral. If you want, you can go to the wake tomorrow between ten and two. Marge won't be able to make it there." She then told him where it would be held.
"Before I go, do you need anything? Do you have enough money for groceries and things?"
"Oh, yes. We've been able to save a good amount of money over the years, and Vernon's insurance will take care of the funeral cost. I suppose I should try to get a job."
"Er, for now I think it would be best if there were no record of you being in this area, including a job record. I'd suggest that you don't use a bank or a check in this town. Withdraw money somewhere else so that if the Death Eaters ever get the idea to check banking records they won't find you. I'll have some money transferred to your account soon since you can't work. How much do you think you'll need for groceries each month?"
After he'd found out the information, he drove his bike back to Diagon Alley. While he was on his way, he realized that he wasn't that far from the Granger residence. He thought to himself, `Maybe I can get Hermione to go for a ride with me.' As a smile crept onto his face at the thought of Hermione's arms around his waist as they rode, he shook his head. `No. Ginny's my girlfriend. I don't have any desire to have her wrap her arms around me tightly or to see her in a …No! She's my best friend and I already have a girlfriend! I don't feel any differently about her than I do Ron! Although she's much more… Stop it!' He increased his speed and changed his train of thoughts.
He began considering what Dumbledore had done for (or to) him all his life, besides taking that money. Dumbledore knew that Sirius was his godfather, yet instead of giving baby Harry to him, he put him on the doorstep of the Dursleys. The next day Sirius went after Pettigrew and didn't get a fair trial. Harry realized that the head of the Wizengamot could have demanded a trial if he'd wanted to.
Then Dumbledore did nothing for ten years while Mrs. Figg reported that he couldn't even have a babysitter he liked. Harry would never forget the squib admitting that was why she made him endure looking at pictures of dead cats. Harry's first Hogwarts letter was addressed to `the cupboard under the stairs,' which meant to Harry that the headmaster knew something was wrong.
Although he loved his invisibility cloak, Harry wondered what kind of headmaster would give one to a student. He also wondered what kind of a headmaster would use a school full of children to house the stone that Voldemort was after. They're lucky he didn't kill every student in the school when he went after the stone! He further wondered how Dumbledore expected traps that three first-years could get through to stop Voldemort. Then the headmaster kindly refused to answer Harry's questions after he woke up in the hospital wing, claiming he was too young.
If Harry were honest to himself, the prophecy was a burden, but he'd always known Voldemort was after him anyway. At least now he knew why. If Dumbledore had answered Harry then, he'd have started training. Maybe he could've done better against Riddle in the graveyard if he'd have trained for three years. Dumbledore didn't even make sure to have good defense teachers most years.
That brought him to a new topic - the teachers. Most of them were alright, but a few weren't. Every defense teacher so far had tried to attack Harry. Lupin had an excuse because he was a werewolf when he'd attacked, and actually was an excellent teacher when the full moon wasn't out. Harry didn't believe Snape was on their side, but even if he was, that's no reason to make him a teacher! Although Harry and Neville held special places in Snape's heart, he harassed everyone not in Slytherin, including good students like Hermione. He never taught! He just put instructions on the board and insulted everybody. Harry still couldn't get over how much easier it was to make a potion during the O.W.L. exam when Snape wasn't around. Why did Dumbledore give him that position? He could have simply hired him to make potions if he wanted to help Snape - not make him a teacher. And certainly not make him a head of house!
Harry knew that the only reason Trelawney was at Hogwarts was because of the prophecy, not her `teaching ability.' She may have given a few real prophecies, but they had nothing to do with tea leaves, crystal balls, or any of the other rubbish she talks about. According to McGonagall, she predicts the death of a student on the first class of every year. Couldn't Dumbledore at least ask her to `Keep it to yourself when your inner-eye reveals that one of the students is in mortal peril?'
Then there was Binns who had bored countless generations with goblin rebellions that would have been interesting taught by anyone else. Couldn't Dumbledore force him to retire? As far as Harry knew, Binns was the only ghost in the world with a job. Although Harry hadn't taken Muggle Studies, Hermione told him that it wasn't taught properly either. The instructor didn't know the first thing about modern muggle life, and passed on his ignorance to his students. A muggleborn who's lived in the muggle world would be the right person to teach that class, not the pureblood that held the position.
Harry also wondered why a squib who desperately wants to torture students would be the caretaker. First of all, with that attitude Filch should be locked away in the mental patients ward at St. Mungo's. Secondly, a wizard could clean the castle much more quickly and efficiently with spells rather than a mop.
In fourth year, Dumbledore had forced (or had allowed others to force) Harry to participate in the tournament, exposing him to great danger, and eventually leading to Voldemort's return. Harry knew that Dumbledore could have put a stop to it if he wanted to.
Before fifth year started, Harry had been denied being a prefect. Not that Harry cared so much for the position, but being made a prefect would have shown everybody that Dumbledore had faith in him no matter what the Daily Prophet was saying. At the same time, he made Draco, the most evil Slytherin at Hogwarts, a prefect. The headmaster should have chosen someone like Zabini who wasn't outspokenly evil, calling Hermione a mudblood in front of everybody. Besides, he's the only Slytherin boy in his year Harry could think of who wasn't the son of a Death Eater from Voldemort's inner-circle. By giving Draco a prefect's badge, he was encouraging Malfoy to bully children. Did he really think that ferret wouldn't abuse the position?
Harry strongly suspected that Dumbledore could have stopped Umbridge, or at least slowed her down, but he couldn't prove that. It took a brilliant person like Hermione to realize that all that needed to be done was to lead her into the forest. Harry really wished Albus hadn't rescued that toad from the centaurs.
Then he makes Harry take private lessons with Snape, whose constant abuse of Harry is well known throughout Hogwarts. Why would the headmaster expose him to that? Was he so stupid that he believed Snape wouldn't use those lessons to make Harry miserable? Snape had proven time and time again that he is completely incapable of behaving like a professional in the classroom. Why would he do so in his office? If Harry's vision was true, he's just lucky Voldemort didn't let Snape kill him. He chuckled at the thought that Voldemort had protected Harry from Dumbledore's stupidity.
Snape had found out during those lessons that Harry was dreaming of the Department of Mysteries. If he were against Voldemort, couldn't he have said, "Voldemort probably wants to lure you there and may try sending a false vision. If he does, don't go there." Would that have been so hard? Bitterly, Harry thought, `It would have saved Sirius' life.'
-
He arrived at the Leaky Cauldron a few minutes later. He remembered to pick up the pygmy puff for Ginny, as well as a dozen roses. He was feeling guilty about his thoughts regarding Hermione. He also got some carnations for Mrs. Weasley. He thought of buying Hermione some flowers as well, but resisted the idea.
He arrived at the Burrow at about 4 p.m. While he was shrinking down his motorcycle, two arms wrapped around him from behind.
"Hi, honey," said Ginny. "Nice pants. Where have you been? I…You got new glasses, too! They look great!" She kissed him thoroughly. He didn't know what was wrong, but it didn't feel quite the same as last time. He still enjoyed getting kissed and kissing her back, but somehow his heart wasn't in it. He thought maybe he was exhausted or feeling down because of the business with the Dursleys.
Being a dutiful boyfriend, he smiled at her. "I bought you a few things." With her following close behind, he went inside and to his room. He expanded his trunk so he could remove his purchases. He first pulled out the dozen roses he'd bought her.
"You're forgiven for leaving without me," she said happily as she took them, giving him a quick kiss.
"I also got you a birthday gift that can't wait a few days, and wouldn't appreciate getting wrapped up." He produced the pygmy puff from his jacket pocket and his girlfriend squealed with delight. He then pulled out a bag from the twins' shop. "This should be everything you need to take care of him."
"He's so cute! You got him from Fred and George's shop?" He nodded with a smirk. "You should have told me you were going there! I would've wanted to see them!"
"I didn't plan it. I had some business at Gringotts and noticed the shop on the way. I couldn't resist going in. I was in disguise, so they never knew I was there."
She laughed. "They'd have probably given you a discount."
"But I wanted to test my disguise. If I could fool them, I could fool anyone. Here are some self-inking quills. I bought some for me, you, Ron, and Hermione. I thought they'd be helpful. Is your mum mad at me for leaving like that?"
Her expression changed to fear. "She's been going spare. She's been calling everyone. She went to headquarters a few minutes ago to see if you'd gone there. She should be back…"
"Harry, where have you been?" Harry was suddenly reminded of the howler Ron had received years before as Molly Weasley's voice came from the doorway. "You left a note that only said you'd left, but not where you were going! What if you were found without a guard? What if…"
"I didn't want there to be any chance of Voldemort finding me! I'm sorry that you worried, but I couldn't risk letting anyone know where I was going. I…" He put on a sad face. He had decided not to tell the Weasleys what he'd learned about Dumbledore or his money. He didn't even want to tell Ginny. Maybe he'd let Hermione know. She could help him. "I went to see the Dursleys to find out about my uncle's funeral. We…talked for awhile and I lost track of time. I did a bit of shopping while I was out as well. I, I wanted to have nice clothes to wear to the wake tomorrow."
Inwardly he believed he deserved an Oscar. Molly had tears in her eyes. He then pulled out the carnations. "I wanted to thank you for your hospitality, and apologize properly for worrying you."
Molly sniffed the flowers and pulled Harry into a hug. "It's alright dear. I just like to know that you're safe. Dinner will be ready in half an hour." She turned around and walked off.
Ginny looked at him skeptically. "Is that where you went?"
He decided to be a bit more honest with Ginny. "Well, I did see the Dursleys. I, er, suggested that they move away so they don't get attacked again. I first went to Gringotts to get money to…help them out a bit with the move. That reminds me, I have to send out a few letters." He planned on writing Gringotts about the transfer to the Dursley account and to Hermione about Dumbledore's manipulations.
"Harry," came Arthur's voice from the doorway. He was holding a few glasses of tea. "Molly sent me up here to give you both a cup of tea. I heard you gave Molly a fright."
"I'm sorry about that," said Harry as he took a glass for himself and Ginny. "I had some important things to do. Tomorrow I have to go to my uncle's wake." Harry drank deeply from his cup. "I really am very thirsty." He felt himself calm down as he took his second drink.
"Dumbledore is downstairs," said Arthur. "He wants to speak with you."
"Okay. I'd like to speak to him, too."
-
Harry reached the bottom of the staircase and saw the old man standing, looking straight at him. Harry felt his anger rise, but as he took another drink of his tea, the anger subsided.
"Hello Harry," said Dumbledore pleasantly, "Might I have a word in private?"
"Of course."
They walked into an unoccupied room and Harry began, for some reason struggling to maintain his anger.
"Professor, I went to Gringotts today, and found out that I own Grimmauld Place, not you. I also found out you've been taking a thousand Galleons out of the Potter account every month since my parents died."
Albus was genuinely surprised, but did not show it. "I see. Could you take a seat, and I shall explain it. I'm sure you'll understand in a minute. Would you like a pumpkin pasty?"
"No, I don't want a snack. I want an explanation." Harry took another drink, emptying the glass.
Albus was beginning to panic. Harry was even more powerful than he thought. "Arthur, would you bring more tea?" he called out loudly.
"Sure," came Mr. Weasley's voice from the other side of the door. "Just a minute."
"Now Harry, I'm sorry that I didn't inform you of those withdrawals, but I didn't want you worried. You know that I always have your best interests at heart." Dumbledore was searching his mind for a plausible answer to why he stole Harry's money. "Protection. Yes. I've been paying Mrs. Figg to watch over you since you were placed in the Dursleys' care. Now that you're no longer living with them, her services are no longer required, so the withdrawals will no longer occur."
Arthur entered the room at that time and handed out the drinks, giving Harry a glass first.
Once he was gone, Albus continued, delighted that Harry was drinking deeply. "You must realize how hard it for squibs to find a suitable occupation, and I knew you'd want to help her if you realized the situation, so I took the liberty of doing so. I should have let you know before now and allowed you to share in the joy of helping someone else."
As Harry, who really was genuinely thirsty, listened, he wasn't sure whether he believed Dumbledore or not, but it did sound plausible. He decided to give Dumbledore the benefit of the doubt for now, but would ask Mrs. Figg if he saw her again. "I see."
Dumbledore then put his head down in mock-shame. "I must admit I lied about Sirius' house. I know how you feel about Professor Snape, and was afraid you wouldn't allow that important member of the Order entrance. To a lesser degree, I was afraid you wouldn't allow us to use the house without keeping you apprised of everything we're doing. Knowing your connection to Voldemort, we can't risk his running across that information. That brings me to the reason for this visit."
"And that is?"
"After much prodding on my part, Professor Snape has agreed to resume your Occlumency lessons when school starts. They will continue to be referred to as Remedial Potions."
"No, sir!"
"But you must learn…"
"I'm sorry, but I refuse to share my memories with him. He didn't teach me anything last year. Hermione gave me a book on it, and I learned more from the first page than he ever taught me! I am working on it, and will continue to practice, but I absolutely refuse to continue those lessons with Snape!" Harry did not understand why it had been so difficult to refuse the headmaster, but he knew Snape would kill him. He set down his glass, waiting for Dumbledore's response.
Albus was shocked. He didn't think it was possible for anybody to say no to anything with that much potion in them. It was a special formula that he and Snape had created together, and combined a love potion for Ginny with a loyalty potion for him. He was afraid that if he pushed this matter, all the work he'd done would be destroyed, and Harry would completely fight off the potion.
He sighed as though disappointed in Harry. "If that's the way you feel about it, I'll inform Professor Snape. I doubt I'll be able to persuade him again if you change your mind."
"That's fine. I won't change my mind."
"Very well. I must have a quick word with Arthur, and then I'll be leaving. I'll see you at school, if not sooner."
"Goodbye, sir."
After Dumbledore was out of the room, Harry had a sudden urge to snog Ginny senseless.
-
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